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CONDITIONS JUST CONTINUE TO GET BETTER AND BETTER ACROSS THE ALPS!

Friday saw widespread heavy snowfalls. In Chamonix
we woke up to about 40cms of some of the lightest and fluffiest powder
I have ever skied and it continued to dump all through the day and into
the evening.

Yesterday morning the sun came out the valley was glistening with the
all the new snow. The skiing yesterday was just incredible, with fresh
lines to be had all over the place. Not all the lifts were open due to
the high avalanche risk at the moment, but the pisteurs worked hard to
get as much open as possible for the bumper Easter weekend crowds.

Conditions have been excellent again today, with more sunshine poking
through the clouds. We headed up Aiguille du Midi first thing this
morning and there was perfect untracked powder everywhere - it was a
very memorable descent!

Snow flurries are forecast for later today and tonight, and heavier snow tomorrow, perhaps 30cms.

And the snowfalls look set to continue throughout the week. The weather
is mixed for the next couple of days, with snow flurries and sunny
spells. Heavy snowfall is forecast for Wednesday night, and the long
term forecast is suggesting more heavy snowfall on Saturday - we are
just getting mountains of the stuff!

The other great news is that it looks set to remain cold, with the freezing level around 500m.

The recent heavy snowfalls have been enjoyed by all the main French resorts, with Chamonix as well as Morzine, Avoriaz, and Alpe d'Huez doing particularly well.

The next week should see over half a metre falling, with even more in some places. Chamonix and some other resorts in the Haute Savoie region could get well over a metre, with no end in sight to the snowfalls.

The March snowfalls really have turned the winter around across the
Alps, and if this weather continues it looks like we could have a long
season - there is now over 4 metres on the upper slopes in Chamonix.



THE REST OF THE ALPS:

The AUSTRIAN RESORTS
have also been enjoying good snowfalls. The last few days has seen at
least 25cm fall in most resorts and even more in the higher resorts
such as St Anton which is boasting around half a metre of fresh snow.

More snow is forecast across Austria
for the next week, especially in the first part of the week when they
should enjoy some of the heaviest snowfalls of anywhere in the Alps.

The SWISS RESORTS havn't missed out either with at least 20cm falling and over 50cm in some of the more westerly resorts such as Verbier.

Switzerland is set for more snow, especially in the second half of next week.

Over in ITALY there's also been significant snowfalls. The most snow has been had in the more northerly resorts, such as Livigno, and the north-western resorts such as Courmayeur and La Thuile.

It will be these resorts in the north west of the country that get the
best out of next weeks snowfalls too, although everywhere should enjoy
some new snow.



ELSEWHERE:

Snow has been enjoyed across Europe in the last few days. Andorra has received some welcome fresh snow but not a huge amount. Southern Norway has had a good amount of new snow in the last few days. Both Canadian coasts have had a lot of snow, as well as north west USA.

WINTER IS BACK!

Conditions here in CHAMONIX and across the FRENCH RESORTS are
fantastic at the moment. Sunday night saw snow fall down in town (at 1000m) for
the first time since January.

Most of the ski areas have enjoyed up to half a metre of new
snow this week, while almost a metre has fallen at the Aiguille du Midi –
believe me, I was up there and it was deep!

On top of that temperatures have been cold and are set to
remain so. With more snow forecast from Friday, this winter really does seem to
be turning around after the disastrous February.

Snow is forecast from Friday through until Tuesday, with the
heaviest falls throughout Friday. Temperatures will drop low, and the freezing
level should even drop to sea level. This means the snow should be light and
cold – the best for skiing!

Chamonix isn’t the only resort to benefit from this new
snow. Tignes and Val d’Isere received 35cms on Sunday. La Plagne and Les Arcs
also got in on the action. All the French resorts have had new snow in the last
few days, although the southern resorts received the least.

The snow forecast for the end of week should benefit all the
resorts in the French Alps, with most set for heavy snowfalls on Friday. The
snow falls are set to continue into the start of next week too.

AUSTRIA:

Most of the Austrian resorts also saw good snowfalls over
the weekend.

Lech and St Anton have been enjoying cold temperatures after
a 40cm snowfall, making for excellent powder conditions on and off piste.

Some of the lower resorts in Austria have struggled with
rain falling last week, but temperatures should remain low for the next few
days and these resorts should enjoy some snowfall.

