The weather outlook for the next few days is for 50-70cm of snow at 2000m in the Northern French Alps, very little of this snow will make it to the Southern Alps or Pyrenees. The snow line will fall from 2000m on Monday to 1600m on Tuesday morning then 700-1000m on Wednesday. The fresh snow will be accompanied by very strong to violent winds from the south-west to west. This will move a lot of snow onto north-east to north slopes to add to existing slabs on west slopes formed before Christmas by the Lombard (east) wind.
The existing base is composed of a thick layer of depth hoar. Soft slabs will be found mid-slopes, the violent winds leading to cross-loading of slopes. Avalanche risk will rise over the coming days with skier triggered slabs of considerable size likely from the Haute-Savoie through to the north of the Hautes-Alps.
Posted by
davidof on Sunday, 31 December, 2006 at 10:05 PM
I’ve just got back from the Haute-Savoie (Faucigny) where there has been some fresh snow above 1500m (although a lot of rain to 2000m earlier in the day).
As mentioned above video, the avalanche risk has now moved to High above 2000-2500m across the Northern French Alps. Take care as the fresh snow will make a lot of off-piste accessible.
Posted by
davidof on Tuesday, 02 January, 2007 at 12:12 AM
It is a briliant sunny morning in the central French Alps. The smell of cordite is wafting through the air as the ski patrol at my local resort fire shell after shell from their avalancheur.
There has been around 40-50 cm of fresh snow from 1500 meters with the snowline around 500 meters. The conditions above 2000m off piste are very good with enough base but it is when the mountains look most beautiful that they are most dangerous. Watch out today.
Posted by
davidof on Wednesday, 03 January, 2007 at 09:38 AM
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