Snow Falls Across the Alps With Temperatures Dropping
8th December 2024
Last modified on December 10th, 2024
It is the best Xmas present us skiers & snowboarders could want. PlanetSKI reports from the Alps.UPDATED
The run up to Christmas is always a concerning time for those heading away for an Xmas break and the people who work out in the mountains and rely on a successful Xmas for their livlihood.
Will there be enough snow?
There is still a couple of weeks to go, but things are currently looking rather decent after the weekend weather.
Snow has fallen across some parts of the Alps and the temperatures have dropped allowing the snow guns to do their stuff.
“The heaviest of this fell in the western Alps, with around 20-40cm above 1800m in many French resorts, and 60cm+ in some western foothills near Grenoble,” said Fraser Wilkin from weathertoski.co.uk.
“On the whole, the further east you were the less snow fell, with typically only around 5-20cm and a bit more in some parts of the western Dolomites and eastern Lombardy.
“The least snow fell in the southern Austrian province of Carinthia, however, it looks like winter now just about everywhere in the Alps.
“With cool temperatures forecast to continue, snow-making can also continue apace.”
Do check out the very latest on weathertoski.co.uk
Here’s a selection of social media images of the recent snow.
Sainte Foy, France:
Stubai, Austria:
Arc1950, France:
View this post on Instagram
La Clusaz, France:
PlanetSKI was in Val Thorens in France at the weekend.
Here was the picture on Sunday morning.
Val Thorens, France. Image © PlanetSKI
Val Thorens, France. Image © PlanetSKI
The storm started on Saturday with PlanetSKI reporter, Simon Wilson, in resort.
So, what about the picture away from the highest resort in the Alps where this amount of snow in early December is far from unusual.
We have been reporting on the snow conditions across the weekend:
Here was the scene in Les3Vallees at 1500m on Thursday 5th December.
Les3Vallees, France. Image © PlanetSKI
Here it is now – Les3Vallees, 1,500m.
Les3Vallees, France. Image © PlanetSKI
The snowline stops around 700m above Moutiers.
Les3Vallees, France. Image © PlanetSKI
The good news is that the temperatures have fallen and this means plenty more snow-making can take place in the run up to Xmas.
The lower level resorts are breathing a sigh of relief.
View this post on Instagram
The snow has also led to a surge in interest from UK skiers and snowboarders looking to book a ski holiday.
Inghams Ski says that web bookings increased by 32% from last week.
It says the strongest areas of uplift in online sales have been for 2025 departures, increasing by 33% week on week, with January 2025 proving the most popular month for travel.
France and Austria have had the most bookings, with Austria seeing a 32% increase compared to last week.
“A spike in bookings like these are what you expect to see when people are confident in great snow conditions for the start of the season,” said the Managing Director of Inghams Ski, John Mansell.
“We are seeing those who have been tentative to book a ski holiday now committing, and it’s clear everyone is feeling the excitement for the season ahead.”
Arc1950, France. Image c/o Arc1950 tourist office.
And lets not forget the Pyrenees that has had a slow start to winter with little natural snow, high temperatures and resort openings delayed.
Not any more.
Here’s Andorra:
View this post on Instagram
Baqueira Beret in Spain is expecting to see around 1m of fresh snow once the latest storm has passed.
View this post on Instagram
Do check back for updates…
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