Snow conditions on Route Napoleon for Camino Frances in April

[Peter-H]

Planning to start the Camino Frances from St Jean on April 3rd.
Any thoughts/advice on the snow conditions on the Route Napoleon at the present time?

 

[YvonneKT]

Starting on April 7 and have the same question!
Hope some folks are able to share an update - although the route doesn’t officially open until April 1 (as I’m sure you know)
Buen Camino!

 

[trecile]

Here's the forecast for the high point going over the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles.

14 Day Weather Collado de Bentarte - meteoblue

The professional 14-day weather trend for Collado de Bentarte. Showing the uncertainty and reliability of the weather forecast.

www.meteoblue.com

 

[YvonneKT]

Here's the forecast for the high point going over the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles.

14 Day Weather Collado de Bentarte - meteoblue

The professional 14-day weather trend for Collado de Bentarte. Showing the uncertainty and reliability of the weather forecast.

www.meteoblue.com

Thanks for sharing this weather site! Much appreciated

 

[Peter-H]

Here's the forecast for the high point going over the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles.

14 Day Weather Collado de Bentarte - meteoblue

The professional 14-day weather trend for Collado de Bentarte. Showing the uncertainty and reliability of the weather forecast.

www.meteoblue.com

Many thanks for that. It looks promising for the 3rd onward. A bit chilly maybe, but doesn't look like snow will be a problem. Trust that's a reasonable assessment.
Incidentally, I use meteoblue for hiking in Australia and New Zealand and found it to be a very reliable tool for trip planning.

 

[Robo]

Planning to start the Camino Frances from St Jean on April 3rd.
Any thoughts/advice on the snow conditions on the Route Napoleon at the present time?

I was about to post some weather links, but @trecile beat me to it again, with a better link.

i might just add a comment though, that is perhaps somewhat obvious.

Weather in the mountains changes fast. And may look ok from down below, with a different story on the top.

I have crossed the Napoean route twice. On the exact same day. I think it was April 28. 2015 was blue skies. Wonderful views, and bits of snow still remaining.

2018 was cold. Rain. Mist. Strong winds....and about 100 metres visibilty....

The forecasts both times looked ok.

 

[Peter-H]

I was about to post some weather links, but @trecile beat me to it again, with a better link.

i might just add a comment though, that is perhaps somewhat obvious.

Weather in the mountains changes fast. And may look ok from down below, with a different story on the top.

I have crossed the Napoean route twice. On the exact same day. I think it was April 28. 2015 was blue skies. Wonderful views, and bits of snow still remaining.

2018 was cold. Rain. Mist. Strong winds....and about 100 metres visibilty....

The forecasts both times looked ok.

Thank you for the tap on the shoulder; always good advice.
Can never be stated too often.

 

[C clearly]

It looks promising for the 3rd onward. A bit chilly maybe, but doesn't look like snow will be a problem.

But that only suggests that snow will not be falling. It doesn't indicate anything about how much snow there is on the ground, and what the walking trail might be like at the end of the winter.

 

[wisepilgrim]

Remember that regardless of the date, check with the Pilgrim office in SJPP about the current status.
I was up there last week (not walking) and returned with two pilgrims that had arrived from Madrid and set off without paying much attention. Visibility in Orisson was about 10m and getting worse with the elevation.

Snow is only part of the problem.

 

[Vacajoe]

There is a cold front approaching this week, but mountain weather changes constantly so always have a backup plan just in case. Currently in the Aragon Valley (the next pass east of the Napoleon Route and yesterday’s unseasonably warm weather is forecast to change to rain and snow this weekend. With high winds, the wind chill can cause more problems for pilgrims than precipitation. ALWAYS consult with the SJPdP Pilgrim Office upon arrival and heed their words

 

[Kathor1]

@C clearly has already pointed out the importance of up to date knowledge about the trail condition in early April. No weather forecast will tell you anything about this, only locals - and not all of them - such as the staff at the Pilgrim Welcome Office in SJPP or the managers/owners of the Orisson and Borda albergues have knowledge because someone went up there to have a look and reported back.

