Sebastian Müller

There is a magic in every beginning, and winter has got off to a magical start.

There is no corresponding translation for the Italian term "la foliage": it describes the changing color of the leaves in autumn. In recent days or even weeks, the colorful foliage in the light-flooded treetops and under a blue sky has painted a picture-book Indian summer. Together, we will find out why the leaves are changing color, what this has to do with climate change and what the term "climate greening" means. Of course, we'll also take a look at further weather developments, which predict some snowfall at the end of the forecast period.

The oracle has spoken and announced the temporary start of winter in the Alps. Yesterday was a powder day with bright sunshine, even though the north-westerly wind was blowing freshly around our ears in the summit regions. As indicated in the last WeatherBlog, the blocking high-pressure situation has disappeared and made way for westerly and north-westerly currents. Autumn storm "Joshua" also played a role in this. One of the strongest hurricanes since records began is raging in the Caribbean. "Melissa" has hit Jamaica and is moving on towards Cuba.

Autumn is showing its best side and with the mountain peaks already covered in sugar, the first winter feelings are starting to set in. The current fantastic weather and the prospect of snow next week motivate us to write our first WeatherBlog.

The title and PowderAlert say it all: it's raining cats and dogs on the southern side of the Alps and a lot of snow is falling at high altitudes. We briefly discuss what a heavy precipitation event is and look at the current event in detail. Finally, we briefly recap the winter and bring the WeatherBlog season to a conditional close.

The season is coming to an end. Go out again and put your head in the snow! I've put together a few moving images to get us in the mood and round off the season, first and foremost a film about a skier with Down's syndrome, but also with well-known heroes.

Central european summertime has started and April has begun - and with it the familiar April weather, with spring and winter battling it out for the upper hand. After the surprisingly heavy snowfall on the northern slopes of the Alps, the weather calms down for the time being. However, a further outbreak of cold air and another northerly flow are to be expected.

Both the participants of the PowderGuide final meeting in Engelberg and Mose in the border triangle fully enjoyed the last snowfalls. Elsewhere, unfortunately, there was also slow glop paired with dangerous avalanche conditions. An intermediate high is currently giving us spring fever again, but will be replaced by a southerly flow with lots of precipitation at the weekend. We hope this will bring another PowderAlert, although the state of the precipitation seems to be more liquid than fluffy.

Enrico Mosetti is to me a local legend among the freeskiers of the Italian Julian Alps. Me, a bavarian Triestino, came to hear of him on a drive back home from a ski tour. My friends were talking about "Mose" doing this or that cool line, and then I found out about him through Instagram. Soon though, on another day we arrived at Sella Nevea at the parking for the western side of the valley, the one without ski lifts, and there I saw him for the first time, and he was hard to mistake with his characteristic extravagant style. He was first to start the skinning and likely first to descend as well. I here in this interview try to find out more about him and to introduce this PowderPeople to you!

We're not complaining any more, because the recent snowfalls have provided surprisingly good conditions, especially on the southern slopes of the Alps. The Alps are currently enjoying perfect weather thanks to blocking high pressure over Central Europe. The conditions for ski tours are quite good where there is snow and especially where it has recently snowed and should be taken advantage of. The outlook is not clearly promising, but a comeback of winter is quite possible in connection with a sudden stratospheric warming. So there is hope, and as long as there is hope, let's hold on to it.

I am very happy about the breath of fresh air that Hannes Hemper brings to the videos of the week. As always, you’ll get the latest clips from the heroes of my generation and the best picks from my YouTube subscriptions. Today, Xavier de le Rue makes a comeback with a new VLOG, Sam Anthamatten is honoured, Candide Thovex shines once again in a 47-second video and Gerhard Wiedemann tells us about his last ski tour in a relaxed manner. I never get enough of these guys!

The Friday before last (07.02.2025) we released the new PowderGuide weather, version 2.4.0, which has been providing you with the weather forecast ever since. We no longer only show ICON but also the SNOWGRID and EXOLABS snowpack models. We look back on our old system with satisfaction, but we also had to develop further. The new system covers the whole of Europe and also international regions, includes new variables and extends the forecast to 7.5 days. It was a turbulent development process, and not all ideas were realized. But we are pleased with the result and we are sure that it will also keep you well informed and entertained. The weather forecast, which is usually the main focus of the WeatherBlog, can be found in abbreviated form as a picture gallery, because unfortunately there won't be much going on in the Alps next week.