Snow Report 24 November 2013 - Europe

Les Contamines 22 Dec. 2013 [Source: Les Contamines FB page]

Welcome to the 2013-14 ski season!

Winter has arrived in Europe with a cold blast across the continent. The Alps have seen some good snowfalls in the last week. Down to low levels as well - Chamonix village, for example.

There are already some ski resorts open in France and Italy, including Tignes, Alpe D'Huez and Val Thorens.

In Italy, Valchiavenna is open for this weekend, and skiing is also available in nearby St Moritz.

The next three or four days look sunny and fine across the French and Italian Alps.

Monte Rosa 22 Dec. 2013 [Source: Monte Rosa FB page]

We await the next snowfall with anticipation and look forward to more resort openings next weekend (among them Val D'Isere, Monte Rosa and Piani Di Bobbio).

Here is the current status and snow depth at selected French and Italian ski resorts:


Val Thorens - OPEN - 75cms in Val Thorens village (2300m) to 110cms on the peaks (3200m)
Val D'Isere - CLOSED, opening 30th November (but Tignes is already OPEN)
Megeve - CLOSED, opening 21st December
Les Contamines - CLOSED, opening 20th December
Chamonix (Grands Montets) - CLOSED, opening 7th December
Chamonix (Brevent/Flegere) - CLOSED,  partial opening 14th December, total 21st December

Val Gardena 22 Dec. 2013 [Source: Val Gardena FB page]

Monte Rosa - CLOSED, opening 30th November
Piani Di Bobbio - CLOSED, opening 30th November
Valchiavenna - OPEN, 23rd November two lifts for the weekend only 20cms in the village of Madesimo (1550m) to 80cms on the summit (2900m)
St Moritz (Corvatsch) - OPEN on 23rd November, 4 lifts open
Madonna di Campoglio - CLOSED, opening 7th December
Val Gardena - CLOSED, opening 7th December

Snow Report 9 November 2013 - Europe

Les Contamines 7 November 2013 [Source: SECMH FB page]

Summer is fast approaching down under, triathlon season is here and the surfers are heading for the coast. It's been almost two months since we last waxed our skis.

But in the northern hemisphere thoughts are turning to snowsports again, and many of us in the antipodes have already organised our trips to North America, Europe or Japan.

This year I'll be focusing my snow reports on Europe, and the French and Italian Alps in particular. The reasons will be come clearer next month.

There have already been a couple of snowfalls in the Alps, with a good one over the last few days. There is now a solid base of snow on the peaks. Down lower though the weather has still a lot of work to do!

Monte Rosa 8 November 2013 [Source: Monte Rose FB page]

Here are some planned opening dates (snow-dependent):

Val Thorens - 23rd November
Val D'Isere - 30th November
Megeve - 21st December
Les Contamines - 20th December
Chamonix (Grands Montets) - 7th December
Chamonix (Brevent/Flegere) - partial 14th December, total 21st December

Monte Rosa - 30th November
Valchiavenna - 23rd November
St Moritz (Corvatsch) - 23rd November
Madonna di Campoglio - 7th December
Val Gardena - 7th December

I'll be back with a snow report at the end of the month ... hopefully there are lots of snowy opening days to report! Ciao!