Mid-May Snowfall in the Alps
There’s been heavy snowfall over the past week in the Alps.
Up to 35cm of snow was reported falling between Monday and Friday, in many cases building on snow bases still lying metres deep from heavy snowfall earlier this season.
Val d’Isere (pictured below this week) reported some of the biggest accumulations, with 30cm in 24 hours at the start of the week. This is particularly good news as the resort plans to re-open some of its winter slopes for summer skiing for the first time in its 82 year history due to the huge snowfalls it received in the winter and the snow that is still lying. The resort re-opens to skiers in just under a fortnight on June 3rd.
In Switzerland where Zermatt and Engelberg are both still open, 5cm of fresh snow was reported on the Titlis glacier at Engelberg where the snow base has been the deepest in the world, over 7 metres at times, for most of 2018. It still has a 6.5 metre base.
Austria currently has the most ski areas still open in Europe – half the continent’s total, with glacier skiing possible at Kaunertal and the Stubai (until June 4th, pictured top), Hintertux and the Dachstein, as well as the Kitzsteinhorn glaciers. The Kitzsteinhorn (below), open to July 22nd, reported the most snow, with 35cm (14 inches) of fresh cover.
There were also significant snowfalls in the Pyrenees, with cars required to fit chains in the mountains again – very unusual for mid-May there.
