Clear Up Continues as Skiing Re-starts After Monster Snowstorm

Friday 18th April

The weather in the western Alps has cleared on Friday after the HUGE, HUGE amounts of snow in the past few days.

The authorities are urging caution as a 27-year-old British man died in Val Thorens in France on Thursday after being swept away by an avalanche.

The victim, who has not been named, was at the side of a road at the lower side of the town when he was struck by the avalanche that carried him 15m down the slope.

He was taken to hospital in Grenoble with cardiorespiratory failure, but died in the evening.

“Our thoughts are with the family,” said the mayor of the commune of Belleville, Claude Jay.

“As long as there is an accident, that’s the first thing that comes to mind.

“It happened in rather exceptional weather conditions.

“Proceedings are now underway to determine the more precise circumstances of the accident.”

A spokesperson for the UK’s foreign office said: “We supporting the family of a British man who died in France and are in contact with the local authorities.”

The clear up is now underway across the areas in the western Alps affected by the recent snowstorm, and some slopes are opening to skiers and snowboarders.

Here was the picture in Les Arcs in France first thing on Friday morning as the sun returned.

Les Arcs, France. Image c/o Richard Sinclair.

And once the lifts opened the slopes were near perfect, though there is risk of avalanche off piste and the authorities are urging people to stay to the marked runs.

The risk of avalanche is at Level 4 in Les Arcs and many other ski areas in France, meaning there is a “high” chance of avalanches.

Les Arcs, France. Image c/o Richard Sinclair.

Les Arcs, France. Image c/o Richard Sinclair.

“Conditions are great on piste in Les Arcs after all-night grooming,” said PlanetSKI reader, Richard Sinclair, from SNO.

“All lower and mid station lifts and trails are open with just a few at the top expected to open later.

“Avalanche risk has reduced from level 5 to  level 4 and blasting can be heard as ski patrol continues to scythe higher areas and ridge line between Arcs 2000 and Peisey Vallandry.

“Quick pit stop to eat, then back out in the hope the top lifts to Aiguille Rouge and Grand Col open after lunch.”

Les Arcs, France. Image c/o Richard Sinclair.

Les Arcs, France. Image c/o Richard Sinclair.

It’s a similar scene in neighbouring La Plagne.

La Plagne, France. Image c/o Lynsey Devon.

“Due to the unprecedented amount of snow, the lifts are just opening in Mont Chavin,” said PlanetSKI reader, Lynsey Devon, first thing on Friday morning.

“There was a lot of blasting this morning plus we heard helicopters overhead where they were checking the power cables.

“Several trees had fallen and until the all clear was given skiers waited patiently to grab their turns.”

There have been record-breaking amounts of April snow with more than 2m falling in places.

Verbier, Switzerland. Image c/o Elise Farquet.

Tignes, France. Image c/o Simon Perry.

Zermatt, Switzerland. Image c/o Ed Mannix, Matterhorn Chalets.

Tignes in France was cut off at the height of the storm with people urged to stay indoors.

On Friday morning some slopes re-opened, but very few.

Hence the huge lift queue as seen at Palafour lift in Tignes in Le Lac.

The avalanche risk in Tignes is  4/5.

Tignes, France. Image c/o David Morgan.

The Swiss resort of Zermatt was at the heart of the storm and it’s rail and road links have been closed with power cuts in the town.

Here is the updated situation on Friday morning from the resort where things are far from back to normal:

•⁠ ⁠The Visp – Zermatt railway line will remain safely closed until 3.00 pm. 

•⁠ ⁠Access by road will remain closed.

On site
•⁠ ⁠Stay at home despite the good weather. The safety work is in full swing.
•⁠ ⁠The facilities of Zermatt Bergbahnen AG and the Gornergrat Bahn will remain closed today.
•⁠ ⁠All winter hiking trails are closed. There is great danger. Please follow the instructions.

Power/Electricty
•⁠ ⁠The power supply remains interrupted until further notice. The main line is still interrupted.
•⁠ ⁠From 11.00 a.m., the EWZ will temporarily switch to island operation on a neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood basis as long as power is available.

The sequence is as follows: Spiss, then west side of the village towards Zermatterhof, Oberdorf, Winkelmatten, Steinmatte, Wiesti, Zer Bänna, then Spiss again and from the front.

To ensure that this runs smoothly, please do not use lifts, dishwashers, washing machines and tumble dryers.

