Weather in the Alps

[Henski]

Heading off to the alps in 2 weeks and wondered what the weather is normally like up in the high Passes, are they Open? Passable? covered in snow or sleat? all of the above ? Our plan is to head to Geneva and then wing it from there depending on the weather, I'm not into slush/ice covered hairpins so if it is like that we'll change the plans and go elsewhere instead of up.

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

I'll be comong back from Turkey via the Alps around about that time and fully expect the higher passes to be closed, my understanding is that some don't open 'till June - will be interested to hear what the 'experts' have to say though.

andres

 

[walti]

Talking to some locals, many of the passes are opened after Le Tour de Suisse cycle race goes through, on June 18th.

A couple of work colleagues are over there Skiing at the moment, so my best guess is that they are currently closed!

 

[Wicker]

Try www.alpineroads.com

This site not only gives you good route advice but lists current Open/Closed status of passes in the Alps & Dolomites. A lot of the really interesting roads may be closed for a while yet.

I was in the Pyrenees in April last year and found that whilst the main cross border arterial roads betwen France / Spain had been cleared most of minor & twisty high level roads ended in a snowdrift & I had to retrace my steps.

 

[russ996duke]

Hi did the alpine passes last JULY, the high routes, just about every Col going, and all were open, however, most were very cold and some wet roads, so weather can catch you out even in so called high summer!
check weather and routes open as suggested, but be prepared for very rapid changes in conditions..............and if you go in july on tour de france weekend, lots of massive mobile homes parked literally everywhere, on hairpin bends, jutting out over huge drop offs, and full of madmen watching a push bike race (???) and despoiling good roads with kids, dogs etc etc!!!

 

[Huey]

Here in the Dolomites they are all open.

This is Giau Pass one month ago...



I'm talking about Dolomites (east of Bolzano-Bozen)

 

[Phluppe]

YOO

According to this site ( http://www4.infotrafic.com/cols/cols.php?CodRegion=ALPN&Region=FRANC&AC=60142575 ) most of the high, or not frequently used passes are all closed

I'm hedding to the French Alps in five weeks, and allready decided to skip the higher moutainpasses, rerouting my way down south, and only doing the allready open ones, just don't feel like havin' to make a U-turn halfway up the mountain

Grtz, Philip!

 

[The Phantom Pieman]

In two weeks time the Susten and Grimsel won't be open ... the Furka probably will. The Gotthard is unlikely to be ...

It needs to be June for a dead cert ....

I've tried to do the above third week of may and they were still all closed

Plus it was snowing heavily 10 days ago ... at 600 m it's all gone ... but at 2400m it's probably still there ....

 

[mike wright]

Ive just come back from the Alps:

The roads where wet but no ice or slush when I was there. Most of the small towns high up the shops where closed. It was around 4 degrees but didnt come across any problems.....

 

[Paul Wakefield]

Useful info as we are off to the Alps in a couple of weeks as well though I had suspected many of the higher paases would be shut. Better have a closer look at the route Garmin are taking us on!

Paul

 

[mike wright]

Useful info as we are off to the Alps in a couple of weeks as well though I had suspected many of the higher paases would be shut. Better have a closer look at the route Garmin are taking us on!

Paul

We came across quite a few which where shut higher up.

 

[sven]

The Grossglockener isn due to open on 29th April and is a fantastic road http://www.grossglockner.com/static/cms/pdf/motorradhimmel.pdf

Why not combine it with the Black Forest and Dolomites

It can shut at short notice though - it closed for an hour or so when we went over in late-May/early-June 2004. The weather was awful as the top, but great on the Italian side and up to the glacier.