Moderate snowfalls should occur over Austria until the
weekend, when brighter weather should make an appearance.

SWITZERLAND:

The Swiss resorts have been experiencing similar conditions to
France, with good snowfalls over the weekend. It has perhaps been a touch
warmer so there had been some rain at the lower resorts.

Some of the higher resorts however, such as Verbier,
received around 50cm of fresh snow. The forecast is similar to France with snow
arriving on Friday and continuing until at least Tuesday. The temperature is
set to be cold too – basically its all good news on the weather front!

ITALY:

A similar story for the Italian resorts too – most have
enjoyed fresh snow, although the lower resorts suffered with rainfall. The
resorts to do the best from the snow were those in the north-west, such as La Thuile and Courmayeur.

The forecast looks good, however, with colder temperatures
and snow expected across all the resorts on Friday.

REST OF EUROPE:

Looking at the rest of Europe, the resorts of Andorra have received
some new snow but only a dusting.

Norway and Sweden continue to enjoy good snow conditions and
most resorts have been topped up with some recent light snowfalls.

Germany is enjoying the return of the winter conditions.
Many resorts have received about 10cm of new snow and more is forecast. The
best conditions remain on the upper slopes.

Snow and colder temperatures are helping to improve the
patchy conditions across the Bulgarian resorts. More snow and cold weather is
due to arrive later in the week.

NORTH AMERICA:

Most US resorts are still enjoying great conditions. There
have been recent snowfalls across Oregon, Colorado, Utah and California.
Colorado and Utah are expecting more snow later in the week.

Heavy snowfalls hit Canada over the weekend with many resorts
receiving over 40cms. Its sunny now but more snow is due for later in the week.

France:

Last weeks snow and cold weather have greatly improved conditions across the Alps, especially in the high resorts.

It has been quite a mixed bag here in Chamonix as to where the good conditions can be found. There was a lot of wind that accompanied the snowfalls last week so some places were stripped of the fresh snow while others were loaded with deep powder.

Generally around 20cm fell over the middle of the week, although some places had more and some less.

The best snow around at the moment is certainly up the Aiguille du Midi lift, although be aware that this is unpatrolled, glaciated terrain.

You can find decent snow at Grands Montets which is both high and north facing, while the south facing slopes of Brevent and Flegere are a bit more worn.

Elsewhere in France, the story is the same. The snow has been very welcome but more is needed.

Thankfully it's coming! In fact it has begun raining down in Chamonix town now (this is not unusual as the town is low, and it looks like it will be snowing higher up
the mountain where the ski lifts are)

There is quite a lot of snow forecast for this week, with the heaviest coming on Wednesday night. It is always difficult to predict how much will fall but there
could certainly be 30cm or more over the next few days.

The resorts looking likely to benefit most from this snow include Chamonix, Val Thorens, Courchevel and Alpe d'Huez.

Austria:

Austria received significant snowfalls in the middle of last week - St Anton and Obergurgl got more than 40cms.

Some Austrian resorts also received some snow over the weekend. Bad Gastein and Bad Hofgastein both received significant snow on Saturday.

The forecast looks good for most Austrian resorts too. Up to 30cm could fall over the next few days and maybe more in the higher resorts such as St Anton. Temperatures should remain fairly low too especially in the higher resorts.

Switzerland:

Like in France there were good snowfalls across the Swiss resorts in the middle of last week and temperatures have been cold. Some of the higher resorts did very
well - Engelberg was hit with half a metre of fresh snow.

Some resorts reported fresh snow on Saturday - Laax received 10cm of fresh snow to leave the slopes in excellent condition.

Snow is expected today and over the next few days, then the weather is set to clear on Thursday.

Italy:

The Italian resorts have seen similar weather to the rest of the Alps, with significant snowfalls in the middle of last week improving the conditions.

More snow is due for the first part of this week, especially in the resorts in the
north west such as Courmayeur and La Thuile. Some of this may fall as rain at the lower altitudes.

Other Countries:

Meanwhile, the Scottish resorts are in good shape and due for some more snow in the first part of the week, especially in the Nevis Range.

Andorra has received welcome new snow over the weekend.

Norway and Sweden continue to enjoy new snow and good condtions.

The higher resorts in Bulgaria are holding up well and new snow should arrive this week.

