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Les 2 Alpes glacier at record snow level

This spring with so much rainfall in much of Europe has brought an unexpected gift to lovers of summer skiing and all of us who care about the environment. A quantity of snow like years ago that was not seen in the Alps above 3,000 meters of altitude.

This is good news for glacier preservation and for the tourist summer ski season, the accumulated snow has reached a thickness not seen since the summer of 2013.

A level of 12 meters of snow accumulated throughout the winter and spring has been measured on the Les 2 Alpes glacier in Isère this Friday, June 12. A level unprecedented since the summer of 2013, indicates the snow operations manager of the resort Arnaud Guerrand to France3:

“We have 3 meters of compact and compacted snow at that time on the glacier, which is equivalent to 12 meters of fallen snow. With the snow groomers it compacts to better resist summer hazards, such as high temperatures and wind, and avoid it melts so quickly. ” Arnaud Guerrand explains.

“After several years marked by very strong heat waves, this year the snow should continue until mid-August, even in late August,” Guerrand says.

“This snow is good news because it means that the ice underneath is more protected from melting and the sun’s rays.” The Les Deux Alpes glacier is not immune to the declining trend of all Alpine glaciers, “laments Arnaud Guerrand. Therefore,” knowing that the abundant blanket of snow will protect the ice during the summer is good news. ” explained the resort’s snow operations manager Arnaud Guerrand

But these 3 meters of snow did not get there alone. For fifteen years, the person in charge of the snow of the 2 Alps has been working to study and thicken this layer of snow in the best way. By making it more compact, first. But not only:

“We use wooden barriers or grooves in the snow to retain the snow that the wind could carry. In reality, 12 meters did not fall on the glacier, but we have snow storage techniques.”

This spectacular thickness of snow should also delight winter sports professionals, who will be arriving at the resort in the coming weeks.

Colder weather and snow for the Alps

After a mostly fine and very mild weekend with record-breaking temperatures in some areas, the weather will turn more unsettled again next week with the increasing prospect of significant snow, especially towards the middle of next week. Monday the northeast of the Alps has a chance of a light rain or snow shower. The west and south remain dry and fairly sunny. Tuesday will be a transition day with a chance of some rain and snow from the west. On Tuesday night, cold polar air enters the Alps. We will go from spring to winter in less than 24 hours with a sharp drop in temperatures. This is accompanied by substantial snowfall in the West. The first snowfall will occur above 1300 m Tuesday afternoon then it will decrease to around 800 to 1000 m in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. On Wednesday, we expect snowfall faround 700 m in the morning, then the snow limit should drop during the day, with a possible risk of snow into the valleys and plains in the afternoon and evening. According to the latest forecast models, this snowfall could give between 10 and 15 cm of snow from 700m Wednesday, 15 to 20 cm at 1000 m and 20 to 25 cm at 1500 m,

On Thursday, a new disturbance -a warm front- is expected above the Alps with the heaviest precipitation again due in the north-west. Snow falls at low altitude at first, increasing towards 1200 to 1500m in the night towards Friday. This snowfall could give 10 to 15 cm of additional snow above 1000 m and 15 to 20 cm above 1500m.

The French Alps in particular welcomes the largest amount of fresh snow. Here you may easily expect half a meter with peaks up to 70 cm until Thursday (e.g. La plagne, Les Deux Alpes). The Swiss and Austrian north and inner Alpines will see 20 to 35 cm. The snowfall boundary dives towards 500 meter.

The south side of the Alps may see some fresh sbow in the middle of the week. During the cold front, a small low-pressure area develops above northern Italy. This triggers a temporary east to southeast flow. As a result, it may also snow locally on the south side!

Later in the week the snow is not over yet. Disruptions are generally good for the Alps. Snow conditions will improve considerably.

Snow conditions in the Alps remain a bit mixed, generally with plenty of snow at altitude but much patchier cover low down. In the lower resorts of the Alps, especially in the north-west (e.g. Morzine, Megève, Gstaad and Adelboden), much more snow is needed, but they may get it later next week!

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