@trecile has posted a link to the Meteoblue weather forecast for the high section of the Route Napoleon (Bentarte pass). Make the most of the information. Pay attention to the predictability factor: at the time of writing this post, only the forecast for today has a high accuracy; for tomorrow and the following days it is medium and low, which means that the forecast may change considerably in the coming hours and days. Make use of their Meteogram. I know no other weather app where it is so intuitive to understand cloud cover, rain, sunshine, wind speed as well speed of wind gusts etc during the hours of the day. The darker the cloud cover colour and the lower it reaches the less you are likely to see of anything of the great mountain views ... and note the "freezing rain" although that is predicted for Monday (still low predictability!!!) so early in the morning that you are likely to miss it .

 

[wayfarer]

As Robo mentioned above, the weather changes rapidly in this area so check with the pilgrim office in SJPP before you leave and take their advice, they will have the most up to date information for that day and will advise you as such. If there is any question at all then use the Valcarlos route, it may not be the popular route but it is the original route and the safest.

 

[Ianinam]

As Robo mentioned above, the weather changes rapidly in this area so check with the pilgrim office in SJPP before you leave and take their advice, they will have the most up to date information for that day and will advise you as such. If there is any question at all then use the Valcarlos route, it may not be the popular route but it is the original route and the safest.

I could't agree more!

And in case of bad weather there are no beautiful views on the Route Napoleon ... so you don't miss any views, as they are non-existing during rain, fog, show.... Better safe than sorry!

 

[alexwalker]

We have a saying at sea:

"If in doubt, act as if there is no doubt".

It has saved many lives...

 

[Kathor1]

@Peter-H, someone posted this today in the Facebook group of the Pilgrim Welcome Office in SJPP. I don't know what the poster's credentials are:

Première grosse affluence en ce mercredi 29 mars. 158 pèlerins sur la journée.​

Tout le monde à l'ombre compte tenu de la vague de chaleur qui passe !​

Mais attention un épisode neigeux arrive sur les Ports de Cize samedi et dimanche !​

Et ce n'est pas un poisson d'avril !​

La voie Napoléon n'ouvrira pas avant lundi 3 avril au mieux.​

Soyez prudent !​

Translation:

A first big rush on Wednesday 29 March. 158 pilgrims arrived during the day. ​

Everyone was in the shade because of the heatwave that we are currently having!​

But beware of a spell of snow arriving on the passes of the Valcarlos and Napoleon routes on Saturday and Sunday! And this is not an April fool's joke!​

The Napoleon route will not open until Monday 3rd April at best.​

Be careful!​

 

[VNwalking]

they will have the most up to date information for that day and will advise you as such.

They will no doubt be using the same data that @Kathar1na posted above. Apps like MeteoBlue have very specific and accurate mountain information that's actually more accurate than word of mouth - and the beauty of MB is that they indicate the confidence in any particilar forecast.

I would also suggest Windy as a supplement to the MB forcast - they have a setting that allows you to see the feed of any webcam that might be in a particular area. There (unfortunstely) is not one along the Napoleon route, but here is what the map looks like for the route from Canfranc; on the app, click on any of those litlle cameras and you get realtime information.


That said - if the good people at the pilgrims office in SJPP tell you the conditions on the Napoleon Route are bad, don't be the yahoo that thinks the advice doesn't apply to you. It does. Listen and heed their warnings to take the Valcarlos route. (It's not worse, and is the original, more authentic route, no matter what all those blogs and videos say to the contrary.)

 

[wayfarer]

T

They will no doubt be using the same data that @Kathar1na posted above. Apps like MeteoBlue have very specific and accurate mountain information that's actually more accurate than word of mouth - and the beauty of MB is that they indicate the confidence in any particilar forecast.