The bumper winter continues across Canada and the USA.

THE LONG SNOW DROUGHT IS OVER!

Conditions have improved a great deal over the last few
days, with fresh snow calling and temperatures becoming cold.

It certainly feels like winter has finally returned to the
Alps after the very warm and sunny weather we had in January.

The last couple of days has seen 10-15cm fall in Chamonix.
There is some more expected tonight (Tuesday) and possibly some more snow
showers on Wednesday.

The snow is perfect quality, very light, as the temperature
has dropped significantly in the last 24 hours and it is even snowing down to
500m.

The conditions on piste are much improved by the new snow,
especially on the upper slopes and there are some good conditions to be found
off piste.  On some of the off piste, you
will still find yourself hitting the hard old snow underneath the new snow but
where the old snow is even conditions are good.

The forecast for the rest of the week is quite uncertain but
it looks like there will be some more snowfall, probably the most substantial
on the weekend.

The story has been a similar one across all the French resorts. The resorts in the north have done a little better in terms of
snowfall, but everywhere is boasting much improved conditions and colder
weather.

Switzerland has had similar snowfalls to France, with most
resorts seeing around 10cm of new snow. Some Swiss reorts have fared even better. Davos has seen 30cm of new snow fall. Some more snow is set to arrive over
the course of the week.

Resorts in Austria have done especially well over the last
few days. St Anton, for example, has received up to 30cm of new snow.
More snow is forecast across Austria this week and some resorts could see up to
half a metre falling. Again the temperature is cold and should remain so over
the next few days.

Italy hasn’t missed out either. Livigno received 10cm over
the weekend and snow is forecast in most resorts today and tomorrow. The
resorts in the Dolomites are boasting the best conditions.

German resorts have seen recent snowfall too, with more
expected later in the week. Bulgaria and Andorra both look like getting
snowfalls this week too.

Meanwhile, across the pond, the good winter continues. Snow
has fallen in most US resorts, with bumper falls hitting Utah. Most resorts
look like getting another 20cm this week.

Canada continues to have good conditions, with resorts in
British Colombia all receiving new snow. The east coast resorts are set to
enjoy half a metre of new snow this week.

Not much change here, the sunny weather is continuing and the goggle marks are growing...

There is a possibility of light snow showers here in Chamonix on Wednesday or Thursday but its not looking like anything significant.

Some Swiss resorts may get a dusting also.

Then it seems to be a return to the high pressure.

Hope it snows properly soon!

WELL...NOT TOO MUCH TO REPORT ON...OTHER THAN ITS STILL SUNNY!

We've had 10 straight days of clear blue skies now, and its
showing no signs of ending. Fortunately the snow is holding up ok thanks to the
cold night time temperatures.

It's been getting warm in the afternoon, but the cold nights
have meant that the snow is not suffering to badly, and the snow canons can
strut their stuff.

The south facing slopes are seeing ice in the morning
followed by spring like conditions turning heavy in the afternoon. The north
facing slopes generally have better snow.

There is no end in sight to the big high pressure over the
whole of the Alps, and the forecasts up until next Tuesday are for more of the
same.

Hopefully some snow will come soon, but the large early
season base we've had is ensuring snow cover is still good.

According to the records snow cover across the French Alps
is generally on a par or better than average. But below that it's worse. So as
long as you can get high, you'll still be sure of good snow cover.

My greedy self just wants some more powder to ski! But for
now it's a case of being patient and enjoying the sunshine!

Oh... and just in case you were wondering, it's been snowing again
in Canada and USA.

SUNNY WEATHER SET TO CONTINUE ACROSS THE ALPS.

Since last week's snowfall, we've had consistent sunny weather in Chamonix and across the Alps.

Every day since Thursday has seen cloudless blue skies, making great conditions to get out and enjoy the good snow.

Temperatures have been cold in the morning, but quickly becoming mild as the day goes on.

This weather is set to continue for all of next week, and together with the crazy February crowds, we could see snow cover start to get a little thin on the lower and sunnier slopes.

The story is the same across the whole of the Alps.

The mornings will be a little icy, especially the more the slopes are skied, and the freeze-thaw conditions could see the off-piste becoming very hard and bumpy especially where it has been well skied.

On the positive side, new snow seems to have arrived just in the nick of time so far this winter, so hopefully the same will be true again!

