Corsica shatters snow records

Corsica is known as the “island of beauty”. Although a part of France it is a fiercely independent backwater lapped by the warm seas of the Mediterranean. The Island is best known for shapely supermodel Laetitia Casta and songbird Alizee, not somewhere you associate with serious snow.

Laetitia Casta amongst Corsica’s many attractions

However this year it has been benefiting from the same pounding that the south of France has been receiving from the snow gods and as we enter April it is officially the whitest corner of France with more than four meters of snow at 2350 meters. That is a record for France for 2009[1]. Meteo France tells us they’ve not seen so much snow since they started monitoring on the island 30 years ago.

The Vercors, just south of Grenoble is not too shabby either with over 2 meters of snow at 1650 meters. Better than at the same period in 2006 (140cm) and 2005 (160cm). Both legendary seasons for ski touring (and avalanches). However 2005 bests this year with a max of 310cm at the start of February. This season topped out at 270cm.

Our roving reporters say these figures don’t give the whole picture. 2009 has not been particularly cold, just snowy, and the situation lower down is not as good. For example last week in Corsica it was only possible to ski from 1300 meters on north facing slopes and that rose to 1500 meters on southerly aspects.

Anyway in true Daily Telegraph style talking about Corsica has given us a lame excuse to publish a picture of “La Casta”.

http://www.meteo.fr/temps/france/nivose/pics/MANIC.html
http://www.meteo.fr/temps/france/nivose/pics/LEGUA.html

[1] According to Meteo France’s system of automatic monitoring stations.

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