I would also suggest Windy as a supplement to the MB forcast - they have a setting that allows you to see the feed of any webcam that might be in a particular area. There (unfortunstely) is not one along the Napoleon route, but here is what the map looks like for the route from Canfranc; on the app, click on any of those litlle cameras and you get realtime information.
View attachment 143815

That said - if the good people at the pilgrims office in SJPP tell you the conditions on the Napoleon Route are bad, don't be the yahoo that thinks the advice doesn't apply to you. It does. Listen and heed their warnings to take the Valcarlos route. (It's not worse, and is the original, more authentic route, no matter what all those blogs and videos say to the contrary.)

The pilgrims office get their data on the day, weather apps are fine but they won't beat condition reports on the day.

 

[Kathor1]

@Peter-H, someone posted this today in the Facebook group of the Pilgrim Welcome Office in SJPP. I don't know what the poster's credentials are:

I guess that he is a volunteer at the pilgrim office of SJPP. He posted some additional info in reply to a question on FB. Here it is translated into English:

The Napoleon Route is closed on Spanish territory from 1 November to 31 March. But this year it will only be opened on 3 or 4 April due to the weather. We are waiting for official information from the Spanish authorities.​

Original: La voie Napoléon est fermée sur le territoire espagnol du 1er novembre au 31 mars. Mais cette année elle ne sera ouverte que le 3 ou le 4 avril compte tenu de la météo. On attend les informations officielles des autorités espagnoles.

You read it here and it is currently also doing the rounds in the Facebook Camino groups.

 

[Camineiro]

At this time of the year the weather and snow conditions may vary from day to day.
I‘ve been walking the Via Podiensis by end of april and a few days before reaching SJPdP we were told by several hospitaleros along the way the Route Napoleon is still closed.
Upon reaching SJPdP on may 5th the pilgrim’s office had the information it was open that very day.

So check the information from the pilgrim’s office on your date of arrival.
When they tell you it’s open, you can go.
If not, take the Valcarlos route.

Buen Camino

 

[Helen Robinson]

But that only suggests that snow will not be falling. It doesn't indicate anything about how much snow there is on the ground, and what the walking trail might be like at the end of the winter.

It has been unseasonably warm, even today. Its just coming in this weekend. I'm hoping to get over on Tuesday but will be advised by the pilgrims office.

 

[lt56ny]

I was about to post some weather links, but @trecile beat me to it again, with a better link.

i might just add a comment though, that is perhaps somewhat obvious.

Weather in the mountains changes fast. And may look ok from down below, with a different story on the top.

I have crossed the Napoean route twice. On the exact same day. I think it was April 28. 2015 was blue skies. Wonderful views, and bits of snow still remaining.

2018 was cold. Rain. Mist. Strong winds....and about 100 metres visibilty....

The forecasts both times looked ok.

Without a doubt truer words have never been spoken. In 2015 I walked from Le Puy. Intended to only stay one night in St. Jean. The next morning it was chilly, windy and a steady rain. My friend and I stood at the front door of our albergue and watched as people walked by some said you better get ready and get going. Our response was no way are we walking today. If it is this bad here it must be a mess on the mountain. We went back to bed for a while. Went to the pilgrim office to check on the next day. They said it would be very sunny and good thing we didn't go. We slept in Beilari that night. How wonderful. Next day we had a cool and sunny October morning and had a great day walking up to Orisson with a box full of awesome French pastries we bought the afternoon before. Also since we started in Le Puy the walk to Roncesvalles was a piece of cake (pardon the pun)

Any thoughts/advice on the snow conditions on the Route Napoleon at the present time?

Remember that regardless of the date, check with the Pilgrim office in SJPP about the current status.
I was up there last week (not walking) and returned with two pilgrims that had arrived from Madrid and set off without paying much attention. Visibility in Orisson was about 10m and getting worse with the elevation.

Snow is only part of the problem.

They don't call him wisepilgrim for nothing!!!
May I repeat the words of a very wise man.
Always check with the pilgrim office.
(Even though they told us the day before it was going to be a nice day, we still poked our heads in the office to double check before we started eating our pastries and start the day up the mountain.

