Snow is Finally Falling in the Alps
4th November 2024
Last modified on November 14th, 2024
The dry and warm weather is a thing of the past with some very welcome snow and colder temperatures this week. Winter is coming folks! UPDATED
It has been very mild in the Alps recently with the freezing level at over 3,000m across the mountain range.
Not any more.
“Some fresh snow has fallen in parts of the Alps last night and earlier today, though it hasn’t been as widespread as hoped for a few days back,” said Fraser Wilkin from weathertoski.co.uk on Tuesday.
“The southern French and south-western Italian Alps (e.g. Isola 2000, Sestriere) have seen most of today’s snow, with up to 10cm falling to relatively low levels.
“Some heavier and more widespread snow is likely next week, but weather models remain volatile this far out and detail is therefore hard to pin down.”
Here’s Verbier in Switzerland:
Verbier has just announced it is opening some slopes this weekend. Full details have not been released but it will be the Lacs des Vaux area, and possible more.
We’ll keep you posted.
Here at PlanetSKI we will be visiting the Swiss resort ahead of Xmas for an extended stay so look out for our reports.
PlanetSKI in Verbier, Switzerland. Image © PlanetSKI
Here’s the current scene in Les 3Vallees in France:
It is falling at low altitudes:
❄️ La neige débarque dans les Alpes ce mardi matin, dès 1300 mètres. Images de Cervières dans les Hautes-Alpes vers 1700m. (via @Viewsurf) pic.twitter.com/ifSOC67nS2
— Météo Express (@MeteoExpress) November 12, 2024
The temperatures have dropped so snow making can begin, but it is early days as we approach mid-November and there is no need for concern – yet.
There has been a dusting of snow in the Pyrenees with more set to come:
Pas de la casa 👉 froid et quelques flocons ce matin ❄️📷@andorra_picture pic.twitter.com/vy6qvAxjcb
— Météo Pyrénées (@Meteo_Pyrenees) November 12, 2024
It is a different story in North America with snow falling and the snow guns turned on in many areas.
Some are opening early with one of the best starts to winter in recent years.
See here for a full PlanetSKI report on conditions in North America:
Overall it has been a decent autumn for snow at altitude in the Alps with some good conditions in the glacier areas that are open, though a drop in temperatures and fresh snow are welcome.
The Warren Smith Ski Academy is starting its autumn courses up on the glacier above Cervinia in Italy.
Cervinia, Italy. Image c/o Warren Smith Ski Academy.
It shares the glacier area with neighbouring Zermatt in Switzerland.
“The snow and coverage is amazing at the moment at altitude, and the earlier autumn snow storms have left their mark with the mountain in prime condition,” said Warren to PlanetSKI.
The Academy has been posting on Instagram to get us all in the mood for winter:
View this post on Instagram
PlanetSKI will be taking part in one of The Academy’s early season courses in December in Verbier so look out for those reports in the run up to Xmas.
The Alps has several resorts currently offering varying amounts of skiing and snowboarding:
- Hintertux, Austria
- Pitztal, Austria
- Stubai, Austria
- Soelden, Austria
- Kaunertal, Austria
- Moltaller, Austria
- Passo Stelvio, Italy
- Adelboden, Switzerland
- Engleberg, Switzerland
- St Moritz, Switzerland
- Saas-Fee, Switzerland
- Zermatt, Switzerland
The Swiss resoret of Murren has had some terrain open, thanks to snow farming, since late September.
It was only for Swiss ski teams for pre-season training, but in now open to the general public.
In Val Senales in Italy the skiing is only for race team training and not the general public.
Kitzbuhel is expected to open shortly and will be the 8th Austrian area to open.
There will be a couple of kilometres (mile or so) of piste at Resterkogel using snow farming – snow stored over summer under covers ready for reuse in the autumn.
There are no resorts open in France with Tignes, Chamonix and Val Thorens planning to open on November 23rd.
There has been some recent snow in the Pyrenees.
Plus the mainland’s most westerly, Portugal’s Serra De Estrella.
We mentioned the Portugese ski area in this earlier article on PlanetSKI:
Scandinavia also has some areas open:
- Levi, Finland
- Ruka, Finland,
- Kabdalis, Sweden
- Galdhopiggen, Norway.
And we finsih this report with a few more images from Cervinia from our friends over at the Warren Smith Ski Academy.
Cervinia, Italy. Image c/o Warren Smith Ski Academy.
Cervinia, Italy. Image c/o Warren Smith Ski Academy.
Do check back for updates as winter edges ever-closer…
