 Poster: A snowHead
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I’ve been watching the cams for Solden all week in Tyrol. Snow depth reported as 167cm vs 87 a few days ago. Believe some areas in Austria have had close to a metre in a few days
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Great! Niederau (where I'm going on March 7) doesn't seem to have been specially blessed, but they must surely have shared in the bonanza to some degree.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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We are at 1200m just north west of Innsbruck and had several feet over the week. Best snow for a long time.
Gets very warm next week though, so the higher you are the better, but will be above freezing everywhere by looks of it.
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| J2R wrote: |
| BobinCH wrote: |
| Go high and north facing and you’ll have great snow all next week. Conditions are amazing everywhere at the moment |
Does everywhere include Austria? It seems like the vast majority of this snow has fallen in the western Alps. |
The western Alps have had a very snowy winter indeed, but the recent widespread snowfall has helped the rest of the Alps approach/reach their average levels, according to WePowder:
https://wepowder.com/en/weblog/2026/02/21/transition-to-spring-weather-with-tricky-avalanche-conditions-remaining
Austria
Austria was among the most snow-poor regions earlier this winter, but conditions have improved significantly. Vorarlberg and western Tirol have been catching up since late January, while areas further east have only seen substantial improvement over the past one to two weeks. In the west, snow depths around 2000 meters are now close to average, reaching up to 150 cm and locally more near the Arlberg. Further east, totals are lower, with around one meter at 2000 meters — much of which has fallen only recently.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@phillip33, you’ll be fine . I’d expect that it would be a white line 2nd week in April down to the station but 21st March all will be well . The 3 valleys has a huge amount of skiing above 1800m , you can sleep well .
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@rogg, I had a roast chicken from Chamonix market for lunch (which is important from a forecasting point of view, adding specific locality) and a general view of the entrails suggested that the warm spell will definitely end.
So you're fine.
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I had Gorgonzola and walnut pasta for tea. Almost certainly confirmed the same. Just without the entrails.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I had Gorgonzola and walnut pasta for tea. Almost certainly confirmed the same. Just without the entrails.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The next week of heat kind of unsettles me. Should I be worried? Going to Laax this March 7th
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@nunex, probably not no
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Calm down and enjoy the sunshine everyone! Temps returning to more normal levels from Saturday
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You know it makes sense.
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| nunex wrote: |
| The next week of heat kind of unsettles me. Should I be worried? Going to Laax this March 7th |
You are going in March, so spring skiing is expected. Still takes a lot to melt well packed pistes; sure they'll be soft pm, but that's spring skiing. And if the skies are clear at night the pistes will freeze again even if it doesn't get below 0°C - radiative cooling as space is pretty cold:
"The snow surface constantly emits thermal radiation (heat) to the surrounding atmosphere. When the sky is clear, that heat escapes into space, allowing the snow to efficiently cool. If the sky is cloudy, there is significantly less radiative cooling. Cloud cover re-radiates heat back toward the snowpack.
"Radiative cooling is the primary driver that causes a wet snowpack to refreeze. During the springtime, clear nights are the most important factor in determining if the snowpack refreezes. Ambient air temperature also plays a role, but even if the air temperature drops below freezing, the snowpack may not freeze well if skies are cloudy. Conversely, the snowpack may refreeze during a clear night even if the ambient temperature is above freezing"
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Thanks, guys!
Looking forward to my annual snow trip, conditions got surprisingly better in the last couple of weeks. I guess they'll be kept, at least a bit.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I think the amount of moisture in the air is also an important factor (and is also related to clear air). Low air humidity makes it easier for snow to evaporate but it doing so it reduces the temperature of the surrounding snow, retarding it’s rate of loss. High humidity (frequent in the UK) prevents snow from evaporating so it has to turn to water instead and that does not cool the snow effectively. Direct water melt also promotes faster removal of the snow. This is one reason why rain is an enemy of snowsports.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Possibility of some decent snow around 4 March has popped up on GFS for Gressoney Le Trinitie (location of the next Snowheads bash) on the latest run. Will probably be gone by the next run but it’s fun to dream! I’ll just be happy with cooler temps!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Last lift La Grave today 13:00 due to high temps !!
