J2Ski Monthly Snow Report - August 2013

Where to Ski in August - 2013
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Introduction

Snow depths have been dropping through July on most Alpine glaciers with little or no fresh snow reported since the heavy falls in June.

Fortunately that snow means most areas have good bases so even though it's the classic freeze-thaw conditions of summer skiing, the slopes are usually good until lunchtime after an icy early start.

In the Southern Hemisphere it's a mixed bag with the most fresh powder reported in Chile and New Zealand and resorts in Africa, Australia and Argentina more reliant on the machine made stuff of late. But that could all change in August...

The Alps

Austria
Areas expected to be open through August in Austria include year-round Hintertux which invariably offers one of the biggest ski areas in the northern hemisphere from mid-Spring to Autumn. It reports a healthy 2.5m of snow with 22km of runs open and a dozen lifts operating.

The Molltal glacier which re-opened in June and will remain open to May next year has a near 3m base and 12km of runs open. A third option, the Dachstein, has a 1.6m base at the start of the month.

France
Tignes in France will close this weekend leaving Les 2 Alpes as the sole ski area open through to the end of August. It operates what it claims to be the largest glacier ski area in the northern hemisphere and currently has a 2.2m base up at 3200m at the top of the slopes.

Italy
In Italy the only skiing at present is at Cervinia, on the ski area inked to Zermatt where there's again no fresh snow but a 2.5m base, or at Passo Stelvio, which has 20k of runs open and is equally well endowed with the white stuff.

Switzerland
In Switzerland Saas Fee opened at the weekend, rejoining neighbouring Zermatt. Both resorts have good bases but the freeze/thaw conditions with the freezing level moving above 4,200m in the daytime.

Scandinavia
With Strynn now closed only two of Norway's three glacier ski areas are the open through August and one of those, Folgefonn, plans to close mid-month. Galdhøpiggen actually has been closed but plans to re-open the first weekend of August. Both are in reasonable shape with Folgefonn reporting a 3m base.

North America
Whistler's 2013 summer glacier skiing ended on the last weekend of July leaving only Timberline in Oregon open in North America with ski lifts operating from 7am to 2pm and a terrain park to enjoy, despite temperatures recently hitting 70 F. However a new cat skiing operation has opened for summer skiing on Canada'a Farnham Glacier in BC (http://farnhamglacier.com), the site of the proposed year round Jumbo Glacier resort.

Southern Hemisphere
Africa
Afriski in Lesotho has entered its last month of its 2013 season, which ends September 1st. It reports great machine-made snow conditions with the main kilometre long run open, as well as the nursery slope and terrain park, thanks to snowmaking which has clocked up 300 hours. It's a similar story over the border at Tiffindell in South Africa which reported a 600m long slope open at the start of August, although also 'unseasonably warm' weather and no natural snowfall.

Argentina
Argentinian ski areas could do with a good snowfall at the start of august, Las Lenas has a 30-50cm base with only about half its run open and the pistes described as 'hard packed.' Snow conditions are almost identical at the region's largest resort, Catedral, which reports a 10-42cm base. Chapelco again reports similar conditions but better snow depth at the top of the runs at least 20 – 120cm.

Chile
Ski areas In Chile are looking good after several substantial snowfalls during July, one of the biggest bringing around 60cm of fresh snow the weekend before last. Portillo had 35cm of snow a week ago and currently has a base of up to 125cm. The snowfall at Valle Nevado has hit 2.2m to date but on the pistes it has been groomed down to a 50cm snowdepth.

Australia
Australia has not had the best start to 2013 with early snowfall largely wiped out by rain, wind – the whole gamut of non-skier-friendly weather.

Things have picked up a little in the past week with Hotham reporting 60cm of new snow in the last week of July, for example, and more is forecast for the start of August, so while there is a way to go, it is looking much better than it did a fortnight ago. Perisher is reporting a 68cm base and around 35 of its 40+ lifts operational.

New Zealand
New Zealand too has had a mixed bag of weather but all of its resorts still have the healthy snowbases they've been building up since May. Mt Hutt is up on 3.5m and Snow Farm even higher at 405cm – so both should be good for the rest of the season in to October ever if no more snow falls. For the rest of the country average base depths are 1.5 – 2m. As we enter August the sun I shining, temperatures around freezing, almost all runs open and all lifts operating, perfect.

Rest Of The World
There are more than 50 indoor snow slopes operating worldwide including slopes more than 500m long in France, Germany and Lithuania as well as the six British centres.