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Just saw on the national news that Roncesvalles will get snow over 500 meters tonight. Also, the video showed a pilgrim arriving in the snowdrift in shorts.
Wow..
Or do you mean it will snow above 500 meters???
I'd assumed that. If not I'm adding a very large snow shovel to my pack next time. Anyone know if you can buy them in titanium to save weight?
So what does this mean, concretely? For those of us not used to calculating based on elevation? Will Roncesvalles get snow? Is so, is that not normal at tbis timeof the year? Same with SJPP? Not normal to have them covered in snow? Pamplona? Sorry for my ignorance, I have no idea what Spain looks like in winter, other than Santiago is always wet with glossy streets.Just saw on the national news that Roncesvalles will get snow over 500 meters tonight. Also, the video showed a pilgrim arriving in the snowdrift in shorts.
Wow..
Wooo wee, I am starting in early April and wondering if I should upgrade my 11dc comfort rated down bag to a warmer version.Roncesvales is just under 1000 metres, so yes, it will get lots of snow (everything over 500 metres will get snow). SJPDP is under 500 metres, so not likely to get snow, but just out of SJPDP is Huntto at 500 metres , Orisson is about 800 metres and the highest point on the Route Napoleon just over 1400 metres. Lots and lots of snow.
The route Napoleon is still officially closed for winter, until the end of March, but even the route through Valcarlos is forecast for snow from where it leaves the N 135 to Roncesvales and from Roncesvales down to Zubiri. If it were me I would be sticking to the road all the way - and wearing a high visibility vest. Unless I decided to sit it out and wait for better weather, take a bus or taxi, or start in Pamplona.
Thanks Kanga, I have a space blanket for emergencies and have hiked snow in Tasie so well equipped for clothing but I usually take a 4 seasons bag for that. Going a 1 season bag to a cool climateI would not change my sleeping bag; you can always layer on all your clothes. Sometimes the opposite is the problem; too many pilgrims in one small room and no windows open. If you are inside an albergue and cold, you might get a bit uncomfortable, but it is not life threatening. Anything you really need, you can buy in the next big town.
I would think about how to keep warm if caught in snow, and particularly cold rain and wind. I rely on my Altus raincoat, knowing that it is windproof and I can layer merino underneath.
Sorry for my ignorance, I have no idea what Spain looks like in winter, other than Santiago is always wet with glossy streets.
The photo made me pull out a blanket to stay warm! My son had a hockey coach from Canada who always wore shorts on the ice. I suppose it is a matter of what one is accustomed to.
They are calling for 35 cm of snow by this evening!! I would guess that only the road is passable at the moment.
Somewhere I recall that English schoolboys, at least at one time, were expected to wear shorts, even during the winter; it was their uniform. Am I correct? Perhaps our 'shorted' peregrino is harkening back to old days, and young at heart.
Just saw on the national news that Roncesvalles will get snow over 500 meters tonight. Also, the video showed a pilgrim arriving in the snowdrift in shorts.
Wow..
That is well understood.......MsPath is giving the best advice.
I would like the link to this video if it is available.I saw this in the news too!
Edit: The brave man
This is not "Noel Coward" - this is just plain stupid! Anyone contemplating walking/hiking when snow is forecast at and above 500 metres (amsl) is asking for trouble. Oh and just in case anyone has not consulted Senior Brierley, the altitude for Roncesvalles is 960 metres meaning it will be well and truly snowed in!!!My first thought was Mad Dogs and Englishmen.
It's true! I thought it was another man.In the news clip, the man in shorts is seen shivering and says: "I'm getting cold".
The interviewer confirms that he can see that he is shivering and points out the obvious: "You are wearing shorts".
I don't understand what the locals say but I can make out "this kind of weather is normal here" and "it's typical for March, it snows for a while, it rains for a while, it is sunny for a while".
(The news clip starts around point 0:43:00 in http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/telediario/telediario-21-horas-09-03-16/3516929/)
@Kathar1na put the link beforeI would like the link to this video if it is available.
Generally speaking I have never understood why so many people think the weather in Navarra during March, April and even May is going to offer bright springtime days. It is on the same latitude as the US/Canada border with mountains above 1000 meters and subjected to major storms that blow in off the Atlantic.
Ah - the Gulf Stream comes to the rescue, again!!True enough. But local climate conditions can vary enormously even at the same latitude. The north coast of Scotland is very close to the latitude of Churchill in Manitoba. It gets a bit chilly in Thurso and Wick in mid-winter but rarely drops down to -26C, the sea doesn't often freeze solid, and you can walk to the pub with almost zero chance of being eaten by polar bears on the way
I totally agree with you about my generalizing the weather, but after living in Biarritz for the last 4 years I can report the major winter storms in the US Midwest that cross the Atlantic every winter can become very serious in Spain and France. We have had 20 meter wave during some of the lately named storms. The jet stream coupled with an Arctic fronts bring us sunny, wonderful weather one day and then sleet and snow the next. I live near the beach and watch the snow fall on the mountains and this season is looking like a late season for wintery weather.True enough. But local climate conditions can vary enormously even at the same latitude. The north coast of Scotland is very close to the latitude of Churchill in Manitoba. It gets a bit chilly in Thurso and Wick in mid-winter but rarely drops down to -26C, the sea doesn't often freeze solid, and you can walk to the pub with almost zero chance of being eaten by polar bears on the way
I'm not the most geographically challenged person, but I never really processed the fact that most of Europe is that far north.Generally speaking I have never understood why so many people think the weather in Navarra during March, April and even May is going to offer bright springtime days. It is on the same latitude as the US/Canada border with mountains above 1000 meters and subjected to major storms that blow in off the Atlantic.
