Wooo...a ridiculous amount of snow is on the way to the Alps and I can only sit and drewl with all of the images of it! Over the weekend up to a meter of snow will be thrown into the mountains.
Normally that would mean skiing, hiking, snowballs and more fun with a hot chocolate afterwards, in a weekender heading South towards that way. But this year ofcourse everything is different..so skiing seems like a liability and wont happen for me at least until the code clearance is changed.
Wepowder.nl
Wepowder is one of the most reliable sources of where, when and how snow is falling. It is a platform for freeriders and is really focussed on where it is dumping and how the quality of the snow is. Biggest focus: not getting in avalanches, often piled up by wind and a snowpack that is sliding on a heavier snowpack.
Last year at this time I was still living in Switzerland and we had some fun trips with friends already at the beginning of the season. Often the beginning of the season the slopes are still quite empty and you can feel the excitement when heading out for the first time (or maybe this is just me :D)
Wepowder
Engelberg was just a 40 minute ride from my house. If I would take the bus at home, 1 hour and 18 minutes later I would be exactly here. Engelberg is a sweet region which is not so cool when it is crowded but so awesome during weekdays when it is quite.
If I would still be living there, there would be a good chance to catch some snow, as travelling within the country isn't forbidden. Also some areas have their gondolas and other lifts opened and with your 'family' in one gondola you can head up. And if skiing wasn't the option, then just hiking around the city of Luzern would already given the fantastic snowy feeling as there are hills everywhere to climb. Nothing of all of that for now.
Austria was the first one to deceide that the skiing season will be postponed until half January for the least. It is open for natives, but for foreigners there are no hotels and no bars and restaurants. A smart decision I find considering the Christmas holidays and how crowded it can get.
Italy is doing the same kind of constuction, but Switzerland is choosing their own path and being stubborn (as always) as it seems. The other side is, is that Switzerland is qualified 'Orange' for us Dutchies, which means if you go there, you have to self quarantine 10 days after reaching back.
Although this isn't checked at all (on the contrary of when Swiss people head over to Holland and get back and self quarantine..with checks and fines to 10.000 (!!) Swiss Francs, which they will fine you with), I do find that when this color code is there, you just shouldn't go for leisure activities.
And even though I work in the hospital and I don't have to self quarantine because I have to go working (you hear how stupid this sounds right!), that doesn't mean you have to jump all of these loopholes. So easy...no snow for me for now
Wepowder
Nothing else to do now than drewl by these nice images, and hope for a white Christmas here in the lowland maybe. Maybe the reduction of the CO2 because the small amount of planes flying this year, will give some clearier skies and make it colder, giving the snow a chance.
Let's hope for it !