For Wednesday 7 and Thursday 8 October
One dry day north of the Alps before heavy rain on Thursday
Wednesday is the day to ride across central Switzerland, Graubünden, Austria, Germany and the Dolomites, with dry, firm trails and little rain in the forecast. On Thursday a wet band covers almost the whole Alpine arc, with 30 to 60 mm in the worst-hit parks and a falling freezing level. The French Alps and Ticino are already wet today. Outside the Alps, La Palma South and Whistler stay dry.
Today: dry north and east
Central Switzerland, Graubünden, Austria and Germany get a dry Wednesday, with highs around 18 to 22 C in the valleys. Chur Alpenbikepark leads at 77, with Pilatus, Lenzerheide and Flims LAAX close behind at 76. In Austria, Saalbach Hinterglemm, Schladming and Innsbruck all sit at 73 with no rain expected.
For hero dirt today, look at Grindelwald-First, Thusis, Brunni-Alpthal, Brandnertal, Gerlitzen and Ossiacher See. Wind is the one catch: gusts reach around 50 km/h at Innsbruck.
Thursday: a wet band across the northern Alps
Rain arrives everywhere tomorrow, at near certain odds. Engelberg-Titlis takes around 50 mm, Brandnertal and Grindelwald-First around 43 mm, and Hoch Ybrig, Höhoren Wildspitz and Saalbach close to 38 mm. Gusts reach around 83 km/h at Höhoren Wildspitz and 75 km/h at Brunni-Alpthal, and the freezing level drops to around 1,600 m.
Ground matters for the days after. Grindelwald-Wengen and Mürren hold water more than almost any of our parks, so expect them to stay soft. Zug, Chur, Zürich Uetliberg and Stans get a lighter 17 to 19 mm and drain faster than most, so they should recover first.
French Alps and Valais wet both days
The Portes du Soleil is already wet today: La Clusaz gets around 18 mm, Morzine around 11 and Les Gets and Châtel around 9. Thursday is heavier still, near 50 mm at all four and around 62 mm at Champéry.
Further south it is lighter. Serre Chevalier sees around 5 mm today and 14 tomorrow, and it drains faster than nearly all our parks. Zermatt and Saas-Grund also stay on the light side, with around 6 mm and 4 mm on Thursday.
Dolomites dry today, Ticino soaked
The Dolomites have a dry Wednesday. Cinque Torri is dry at 74, Kronplatz and Cortina are in hero dirt. Thursday brings 15 to 30 mm; Kronplatz is lightest at around 9 mm, while Paganella takes around 30 mm and holds water, so it will stay soft. Livigno is already variable.
Ticino is wet on both days. Monte Tamaro is down at 20, wet, with gusts near 90 km/h tomorrow. Ascona is the best of the region and drains fast, but it still gets rain both days.
Dry choices outside the Alps
La Palma South is the driest place on the sheet at 79, with no rain either day and highs around 27 C. Whistler is dry at 72 with no rain forecast.
Maribor Pohorje is hero dirt and warm at 24 C today, with around 5 mm Thursday and quick drainage. Finale Ligure takes around 24 mm today, but Thursday looks mostly dry and its trails drain faster than most of our parks.