Unless you are a polar vortex!Ah - the Gulf Stream comes to the rescue, again!!
JimP,
When you arrive in SJPdP do go directly to the Pilgrims office at 39 rue de la Citadelle. They can provide you with up to date camino conditions, Pilgrim Passport/Credential and on site lodging assistance. Their telephone is 05 59 37 05 09.
They keep up to the minute lists of ALL available space throughout the SJPdP area, pilgrim albergues as well as regular tourist accommodation.
Their office is a great place to meet and great fellow pilgrims!
Buen camino!
Margaret Meredith
Hi Jim we are arriving March 23 but probably won't start until 24th. If you hear anything let me know. Thanks. Hope to see ya on the trail. Buen CaminoThis is a very useful and timely warning for me and I'm grateful for it. So many thanks.
I will be arriving in SJPdP on Thursday 24th March. I'd be grateful if anyone on the ground there could update me on conditions a day or two before so I can plan ahead.
I'll look out for you Mary Sue. There'll be two of us, my wife is joining me for the first 10 days. If you arrive on 23rd and get a chance, let me know what the weather's like. If the weather is good enough we may even go straight to Valcarlos on the first day.Hi Jim we are arriving March 23 but probably won't start until 24th. If you hear anything let me know. Thanks. Hope to see ya on the trail. Buen Camino
I can remember wearing shorts for sports, rugby, cross-country running, etc, in the pouring rain on cold days.Somewhere I recall that English schoolboys, at least at one time, were expected to wear shorts, even during the winter; it was their uniform. Am I correct? Perhaps our 'shorted' peregrino is harkening back to old days, and young at heart.
And isn't it important to put on your emergency blanket before you get cold? That is, the emergency blanket will help you retain your body heat; it won't help you to reclaim your body heat after it's already been lost. In other words, don't allow yourself to get cold in the first place. Correct?Hi there. I ALWAYS carry with me an emergency blanquet. It´s not expensive, practically no weigh, can provide shadow in summertime if needed, and can save your life in winter time. We are usually carrying lots of unnessesary stuff with us, and forgetting things like these: Ligther. enough water, and emergency blanquet. Carry it ALWAYS. Can save yours and others life.
View attachment 24466
Totally agree !!Hi there. I ALWAYS carry with me an emergency blanquet. It´s not expensive, practically no weigh, can provide shadow in summertime if needed, and can save your life in winter time. We are usually carrying lots of unnessesary stuff with us, and forgetting things like these: Ligther. enough water, and emergency blanquet. Carry it ALWAYS. Can save yours and others life.
View attachment 24466
How long does the snow last around this part of the world?...starting from SJPDP on 1st of April and getting a bit worried?Just saw on the national news that Roncesvalles will get snow over 500 meters tonight. Also, the video showed a pilgrim arriving in the snowdrift in shorts.
Wow..
It depends on the weather, which is just the same every year, only different. We started from St. Jean on April 7, 2013; there was a terrific snowstorm the night before which closed the Route Napoleon. We had reservations at Orisson, but they closed too (and refunded us our money) and we went via Valcarlos. Perhaps others can tell you if, prior to April 7 that year, the Route Napoleon was open. Check with the pilgrim office in St. Jean. Buen Camino.How long does the snow last around this part of the world?...starting from SJPDP on 1st of April and getting a bit worried?
Well, for me in school shorts in 1950s Belfast, blue knees were not the problem, but red rashes just above the knees on the inner sides!Walking in the snow in shorts, he's probably from Yorkshire then. And yes, at my school we all wore shorts all year round. Blue knees anyone?
That's not skiing, that snowboarding. Shredders will do it naked! They are just that stupid.If we can ski in bikini, why not hike in shorts... View attachment 24508 .
Your last statement should be erased!That's not skiing, that snowboarding. Shredders will do it naked! They are just that stupid.
Sorry I offended you. It was a response to the spring snowboarding photo of someone in a bikini. If you really want me to erase it, I will.Your last statement should be erased!
Northern Spain (43 degrees north) is fairly close to the latitude of Pennsylvania (40 degrees north), where I grew up. My hometown is 10 miles from the Appalachian Trail. Because of the Gulf Stream, northern Spain is, on the whole, about as warm (and cold) as central Pennsylvania.
However, weather in high mountains (the mountains in PA are not very high) is always unpredictable, especially in spring and fall. I remember toasting in the sun in May at 21C in a resort at the base of the German alpine foothills looking at the snow dusting the mountaintops.
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