Please concentrate on the essentials.

Each accommodation should be connected to the power supply for at least two hours.

Please observe the rules of behaviour described!

If these rules are observed, this island operation can be maintained for a longer period of time.

Service
•⁠ ⁠Migros, Coop and Denner have been open since 8.00 am. Migros and Denner have a reduced offer.
•⁠ ⁠The Zermatt Tourism emergency meeting point has been in operation since 8.00 a.m., the emergency meeting point in the Triftbachhalle since 9.00 a.m. and the emergency meeting point of the municipality is open 24 hours a day.
•⁠ ⁠From 9.00 a.m., mobile phones can be charged in the Triftbachhalle in the same way as yesterday.

Please bring your own battery-powered device.

Hot water will also be available in the Triftbachhalle from 9.00 am.

Please bring your own container/thermos flask.

•⁠ ⁠The container shelters (Denner, Talisman, Tufta, Wiesti) will be taken up during the day on a neighbourhood basis to ensure waste disposal.
•⁠ ⁠Older people are welcome to go to the old people’s home. It is warm there, there is food, drink and company.
•⁠ ⁠A food bank will again be set up in the Triftbachhalle this evening between 18.00 and 20.00.
•⁠ ⁠The ATMs at Migros and Denner are in operation.

The information from Zermatt was sent to us by PlanetSKI reader, Ed Mannix from Matterhorn Chalets.

“The sun is out and it’s looking beautiful again in Zermatt,” said Ed.

Zermatt, Switzerland. Image c/o Ed Mannix, Matterhorn Chalets.

The Swiss resort of Verbier saw more than 1m fall.

And here’s a time-lapse video of the 1m falling.

 

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A post shared by Guidezone (@guidezone.co)

Looks like Christmas but it’s 18th April! Beautiful conditions in Switzerland’s 4 Vallées resorts pic.twitter.com/L0tQThAoS3

— Valais Dude (@ValaisDude) April 18, 2025

There remains a ‘high’ risk of avalanche in parts of the Swiss Alps, with a ‘considerable’ risk’ in many of the other ski areas in the country.

Image c/o Swiss Institute for Snow & Avalanche Research.

At lower altitudes there has been torrential rain with flooding.

Power outages were reported in 37 of the 74 municipalities in the Aosta Valley in Italy.

The heavy rain in north-west Italy saw rivers burst their banks.

A 92-year-old man has drowned after flooding in his home at Monteu da Po near Turin.

For skiers and snowboarders there should be some superb Easter snow conditions in resorts over the weekend, however it has come at a cost.

Parts of some resorts will be closed due to the danger of avalanche, access roads will need to be cleared and made safe, while some Easter ski events have been hit.

The Mega Bell Course event in La Plagne has been cancelled.

• New Spring event for La Plagne

“We were ready, even super-ready. And then… overnight, a massive snowfall completely disrupted our organization, forcing us to make a difficult decision: cancel the Mega Bell Course,” said La Plagne.

“On paper, receiving so much snow might seem like a godsend, especially given the sunshine forecast for Saturday.

“But on the ground, we’re facing such a massive snowfall in less than 24 hours that the ski area had to be closed today and until further notice, with an avalanche risk of 5/5.

“Despite our best efforts, this exceptional situation for mid-April deprives us of the logistical conditions to prepare and shape the events safely.

“Between now and Saturday, with the forecast thaw and heavy snow in many areas, the priority will remain securing the ski area.”

In Chamonix the Aiguille du Midi cable car will open, but not for skiers and snowboarders.

“We would like to draw the attention of off-piste skiers to the exceptional conditions in the high mountains: over 2 meters of snow with a high snowpack density and an avalanche risk estimated at 4/5,” said the resort.

“Skiers will not be allowed on the Aiguille du Midi for their own safety.”

“The avalanche risk is high (4/5), and visitors must therefore respect the slopes that may be closed and, above all, use marked and secured trails,” said Les2Alpes.

The transport system in Switzerland and northern Italy has been severely impacted.

Rail traffic across the region ground to a halt on, with the lines between Visp and Zermatt, Brig and Lausanne, and Brig and Andermatt closed.

Zermatt was cut off with power cuts as we reported earlier.

“We’ve never experienced anything like yesterday and tonight,” said one visitor to Zermatt on social media on Thursday.

“We’ve been without electricity since last night.

“There’s no hot water, no internet.

“Things we take for granted are suddenly a luxury.”

