Some Snow in the Alps to Welcome in 2024

24th December 2023

Last modified on January 1st, 2024

It remains warm in the Alps with snow and rain in the forecast. At altitude it is good for the time of year. UPDATED

Monday 1st January

❄️❄️❄️ Snowing in #LaTania ❄️❄️❄️ pic.twitter.com/wwWaKVpX2M
— La Tania (@La_Tania) December 31, 2023

❄️ Il neige à gros flocons dans les Alpes en ces dernières heures de l’année 2023. Images depuis Valloire en Savoie. (© Le P’tit Galibier) pic.twitter.com/LtuKslsNwH
— Météo Express (@MeteoExpress) December 31, 2023

More to follow…

Saturday 30th December

It’s was a generally clear day on Saturday with some cloud.

Here’s what it looked like flying over Geneva in Switzerland, looking into the Alps.

Weather in the Alps. Image © PlanetSKI

On the ski resort transfer buses at low altitude there was fog and mist to contend with as people headed to their resort of choice.

Weather in the Alps. Image © PlanetSKI

It is still warm in much of the Alps with the freezing level between 1,500m and 2,000m.

A change in the weather is on its way for Sunday, and conditions will be more variable early in the week.

With warm temperatures the general picture is set to continue: good at altitude, but less so lower down.

Les Arcs, France. Image © PlanetSKI

PlanetSKI is now ending its recent time in the French Alps.

Skiing Les Arcs over the festive period

Les Arcs, France. Image © PlanetSKI

We’re heading over to the Pyrenees after New Year’s Eve and will be spending much of January in Europe’s “other mountain range”.

We’ll be in the French Pyrenees first, then heading to Andorra before nosing round the resort of the Spanish Pyrenees.

Plans are deliberately vague, but we will be in Grandvalira in Andorra 7^th – 12^th January .

Plus Baqueira-Beret in Spain for a leg of the Freeride World Tour, January 25th – 28th January.

Apart from that we’ll go where the snow is and our nose takes us.

More to follow….

La Plagne, France. Image © PlanetSKI

Friday 29th December

The weather is changing with temperatures dropping slightly and some rain and snow in the forecast.

In Les Arcs in France, where PlanetSKI currently is, the clouds are coming in:

Xmas week in Les Arcs

“After the fabulous weather over Xmas it is becoming more changeable,” said PlanetSKI editor, James Cove, from Les Arcs.

“There remains full coverage of snow on the pistes and these really are some of the best Xmas conditions in recent memory.

“The warm temperatures have softened up the slopes both on and off piste and they are an utter delight to ski on.

“It looks like being a stable weekend but then a new storm rolls in to this part of the Alps.”

Generally in the Alps next week then looks very unsettled, with further weather fronts coming in.

That means snow or rain, depending on the altitude.

“There is generally still lots of snow at altitude in the northern Alps, but precious little natural snow lower down, with eastern Switzerland and parts of Austria faring slightly better than western Switzerland and France,” said the alpine weather expert, Fraser Wilkin, from weathertoski.co.uk.

“Tignes, Val Thorens, Davos, St Anton and Ischgl, for example, are all in great shape.

“Whereas Megève, Gstaad, and the Ski Welt are struggling, with little if any natural snow on their lower slopes, although they do still have a good number of pistes open.

“The southern Alps, including the Milky Way, the Monte Rosa region and the Dolomites, have universally below par snow depths for the time of year.

“Again, you will still find plenty of pistes open, especially in the Dolomites, thanks largely to artificial help, but natural snow cover is very modest.”

More to follow…

Les Arcs, France. Image © PlanetSKI

Wednesday 27th December

The unseasonably warm weather continues in the Alps.

PlanetSKI editor James Cove, and his new Xmas friend Rudolph, are in the Paradiski area in France.

James mentioned looking over into Les3Valleys ski area from La Plagne :

And here are a few images from today’s trip from Les Arcs to La Plagne:

La Plagne, France. Image © PlanetSKI

More to follow…

Tuesday 26th December

For the first time in a while the weather in the Alps is relatively straight forward after all the recent storms and fluctuations in temperature.

The snow, rain and winds have passed, with the temperatures very warm for the time of year.

The snow conditions are generally excellent at altitude, and less good the lower you go.

