Where to Ski And Snowboard -

Snow snippets: 12 April

12th April 2010, by Chris Gill

Snowing in Les Gets on Monday - wet stuff here, but will be better up top!

Last burst of winter snowfalls? Monday afternoon and the forecast cloud and snow showers have moved into parts of France and Switzerland. Big flakes have been falling to resort level in Les Gets, so we spotted on the webcams – unlikely to make much difference to the lower slopes, but it should give the upper mountain a decent refresh. It is snowing in Morillon (Grand Massif) too and other resorts in the east of the country.

La Plagne is predicting 7-10cm in Tuesday’s showers. Further south and Les Deux Alpes, Alpe d’Huez and Serre Chevalier have all received dustings of new snow recently, with cloud cover increasing on Monday and heavy showers just about showing up now around Grenoble (2pm dump in Les Sept Laux, for example!).

Heavy snow showers near Grenoble

The slopes are best up top though, less affected by the strong sunshine of recent days. All have a pretty healthy 2m or snow settled snow base on the upper mountain, so there is plenty of good skiing still available when the cloud clears. Serre Chevalier’s Briancon sector has now closed for the season, but the other sectors are open until 25 April.

Snow showers and low cloud are affecting parts of western Switzerland too, with 5-10cm snow during Monday afternoon and in to Tuesday. Verbier benefitted from a light dusting on Sunday (3cm) above 2200m. While the freezing level has lowered a bit since the weekend, the best of any new snow will of course be high – above 2000m. There is one more week of skiing left in Champery; the links Champéry – Les Crosets – Avoriaz and Plaine Dranse – Le Linga will close on 18 April. We’re told the Ripaille – Gd-Paradis run has now closed.

Snow did fall in Austria over the weekend, notably where it’s needed in the resorts with high skiing on offer. As predicted, there were light accumulations for Ischgl (5cm), and the Arlberg resorts on Sunday. This is good news for St Anton’s up and coming White Thrill race (free for all down the mountain from the Valluga!). Sölden’s slopes stay open until 25 April, with the two glaciers continuing until 2 May. The changeable and cool April weather conditions are forecast to continue during the first half of the week, with the potential of some light snowfall up top. The improving conditions forecast for the second half of the week are expected to arrive a little later than suggested but there will be some sunshine, mixed with one or two light showers. Typically April then, or as they say in France ‘giboullée … ‘

Looks like it might snow in Val d’Isère shortly …

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