June 10th, 2009 - Posted by: Powder Monkey

Winter 08/09 – Officially a Record Breaker

Meteo France’s roundup of the winter 08/09 snow conditions proved what I had suspected, having skied more powder than piste, that the season was exceptional. Reading the article I reflected on some of my best days on the hill.

According to experts the season was particularly remarkable in length. Substantial snowfalls at the end of October and the beginning of November meant the season kicked off early in many resorts. And sustained sub-zero temperatures from December through to February, coupled with frequent dumps of snow, meant the snow hung around long after the Easter holidays. My personal experience bears out the stats, I first dusted off my kit at the beginning of November and, while I packed it away at the beginning of May, Chamonix’s hardcore were still heading up the Aiguille de Midi at the end of the month. That’s an incredible 7 month long season!

It all started back in October when there when the first flakes at altitude and November saw significant dumps even at modest altitude. By the end of the month there was snow in the above 1000m in the Northern Alps and above 1500m in the Southern Alps and there were record snow depths above 2000m right across the French Alps. Many resorts opened early thanks to the excellent early snow conditions.

Once the season was underway it was punctuated by frequent heavy snowfalls, often at low altitude, and spread fairly evenly over the winter months. Mid-December saw a massive dump of snow of 1.5-2.5m dropped on ranges bordering Italy. Hefty snowfalls were also recorded on or around 6th January, 24th January, 6th February, 5th March and 1st April. In many resorts, including Bessans (Haute-Maurienne, 1800m), Saint-Véran (Queyras, 2040m) and Isola (Mercantour, 1915m) the amount of snow that fell over the whole season reached record breaking highs of 6m+.

The prevailing cold sets winter 08/09 apart from the two preceding winters. It wasn’t remarkably cold but temperatures remained largely below average from December through to the end of February. The cold meant the snow base was preserved until the very end of the season and that conditions were excellent even at mid-mountain level. Record breaking snow depths were recorded all season, particularly in  resorts on the Franco-Italian border such as Isola and Montgenevre.

I’m hoping that winter 09/10 will be another record breaker.

Tags: Bessans, Chamonix, Montgenevre, Queras, Saint Veran, Snow Depth, Snowfall
Posted in News from the Alps, Weather & Snow Conditions | 2 Comments »