Ski Areas Begin Re-opening Terrain After Storm Eleanor Passes Over
Ski Areas Begin Re-opening Terrain After Storm Eleanor Passes Over
Published : 04-Jan-2018 05:44
It has been a windy and snowy day in the Alps but many ski areas that closed completely yesterday have opened a little more terrain today and those that felt so threatened they asked their visiting skiers and boarders to remain in their accommodation if possible, including Tignes and Val Thorens, lifted their curfews this morning.
Up to 1 metre (40 inches) of snow was reported overnight in the French and Swiss Alps and wind speeds of up to 148kph (93mph) were measured.
Some of the biggest falls included 70cm at Grimentz and 50cm each at Tignes and Zermatt.
Avoriaz was one area that took the decision to open a small amount of less exposed terrain but Tignes has remained closed for a second day.
A skier is reported to have died yesterday at Morillon in the Grand Massif area of France, apparently being hit by a falling tree.
Although the worst of Storm Eleanor has passed, the weather has remained fairly extreme with the avalanche danger rising to the maximum 5 out of 5 due to the combination of heavy snow, strong winds, fluctuating temperatures and at times heavy rain.
Many roads were blocked by avalanches and sometimes land slips. Again this appears to be a slowly improving situation with Les Arcs reporting a narrow road is now open to Arc 1950 and 2000 and Val d'Isere say the road has just re-opened to Bourg St Maurice although other resorts say they don't expect access roads to re-open until Friday.
Access roads are still closed to several resorts including Les Menuires, Tignes and Val Thorens due partly to the high avalanche danger.
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