When it comes to natural features such as local geography and weather, there are some places you definitely want to go in the Alps, and also places to avoid. Depending on what you're looking for, obviously. Here's some general info that could help you in making smart choices.
Elevation and trees
Compared to North-America, the treeline in the Alps is quite low. On average, treelines are at 1,800 - 2,000 meters above sea level. There is a lot of skiable terrain above that elevation, with great open bowls and couloirs. The downside: white-out conditions. In places like Tignes, Val Thorens, Zermatt, Ischgl, whiteouts can limit your skiing considerably. If you want to ski below treeline around those places on whiteout days, you need to hop over to specific parts of the ski area to even find trees.
In terms of ‘snow sure’ elevation, you need to go higher up in the West than in the East. In France, 1,500 m above sea level is considered ‘safe for snow’, whereas in Austria, that level is at 1,200 m.
Weather and snow
The Alps are quite a big region, and as is mostly the case with mountains, the weather systems can be complex. There are however some weather patterns and weather ‘zones’ that are closely connected to the geography of the region.
There are five weather zones in the Alps. They are more or less defined by the general direction they get snow from. If a storm or moisture-loaded air mass pushes against the mountains, the air mass is pushed upwards and snow falls if air temperature is low enough. These five zones overlap a bit. A region that is in such an overlap gets snow from multiple directions. The famous snowy places such as the Arlberg region (Eastern and Western part of the Northern Alps)and the Mont Blanc region (Northern Alps West, Western Alps, Southern Alps West) get the most snow. The same goes for resorts along the Main Alpine Crest, a chain of the highest peaks that generally divides the Alps between North + West vs South. All glacier resorts are situated on the Main Alpine Crest.
The Alps and the five weather zones
Most storms reach the Alps from the North, West, and North-West. Snow from the South is more rare, on average. But if it snows there, it’s mostly in big dumps. Generally speaking, the South gets less natural snow, or at least less frequent. The amount of Blue Bird days, however, supersedes the North. These are all averages, of course. There is no way of knowing beforehand whether next winter will be a ‘Western’, ‘Northern’, or ‘Southern’ winter.
Elevation and trees
Compared to North-America, the treeline in the Alps is quite low. On average, treelines are at 1,800 - 2,000 meters above sea level. There is a lot of skiable terrain above that elevation, with great open bowls and couloirs. The downside: white-out conditions. In places like Tignes, Val Thorens, Zermatt, Ischgl, whiteouts can limit your skiing considerably. If you want to ski below treeline around those places on whiteout days, you need to hop over to specific parts of the ski area to even find trees.
In terms of ‘snow sure’ elevation, you need to go higher up in the West than in the East. In France, 1,500 m above sea level is considered ‘safe for snow’, whereas in Austria, that level is at 1,200 m.
Weather and snow
The Alps are quite a big region, and as is mostly the case with mountains, the weather systems can be complex. There are however some weather patterns and weather ‘zones’ that are closely connected to the geography of the region.
There are five weather zones in the Alps. They are more or less defined by the general direction they get snow from. If a storm or moisture-loaded air mass pushes against the mountains, the air mass is pushed upwards and snow falls if air temperature is low enough. These five zones overlap a bit. A region that is in such an overlap gets snow from multiple directions. The famous snowy places such as the Arlberg region (Eastern and Western part of the Northern Alps)and the Mont Blanc region (Northern Alps West, Western Alps, Southern Alps West) get the most snow. The same goes for resorts along the Main Alpine Crest, a chain of the highest peaks that generally divides the Alps between North + West vs South. All glacier resorts are situated on the Main Alpine Crest.
The Alps and the five weather zones
Most storms reach the Alps from the North, West, and North-West. Snow from the South is more rare, on average. But if it snows there, it’s mostly in big dumps. Generally speaking, the South gets less natural snow, or at least less frequent. The amount of Blue Bird days, however, supersedes the North. These are all averages, of course. There is no way of knowing beforehand whether next winter will be a ‘Western’, ‘Northern’, or ‘Southern’ winter.
