[Forecast courtesy of wePowder]
We are on the eve of an intense storm cycle. Snowmageddon is in the making with lots of snow and wind. This weekend will be a challenge. There is almost no base below 1800-2300 meters in the northwest and northern portions of the Alps. The two storms that will hit the Alps this weekend will bring bad visibility and strong winds. If you still want to enjoy fresh snow and sun, the best time to go into the high alpine is Friday. It’s snowing at the time of this writing (*Thursday) in the high mountains. Friday starts sunny and by the evening, the storm will kick back in. You can expect 48 to 96 hours of storm, rain and lots of snow. In this forecast:
PowderAlert #2:
- Friday: solid base in the high alpine, fresh snow in the northwest and a sunny start of the day. These are the areas where you can make some powder turns (and where lifts are open):
- Tignes – Val d’Isère
- Les Trois Vallées
- Verbier/4 Vallées
- Glacier 3000
You can also go touring of course. Drive up a mountain pass with your car, skin up and make sure you are back in before the storm. There are plenty of options available. Keep in mind that compared to last weekend, there are quite a few wind slabs in the making.
The weekend will be interesting. Snow, wind and little visibility on Saturday, but no base between the trees in many areas. It will be difficult, but it is possible. Epic? No.
Sunday starts warm and in the course of the (*mid) day the cold front kicks in. Hurricane winds, a snow line that drops from 1400 meters to valley level and large amounts of snow.
Take into account that lifts will remain closed or close during the day. You can certainly ride some powder on Saturday and Sunday, but I’d save my euros for after the weekend. Too much hassle, too little base below 2000 meters, too much wind above the tree line, no visibility– early season.
Touring will be even more challenging this weekend. The visibility should be poor in the northwest and north, and the wind will be strong on the south side of the Alps. The strong wind will result in a lot of slabs in the high alpine. The avalanche risk will rise!
- Monday: The storm passes on Monday and the current has turned to the north. The precipitation will decrease in the northwestern portion of the Alps (French northern Alps, southwestern Switzerland) and there is more and more room for the sun. It can be epic especially by the end of the afternoon. A lot of fresh snow, the sun comes out and the wind isn’t that strong anymore. And yes… the weekend is over. Nice time to plan your meeting with your colleagues in ‘Salle Tignes’ or ‘Meeting Room Verbier’:
- Tignes – Val d’Isère
- Les Trois Vallées
- Verbier/4 Vallées
- Glacier 3000
As a wePowder Pro, you get access to the 14-day snow and weather maps and the 14-day forecast per resorts (*we’ve got all the resorts in the Alps covered). You never have to miss a dump anymore. When you are wePowder Pro you also have access to 1000+ inspirational freeride routes in the most beautiful freeride areas of the Alps. Sign up as wePowder Pro today. It works great for your karma as well and you’ll support the development of the wePowder platform! Thanks!
- Tuesday/Wednesday: the storm is expected to move further to the east. According to the latest calculations, the current is coming from the north. The northern Stau runs at full speed on Monday, but could slow down on Tuesday. It will be ON in the resorts below from Tuesday / Wednesday:
- Engelberg
- Andermatt
- Davos-Klosters
- Arlberg
Avalanche risk!
A lot of snow, a shifting snow line, and lots of wind will create precarious avalanche conditions. Keep in mind that the avalanche danger will increase drastically this weekend. Perhaps lifts and perhaps the mountain passes will be closed locally. Touring will be hard and outside the slopes the right knowledge is more than useful. Always check your local avalanche forecast and adapt your plans to it.
(Tip: on wePowder you will find a link to the local avalanche forecast at each resort, but you can also visit this page).
I regularly post on my own Facebook and as @meteo.morris on Instagram. Follow these channels and you will not miss a single flake. Do you want to share your powder turns with the rest of the community? Send your footage to info@wepowder.com! Thanks to Ortovox for the support of the video forecast!