Europe 2025/26

[ChrisC]

??? Maybe the straightforward lift accessibility means route finding is easier than other places. That's true for Mont Gele and Attelas I think. Still, routes like backside Mont Fort have to be guide mandatory for first timers. It seems strange for such a high visibility place not to offer freeride/off-piste groups. In general this is far more difficult/expensive to arrange in Swiss resorts than in France.

I have been guided at Verbier only the first three hours I skied there with NASJA in 2004.

No more guided groups in one of Europe's Freeride Mecca's - if not THE freeride resort for Europe - home to the Finals of the Freeride World Tour.

Now it's 750 Swiss Francs (or $935 USD) per day for a Guide, and you need to fill the group yourself to bring the price down.

I would rather drive into Italy, and heli-ski for almost the same amount, 945 Euros (a little more) at Heliski - Courmayeur, Cervinia, Monteros or Valgrisenche (Aosta Valley near La Thuile/Courmayeur). Book at one week out after new or forecasted snow.


I asked if they knew any group guides.... answer: Chamonix!

 

[Sbooker]

No more guided groups in one of Europe's Freeride Mecca's - if not THE freeride resort for Europe - home to the Finals of the Freeride World Tour.

Now it's 750 Swiss Francs (or $935 USD) per day for a Guide, and you need to fill the group yourself to bring the price down.

I would rather drive into Italy, and heli-ski for almost the same amount, 945 Euros (a little more) at Heliski - Courmayeur, Cervinia, Monteros or Valgrisenche (Aosta Valley near La Thuile/Courmayeur). Book at one week out after new or forecasted snow.


I asked if they knew any group guides.... answer: Chamonix!

View attachment 48911

Verbier guides are probably done with gapers like me joining a group and slowing it down.

 

[ChrisC]

Verbier guides are probably done with gapers like me joining a group and slowing it down.

Why slum it with groups when you can do privates all week for bankers, celebrities, and minor royalty? Hopefully, some can actually ski, not just do selfies on sundecks and in apres-ski.

Zermatt and St. Moritz are similar, both with legitimate freeride terrain.

She might as well have said: Chris, go back over the border to Italy, where you can hire a guide at Monterosa/Alagna or Courmayeur for half the price!

I did hire a Verbier guide in 2019 for what turned out to be an extended morning, but the Swiss Franc was almost 1:1 with the USD, guides were cheaper, and it was a personal safety issue. What am I going to do, take my tech stocks to the grave?


And it looks like I will pass through Chamonix/Megeve/LesContamines on the way to the French Alps/Tarentaise Valley for Val d'Isere/Ste. Foy from Zurich/Engelberg. This will be after a stopover in the Gstaad area (tree-lined, meadows, limited alpine), as a potential storm-proof day.

I have one guided day scheduled for Val d'Isere.

Will try to find something guided for Chamonix - either Vallee Blanche, Coumayeur Off-Piste, or even the heli-operation. There should be some storms coming up....

 

[Sbooker]

Why slum it with groups when you can do privates all week for bankers, celebrities, and minor royalty? Hopefully, some can actually ski, not just do selfies on sundecks and in apres-ski.

Zermatt and St. Moritz are similar, both with legitimate freeride terrain.

She might as well have said: Chris, go back over the border to Italy, where you can hire a guide at Monterosa/Alagna or Courmayeur for half the price!

I did hire a Verbier guide in 2019 for what turned out to be an extended morning, but the Swiss Franc was almost 1:1 with the USD, guides were cheaper, and it was a personal safety issue. What am I going to do, take my tech stocks to the grave?


And it looks like I will pass through Chamonix/Megeve/LesContamines on the way to the French Alps/Tarentaise Valley for Val d'Isere/Ste. Foy from Zurich/Engelberg. This will be after a stopover in the Gstaad area (tree-lined, meadows, limited alpine), as a potential storm-proof day.

I have one guided day scheduled for Val d'Isere.

Will try to find something guided for Chamonix - either Vallee Blanche, Coumayeur Off-Piste, or even the heli-operation. There should be some storms coming up....

What are your dates? Sorry if I'm covering old ground...........

 

[ChrisC]

What are your dates? Sorry if I'm covering old ground...........

Post #1 of the Thread

I was speaking with my UK friends, primarily about Wimbledon - my MBA-friend got corporate tickets to the event (semi-finals, very jealous), but things turned to skiing.

They are thinking of two places for a 4-day Long Weekend late January/early February 2026:

1. Les Deux Alpes/La Grave, France
2. Engelberg (again)

They picked Engelberg again - how can you not for an easy weekend? It's 1 hour and 15 minutes from Zurich Airport. And they promised Andermatt for a Friday or Saturday Guided Day.​

​

They thought La Grave/Les Deux Alpes was too far for a 4-day weekend. Me: You did that in the 2000s for a Bachelor Party? WTH? However, this outcome is excellent - I did not want to try to reposition from Southern France to Austria. I also think snow chances are better for Engelberg/Andermatt versus La Grave/Les 2 Alpes, but both are quite good.​

I am in Europe starting next week: Switzerland, France, and possibly Italy. Definitely not Austria due to low snowfall, low bases, not big storms on the horizon, deep, deadly facet layer, etc. There is almost no freeride/off-piste terrain available.

