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I am planning to spend about a week in Italian Alps in late October. The idea is to hire a 4WD and drive along (ideally) the whole Italian-Swiss border slowly, stopping a lot to "smell the roses" (walking, hiking in the parks, climbing established viewpoints etc.). Occasionally I would drive into Switzerland but will mostly be staying at the Italian side of the border. Nights will be spent at backpackers (are there many?).

I have done this kind of thing a lot in New Zealand, and also a bit of Canada and the US, but never in Europe.

What potential hazards are there? For example:

  • Dangerous animals (e.g. wolves, bears?)
  • Dangerous people?
  • Ice and snow on the roads (in late October)?

Are there places that should be avoided?

Greendrake
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3 Answers3

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I live in the Swiss side of Alps (Valais / Wallis), as far as I know there is no bear here, I'm not sure about the possibility to meet a wolf, I'd not say it's 0, but close to 0% chance to meet one.

There are no dangerous people, come on we are educated in Europe, the only dangerous people you would meet will be in dangerous districts of some cities.

No snow at low altitude, you have to go very high.

(you should also tag Europe as French and Swiss people living close to / in the Alps may also be able to answer your question)

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At this time of the year, the risk of heavy snowfall is low, but you never know. Of course, the risk increases as you go higher, so it depends on your actual route.

Many of the passes and roads on or near the border are well over 2000 meters high, and some may be closed as early as October. Grand St Bernard Pass and Stilfser Joch / Passo dello Stelvio are examples of passes that are open only until September (though not everybody seems to agree on the exact dates). Note that some passes described as "open all year" may actually close based on current conditions.

Another possible risk (though very low) is that a road would be closed due to falling rocks, mudslides, or other obstructions. Not dangerous per se (the chance you would be caught in the event itself is really really low), but you might get stuck somewhere you hadn't planned.

You probably want to:

  • have a car with snow tires
  • have chains in your car (and know how to use them)
  • always have enough food and drink in your car to last a day, just in case
  • make sure you always have a charged mobile phone (note that you may not always have a signal, though)
  • download the detailed maps for your area in Google maps
  • have a paper map of the appropriate level of detail
  • make sure you always know your position
  • let people know of your travel plans, and update them if they change.

If you actually go trekking/hiking/climbing in the mountains, you definitely want to make sure you have the right equipment to do so (nobody wants to see someone trying to climb the Matterhorn wearing flip-flops). You may want to consider buying or renting a Personal Locator Beacon in case of an emergency (if you fall and get injured somewhere along the way). See this discussion for some recommendations.

You may want to check The Great Outdoors SE for additional recommendations.

jcaron
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I think the answer of jcaron is already pretty good. The official weather forecast service of the government (MeteoSuisse) gives some additional information about the first snow in automn in Switzerland. Unfortunately the page is only available in german, french and italian but not english.

There is no precise information about somewhere in the alps in Valais. But there is some information about Arosa, this is located to the extreme east of the country. Even if this won't be the same in Valais, it is probably quite similar, since the altitude is the most relevant for the snow. For Arosa at 1878 m above the sea, the first snow in automn falls in average the 10th september.

First snow in Arosa (1878 m)

Actually based on my own experience, I think you can expect snow at almost any time of the year above 1500 m. Though, in september and october, it is still quite unlikely under 2000 m and the snow won't stay for a long time.

Your best help will be to look at the weather forecast, they always announce snow falls under 2000 m, since this is relevant for car driving on high routes. If it will have snow at the altitude of a route you plan to drive, just avoid it that day: take another route, wait 1 or 2 day and it will be probably gone at that time of the year.

Also a good information is the website of the TCS (a car driver association), on this webpage, they show the current situation of all passes. You will see if one is closed or if there is some restrictions (e.g. "truck forbidden", "chains mandatory").

LaurentG
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