 

[VNwalking]

pilgrims office get their data on the day, weather apps are fine but they won't beat condition reports on the day.

I'm not at all saying ignore the Pilgrim's Office, but to also use information from good weather apps like meteoblue and Windy that are continually being updated in realtime.

Meteoblue gets their data from satellite feed; CMORPH rainfal data is updated hourly, much more frequently than anyone from the Pilgrim's Office is up there ).
From their website:

The meteoblue weather forecast data packages obtained through the meteoblue API will include satellite, radar and measurement data automatically, if those data are available for the selected location. The accuracy of a precipitation nowcast is highly dependent on the availability, resolution and delay of the radar data, which differs for each country. An overview of the availability of real-time radar data is given in our technical documentation.

(I used to be one of those people who rolled my eyes and said, "Just look out the **** window." When questioned about which forecasts to use. But modern weather apps like Medeoblue and Windy are powerful tools, and definitely have their place.)

 

[Kathy F.]

On May 21, several years ago, my planned first Camino up the Napoleon with a reservation in Orrison was brought to a dead stop because of snow. I had checked in with the Pilgrim Office on my way out and they strongly advised not doing that route due to the poor weather.

Yes, snow. The end of May.

I had already vowed, based on information from this forum, to follow the SJPdP Pilgrim Office advice and so, disappointed, I unhappily started a rainy, muddy, Day One from SJPdP to Roncevalles on the Valcarlos.

It was a great route! I had the right equipment. In May, I would not have brought adequate clothing or equipment for snowy conditions and that could have been a very bad situation. It was beautiful and peaceful.

The people at the Pilgrim Office knew better than me about conditions on the Camino in the mountains. Follow MY advice: Whatever advice they give, follow it.

PS - A few years later, I started the Napoleon on the same dates again and this time it was nice and sunny. The Camino works its magic.

PPS - Whichever route you take and however much you prepare, it is going to be a challenge.

 

[Helen Robinson]

I'm not at all saying ignore the Pilgrim's Office, but to also use information from good weather apps like meteoblue and Windy that are continually being updated in realtime.

Meteoblue gets their data from satellite feed; CMORPH rainfal data is updated hourly, much more frequently than anyone from the Pilgrim's Office is up there ).
From their website:


(I used to be one of those people who rolled my eyes and said, "Just look out the **** window." When questioned about which forecasts to use. But modern weather apps like Medeoblue and Windy are powerful tools, and definitely have their place.)

Yes. I'm on Metoblue. It is changing constantly. Monday is looking drier sooner. Still pretty cold.

 

[Moniq]

Planning to start the Camino Frances from St Jean on April 3rd.
Any thoughts/advice on the snow conditions on the Route Napoleon at the present time?

Saw elsewhere that the Napoleon route is due to heavy incoming snow storms closed to at least the 3rd . I will cross, hopefully, the 5th.

 

[naplesdon]

I lived in Pays Basque for 8 years and Mother Nature is a fickle mother for sure. One day it is gorgeous and the next day downright nasty. Windy, my go to app, is showing quite a storm brewing over the Atlantic.

 

[JodienBlue]

Just left the SJPP Pilgrims office and officially the Napoleon route is closed on 1st and 2nd of April but they said it still possibly stay closed for longer.

 

[Helen Robinson]

Just left the SJPP Pilgrims office and officially the Napoleon route is closed on 1st and 2nd of April but they said it still possibly stay closed for longer.

Thank you. I'll be guided by them.

 

[Rick M]

That said - if the good people at the pilgrims office in SJPP tell you the conditions on the Napoleon Route are bad, don't be the yahoo that thinks the advice doesn't apply to you. It does. Listen and heed their warnings to take the Valcarlos route. (It's not worse, and is the original, more authentic route, no matter what all those blogs and videos say to the contrary.)

