Epic Snowfalls In The Alps

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January 18, 2012

It’s now a month since snowfall began in the Alps and it has hardly let up since, with the biggest accumulations over that period now approaching 6 metres (20 feet) and reports from some resorts that this is the snowiest January in 30 or even 60 years.

Although snowfall is on going across the region it is Austria that has had the snowiest week and St Anton where snow depths have passed the 5.5m mark.

All the snow is not necessarily good news for those travelling while it is falling and finding roads and rail lines blocked, some resorts cut off and on arrival slopes closed due to high avalanche danger. But in the longer term it bodes well for the rest of the season.

In Italy has seen good snowfalls in the past week bringing up to 1.8m (six feet) of snow in some cases although for most resorts accumulations have been on the area of 30-60cm (1-2 feet). Val Gardena reports 75cm (2.5 feet) however and nearby Arabba 40cm. Cervinia over on the West bordering Zermatt in Switzerland has had another 50cm of snow, as has another Aosta Valley ski area, Monterosa. Cervinia now has the deepest snowbase in Italy with 3 metres (10 feet), Arabba over to the east in the Dolomites has 2.8m (9 feet).

Pyrenees

Conditions remain largely good in the Pyrenees with Spain’s Baqueira Beret reporting the region’s deepest snow with 1.6m. In Andorra VallNord ski areas have up to a healthy 1.4m. On the French side Piau Engaly has 1.5m (five feet).

Scandinavia

There are healthy snow depths at most Scandinanvian resort’s with Norway’s Røldal topping the snow depth table at 275cm (nine feet). Coastal Voss is not far behind with 2.1m (seven feet). Here’s a list of all snow depths in Norway.

Scotland

Scotland is suffering its second thaw of the winter although so far temperatures are only a few degrees above freezing. The Lecht has suffered the most with only a few runs still open and some of them thin in places, but like the other four centres, which also have diminished snowpacks and on-going operational difficulties at times because of the strong winds that have been prominent in the area for six weeks now, remains open. Cold weather is forecast to return at the weekend when conditions should improve, especially if the wind finally drops.

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