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Skiing this half-term? Lack of snow in Swiss Alps

08:00
12 February 2023

Skiing this half-term?
Lack of snow in Swiss Alps

The Swiss Alps is currently experiencing very little snow cover, creating difficulty for skiiers.

Swiss ski resorts are lacking in snow owing to the very dry conditions recently, in coordination with a mild weather pattern for winter so far.

In some areas, such as Simplon Pass, there is even less snow than last season, which was also exceptionally dry. The above video was also taken in Saas Valley.

The highest Alpine glaciers 4000m above sea level were already suffering from a lack of snow, with this worsening the risk of crevasses.

crevasses

Average temperatures across the Swiss Alps have been hovering around 6-7C, far too high for the chance of snow. Gstaad even brought in helicopters to dump snow in the resorts of Zweisimmen and Saanenmöser to connect the two, though it didn't work.

According to researchers, the ski season in Europe has been reduced by 38 days since 1970. Switzerland in particular, is warming twice as fast as the global average.

However ski resorts do still remain open, and you can check the status of them if you're heading out there on our brand new and improved Mountain and Skiing conditions, inside our app.

You can find out information by searching for your chosen mountain location. The feature will then appear as a ski icon on the top right of the page, which, once tapped, will take you to all the details you need.

It will show whether a ski resort is open, the current snow depth, current conditions, and plenty more useful information right at your fingertips! More information is available right here.

Weather & Radar editorial team
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