Not sure that I have seen too many "yahoos" flout good advice on the Camino, but I have seen quite a few that treated the Napolean as some type of conquest in their Camino plans. They had a grim determination to go over the top - as some sort of life goal that had to be attained, or their Camino would be a failure.

This is nonsense of course. We all know with the benefit of hindsight that Day 1 is just another day by the time you get to Santiago, not the peak of the experience. The funny part is that a huge majority of pilgrims facing the same choice between taking the higher, harder Napolean route or the shorter, easier Valcarlos route wouldn't think twice about it........if the choice was presented three weeks later on down the trail. By that time, only a madman would choose the extra long road in what you now understand is a marathon. Something about Day 1 makes some pilgrims make poor choices. It is true that the Napolean is the prettier walk, but in any type of bad weather, I'd rather be drinking coffee in Valcarlos than stumbling through the fog or leaning into a 100 km wind on the top. The Camino has many pretty walking days, this one is no better than many others.

Sadly, many pilgrims are more likely to end up with shin splints than a spiritual epiphany by taking the Napolean. For those who choose to ignore the advice to stay off the Napolean in the spring time, well, lets hope they live to regret it.

 

[Helen Robinson]

I'm not in the market to take any unnecessary risks and won't be going against guidance. They know the mountain better than me. I'm more than happy to take their advice. As you say, it's a marathon, not a sprint.

 

[malingerer]

I'm not in the market to take any unnecessary risks and won't be going against guidance. They know the mountain better than me. I'm more than happy to take their advice. As you say, it's a marathon, not a sprint.

At 85 I care not for marathons OR sprints and never have done One foot past the other is good enuff for me and I am always very polite to snails passing me by! God willing me and my love dove are off on the 2nd of May. Beginning places booked as is end game of Finisterre and flight home from Santiago. In between we intend to "wing it ". This causes me great hysteria as " trudge it " is more apt ! However, God speed to all of you and all of us who are on the trail for whatever reason. I remember 2003 when I first started and I am still starting as endings are just pauses on The Way.

Walk soft

stay safe

Vaya con Dios

Samarkand.

 

[Peter-H]

Planning to start the Camino Frances from St Jean on April 3rd.
Any thoughts/advice on the snow conditions on the Route Napoleon at the present time?

Many thanks to everyone who has added to this thread. Good advice and cautionary taps on the shoulder are valuable and certainly appreciated.
It seems from some of the responses that there is a fair bit of interest in this matter and that a number of people are planning to start the Camino (from SJPDP) early next week. I look forward to meeting up with you along the way.
Also many thanks Ivar for providing this outstanding platform for Camino trip planning.
Buen Camino

 

[Kathor1]

I am going to plug Meteoblue a bit more since we have nothing better to do than wait from news from the Pilgrim office about the situation for the Route Napoleon from Monday 3 April onwards .

Even this morning, the MB forecast for today and the next few days has only medium predictability (”accurate in parts but deviations expected. Check later”) while for Tuesday it has high predictability (”likely to be accurate”) and this goes both for the Ibañeta pass that is open and the Bentarte pass that is still legally closed today. When people frequently say that the forecast was wrong they did not pay enough attention to such details or their app did not include information about accuracy.

Something that is often overlooked by pilgrims (and I doubt that the volunteers provide such details on a daily and hourly basis - they put up a printout of the daily weather forecast on their notice board though) are wind speed and the power of wind gusts. MB current has a yellow warning of wind gusts of up to 65 km/h for Sunday. And that’s for Ibaneta on the Valcarlos route.

And currently (medium predictability!) 5-10 cm of snow on Monday 3 April for the Bentarte pass.

And another thing that too many people seem to be unaware of when hill and mountain walking for the first time: You can always turn around and go down on the path that you are now already familiar with instead of further up when the weather turns worse and you were not prepared for it.

 

[VNwalking]

MB current has a yellow warning of wind gusts of up to 65 km/h for Sunday. And that’s for Ibaneta on the Valcarlos route.

On the top of the Napoleon Route it is much more exposed. Those are brutal wind speeds - a potential source of hypothermia. Check ahead everyone, and take care!