WINDY.

The other issue we had last week was high winds. Following the snowfall, there were a couple of days of ferocious winds - I know as I was caught out while wearing just a t-shirt at the end of a long hike! These played havoc with the snow, forming wind crusts and exposing ice patches. Only the most sheltered slopes escaped the winds ravaging effects, and extra care was needed as some slopes became wind loaded and prone to avalanche.

NORTH AMERICA

Conditions are again great across Canada and the USA with most resorts enjoying heavy snowfalls across last week.
Clearer weather is set to move in across most major US resorts, while the snowfalls seem set to continue in Canada, especially in the West. Temperatures, though, have become more bearable after the recent severe cold...its still -10°C though!

MEANWHILE....
Resorts in BULGARIA have seen fresh snow overt the last few days. The snowfalls havn't been huge, but Borovets looks to have received a decent covering.

ANDORRA looks set for more sunny weather.

Resorts in both NORWAY and SWEDEN have enjoyed recent and decent snowfalls.

IT SNOWED AGAIN!

So after leaving just enough time to enjoy the snowfall at the start of last weekend, the white stuff returned again yesterday once again coating the Chamonix valley in a veil of white...

This morning we were greeted with blue skies, so every man and his dog grabbed their weapon of choice and headed up the mountain to play in the 'freshies'.

I'm reckoning we had about 20-30cm, and on top of the weekend snowfall that made it very deep in many places!

We may get a little dusting tomorrow but doesn't look like anything significant, and then the second half of the week will be clear and sunny. The weather should be reasonably cold so the snow should hold up, though it will suffer on the south facing slopes in the afternoon.

The snow was not only enjoyed here in Chamonix but across the French Alps, so all the resorts are boasting fantastic conditions on and off piste. Also resorts in Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Andorra and even Scotland have all enjoyed recent snowfall.

I'm heading up the mountain for a couple of nights tomorrow to enjoy this fresh powder away from the crowds... I'll give you another update when I'm back...

FRESH SNOW HAS ARRIVED!!

So the wait has ended and we were finally rewarded with a covering of fresh snow over the weekend across the French Alps!

The snow arrived here in Chamonix on Friday night and continued throughout Saturday. First of all we had rain in town, put the temperature fell during the night and it turned to snow, which continued through Saturday, covering the trees and houses making Chamonix valley look at its beautiful best...
Saturday was a fun day up the mountain. The visibility was mostly poor but there were the occasional breaks in the cloud to provide a rare sunny descent or a darting glimpse of one of the towering snow covered aiguilles above Chamonix.

The snow quality was good, though it had been windblown in some places and become crusted or even icy. The other problem was hitting the old icy stuff below the new snow. We had roughly 15cm so it wasn't the 'bottomless powder' you dream of, but still there were deep patches to be found.

This morning (Sunday) was beautifully clear and everyone was keen for a piece of the action. After a lot of deliberation - where will be busy, where's the wind been etc et... I headed for Aiguille du Midi bright and early this morning. It seems a lot of people had the same idea and the sight of queues made me remember February has started! Still an internet reservation ensured that it wasn't to long a wait until we were weaving down the arete in icy and very strong winds! The snow was lovely and deep though and the first part of the descent enjoyable indeed. Then, however, we hit the wind again and boy it was fierce! All the lower parts were scoured by these raging winds and are faces were stinging. It was a welcome relief to get a cup of tea while we waited at the Montenvers train station...

It seems the strongest off the wind was just in the 'haute montagne' and the resorts of Brevent and Flegere escaped the strong winds until the afternoon. The snow was good over there today - as my flatmate Chris tells me - although the sun did start to get to it by the afternoon.

MORE SNOW ON THE WAY...

The forecasters tell me that more snow is due to arrive tomorrow afternoon, carrying on through tomorrow night. In Chamonix we're expecting to get between 10-20cm (lets hope it's the higher of those!). It should be cold meaning snow in town (that isn't always the case as we're just at 1000m here).

All the French Alps should benefit from this snowfall, with resorts in the south faring the best.

The weather should clear Tuesday and then sunny weather will take over for a few days with temperatures rising...

