LOOK. Lots of snow in the Alps: the Sölden ski area in Austria is already open
At the beginning of December, a remarkable amount of snow fell in many places in Europe. This led to an excellent and early start to the ski season, especially in high altitude areas. But last week, a large part of the Alps received a remarkable amount of precipitation. The snow line often remained above 2,000 meters, which means that a lot of rain falls lower down.
That is also what happened on this ski slope in Kapall, in the St. Anton am Arlberg ski area. An expert explains in ‘Tiroler Tageszeitung’ that snow becomes extra heavy when rain falls on it. The weight can then cause thick layers of snow to shift, leading to cracks. This makes it clear how much snow there is already, but also that the surface is not yet provided with an ice layer.
Such cracks are common in the mountains, but rarely on a groomed slope like this. “The hole was discovered on Saturday evening and the slope was immediately closed,” reports a spokesperson for the ski area.
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