The Eurocity rail connection from Switzerland to Milan was suspended after flooding on the Italian side, with no public transport links between the Valais and northern Italy.

Authorities in Ticino in Italy closed the road into the Bavona Valley, while several other mountain passes and local roads were impassable due to snow, fallen trees, and landslides.

Winter has returned to Mürren.
Over 60cm of new snow overnight at village level and more falling today!!#snowdump #easterpresent #murren #muerren #jungfrauregion#SnowHour #switzerland pic.twitter.com/3exzqdfM4Y

— Mürren Lover (@Murrenlover) April 17, 2025

Back in France here’s the forecast in the Val d’Isere area from Henry’s Avalanche Talk:

FRI 18th:  Cloud will soon break up, leading to a bright sunny day, with mild temperatures. 0° C at 2700 m. Light W wind.

SAT 19th: A largely sunny day. 0°C at 2800 m.

SUN 20th: A brief spell of snow flurries down to 1800 m in the morning, but quickly brightening up.

MON 21st & TUES 22nd: Cloudy and cool for the time of year.

NEXT FEW DAYS: Mixed conditions.

More to follow…

Thursday 17th April

It is one of the biggest late-season storms in recent years with well over 1.5m in places and the snow is still coming down.

It looks like it will turn out to be the biggest snowstorm of the season.

Zermatt in Switzerland has been at the heart of the storm – it remains closed and cut off to the outside world with rail and road links shut.

PlanetSKI reader, Ed Mannix from Matterhorn Chalets, has sent us the following official update from the Swiss resort on Thursday:

Please stay at home.

There will be no electricity until further notice, at least until tomorrow morning.

The next situation assessment will take place on Friday at 8:00 AM.

Access to Zermatt via road and rail is currently not possible. Please inform arriving guests not to travel for the time being.

Departing guests should not be sent to the train station.

The road between Zermatt and Täsch remains closed.

The next situation assessment is scheduled for Friday at 8:00 AM.

Authorities are in contact with the local energy providers.

The train line between Visp and Zermatt will remain closed for the rest of the day, as will the GGB.

The next situation update will be Friday at 8:00 AM.

The Spiss road will reopen at 7:00 PM. The Zen Stecken area remains closed.

The avalanche danger level is currently 4+.

The following 18 hotels will gradually be connected to emergency power:

• Cervo
• Matthiol
• Butterfly
• Bahnhofbuffet
• Alpenresort
• Sonne
• 22 Summits
• Coeur des Alpes
• Albana
• Europe
• Julen
• Capricorn
• Beau Site
• Zer Mama
• Ginabelle
• Matterhorn Lodge
• La Vue
• Continental

Unfortunately, not all hotels can be connected at once, as the connections are only partial.

We kindly ask these 18 establishments to show solidarity and also provide meals or hospitality to external guests.

Once it gets dark, street lighting around transformer stations in the village will remain on overnight.

The Zermatt Tourism Info Point is open today until 6:00 PM, and tomorrow starting at 7:00 AM.

The municipal Info Point is open until 8:00 PM today.

The regional police, reinforced by the cantonal police, will patrol throughout the night.

Between 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM today, 1,000 portions of vegetable soup with bread will be distributed to residents in the Triftbachhalle.

Available while supplies last.

By the time the storm passes it is forecast up to 2m may have fallen in many places.

That may be a conservative estimate.

2m has already fallen above Chamonix in France.

“Following the snowfall of the last few hours, we are currently measuring more than 2 meters of heavy snow at the summit of the Aiguille du Midi at 3,842 m,” said a statement from the resort on Thursday afternoon.

“Given the dangerous nature of the snowpack in the high mountains, we have decided, in consultation with the municipality of Chamonix, to open the Aiguille du Midi cable car to pedestrians only in order to significantly reduce the risk of accidents on the Vallée Blanche route.

“Skiers will not be allowed on the Aiguille du Midi for their own safety.”

The Simplon Pass and Grand St-Bernard Pass that link Switzerland and Italy have been shut in both directions due to deep snow.

There are multiple road and rail closures in parts of Switzerland and people are being advised to stay at home.

The high altitude resort of Tignes in France has seen some of the largest falls with the resort closed and access roads shut.

PlanetSKI reader, Simon Perry, has sent us these images from Tignes.

Tignes, France. Image c/o Simon Perry.

Tignes, France. Image c/o Simon Perry.

