Tessin

I'd like to welcome everyone to the 5th matchday of the Südstaubundesliga and hope you're looking forward to exciting matches with the Saturday powder as much as I am. Because just in time for the weekend, as with the Bundesliga, the Südstau is starting again and alarming amounts are coming from southwestern Piedmont via Monte Rosa and Ticino to Adamello and the French southwest. This time the models don't show anything further east and there are probably no positive surprises in terms of the track (after the poor Dolomites were very disappointed last week), because it's the same areas as always in the south that are getting snow this winter.

After the winter in the north hasn't really worked out recently and most of the old year has melted away, Ullr is returning to its old virtues and remembering the base that it had already distributed in the south above 2000 m in November. So a small südstau is on the cards. But the north, from France to the Arlberg, should also be affected by the passage of the small low, albeit with small amounts of fresh snow.

"Waist-deep powder snow in Ticino, winter camping in Disentis, sunset in the Laax snow park or steep descents around the Keschhütte. Long Season, Short Stories tells six short stories about what winter means for freeskiers. In addition to lots of skiing and snowboarding action, the film shows brief insights into the "everyday life" of the four main protagonists. The film was made out of passion for sport and art, without any commercial intentions. With over 80% Swiss music, snow and snow sports enthusiasts, the film is not quite "Swissmade", but certainly more local than Argentinian "Bündnerfleisch"."

The Bedretto Valley just behind Airolo needs no introduction to the touring community. With excellent transport links, it offers a huge reservoir of touring opportunities on both sides of the valley. And since south-facing snowstorms have been a reliable part of the winter weather repertoire, this valley is blessed with impressive amounts of snow every year. Of course, these two facts ensure that the Bedretto is very busy, but fortunately the crowds here also move along the red lines on the ski touring map. Once you leave them, it quickly becomes quiet and usually rather steep...

The same procedure as every year? Is Ullr behaving like in the New Year's Eve classic Dinner for one? Another südstau, another massive dump. Is this becoming a habit again, is Ullr no longer very imaginative and taking the dump blueprints from last year?

Most people are rubbing their eyes in amazement, because as soon as the northern congestion has melted away again, the next dump comes. And this time Ullr's disciples have a little dejavue, because that's what it looked like all the time in 13/14, right? Catastrophic amounts of snow in the south and warm foehn in the north.

After it has been rather quiet in the Alarmecke recently with several small snowfalls and steeper things to tackle in the touring terrain, the powder pirates are getting excited again, as there is südstau and new opportunities to have some lazy fun in the powder from the lift. Once again. In the north, we can probably kiss the season goodbye when we look at the forecast warmth for next week.

Everyone has been to the Leventina. But most people have probably just whizzed through without thinking about touring, by train or on the highway. But if you've ever looked out of the window in winter, you might have guessed that there is some wonderful downhill terrain at higher altitudes in the valley. Especially when there is plenty of snow on the southern slopes of the Alps, this region is also a hot tip for snow addicts from the north of the Alps.

Didn't I say in the last alert that it would stop snowing on Monday? I was just on the Ullrphone and he said: Think again, dear! The new alert is in effect until midweek, as Ullr apparently has a plan to break seven-day snowfall records (it has already literally "pulverized" the 48-hour ones in places with 50- to 100-year events in the southeast). Then it's on to the next alert.

The snow conditions in the north of the Swiss Alps still leave a lot to be desired. If we didn't want to scrap our boards at the beginning of the year, we had to try the south, where the conditions are more stable and steeper descents are possible. Quite high temperatures forced us to stay above the tree line, a perfect opportunity to spend a few nights in a winter room again. We decided on the Capanna Campo Tencia as our base.

When you're on a roll, why stop, thinks Ullr and sends several dumps from the southwest towards the Alps. What does that mean? It snows again exactly where there is already a lot of snow and the north gets nothing or at least virtually nothing in the west of Switzerland. The first wave starts tonight (Thursday) and ends Friday night. The second wave starts on Saturday afternoon and lasts until Tuesday.

Counter-current system? What is that? Without poaching too much into WeatherBlog territory, I'll say this: the countercurrent system is Ullr's way of bringing his faithful powder in exciting quantities without much wind (at least in the center) by letting two air masses make love over the Alps.