Andermatt skiing conditions

No, this isn’t a glitch! I’m using my website about Fiesch to host details of the meteo links which I find useful for anticipating skiing conditions in the area around Andermatt.  I’ve divided this page into three sections: sites which I use some time in advance, those for the evening before, and links to check in the morning before going skiing.  If you know of any others which you think I might consider adding, please email me!

Forecasting the weather here is notoriously difficult due to local quirks.  Andermatt sits on the border between the north and south sides of the Alps, and could be considered to belong to either.   The observation that it experiences föhn in winds from the south supports the view that its allegiance is to the north.  However, the really big dumps of lovely powder occur most frequently when storms arrive from the south side, particularly with south-westerly winds, because in those conditions the snow tends to spill over the main ridge and settle on its lee side.  When there is heavy snowfall on the north side, Andermatt usually gets its fair share, but if the precipitation is only scattered, much of it may be shed on lower areas to the north before the clouds reach the Urserntal.  Another key local feature is that on the first day after a cold front has delivered great powder, cool moist air forced to rise over Gemsstock by a north wind often keeps the upper section foggy all day, leading to frustrating conditions.  In these circumstances, the Nätschen side may provide much more fun due to significantly better visibility, and northföhn often produces sunny conditions in Airolo (where the snow conditions may also be excellent).  Finally, it is worth remembering that the snow is much more easily spoiled by wind and sun on the routes on the back side of Gemsstock (such as Guspis and Gafallen → Unteralp) than on the north-westerly and north-easterly flanks (e.g. Felsental, Giraffe and Hans im Glück).

The overlap of links in this section which show the same parameters helps not only to circumvent the occasional unavailability of certain sites but also to assess the range of possibilities and level of uncertainty in the forecasts.

Looking ahead

For general synoptic charts (not to predict the weather myself but to improve my understanding of the experts’ forecasts!) I favour the UKMO’s.  There are isobar+precipitation charts at Weatheronline which extend much further into the future (with increasing unreliability!), but I only use them as a starting point for forming a positive or negative opinion of the general prospects in a week or two, certainly not for trying to identify good or bad days that far ahead.

The meteo page on the Swiss TV/Radio website provides a simple general overview of the weather situation over the next five days, and a link to the latest TV forecast.  In my experience, their general chart of Switzerland tends to predict much more cloud and precipitation than actually occurs, but the forecasts for specific locations, e.g. Gemsstock, showing a projection of conditions every three hours for forthcoming days, are more accurate.

For snowfall predictions for the week ahead, I look at Meteoblue; although Snow-forecast is user-friendly, it often seems to promise much more snow than actually arrives.  However, neither of these takes into account the local features (e.g. wind direction) which can have an important effect on the amount of snow which is likely to fall in particular places.  For short-term snow forecasts over the next couple of days, the SLF is unbeatable.

Very detailed wind forecasts are available on the Meteoblue page showing speed and direction at various altitudes for five days ahead, and also at XCTherm.  I tend to focus on the 750hPa/3000m level, as my impression is that the diagrams can underestimate the influence of valley effects lower down.

Although not a meteo site, the Federal Office of Topography deserves a mention here for its high resolution maps, which can be overlaid with a huge variety of useful layers, e.g. ski touring routes and slopes over 30o (as in this link).

The evening before

Once again, starting with the synoptic chart and Swiss TV/radio forecast helps to put everything else in context.  A translation of the SRF forecast into English may help if you are unfamiliar with German weather terminology.  Predictions for the evolution of cloud cover, precipitation, temperature and wind strength at Gemsstock over the course of the day are shown on the SRF and Meteoblue, though the latter often seems to forecast more cloud and precipitation than actually happens.

I check out the local SLF bulletin at this stage.

Charts at Meteoblue and XCTherm provide a similar range of predictions of wind speed and direction at various heights over the course of the day; as 3000m is the altitude of Gemsstock, I find this level the most relevant.

I check Profiwetter’’s chart of the north/south pressure difference across the Swiss Alps if concerned about föhn or the likely strength of any wind blowing through the Gotthard area.

If there’s unsettled weather around, charts at Search.ch are (in my experience) the most reliable at predicting when and where precipitation or cloud is expected to arrive or clear through.

On the day

I usually revisit key “evening before” sites to make sure nothing important has changed.

If wind could be a problem, a chart of observations from weather stations shows actual wind speed and direction values throughout Switzerland.  Clicking on individual arrows brings up the history at that location and other parameters such as temperature and humidity.  I consider observations from Gütsch to be most relevant to the area around Andermatt.

Unless heading elsewhere, I check the SkiArena dashboard and map showing which lifts and pistes are currently open, to see if any variations to the usual schedule are shown, e.g. due to a mechanical breakdown or overnight snow.

When there is fog or low cloud around, the local webcams may give a better view of its extent than one can gain from the village.

I don’t need to look at the weather station in Andermatt when I’m here already, but this could be helpful if you’re travelling from elsewhere.