Alpen

The winter has been contradictory so far: "We" in the north have been waiting for what feels like ages for a solid base, which is now finally on the horizon. In contrast, real amounts of snow have already fallen in the southern regions of the Alps. Time for a quick look behind the scenes at PowderGuide. How have the reach, usage and community developed since the start of the season? What factors are driving traffic and what can you, as our readers, look forward to in the coming months?

At the beginning of the year, it's not just world events that are coming thick and fast, but also the weather. Winter has finally descended on Europe, is currently spreading deep into the Balkans and the next trough promises to bring large amounts of fresh snow to the northern slopes of the Alps as early as today. High pressure is prevailing over Greenland, however, and temperatures are very high. We therefore turn our attention last to the special role that Greenland and its ice sheet play in the global climate.

The lucky ConditionsReporters who made it to Piedmont, spoiled by PowderAlerts, can enjoy friendly touring weather over the next few days. For the rest of the Alps, it will be a little more unstable. Particularly in the east, the general development and especially the precipitation options are not yet easy to assess thanks to the indecisive development of low pressure and a fickle air mass boundary.

Many people dream of a white Christmas. In our SnowChase Xmas Special, we take a closer look: Where does it snow under the Christmas tree, where does it stay green and where is it at least sugared?

Every year, we and all the Christmas tourists are waiting in the wings, but the weather isn't really cooperating. The foggy areas in the foothills of the Alps are probably the most wintery at the moment. In the mountains, the sun is shining and temperatures are climbing into the double digits with the influence of föhn winds.

Various WeatherBlogs, regulars' table discussions and powder oracles have already hinted at it and we confirm: the winter weather is over for now. The infamous Omega weather pattern is currently establishing itself over Central Europe and it is already getting noticeably warmer. Whether there will be a summery Christmas, how much rain could fall and what this has to do with the polar vortex is discussed below. For the Omega weather situation, we recommend that nervous freeriders take a meditative "Ommm", inhale deeply through the nose and exhale with the belly. We hope this will help regulate stress levels for the time being.

As my colleagues predicted last week, all that's left for me this week is the meteorological start of winter and tough, snow-unfriendly weather conditions. For the time being, we'll have to make do with what's left of the first snow of the season and what the snow cannons are still producing.

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

At a time when climate change is disrupting snow cover and social equilibrium in the mountains, ski resorts are having to rethink their business model. Between transition, diversification and citizen mobilization, what kind of future can we imagine for these emblematic areas?

"You don't have snow for ski touring in Europe? Let them go heli-skiing in Alaska!". This famous quote from Marie Antoinette about the frequent situation in early winter in Europe famously led to the snowflake revolution of 1999.

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.

There is one thing you can take away from last winter: It can only get better. In terms of the amount of snow, the winter was weak and had long enough dry spells between new snowfalls. This winter got off to a better start. The first PowderAlert came unexpectedly early, and the first ConditionsReports have already arrived and look promising. Let's keep our fingers crossed for Ullr that it will once again cover the mountains properly. Of course, the snow depth prediction game is back - this time in the 10th anniversary edition or tradition!