Too Much Snow In Europe?
Too Much Snow In Europe?
Published : 08-Jan-2012 07:45
It's all change on Europe's ski slopes which have gone from being virtually snow-free a month ago to buried up to four metres (13 feet) deep in snow this week.
Assuming the snowfall eventually stops, it's clearly good news that many resorts, particularly those with high altitude slopes, have snow cover that looks set to last well in to Spring, even if there's no more snow for the next three months.
But in the shorter term the huge snowfalls – particularly in France and Switzerland – have been causing problems for people to trying to get to the slopes and on to the slopes once they arrive in resort.
Among the casualties of the snowy deluge were the Chamonix Valley, which had its slopes largely closed for three days in the week up to Christmas; then the world's largest ski area, the 3 Valleys, was largely closed over New year as a metre of snow fell, and most recently the Glacier 3000 ski area above Gstaad and les Diablerets closed from New year while road and rail access to the year-round ski area of Zermatt were cut for more than 48 hours at the end of last week by a metre of snow falling there.
These are just a few of many resorts where all or most of the slopes are currently closed and even where they're open, the avalanche danger level is set a maximum, so that abundant off piste powder should not be skied or boarded.
Of course not all parts of the Alps and other areas of Europe have seen such disruption. Snowfall in Austria and Italy has in most cases been plentiful but more moderate, and the same is true down in the Pyrenees.
Over in North America conditions are good in the north west of the continent in Alberta, BC and Alberta as well as in southern states like Arizona and New Mexico; but resorts in major ski states like California, Colorado and Utah have had the opposite problem, much as Europe 12 months ago – too little snow, although some have been reporting 7 or 8 inches of new snow at last in the past 24 hours.
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