Road bike today for me to the Lautaret I think!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Checking back next week on the forecast - looks like high pressure and mild air in control for now.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Weathercam wrote: |
Last lift La Grave today 13:00 due to high temps !!
Road bike today for me to the Lautaret I think! |
Bit concerned about this as off to nearby L2A next week. Hopefully there's enough snow fallen recently to allow for a bit of melting without the home runs becoming unusable.
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| Raptor24 wrote: |
| Weathercam wrote: |
Last lift La Grave today 13:00 due to high temps !!
Road bike today for me to the Lautaret I think! |
Bit concerned about this as off to nearby L2A next week. Hopefully there's enough snow fallen recently to allow for a bit of melting without the home runs becoming unusable. |
There will be plenty of snow - whether they are unusable will be more to do with how slushy and mogully they get - and Deux Alpes is a bit rubbish for home runs anyway; my (old) memory is that they are mostly pretty steep, though hasn't a green been added in recent years.
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| buchanan101 wrote: |
| Raptor24 wrote: |
| Weathercam wrote: |
Last lift La Grave today 13:00 due to high temps !!
Road bike today for me to the Lautaret I think! |
Bit concerned about this as off to nearby L2A next week. Hopefully there's enough snow fallen recently to allow for a bit of melting without the home runs becoming unusable. |
There will be plenty of snow - whether they are unusable will be more to do with how slushy and mogully they get - and Deux Alpes is a bit rubbish for home runs anyway; my (old) memory is that they are mostly pretty steep, though hasn't a green been added in recent years. |
It has - though it's probably the worst as it gets snowploughed down all afternoon by newbs and is very narrow. I was hoping to use the black Valentin piste as it leads onto a small green section at the very bottom that ends right outside my airbnb.
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| Raptor24 wrote: |
| buchanan101 wrote: |
| Raptor24 wrote: |
| Weathercam wrote: |
Last lift La Grave today 13:00 due to high temps !!
Road bike today for me to the Lautaret I think! |
Bit concerned about this as off to nearby L2A next week. Hopefully there's enough snow fallen recently to allow for a bit of melting without the home runs becoming unusable. |
There will be plenty of snow - whether they are unusable will be more to do with how slushy and mogully they get - and Deux Alpes is a bit rubbish for home runs anyway; my (old) memory is that they are mostly pretty steep, though hasn't a green been added in recent years. |
It has - though it's probably the worst as it gets snowploughed down all afternoon by newbs and is very narrow. I was hoping to use the black Valentin piste as it leads onto a small green section at the very bottom that ends right outside my airbnb. |
The number of resorts when reds are in a lot better condition than blues...
In March if conditions poor, i just download
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| buchanan101 wrote: |
The number of resorts when reds are in a lot better condition than blues...
In March if conditions poor, i just download |
My logic for home runs at the end of day in busy resorts is generally that, the "harder" the colour, the easier it'll be. So black > red > blue.
I enjoy pretty much all types of snow/slopes/conditions EXCEPT busy slopes.
And fully agree that the amount of snow next week in L2A shouldn't be a concern, even with the current heat wave. There's been so much snow in the western Alps this winter thus far (especially at that altitude), it doesn't just evaporate that quickly
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| Gustavo the Gaper wrote: |
| buchanan101 wrote: |
The number of resorts when reds are in a lot better condition than blues...
In March if conditions poor, i just download |
My logic for home runs at the end of day in busy resorts is generally that, the "harder" the colour, the easier it'll be. So black > red > blue.
I enjoy pretty much all types of snow/slopes/conditions EXCEPT busy slopes.
