Don't Look Now But The Alps Are Off To A Banger Start [Photo Tour]

Photo (+Cover): Residents of the French Alps have been digging out all weekend | Photo: Tignes Facebook Page

It’s dumping across the alps and by the end of the week, skiers and riders will be riding powder from Chamonix to St Anton Am Arlberg.

Today, snow fell in earnest across the French/Italian Alps (*Chamonix, Courmayeur, Meribel, Avoriaz, Val d’Isere, Courchevel) and by the end of the day, accumulations began to reach parts of western Switzerland (*Verbier). With all the new snow, expect the avalanche danger to spike over the next week as slopes adjust to the new loads. Due to such danger, many of the resorts across the alps have kept their lifts closed as crews dig out and ski patrol mitigates potential avalanche hazards.

“Monday is a day of extremes. A super storm called Yves has split off and with a core pressure of 975 hPa, the Alps are subjected to rain, snow, hurricane winds and huge differnces in temperature. And because the storm is so close to the Alps, everything becomes even more extreme.” – WePowder Forecast

What is so remarkable is the amount of time it took for Europe to have a decent early season. It’s been roughly 10 years since the alps had a head start on winter and those vacationing in the alps this holiday season will be treated to a white Christmas.

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