 

[Helen Robinson]

Many thanks to everyone who has added to this thread. Good advice and cautionary taps on the shoulder are valuable and certainly appreciated.
It seems from some of the responses that there is a fair bit of interest in this matter and that a number of people are planning to start the Camino (from SJPDP) early next week. I look forward to meeting up with you along the way.
Also many thanks Ivar for providing this outstanding platform for Camino trip planning.
Buen Camino

Well said, Peter. Buen camino. Hope to see you in the road.

 

[Lleslie]

We set out from SJPdP May 20 2014. Others staying at Gite Beileri set off early in the steady rain. We decided to wait as we were only going to Orisson so spent time loitering in the pilgrims office using their Wifi when the staff recieved a phone call for them to advise against any more pilgrims setting out. We spent some time wandering around the shops and had lunch by which time the rain had stopped and we were allowed to go - with the clouds clearing to some sunny breaks by the time we arrived. Others who had left early were trying to dry sodden sleeping bags! We set out the next day to a sunny start with no cautions from the staff. The weather changed quickly as a wild storm, high wind, hail and rain pelted us shortly after reaching the Virgin statue which we were later told had blown over. Our very cheap ponchos were shredded. At one stage I was waiting for Eileen to catch up when another pilgrim growled at me to keep moving as the temperature was freezing so I stamped around in a circle til she caught up. Conditions eased crossing the border but set in again by the hut where quite a few of us crammed in to shelter. Setting off again a vehicle came by checking that we were ok. Later on we heard that a pilgrim had been blown over fracturing her collar bone another broke their ankle. By the time we slid down the steep hill (I slipped over but luckily didn't hurt myself) to Roncesvalles the sun was out and a long row of shoes were out drying in the courtyard. It was certainly a topic of conversation over the next week to where you were in the storm!

 

[Helen Robinson]

Starting on April 7 and have the same question!
Hope some folks are able to share an update - although the route doesn’t officially open until April 1 (as I’m sure you know)
Buen Camino!

Tuesday 4th looks the best bet for me to get over.

 

[UUKatherine]

Here's the forecast for the high point going over the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles.

14 Day Weather Collado de Bentarte - meteoblue

The professional 14-day weather trend for Collado de Bentarte. Showing the uncertainty and reliability of the weather forecast.

www.meteoblue.com

Thank you for sharing, this is a fantastic app I was not previously familiar with.

 

[Jodean]

Thank you for that link to the weather. Have been checking each day. We start walking in 12 days. Rain is fine, but have been worried about snow and wind.

 

[Kathor1]

Some snow has fallen during the night from Saturday to Sunday 2 April. See webcam (link on Meteoblue) about 20 km to the east of routes Valcarlos and Napoleon and at the same altitude as the Ibañeta pass on the Valcarlos route, low visibility:

 

[naplesdon]

Snow in Canfranc about 6" overnight with 10 mph winds out of the north.

 

[wayfarer]

I use the Weather & Radar app, after trying several over the years I found this to be the best for me.

 

[Kathor1]

Snow in Canfranc about 6" overnight with 10 mph winds out of the north.

Is the wind speed a typo? 10 mph is 16 km/h, isn’t it, that is a gentle breeze. Meteoblue has wind of up to 60 km/h and gusts of up to 80 km/h for all of today for the Somport pass (1600 m altitude) near Canfranc and label this as “near gale force”.

 

[naplesdon]

I get my weather information from an app that I believe is provided by Apple. Anyway, there is a map along with the forecast and looking at the map it appears that Canfranc is being protected by the mountain ridge and the gale force winds are on the northeast side of the mountains.

 

[Kathor1]

6” of snow - that is 16 cm. Looking at today’s Meteoblue webpage for Canfranc, I happened to notice that they have info for the snow depth for the Candanchu ski resort that is nearby (scroll down on their webpage - this screenshot has been taken on an iPad). It starts at 1500 m altitude and goes up to 2200 m where the snow is one and a half metres deep (or high). Funny that they use a German word (“spring snow”) to describe the quality of snow in English for a Spanish resort near the French border .