And fully agree that the amount of snow next week in L2A shouldn't be a concern, even with the current heat wave. There's been so much snow in the western Alps this winter thus far (especially at that altitude), it doesn't just evaporate that quickly |
I know they aren't home runs, but in Zell Am See the "left" arm of the horseshoe is blue and very very busy. The "right" arm is all red and much much quieter. Many resorts have near parallel blue and red runs (so near as damn it the same slope); take the red... Some resorts have the SAME run signed red one side and blue the other....(though usually only for short stretches before branches)
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| buchanan101 wrote: |
| Raptor24 wrote: |
| Weathercam wrote: |
Last lift La Grave today 13:00 due to high temps !!
Road bike today for me to the Lautaret I think! |
Bit concerned about this as off to nearby L2A next week. Hopefully there's enough snow fallen recently to allow for a bit of melting without the home runs becoming unusable. |
There will be plenty of snow - whether they are unusable will be more to do with how slushy and mogully they get - and Deux Alpes is a bit rubbish for home runs anyway; my (old) memory is that they are mostly pretty steep, though hasn't a green been added in recent years. |
Currently here in L2A. The weather has been absolutely fantastic all week. Blue bird skies all week and about 18deg sat outside Pano bar with beers. Had worse tans in summer and could have skied in a t-shirt haha. The snow has been fantastic, gets a little "sticky" /little chopped up akin to spring skiing on sun facing slopes on home runs but to be expected as its been busy. 2 days left before we go home, been a great week and dumper trucks still taking snow outside of resort there's that much around.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Spike107 wrote: |
| buchanan101 wrote: |
| Raptor24 wrote: |
| Weathercam wrote: |
Last lift La Grave today 13:00 due to high temps !!
Road bike today for me to the Lautaret I think! |
Bit concerned about this as off to nearby L2A next week. Hopefully there's enough snow fallen recently to allow for a bit of melting without the home runs becoming unusable. |
There will be plenty of snow - whether they are unusable will be more to do with how slushy and mogully they get - and Deux Alpes is a bit rubbish for home runs anyway; my (old) memory is that they are mostly pretty steep, though hasn't a green been added in recent years. |
Currently here in L2A. The weather has been absolutely fantastic all week. Blue bird skies all week and about 18deg sat outside Pano bar with beers. Had worse tans in summer and could have skied in a t-shirt haha. The snow has been fantastic, gets a little "sticky" /little chopped up akin to spring skiing on sun facing slopes on home runs but to be expected as its been busy. 2 days left before we go home, been a great week and dumper trucks still taking snow outside of resort there's that much around. |
We’re all different I guess because the current weather is way too warm for me. It also looks like my usual snow repelling force field is in if place. 1.5 weeks in the snow and not a single snowflake falling makes me a bit sad. Guess that’s why I usually prefer to go in the second half of January. I hate feeling hot and sweaty while I’m skiing, much prefer feeling rugged up against the cold.
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At this rate of melt and optimism- i may have to cancel La Tania ( 22nd March) and head higher
Or
It could all melt and the week before i arrive it snows again and dumps another 2 feet
God knows
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You know it makes sense.
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Where’s Polo or Noza
I need them before i go insane
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Why would you cancel La Tania in a month? If you have to use the gondola down due to poor snow, it is not the end of the world is it? And for now there's about 50% more snow than usual at 1800m in the area, so there's a huge buffer for whatever melt might happen.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@phillip33, don’t panic, north facing, shaded home run, historically opens late.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| phillip33 wrote: |
At this rate of melt and optimism- i may have to cancel La Tania ( 22nd March) and head higher
Or
It could all melt and the week before i arrive it snows again and dumps another 2 feet
God knows |
Don’t be daft - I’ve boarded down Folyeres on a 3 metre wide strip of brown porridge in late April.
There’s a lot of snow across the 3Vs - it’s not going anywhere in the next 3 weeks.
