Snow Returns to the Alps as Big Resorts Prepare to Open

It has been snowing again in the Alps and Dolomites over the past 24 hours and the snow is expected to continue for the coming week in many areas.

The snowfall comes after several warm weeks but may be timed perfectly as a number of big name resorts are due to open for Winter 18-19 over the next few days and they’re now operating their snowmaking systems for 24 hours a day to build bases on top of the natural snowfall, as are most other resorts that will be successively opening over the next five weekends.

So far up to 50cm of snowfall has been reported (by Arabba in the Dolomites) with many areas posting 10-30cm.  Some resorts may get as much as 90cm over the coming week however, forecasters predict, with the southern Alps and Dolomites hit hardest.  Chatel is pictured top.

The fresh snow is good news as more big name resorts are scheduled to open this weekend.

With a few exceptions most of the ski areas already open in the Alps are high altitude glacier areas most with less than 5km of ski runs available (although several bigger players like Hintertux, Solden, Saas Fee and Cervinia/Zermatt and a few others have 20km+).

But this weekend bigger areas like Ischgl (opening Thursday, pic above from last night and video below today) and Val Thorens (opening Saturday) will both offer much bigger areas of at least 50km.

Zermatt and Cervinia’s ski area may also be this large or bigger already, moist years it claims to have the biggest ski area open in the Alps