Snow cover - pre-season 2006 compared to last year

Was just looking at photos showing the way things developed on a daily
basis pre-season on the Cachette slope at Arc 1600 last year. I reckon
there's not much difference in terms of natural snow cover below 2000m,
but there's considerably less cover above that altitude.

What's usually the season-saver when natural snowfall is scarce,
artificial snowmaking, is way behind schedule so far this November. The
cannons were going flat out a good ten days to two weeks earlier last
year (when the real thing didn't arrive until the week before
(Christmas).

The cannons only started up at Les Arcs around November 17th this year,
but high temperatures meant that up in Val or Tignes the situation was
barely better. Under the Lanche lift at Val Claret up to last Wednesday
there were just a few tiny pathetic little patches of white just about
hanging in there, and on the OK where the big race is supposed to be
happening Dec 10th there was a little more of the white stuff by the
cannons, but not much.

Up on the glacier at Tignes conditions were ok for race training, but as
soon as tourists numbers build up the glacier ice is soon scraped bare.
A few centimetres overnight Wednesday/Thursday made little difference.

So although the cams are looking 'pretty' at the moment, don't be
fooled - cover is very thin and no natural snow forecast for a while in
the Savoie. At least it's very cold so the cannons have been going 24
hours a day since Thursday...

Pete
http://MySnowSports.com/cam

Come to Ski- amade area in Austria then. It has been snowing off and on
here since Wednesday. It did melt a belt in the valley on Thursday where
the sun got but since Thursday night it has not stopped snowing . Here in
the resort of Muehlbach the depth is about 30cm up on the slopes it must be
about double that . Check out the web camera:-


http://panpic2.feratel.at/panpic2/in... infotext=true

It a bit cloudy at the moment.

So this should be building an excellent base for the season.

We have just moved here form the UK in October so this is our first season
here in our pension. I would have thought this must be the most snow they
have in November for quite a few years.


Nigel


--
Winter and Summer holidays in the alps!!!
www.austrianfamilyholidays.co.uk

"Nigel" wrote in message
...
Come to Ski- amade area in Austria then. It has been snowing off and on
here since Wednesday. It did melt a belt in the valley on Thursday where
the sun got but since Thursday night it has not stopped snowing . Here in
the resort of Muehlbach the depth is about 30cm up on the slopes it must
be about double that . Check out the web camera:-


http://panpic2.feratel.at/panpic2/in... infotext=true

It a bit cloudy at the moment.

So this should be building an excellent base for the season.

We have just moved here form the UK in October so this is our first season
here in our pension. I would have thought this must be the most snow they
have in November for quite a few years.

I made a nice filmstrip:

http://snow.jeuring.com/places/5260.php



Marinus

http://snow.jeuring.com

"PG" wrote in message
...
So although the cams are looking 'pretty' at the moment, don't be
fooled - cover is very thin and no natural snow forecast for a while in
the Savoie. At least it's very cold so the cannons have been going 24
hours a day since Thursday...

Pete
http://MySnowSports.com/cam

Pete,

All the weather models are in remarkable agreement for continuation of high
pressure conditions, although temperatures remaining cold. This changes from
Thursday/Friday next week when things look very unsettled and cold with snow
likely all the way down to sea level - watch this space.

Joe