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Have people not been following the weather for the last month? There's so much snow, a few days of warmth isn't going to make much difference on piste.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Apologies - i was channeling a bit of my “ Whitegold” side there
Must stay positive !!!!
Latest Wiggles still showing little change upto the 14th
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Amazing temps for Feb in the Haute Tarentaise yesterday
 EXCEPTIONALLY MOLD TEMPERATURES YESTERDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2026, UP TO +8.3°C AT THE PISAILLAS GLACIER (3119M)!
 ️Incredible change in a few days, while abundant snowfall was still our concern a few days ago, the spring days are coming, and yesterday, it was exceptionally mild, we reached the max in the day:
+20.6°C in Albertville (314m)
+20.1°C in Bourg Saint Maurice (865m)
+20.1°C at Salins Fontaine (628m)
+18.5°C à St Jean De Belleville(1050m)
+17.2°C at La Léchère (1194m)
+16.8°C in Montvalezan (1270m)
+16.7°C in Granier (1260m)
+16.6°C in St Martin de Belleville (1443m)
+12.6°C in Sainte Foy - Plan Bois (1775m)
+11.6°C in Tignes (2120m)
+10.8°C at La Rosière (1850m)
+10.1°C in Val d'Isère center (1850m)
+9.3°C at Arcs Peisey Nancroix (2188m)
+8.7°C at the Arcs - Arpette (2410m)
+8.3°C at the Pisaillas Glacier (3119m)
+7.6°C in Val d'Isère Joseray (1850m)
+6.8°C au Mont Valaisan(2802m)
+6.4°C à la nivôse du Grand Parei(2240m)
+6.0°C at La Plagne (2120m)
+6.0°C at the Chevril level(2569m)
+5.2°C in Sainte Foy - Col de l'Aiguille (2626m)
+4.9°C in Bellecôte (3000m)
+3.2°C at Aguille Rouge (3222m)
Source: Tarentaise Weather, Rome and Meteorological
️ The great nice weather will continue today and tomorrow, before the clouds return this weekend but without rainfall, we'll talk about it tomorrow in the next bulletin, for your weekend, and the trend for the beginning of next week.
Photo credit Max Roosens
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Its been much cooler the other side of the ridge, albeit a bit warner than the previous week. Also the clear skies has meant cold nights, so its not a spring slush fest, people need to calm down a bit
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@buchanan101, @Peter S, very interesting and technical. I assume the cold snow in a thick layer will also help keep the snow above it a bit cooler than a very thin pack, which should mean a late February above average (and way above average in some places) snow pack will preserve better later in the season?
Certainly i've skied glacier runs in April in the heat and the snow as tip top even late in the afternoon. But maybe ice preserves better than snow.
@Raven, I love both, but just drop a layer, a thermal and light jacket is usually perfect for Spring skiing
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Thu 26-02-26 12:08; edited 1 time in total
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| t44tomo wrote: |
| Its been much cooler the other side of the ridge, albeit a bit warner than the previous week. Also the clear skies has meant cold nights, so its not a spring slush fest, people need to calm down a bit |
@t44tomo, so the lifties in La Grave called it wrong, and some of the big wet slides we're seeing are just apparitions then?
Google avalanche Orcieres.
Today is the warmest day yet, and this morning temp at 07:00 was just below zero, at 1,400 I tested the S facing snow pack aand whilst hard, it would not support mw weight, and the issue is that without an intense freeze/melt cycle the snow will be nigh on rotten and subsequently dangerous if ski-touring for Spring snow, which after a solid 15 seasons I like to think I know what's needed, but I'm forever surprised.....
I still give it a go tomorrow but early and having parked up at 2050m or take a lift and go off the back for a look see.
Obviously if piste skiing it will just be slushy depending on the time of day and aspect.
And if snowboarding you'll just have a wetter derrière and gloves more than usual 
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FAQ
