Where to Ski And Snowboard -

Heavy snowfall returns to the Alps

17th February 2012, by Chris Gill

Cloudy Ischgl on Friday

Heavy snowfall and high winds returned to the Alps this week, with Austria hardest hit.

Avalanche warnings were raised to level 4 again in the Arlberg, with 50-60cm since Tuesday. Several resorts in the Austrian Tirol have received up to 50 cm fresh snow over the last few days, including St. Anton, Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis, Kühtai and Mayrhofen. Ischgl and Galtür, Sölden and Obergurgl, as well as Alpbach, got around 40 cm. The Wilder Kaiser, including the resort of Söll in the Skiwelt and Wildschönau have received a more moderate 20 cm – but this still keeps their slopes in magnificent shape.

On Wednesday an avalanche struck the resort of Ischgl in the Paznaun valley, unusually crossing a prepared piste. A Swedish man died having been caught in the slide and buried. Weather conditions at the time were reportedly very poor, with strong winds blasting the exposed upper mountain.

Yet again, the snowfall forced temporary road closures into and out of the worst affected areas. Lech and Zürs are particularly prone to this given their high, vulnerable position the other side of the Flexen pass. And the snow report from St Anton this morning shows bases depths at almost 6m on the Valluga (the resort’s high point). Thankfully, temperatures are nowhere near as low as they have been in recent weeks, but add in the wind factor and it’s still pretty cold (averaging minus 6-7 degrees).

Austria’s ski resorts are reported to have seen a 4.5% increase in British visitors following the good snowfalls and splendid all-round conditions across the country. Couple that with the lower prices and increased airline routes and it’s a very attractive combination for a holiday right now.

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