For a second year in a row, I am diverting from Austria (home to many of the Alps' highest-snowfall ski resorts) and storm-chasing, following the snow to Western Europe. Last year, 2025, Italy was favored right after my trip, with 1.5+ meters in NW Italy's Aosta Valley. This year, 2026, the French Alps have been doing well.

 

[ChrisC]

How bad is Austria right now?

Ski Arlberg (St. Anton, Zurs, Lech, Warth) has only 70% of its pistes open (217/300 km) on a 45-150cm snow base (below average). It's hard to see on the Interactive Map below, but any piste/ski route that is faintly-colored is closed. The Stuben summit lift is closed, and many pistes in Rendl are closed.

And these are among the best, if not THE best ski conditions in Austria (Vorarlberg); Tirol and Salzburg regions are worse.

 

[ChrisC]

Andermatt is not looking too good. Its central location, while usually beneficial for stom-catching from any direction, has not helped this winter. Most Southern Alps storms never reached the ski resort, and northern storms (that helped Engelberg/Jungfrau/other Zurich ski areas) never reached Andermatt.

Most of Disentis is closed. And the pistes in the main Gemsstock Bowl just opened. The glacier piste is closed. Andermatt Ski Guides are organizing trips to the Swiss-Italian border regions south of the resort. Not good!

And a 15/26-85 cm snow base is really bad for mid-winter.

 

[ChrisC]

Most of the Alps - and especially Austria - have acquired a San Juan Colorado snowpack! Explains the deadly avalanches in Austria with low snow bases.

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Val d'Isere received new snow this weekend from a southern storm, but everyone is skiing on <30 degree slopes, and having great fun! The Col Pers, Grand Vallon, Tour du Chavert, Cugnai and many other zones can meet this requirement.

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[ChrisC]

All of my Winter Ski Plans changed a bit:

• Did not think Austria would have a 2nd year of poor early-mid winter snowfall and conditions
• Did not anticipate that most of the American West would suffer the worst winter on record since the mid-1970s (1976-77)
• Never anticipated nor imagined a Ski Patrol strike could close a major USA ski area like Telluride during the holidays

I wrote about every guide office and heli operation in Chamonix, Courmayeur, La Thuile, Val d'Isere, and 3 Vallees in the last week to determine my options - even the Skier's Lodge in La Grave, France.

Definitely Val d'Isere, and see what else comes back as an option/positively.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Hitparade (board admin of Alpinfans) pulled off a mini-Project101 in Valais with his Magic Pass today -- Les Marécottes, Ovronnaz, and Anzère -- so you can see what the current conditions are.

 

[Sbooker]

Most of the Alps - and especially Austria - have acquired a San Juan Colorado snowpack! Explains the deadly avalanches in Austria with low snow bases.

View this content on Instagram

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Val d'Isere received new snow this weekend from a southern storm, but everyone is skiing on <30 degree slopes, and having great fun! The Col Pers, and lots of other zones can handle this requirement.

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That is my idea of a great day out. I don’t need steep when there is soft snow to ski.

 

[ChrisC]

Hitparade (board admin of Alpinfans) pulled off a mini-Project101 in Valais with his Magic Pass today -- Les Marécottes, Ovronnaz, and Anzère -- so you can see what the current conditions are.

Yes, I saw Hitparade's report from yesterday, 20.01.2026, in which he skied almost the entire Val d'Anniviers - 3 out of the 4 ski areas.

Of course, everyone on AlpinFans skis 3 areas per day, and drives 2-8 hours per day

That said, there is nothing like harnessing a bunch of German-, Swiss-German-, and Austrian-German-speaking skiers to provide play-by-play, up-to-the-minute ski conditions!

For me, conditions looked very good on-piste and decent-to-good off-piste. Zinal & Grimentz need more snow/deeper bases to open some freeride areas, but surface conditions looked nice. Last year was better/deeper in early February, and I will not return.


Zinal and Grimentz. He skied quite a few closed pistes.

Then drove over to St. Luc in the afternoon.

I am going to stay mostly in France (Tarentaise - Val d'Isere, Ste. Foy, Courchevel?; Chamnoix/Geneva - La Clusaz, Les Contamines?, Aiguille?), and one day at Gstaad ( 2 largest ski areas).

 

[ChrisC]

That is my idea of a great day out. I don’t need steep when there is soft snow to ski.

The instructors/guides are even skiing the Cugnai zone after a snowfall. This is probably some of the best terrain just 2 lifts or so from Val d'Isere village proper, and relatively steep.

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Highlighted in yellow: freeride routes with less than 30 degrees. Cugnai in orange is borderline in my opinion.

 

[Sbooker]

@ChrisC If you're going to Val D'Isere the socials are telling me the tunnel at the top of the 3000 drag lift is open again this year. You'll have to check it out for novelty.
All that meadow area under the Tommueses lift is nice low angle stuff too but it's pretty accessible so gets tracked out fast.

