| Snow Report - 26 Jan 2015 | | Last snowed | 22-Jan-2015 |
| Fresh snow | 10 cm |
| Lower slopes | 33 cm |
| Upper slopes | 235 cm |
| Pistes | | Piste state | Excellent |
| Runs to resort | Good |
| Off piste snow | Tracked |
| Comments | Great skiing thanks to the recent snowfalls |
| Lifts open | 21 |
| Lifts total | 21 |
Snow Overview - Switzerland (snow news updated 26-Jan-2015)
It was a changeable weekend of weather for Switzerland, with most resorts seeing some snowfall, but also catching some good sunny breaks. Piste conditions are good throughout the country and some fresh tracks off piste can still be found.
Some excellent pistes were reported by a Ski Club staff member in Murren (43/115cm) this weekend, providing a perfect slope for Saturday’s Inferno Race. Across the valley in Grindelwald (7/110cm) the conditions at First were very good, with most runs open and even the long red pistes back down into the village in great condition.
Verbier (20/105cm) and Nendaz (10/165cm) in the 4 Vallees ski area were both reporting some great skiing over the weekend. 73 lifts were spinning across the area, with Mont Gele in particular providing some excellent conditions.
The most snow was picked up a Leysin (20/40cm) and Les Mosses (20/40cm), which saw 15cm on Sunday 25th. The base depth is still well below average, but conditions are improving with every new fall of snow.
Some very heavy snow is in the forecast for the week ahead in Switzerland, particularly in the north and west. Up to 25cm is expected by Tuesday morning, with a further 50-75cm between Thursday and Monday. Further east at resorts such as Samnaun and St Moritz, less is expected, but a total of 30cm is still possible this week.
European Weather Outlook
The snow falling in the western Alps on Monday is forecast to move east, so all resorts should see some powder come Tuesday morning. Between 20 and 30cm is forecast over a large area, with the heaviest falls in the north, with the southern Alps only seeing some light flurries. A much heavier period of snowfall is expected from Thursday onwards, potentially carrying through into the start of next week. Northern areas will see the most snow, with current forecasts suggesting they will pick up 50-75cm of fresh snow. Less is forecast for the southern Alps, but totals of around 20-30cm can still be expected. Temperatures will remain low; with freezing levels dropping below 500m from Friday onwards, so make sure you have a set of snow chains if driving to the Alps this weekend.
Light snow is expected in Andorra to start the new week before brighter skies return on Wednesday. This will not last long however as heavy snow is expected between Thursday and Sunday. Totals of 60-80cm are currently forecast so there should be some excellent powder to start off the month of February.
Some sunshine is expected in Scandinavia on Tuesday, before a return to cloudier and snowier weather. Up to 20cm of new snow is predicted before the skies are set to clear on Saturday – so the weekend’s skiing could be fantastic, especially as temperatures are set to remain nicely below freezing.
Light snow is forecast to remain in place until Wednesday in Bulgaria, before the clouds part to reveal some good sunny breaks on Thursday and Friday. A return to cloudy and snowy weather is currently expected on Saturday.
A return to snowy weather is forecast this week for Scotland and by Wednesday the freezing level should have dropped right down to the surface. Current indications suggest the heaviest snow will fall in the west (Glencoe & Nevis Range) on Wednesday/Thursday and then in the east (Cairngorm, The Lecht, Glenshee) on Thursday/Friday. Winds are forecast to be high so watch out for disruption to lift operations.