J2Ski Snow Report - October 24th 2013

The J2Ski Snow Report *
Week Ending October 25th, 2013

* Free to re-publish in whole or part so long as clearly credited to www.J2ski.com with the words "J2Ski Snow Report - October 24th 2013" linked to this page or http://www.j2ski.com/snow_forecast/

As October draws to an un-seasonally mild close, we have news of more openings... and a change in the weather!

This Week's Headlines:
* World cup Races at Solden this weekend.
* Fifth Swiss area due to open for season this Saturday.
* Five areas now open in the US, including first in Midwest.
* 15cm of fresh snow for Norway, first resort opens.
* Les 2 Alpes second French ski area to open, this weekend.
* 10cm of fresh snow reported on Swiss glaciers on Wednesday.

With the first of the World Cup ski races in the northern hemisphere all ready to go in Solden at the weekend, a few inches of fresh snow on the Alps, and more ski areas opening on each side of the Atlantic, the 2013-14 ski season continues to gather momentum.

There are now nearly 30 areas open around the northern hemisphere with resorts in France, Italy, Switzerland, Norway and the USA all opening over the next 48 hours to add to the tally. South of the equator you can still ski at one lone spot in New Zealand too.

The Alps
Austria
Although Italy, Switzerland and the USA are creeping up with more areas opening, Austria, and particularly the Tirol, is the country with the most areas open for skiing, although no new openings reported since last week. There has been some fresh snow however with the Molltal glacier reporting 10cm over Wednesday/Thursday this week. It reports the deepest snow base at 1.5m.

There was similar fresh snow reported by the Stubai and Pitztal glaciers which both have bases of around a metre, in common with the Kaunertal; Hintertux and Sölden glaciers. Only the Dachstein is reporting less with 40cm.

Hintertux with a 135cm base, 34km of piste open served by 15 lifts may be the biggest ski area open in the world at present.

France
Les 2 Alpes is looking good for its 10 day late October opening starting this Saturday 26th October, but three blue runs and a one metre base depth are currently reported with the web cams showing blue skies. Tignes, with a 90cm base, but no fresh snow, is also open and looking good.

Italy
The Presena Glacier above Passo Tonale is the latest to open in Italy, the country's fourth operational centre. The area, which typically stays open to June, reports a single, kilometre long red run, Destra, open on the glacier with an 80-100cm base.

Cervinia is open this weekend (26th-27th October) and then from the following Friday, daily until 4th May next year. Two other Italian glacier resorts - Val Senales and Passo Stelvio - are open.

Switzerland
Switzerland reported fresh snow on Wednesday (23rd October) with around 10cm of new cover at Engelberg, Saas Fee and Zermatt, which each have healthy bases around the 1.5m mark. The Glacier 3000 ski area above Les Diablerets and Gstaad should be the fifth Swiss area to open for 2013-14 this Saturday. It currently reports a 50cm base. It joins the afore-mentioned year-round Zermatt, which already has 25km of terrain open and a 1.5m base, Saas Fee, Engelberg (only open at weekends) and the Diavolezza Glacier close to St Moritz.

Scandinavia
Up to 15cm of new snow has been reported in Norway and Gol is reported to be the first area open, one beginner run, with a 20cm base. That's if you exclude the country's Galdhøpiggen glacier which has been open since late September.

Up in Finland, the country's largest resort Levi, which will host World Cup Racing in three weeks' time, will join Ruka which opened last week, when it starts operating its lifts this Saturday 26th October.

Pyrenees
There's no significant snow reported in the Pyrenees so far.

Scotland
Unsurprisingly the warm weather in the UK over the past week has wiped out early snow cover at Scotland's five ski areas.

North America
There are now five ski areas open in the US with the most Easterly yet and the first in the Midwest, Wild Mountain in Minnesota, opening at 3pm on Wednesday (23rd October), thanks to snowmaking. Snowmaking is also reported to be underway in New England so an opening there seems imminent as resorts in the region battle to be first.

The other new opening since last week is Wolf Creek in Colorado, the third in the state joining Arapahoe Basin and Loveland, with Timberline in Oregon making the fifth. There has not been a lot of natural snow in the past week but A Basin, for example, reports 4cm in the past 72 hours, it has a 45cm base.

Southern Hemisphere
Turoa in New Zealand on Mt Ruapehu is believed to be the only southern hemisphere ski area still operating in 2013 with intermediate to advanced facilities only. The resort's base depth was reported to be still 1.2m (four feet) a week ago.

With Thanks to...
The Vaud Alps ski areas of Switzerland (Villars, Les Diablerets, Leysin and Château-d'Oex) who have kindly sponsored this weeks Snow Mails.

"Skiing on 225km of slopes up to 3,000m!" Special Offer :- Children up to 9 years old (born 1st January 2005 and later) ski and sleep for free in their parents' room at participating hotels.

Please visit GoKids.ch for details.