THE REST OF THE ALPS:

The weekend snowfall was felt across the Alps, and similarly tomorrow's snowfall should benefit most resorts. The particularly lucky people will be those in Austria and the Italian Dolomites which should get the heaviest of the snow. The Dolomites could get 30-40cm of fresh

NORTH AMERICA:

The resorts across the USA and Canada are again enjoying bumper seasons.

Western Canada is enjoying fantastic conditions - Whistler has had a lot of snow in the last few days with more due early next week.

The northwest of USA has seen massive snowfalls over the last week - over a metre and a half of fresh snow in some resorts over the last seven days! (I'm not jealous...really!). Oregon seems to have been especially lucky.

Colorado has had a mainly dry week but sizeable snowfalls are on there way in the early to middle part of next week. North East America seems to be a similar story.

Well, after a long period of sunny weather it looks like some more of the white stuff is finally on the way later in the week!! Yes! This is welcome indeed (when is new snow not welcome i ask?!) as the snow at present has become increasingly tired and skied out.

First, though, here's a little recap of the past week here in Chamonix....

We had some great conditions early last week. Monday and Tuesday saw a decent amount of snow fall - there was about 30cm of fresh snow on the higher slopes. We had a lot of fun skiing the trees in Flegere on Tuesday in white out conditions as it continued to snow. The great thing about those days is that no one is ever on the mountain! The snow was surprisingly light - considering it had been raining to about 1500m.

On Wednesday the sun came out and the rest of fresh snow that had fallen could really be enjoyed! We headed to Brevent, again pleasantly surprised to find it so quiet... a few runs off the Cornu were followed by multiple laps of the hotel face. It was fresh tracks all morning! We came down about half past two in time to get the last Aiguille du Midi lift ready for a moonlight Vallee Blanche descent...the wind had played havoc with the snow up there but the skiing down the beautiful moonlit glacier was more than enough in itself...

Since Wednesday we've had clear blue skies every day, which has been perfect for getting in some ski touring.. It's been cold in the mornings but quickly become mild and very warm in the afternoon. On the sunny side of the valley, in Brevent and Flegere, the afternoons have felt positively spring-like. The snow on piste is generally good, though a little icy first thing and becoming slushy on all but the north facing slopes in the afternoon. The freeze-thaw conditions have made snow hard and bumpy in places.

The sunny weather is set to continue for the next couple of days, with possibly a bit of high cloud moving in. Thursday is forecast to snow which is great news. And there should be more again on Saturday. It's unsure yet how much of the fluffy white stuff we'll get so it's a case of keeping fingers crossed!

The rest of the French Alps seem to be reporting similar conditions. All but the most southerly resorts benefited from the snowfall early last week, and most should be due some fresh snow towards the end of this week which will be very welcome.


Switzerland:
The Swiss resorts have had a similar week to those in France, with snowfall on Monday and Tuesday followed by sunshine for the rest of the week. Davos and Laax seemed to get the best of the snow, with about as much as 30cm. Snow conditions are good right across the Swiss Alps, and especially in the higher resorts.
Snow is forecast in Switzerland this week, probably early Wednesday with maybe some more later in the week. Zermatt and Saas Fee look likely to get the best of the snowfall.


Austria:
The last week has been similar in Austria didn't with snow falling at the start, followed by a long period of sunny weather. Some snow has fallen in the north east of the country over the last couple of days in the north eastern part of the country, but not a huge amount. Rain fell a the lower elevations, so its best to stay high.


Italy:
Most of the Italian resorts enjoyed some snowfall early last week, with those in the east and the north doing the best. La Thuile and Courmayeur received about 20cm of new snow. Other places to do well were Livigno and the Dolomite resorts such as Cortina. Those resorts at the higher elevations got the most snow.
Sunny weather has been the story since, but some new snow should arrive this week. There is some forecast in the north and the west for Wednesday and later in the week.


Andorra:
Andorra had been sunny and warm all week and that is set to continue, making for spring like skiing conditions. Thankfully the weather is set to get colder and there could me some snow later in the week.


USA:
Most US resorts have been enjoying lots of new snow over the past week, notably in California. Oregon is due for massive snowfalls this week. All the major US resorts are reporting good conditions.


Canada:
Resorts in eastern Canada have received hefty dumps of the beloved white stuff this week. The temperatures are very cold, -30 in Alberta. More snow is forecast this week, with Whistler looking to get more than half a metre by the weekend.