At low altitudes it is poor with some resorts struggling.

It was +8c at midday in Les Arcs in the French Alps 1,600m.

Les Arcs, France. Image © PlanetSKI

There is blue sky and sunshine across many areas, but as it is December the sun is low in the sky so not really affecting the snow pack.

There are some truly great piste conditions in the higher areas.

Les Arcs, France. Image © PlanetSKI

It is a similar picture across the northern Alps in Switzerland and into Austria.

Further south into Italy warm conditions prevail with no fresh snow now, or any in the forecast.

More to follow…

Les Arcs, France. Image © PlanetSKI

Tuesday 26th December

We will be updating on conditions in the Alps later – it’s basically blue sky with high temperatures, great snow at altitude and less good lower down.

But first we have a final report from PlanetSKI reporter, Ross Young, who has been in Banff in Canada.

He’s spent the last few days skiing Sunshine and Lake Louise.

Sunshine Village, Banff, Canada. Image c/o Ross Young.

“At Sunshine two inches of fresh snow fell last week and it topped up the pistes up nicely and kept the off-piste areas interesting.

“There was a big bonus with the opening of the Goatseye Express chairlift allowing access to the challenging terrain of Mount Goat’s Eye’s for the first time this season.

“With Sunshine still relatively quiet this early in the season, there was plenty of easily accessible, untracked snow to play in even a couple of days later.”

Sunshine Village, Banff, Canada. Image c/o Ross Young.

“Over in Lake Louise, which is slightly lower than Sunshine, the unusually warm temperatures mean the lower slopes are slightly slushy.

“But don’t let that worry you: higher up the mountain, conditions are more than decent.

“There’s plenty of great cruising to be had on the intermediate pistes, while for the experts the whole of the challenging West Bowl is now open.

Lake Louise, Banff, Canada. Image c/o Ross Young.

“So is the ice bar at the foot of the mountain, but that’s another story…”

Lake Louise, Banff, Canada. Image c/o Ross Young.

More to follow…

Sunday 24th December

Many of the resorts in the northern French Alps have seen some superb conditions at altitude as the rain, snow and wind have passed.

PlanetSKI is in Les Arcs in France so we start our updated report in Paradiski area on Xmas Eve.

Here is what it looks like in parts of Austria .

1m fell in parts of the Zillertal Valley and the weather has now begun to clear.

PlanetSKI reader, Steve Sparks, was heading to Obergurgl in the Tirol for Xmas.

“We had to queue for over two hours to get in as they were bombing to clear avalanches threatening the access road,” said Steve.

“The resort was entirely shut on Thursday and Friday, so it was great to get up the hill at the weekend.

“The high winds have given the fresh snow a bit of a pasting off piste, but the pistes are in amazing condition.”

Obergurgl, Austria. Image c/o Steve Sparks.

There is well over 1.5m of snow in the village.

“It’s still relatively quiet, the crowds generally arrive after Christmas (crowds in Obergurgl, is a relative term) I’ve never seen a lift queue at this time of year.

“The wind shut the lifts above 2,800 on Sunday, so there should be some good fresh stuff to be had up higher early in the week.”

Obergurgl, Austria. Image c/o Steve Sparks.

As James said there has been some decent off piste skiing in Les Arcs.

Though sadly the lift that gives access to the highest skiing and one of the best runs in the Alps, the Aiguille Rouge at 3,226m, remains closed.

Fingers crossed that the lift opens later in the week.

See here for our full report on the snow conditions last week that gives context and background to the current state-of-play:

More snow falls in the Alps

We’ll have a few more images from Les Arcs lower down this article, but first we look elsewhere and at the all-important forecast for the Xmas week.

The southern Alps in France and Italy have seen less snow, though there has been some and the snow guns have helped top things up.

The mild weather though will have an impact.

“The Alps are under the influence of a very mild south-westerly airflow that will remain in place for several days,” said the alpine weather expert, Fraser Wilkin, from weathertoski on Xmas Eve.

“Mild temperatures are leading to a deterioration in snow conditions lower down in many resorts.

“Christmas Day and Boxing Day should be dry with plenty of sunshine, and again very mild.”

Now, as promised, a few more images of the PlanetSKI team from the slopes of Les Arcs at Xmas .

Well, the restaurants and bars actually.

It is Xmas after all: