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Following a real mixed bag of weather this past week, where many locations had a bit of everything from mild Spring days to bitter cold and high winds, the outlook promises to be rather more "normal" over the coming week.
European Alpine temperatures will return to around their seasonal averages during the coming weekend, bringing typical mid-March conditions.
Northern and central Alps are likely to see a fair amount of precipitation as we move into next week; snow at high altitude, rain below - with the snow line generally between 1100m and 1500m.
Take Care Out There
Snow packs remain impressive at altitude and you should be aware of the risk of large avalanches from slopes destabilised by recent weather.
There have been a number of fatalities already this month, so take particular care - and seek local advice - before venturing off-piste.
This Week's Headlines
- Snow returns to the Pyrenees - up to 30cm (12 inches) in past week.
- Mammoth breaks 5m snow depth mark after 80cm fresh snow in past seven days.
- Fresh snow in Scotland.
- Another two feet of snow for Niseko, base depth back to 4.9m.
- Snow back in the Alps, up to a foot (30cm) of new snow at some resorts in the past week.
Europe
Austria
The snow is back in the Austrian Alps and the accumulations are getting bigger. Obertauern, where The Beatles filmed the ski scenes in the movie Help nearly 50 years ago, reports 20cm of new snow in the past 24 hours, especially good news as the resort, which now has a 2.5m base, stays open to late April. Bad Gastein, Bad Kleinkirechheim and Saalbach have reported similar falls and many other resorts including Kitzbiuhel and the Skiwelt have received 10-15cm of new snow over the past week, so things are definitely looking up after last week's dry, warm period.
The Pitztal glacier (open to early May) still has the country's deepest snow at 3.5m.
France
The French alps have also returned to snowier times after a dry and rather warm 10 day period ended at the weekend. Much of the new snow – the biggest falls around 30cm (a foot) – were reported from Sunday to Tuesday with leading beneficiaries including Avoriaz (29cm), Flaine (25cm), Chamonix and la Rosiere (20cm each) and similar falls at Les Arcs , La Grave and La Plagne. Alpe d'Huez (which got 10cm of new snow at the weekend) reports the deepest snow in the French Alps at (3.9m/13 feet) although there's a bigger base reported in the Pyrenees (see separate entry). The Grand Massif has 3.4m and Chamonix Valley 3.1m.
Italy
Italy too has had fresh snow, particularly in the west of the country and particularly at the weekend. Courmayeur reported the biggest fall, with 15cm (six inches) of new cover. Cervinia had a similar fall, Sauze d'Oulx a couple of inches left. Over in the East in the dolomites it was Arabba that once again posted the biggest accumulation – 12cm of new snow. Spring ski centre Passo Tonale has the biggest snowbase in the country still at 3.5m (nearly 12 feet) up on the glacier. Most other resorts have upper slope base depths of 1.5 to 2.5m (5-8 feet) so are looking good for the remainder of the season.
Switzerland
Zermatt has reported the most snow in Switzerland in the past week – 15cm (six inches) on Friday/Saturday and there was 5-10cm (2-4) inches reported in the Jungfrau, at Verbier and Leysin and Villars, but otherwise Switzerland has had less fresh snow than other areas of the Alps.
However snow depths remain the best in the region with Engelberg (4.8m) and Gstaad (4.6m) the only two regions outside of the Pyrenees in Europe to report bases of more than 4m. Upper slope base depths remain around 2m on average at other leading resorts in the country too, so there's snow problem on the pistes at least.
Scotland
Scotland is continuing its good second-half-of-winter which saw it pass its total ticket sales for 11-12 a few weeks ago with, probably, at least a month of the season still to go. The country's five ski areas have been offering top to bottom skiing under blue skies and in still air for much of the past six weeks but there had been little fresh snow and slopes were therefore hard and icy first thing in particular. That has changed this week with a good covering on Sunday/Monday freshening up the slopes dramatically.
Pyrenees
The snow is back in the Pyrenees at least on the Spanish side where resorts in Andorra and Spain have reported up to 30cm (A foot) of fresh cover in the past week, in most cases 20cm of that in the past 24 hours – so it's getting heavier.
Baqueira Beret is back up to 4.1m on its upper slopes and is looking good for its extended season to May 5th. In Andorra Grandvalira (Soldeu) has had a foot of new snow too and has a 2.4m (8 foot) base. No new snow reported on the French side but Cauterets still reporting the world's deepest snow based at 5.9m, wonder how recently they measured it as it has not changed in over a month apparently...
Eastern Europe
No new snow has been reported at the main Eastern European resorts since late February meaning that it's on-piste only. Bases are starting to diminish with the thaw but in Bulgaria, which is reporting the deepest snow in the region, upper slope depths of 1.5-1.8m (5-6 feet) are still good, elsewhere they're a little less substantial (nearer 60cm/2 feet) at Poiana Brasov in Romania or Kranjska Gora in Slovenia.
Scandinavia
Although the snow in England and the low countries in recent days has been attributed to an Arctic blast, the snow didn't bother stopping further north and it has been a fairly dry week in Scandinavia with little new snow reported. Temperatures are maintaining existing snow bases however, which remain around the metre mark at all the leading resorts of Norway, Lapland (Finland) and Sweden and conditions are reported to be good on the piste.
North America
Canada
Canada is still looking very snowy and its resorts have been the most vociferous in the past week talking about their snow cover.
said Whistler on Tuesday. Meanwhile Sun Peaks went with,"It may only be March 12 but 143cm of snow has already fallen this month! With 34 cm in the last 24 hrs, a base of 270 cm, and 948 cm of snow so far this season, conditions on the mountain were amazing today,"
"After a 26cm powder day, Sun Peaks has reached the 200cm mid-mountain snow base. This level of snow base has only been exceed by this date three times in the resort's history, making for exceptional skiing and riding conditions approaching provincial spring breaks,"
and Revelstoke added,
"It's absolutely puking out with an accumulation of 2cm/hour and snow falling right down to the valley floor – skiing and riding is epic! 11cm of new snow has fallen at Revelstoke Mountain Resort since early this morning and we could expect a total of up to 20cm by the end of the day. More snow is in the forecast with up to 50-60cm of precipitation expected to fall between now and Thursday."
So there you have it.
USA
There have been more substantial snowfalls in Western US led by Mammoth Mountain in California which is the first major US resort to break the 5m snow depth mark this season after 80cm fresh snow in past seven days. A second Colorado resort, Squaw Valley to the north, says it has had 50cm of new snow. Elsewhere in the West, Colorado continues its late surge with many resorts adding 5-12inches (209-30cm) of new snow to their bases. Utah is also looking good with 20cm (8 inches) of new snow for reports like Purgatory and Canyons and Jackson Hole with a 2.1m (7 foot) base has had similar new snow volumes. There's been little or no new snow in Eastern North America although Sunday River posted 5cm last weekend and most have good base depths still around the metre mark.