 

[Sminn]

Is the route open now? We arrive in SJPdP on Thursday 6 April.

 

[Peter-H]

Planning to start the Camino Frances from St Jean on April 3rd.
Any thoughts/advice on the snow conditions on the Route Napoleon at the present time?

Again many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread.
Very happy to advise that I crossed over the Pyrenees on April 4th, the day the route was officially opened. The weather was superb and a relatively large group of very happy Pilgrims enjoyed a great day one!
Buen Camino.

 

[Tincatinker]

Is the route open now? We arrive in SJPdP on Thursday 6 April.

Check with the Bureau Pelerin when you get there

 

[Sminn]

Thanks. It is open and we start today.

 

[YvonneKT]

Again many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread.
Very happy to advise that I crossed over the Pyrenees on April 4th, the day the route was officially opened. The weather was superb and a relatively large group of very happy Pilgrims enjoyed a great day one!
Buen Camino.

So happy you could this. I was able to walk over on Friday 7th, weather was amazing and the experience fabulous!

 

[Kathor1]

The recent storm depression called Noa that brought some snowfall at lower altitudes to the eastern part of the Pyrenees including the higher sections of the Route Napoleon is already on its way out of Spain.

Here are two screenshots of webcams near SJPP taken this afternoon - one at altitude 1000 m (altitude of Ibañeta pass on Valcarlos and Napoleon routes) and the other one at altitude 230 m (altitude of SJPP). When you look out of the window in SJPP you won't see what it looks like further up.

 

[trecile]

The recent storm depression called Noa that brought some snowfall at lower altitudes to the eastern part of the Pyrenees including the higher sections of the Route Napoleon is already on its way out of Spain.

Here are two screenshots of webcams near SJPP taken this afternoon - one at altitude 1000 m (altitude of Ibañeta pass on Valcarlos and Napoleon routes) and the other one at altitude 230 m (altitude of SJPP). When you look out of the window in SJPP you won't see what it looks like further up.

View attachment 144732

Do you have links to those webcams?

 

[Bradypus]

Do you have links to those webcams?

Webcams around Roncesvaux - meteoblue

Current webcams for Roncesvaux. Check if it is currently sunny, rainy, cloudy or even snowing in Roncesvaux

www.meteoblue.com

 

[UUKatherine]

Did the Napoleon yesterday, it was a sideways gale of freezing rain and inches of slushy snow / mud at the high points.

 

[Jodean]

Just walked from SJPDP to Borda today. Started nice but sprinkling or rain all day. A bit cold. Foggy so you can’t see anything.

 

[Kathor1]

Do you have links to those webcams?

As mentioned, current images can be viewed on the Meteoblue website but there are also direct addresses. For Iraty, it’s https://chalets-iraty.com/webcam-des-chalets-iraty/. It allows you to see past images such as an hour ago, a day ago, morning, evening … can be used as a teaching tool .

And because it’s so beautiful right now with clear views, another screenshot below. The weather is quite stable today and for the next few days, so no nasty surprises to come.

 

[aptanner]

Planning to start the Camino Frances from St Jean on April 3rd.
Any thoughts/advice on the snow conditions on the Route Napoleon at the present time?

Well Peter, I may see you there. I think my first day walking will be April 4th.

 

[Bristle Boy]

Well Peter, I may see you there. I think my first day walking will be April 4th.

Possibly a year too late as this is an old thread.

 

[Peter-H]

Well Peter, I may see you there. I think my first day walking will be April 4th.

This is indeed an old thread. I went over the Route Napoleon on April 4th this year (2023). I hope however that if you start on April 4th (2024) that this is a good omen. We had perfect weather, snow on the tops and superb walking conditions. Overall, the Camino was a wonderful experience, notwithstanding a few hickups, and I wish you well for trip in April/May.
Buen Camino.