 

[skiandgolfnut]

@ChrisC What are your takes on Verbier or Engelberg for Tuesday-Friday of this coming week? Does one have better tree lined pistes and off-piste trees available? The forecast looks snowy for both all week. I am concerned about visibility and do have the ability to reschedule for March. We would like to stay in one place and ski and not hop around.

 

[ChrisC]

@ChrisC If you're going to Val D'Isere the socials are telling me the tunnel at the top of the 3000 drag lift is open again this year. You'll have to check it out for novelty.
All that meadow area under the Tommueses lift is nice low angle stuff too but it's pretty accessible so gets tracked out fast.

I have never skied the Tunnel. I have never noticed the surface running when I have been in the area. I would do it for the novelty.

The tunnels at Alpe d'Huez or La Plagne give access to significantly more vertical runs and bowls. I am not sure why they built it. Maybe to stop skiers from jumping off the 2-way chairlift next door?

 

[Tony Crocker]

I think the Val d'Isere surface lift and tunnel were there before the 2-way chairlift.

Solden has a ski tunnel between its two upper glacier areas.

If you are sure that the upcoming week will be socked in above tree line and you can reschedule, I think that's a good idea.

 

[ChrisC]

@ChrisC What are your takes on Verbier or Engelberg for Tuesday-Friday of this coming week? Does one have better tree lined pistes and off-piste trees available? The forecast looks snowy for both all week. I am concerned about visibility and do have the ability to reschedule for March. We would like to stay in one place and ski and not hop around.

Your short trips, where you need to ski on arrival and departure(?) days, somewhat limit your flexibility to ski more than 60-90 minutes from the airport.

I would always pick Verbier/4 Vallees over Engelberg for potential storm skiing. Not even close. However, it's a 3-hour drive from Zurich; you would likely need to stop at a mid-way ski area. Anyways, it's unlikely to be snowy/stormy for much more than 24-36 hrs.

Verbier is a large complex with many sectors. The following are great for storm-day skiing in order of reliability:

• Bruson - This is across the valley from Verbier. It is accessed by gondola from Le Châble (valley) and is almost entirely tree-lined. Bruson works in storms for one simple reason: it has what most big Swiss resorts don’t—real tree skiing at the right elevation, paired with a compact, efficient lift layout. When Verbier proper turns into whiteout chaos, Bruson keeps skiing fun, readable, and open.
• Tzoumaz - Very good in storms; it’s basically the “bad-weather” side of Verbier/Savoleyres.
  There are trees, and much of the terrain quickly plunges into the tree-line, which provides contrast and visibility when Verbier proper is flat-light/whiteout.
• Lower Verbier - Below Ruinettes - works in storms, you drop into the treeline fast, which gives you contrast and less “white room", and its shorter, more defined pistes + forest edges help you read the snow surface.
• Sometimes Fontanet or Attelas. They become a smart choice when: It’s snowing hard but not that windy, and visibility is “OK enough,” or you have good goggles + confidence moving in low contrast, and you want colder snow and fewer wet-snow problems than lower down.

Note: I have skied Verbier on storm days, but enough was open in the core area of Verbier that I have never made it to Bruson, even though it's 'the storm day sector'.

In contrast, Engelberg is generally much smaller and lacks very good tree-lined piste or glade skiing. If the upper lifts close above mid-mountain Trubsee, there isn't much of interest lower down. Even Brunni (Engelberg's lower, treed storm mountain), has struggled to open much so far due to its low altitude.

I am locked into staying/skiing Engelberg, but we can day-trip to the surrounding areas: Andermatt, Jungfrau, Melchsee-Frutt, etc.

 

[ChrisC]

If you are sure that the upcoming week will be socked in above tree line and you can reschedule, I think that's a good idea.

It's hard to forecast these storms, especially if the jet stream is not steering things, according to wepowder:

The jetstream​

The exact track of these low-pressure systems and their associated precipitation zones is largely controlled by the jet stream. As Henri already pointed out yesterday, the jet takes a southerly track in the coming days. Both this far-southern position and its increasingly meandering pattern introduce considerable uncertainty for the forecast from Friday onward.​

If a strong, fast jet were aimed directly at the Alps (as during PA#3), the location and intensity of a dump would be relatively straightforward to predict. This time, however, the jet maximum remains well south of the Alps at least until Tuesday, with even a cut-off feature developing around Sunday. As a result, the push and associated orographic lift against the Alps will be weaker, and the cut-off makes the exact placement of precipitation zones much harder to pin down several days in advance — similar to what we saw during PA#4.​

Fresh snow arriving Friday - wePowder

Fresh snow arriving Friday (and why the forecast is still challenging)

wepowder.com

And I have seen too many forecasts like the one below to give them much credence.

 

[Tony Crocker]

If the reschedule allows you to go to Geneva rather than Zurich, that's a plus for a short trip the way this season is developing in the Alps.