Tignes, France. Image c/o Simon Perry.

Tignes, France. Image c/o Simon Perry.

Tignes, France. Image c/o Simon Perry.

In Tignes people are now being told to stay indoors.

Tignes, France.

There is a Level 5 risk of avalanche (Very High) in some French resorts where the storm has hit.

In Switzerland many areas have a Level 4 risk (High).

Image c/o Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research.

Zermatt and Saas-Fee have seen some of the largest falls.

In Zermatt more than 1m has fallen at the village level.

The images have been sent to us from Ed Mannix at Matterhorn Chalets.

Zermatt, Switzerland. Image c/o Ed Mannix, Matterhorn Chalets.

There are similar conditions across large parts of the western Alps.

Heavy Easter snow in French Alps. Image c/o Lynsey Devon.

PlanetSKI reader, Lynsey Devon, is on her way to La Plagne and reports that some roads are closed with fallen trees blocking access.

“Due to the exceptional snowfall, many trees have fallen on the roads, and others are threatening to do so,” said a statement from La Plagne.

“As a result, traffic is currently very dangerous and we recommend that you temporarily postpone all your travels.”

In AIME 2000 there is a  travel ban on public and private roads, by-law 2025-sg-pa-001.

Montchavin, France. Image c/o Lynsey Devon.

The heavy snow has led to the cancellation this weekend of the Mega Bell Course event in La Plagne.

Here’s Verbier, in Switzerland:

Verbier, Switzerland. Image c/o Elise Farquet.

Verbier, Switzerland. Image c/o Elise Farquet.

And nearby Crans-Montana:

“This potentially historic storm is a highly complex one, an amalgam of disturbances of both Atlantic and Mediterranean origin,” said Fraser Wilkin from weathertoski.co.uk.

“It is broadly affecting the western Alps, with some hotspots seeing exceptional and potentially even record-breaking snowfalls.

“One such area is the far south-east of the French Savoie where, by the end of Thursday, 48-hour snowfall totals (at high altitude) could be in the 1.5m to 2m range (or potentially more) in the likes of Val Cenis, Bonneval-sur-Arc and Val d’Isère (Pisaillas side).

“Other hotspots include high border areas between Zermatt and the Simplon Pass, including Saas-Fee.

“Needless to say, the risk of avalanche has become critical in these areas – already at 5/5 this morning in Val d’Isère where the entire ski area is closed at the time of writing, with schools also closed and the road to Bourg-Saint-Maurice temporarily cut off.

“Lower down, flooding and landslides will be an issue, especially in the eastern Savoie, but more generally in the western Italian Alps.

“On the whole, the further north and east you are in the Alps, the lighter the precipitation, with much of Austria and eastern Switzerland staying mostly dry.”

Some are already talking of it being one of the largest storms in recent memory.

It’s mid-April and we’ve had the biggest overnight snowfall I’ve seen here – about 50cm in our village at 1400m, much more higher up the mountain where rain turned to snow earlier yesterday #Valais #Switzerland pic.twitter.com/qLnDhpupCJ

— Valais Dude (@ValaisDude) April 17, 2025

The weather  is set to clear for the Easter weekend when there should be some stunning conditions.

“After a relatively poor snow season, the N French Alps (along the Italian border), the W Italian Alps and parts of the W Swiss Alps are currently receiving record-breaking amounts of fresh snow!” said Henry Schniewind from Henry’s Avalanche Talk.

Once the lifts re-open the authorities are urging extreme caution off piste.

Here is a statement from the Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research:

“We urge everyone to exercise the utmost caution:

• Avoid all mountain travel outside of secured areas.
• Do not go off-piste or hiking, including snowshoeing or skiing.
• Strictly follow the instructions of local authorities, rescue services, and mountain professionals.

The mountains are beautiful, but they can be formidable. In this period of high danger, everyone’s responsibility is essential to avoid tragedies.”

Do check back for more…

Wednesday 16th April

It’s been dry and warm for much of April, but things are now changing.

“The rain/snow limit will be highly variable, generally starting above 2000m but falling to 1500m or lower under the more intense precipitation, especially on Wednesday.

“At altitude the risk of avalanche will become critical in some of the areas mentioned above, with the risk of flooding and landslides increasing lower down.

“On the whole, over the next few days, the further north and east you are in the Alps, the less precipitation there will be.”

It has been quiet on the slopes in recent days in resorts across the Alps with Easter falling late this year.