Fuentes de Invierno Stays Open After the Holiday Weekend

Although it's merely a few meters spread across three slopes, ski lessons continue to be offered at Fuentes de Invierno. Curiously, it is the only resort in the area without artificial snow systems. In contrast, other resorts with snow cannons, such as Valgrande-Pajares, San Isidro, and Alto Campoo, were forced to close this Monday due to unsuitable skiing conditions.

The opening of a few slopes sustains a small local economic ecosystem. It primarily benefits instructors from the Escuela de Esquí de Fuentes de Invierno, allowing them to work and accumulate activity hours. It also impacts the catering sector and, despite limited offerings, helps accommodations achieve significantly higher occupancy than last year when the resort couldn't open due to snow scarcity.

This week in the Cordillera Cantábrica will be marked by instability and the arrival of successive Atlantic fronts, ending days of relative calm. Forecasts indicate a weather pattern dominated by precipitation, wind, and unusually mild temperatures for the first days of December.

After a brief respite this Monday, with cloudy skies and a low probability of rain or snow, a significant change is expected. From Tuesday or Wednesday, the influence of Atlantic depressions will intensify, considerably increasing the probability of precipitation across the entire northern strip of the Peninsula. All signs indicate this week will be one of the wettest so far in December.

This thermal outlook keeps the snowline at very high levels, generally above 2,500 meters for much of the week. Consequently, winter sports enthusiasts will have to wait, as most precipitation will occur as rain, even at the main ski resorts. A slight drop in the snowline might occur towards the weekend, but no abundant snowfall is expected.

The instability will be accompanied by moderate southerly winds, with strong gusts and intense squalls in the highest areas of the mountain range. Extreme caution is advised in mountain passes and exposed areas under these adverse conditions.