Army Called in To Clear Snow in Italy to Deal with Record Snowfalls | Biggest Snowfalls in 15 Years…

“In the Dolomites to the north, the army was forced to intervene with snow ploughs to deal with a record amount of snow in the Veneto region.” – euronews.com

Italy has been having an insane year this year.  They literally have too much snow.  Extreme avalanche danger, closed ski resorts (for too much snow), and people having to hide in their basements in mountain villages.

“There has been over 2m falling in some Alpine areas since the weekend. Some resorts are closed and the military is helping to dig out in Italy and it is on standby in Austria. PlanetSKI reports from the Alps.

There has been the biggest snowfalls for 15 years in some places in southern Austria and Northern Italy.

One of our readers, Craig Burton, has just arrive in Alta Badia in the Dolomites where it has been snowing heavily for the past few days.

“Sun has broken through today for the first time in a week and they seem to be slowly digging the resorts out. There has been an unbelievable quantity of snow and Arabba I understand is still pretty badly hit with very little open,” said Craig Burton.

“The powder on the to the sides of the slopes and under the lift lines is deep and dry, though many of the slopes are blue gradient so hard going at times. Very fond of this part of the world, and paradise for intermediates who like cruising the blues and eating wonderful food,” he added.

In Arabba, Italy, the snow has caused all slopes to be shut and the army to be drafted in.

The soldiers are currently digging out roads and clearing snow off buildings. – wepowder.com

Here’s the latest Austrian Avalanche Warning:

“The avalanche danger in Tirol’s backcountry touring regions is considerable over widespread areas above approximately 1800m.

Avalanche prone locations are found in wind loaded terrain in all aspects, frequently on west to north to east facing slopes.

In particular the freshly formed snowdrift accumulations are highly prone to triggering and can be released even by minimal additional loading.

Caution is also urged towards transitions from deep to shallow snow. Skiing and freeriding tours in outlying terrain require experience in assessing avalanche hazards.

Especially in the regions of East Tirol where snowfall was heaviest, full depth snowslides can still trigger naturally, particularly on steep, grass-covered slopes below about 1600m.”