Hautes-Alpes

Finally another dump worthy of the name. Now that it's become relatively cold, there's finally some good snow in the sky and the powder fast has come to an end.

Finally there's a decent amount of powder again until Sunday. And things are looking good further afield too.

Somewhat belatedly, the oracle looks into his crystal ball and sees fresh snow for the northern slopes of the Alps. Ullr has finally finished his Christmas vacation and pushes this annoying warm high into the orcus. It has already started to snow from the northwest and won't stop until Saturday morning.

The westerly drift is still alive and kicking and is once again providing us with a usable gliding surface!

Beaucoup de Neige! Snow in the west but the heat is becoming critical.

As announced, here is the Thursday update. The predicted amounts of 70-100 cm have already fallen across the board and, especially in eastern Switzerland, in some cases significantly more than the 50-70 cm with the 20 cm bonus, because interestingly there was no border through central Switzerland to the main precipitation areas in the west, which is probably due to the model orography, in which the east is simulated to be less high. Even the 120 cm have become full here and there outside of France.

Most people have noticed that winter is here. The mainstream and the media are also rediscovering snow and cold weather. And while the weather nerds are still debating whether this is real winter in Pusemuckel and Schloss Holte Stutenbrock (this place exists!) in the North German Plain and would rather have the horror winter of 10/11 (Oh God, no!), we ask ourselves: Uh, early December and third alarm.... Wasn't there something? That's right! We have a deja vue, because what's more important for us freeriders is that this week we're already seeing another intense north-westerly storm - just like 2011, only colder! So you've been good enough to light candles in the Ullrschrein! Very good.

All freeriders who are riding in Puy saint Vincent (with great possibilities for powder riding, between trees or in open terrain) will be looking at the huge backside of the station at some point. The col de Bal encompasses immense terrain with lots of powder, but above this ?secret spot? are plenty of nice couloirs and faces to be done. The most classic line is the Col de Queyrettes, where good snow conditions are quite normal. And whilst you are walking up you will see enough nice faces for weeks of freeriding.

A pattern is emerging this (late) early winter. Changing fronts from the west, bringing sometimes cool, sometimes mild and humid air to the western slopes of the Alps. As with the Dumpicane, this is now the case again. After a few insignificant flakes of up to 10 cm today (an exception in Switzerland with 25 cm), it will start tomorrow (30.12.2011).

The Val Durance lies in the far south-east of France, between the Dauphiné and the Cottian Alps. Some of the passes are well-known from various Tour de France broadcasts. But hardly anyone knows about the magnificent trails and rugged descents over miles of scree slopes in this remote area... That's why we set out to explore the Val Durance by mountain bike.

The late summer light makes for unique colors at this time of year. Under a steel-blue sky, lush green patches of mountain forests alternate with meadows and brambles in all shades of brown on the colossal mountain flanks. The walls and rock towers in between shine brightly in the sunlight and the air is almost as clear as in winter. On small hills and along the small rivers, crooked and crooked stone houses huddle together to form hamlets or small villages.

Location: The river Durance, which rises near Mont Genevrè in the Hautes-Alpes department, close to the Italian border, separates the Dauphiné from the Cottian Alps with its picturesque valley, the Val Durance. On its way to the Rhône, it crosses the towns of Briançon, Embrun and Sisteron before flowing into the Rhône in the Vaucluse department south of Avignon.