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PowderAlert 1 2021/22 | Winter is setting in

Powder in the southwest!

by Lars Oelmann • 11/14/2021
First opportunity for alpine tours in the southwest?

First opportunity for alpine tours in the southwest?

Chris Skala

First opportunity for alpine tours in the southwest?

Chris Skala
In contrast to last year, there are many differences but also many similarities when it comes to the start of the best season of the year. I'm not talking about carnival, but about the Ulling, a season that roughly stretches from September to May and is very variable in its puvlig-soft appearance.

The common denominator is: corona. Great, who would have thought? I had removed the 5G chips from my skis so that it wouldn't happen again this year!

The difference is: it doesn't start with an Instagram dump bang, but instead settles in at a leisurely pace. A snowfall here, a snowfall there and slowly, at least in parts of Switzerland, there is a base.

This snowfall was chosen as an alarm prelude because skiing should be possible on the small base there afterwards, at least in the Turin and Italian Maritime Alps. Graubünden is also (somewhat surprisingly) getting enough snow on the existing base at the moment to possibly allow the first north-facing grass tours. We have a south-easterly to easterly flow, which is not really good for classic dump regions, so you have to look for more exotic alpine meadows.

Alert period and areas

The alert goes from Monte Rosa to the Italian Maritime Alps with a core from the Turin Alps to the Mediterranean.

The period ends Wednesday.

Here we go again!

It's happening again!

Chris Skala

It's happening again!

Chris Skala

Wind

The wind is hardly worth mentioning. It's chugging in quite leisurely from the east and then curls around over northern Italy. So there is also little wind. But that's why there's hardly any snow on the French side of the Maritime Alps.

Snow line

It starts at 1600m to around 2000m, but should then drop below 1500m with more intense precipitation. It will only go down much further in narrow valleys, but even there not for very long, because the air from the east is not really cold.

The amounts

There will be about 40-60cm in the peripheral zones and about 60-100cm in the core. Some models do a bit more, so I wouldn't rule out 120cm in an east-facing piedmont high alpine.

First opportunity for alpine tours in the southwest?

First opportunity for alpine tours in the southwest?

Chris Skala

First opportunity for alpine tours in the southwest?

Chris Skala

Where should I go?

Well, you don't have to travel for this, but if you're in Graubünden tomorrow or in Piedmont on Wednesday and happen to have your rock skis with you, you might be able to ring in the touring season comfortably in a meadow. The alarm is more of a wake-up call to wax your skis, follow PowderGuide (!!) and generally wake up from your summer slumber.

Powder to the people!

Here's to a good season!

Your Oracle

P.S. The prediction game starts in December. If it starts massively before then, we'll think of something.

This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

Show original (German)

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