WeatherBlog 4 2024/25 | Storms ahead!

Current situation

We are currently under the influence of a rather weak low-pressure system, which is bringing some snowflakes and relatively wintry temperatures with it. There were snowflakes yesterday and some today (Wednesday) on the northern slopes of the Alps. The cold air is more or less everywhere. South of the main Alpine ridge, there should be a northerly foehn today.

Meanwhile, the Azores High is pushing in strongly off the European Atlantic coast and by Thursday it will have pushed the weak low to one side. In the west, it will be sunny from the morning onwards. It may take a little longer in the east, but you can expect plenty of sunshine here too tomorrow - a good opportunity to inspect the freshly fallen snowflakes, even if there aren't many!

Until then: waiting for winter

Until it really snows, artificial snow saves the firmly planned ski resort openings and the early season turns of the motivated. Artificial snow - or "technical snow" if you want to be precise - is present in almost all Alpine ski resorts throughout the season. If there is real snow next to and above it, it is just not as noticeable as a white stripe in brownish meadows. A few years ago, a study was published in the specialist journal "Tourism Economics", which defined what an optimal ski day (OSD) looks like in order to then consider when such days occur and how this might affect the behaviour of paying guests. According to the authors, it doesn't matter whether there is artificial snow or real snow on the piste for an optimal ski day. The main thing is that it is white next to it, because the paying guests want the winter look! Technical snow has certain advantages when it comes to grooming uniform pistes anyway, because it has more contact points, is harder and can be easily compressed. A 30 cm thick artificial snow slope can withstand the early season rush much better than 30 cm of natural snow, but is of course more expensive to produce initially... An OSD also needs mild temperatures, sunshine, lots of open lifts and preferably a weekend. The WeatherBlog has a diverging opinion on the subject of OSD - a scientific consensus has not fully been reached on this essential topic.

Either way, anyone who was out skiing in the last few days had a good chance of getting a load or two of snow cannon snow in their face, as it is still too thinoff the groomers and all the snowmaking systems are running in the ski resorts in order to produce the reliable 30 cm base. The WeatherBlog doesn't think this experience makes for an OSD quite yet, but has to admit that the first very mediocre tours along the edge of the piste next to the roaring cannons and the equally mediocre descents over bumpy groomers does contribute to the anticipation of winter. Not because the snow cannons and artificial snow are particularly attractive, but because we know that it can be different and, with a bit of luck, soon will be, because it's finally cold outside again and just uncomfortable enough to appreciate the cosiness inside, and because mediocre sliding around is still better than walking back down again. 

So let's hope for the low at the weekend and that the really optimal skiing days will gradually come closer!