* Free to re-publish in whole or part so long as clearly credited to www.J2ski.com with the words "J2Ski Snow Report - October 31st 2013" linked to this page or http://www.j2ski.com/snow_forecast/
As temperatures fall across Europe - with a bit of snow - and the London Ski and Snowboard Show gets underway, it really is time to think skiing!
This weekend should see snow fall to around 2,000 metres in Austria and parts of France and Switzerland, with a mixed range of temperatures around the seasonal average.
Les Deux Alpes - last weekend
This Week's Headlines:
* First Canadian area aims to open Friday, November 1st
* Norwegian ski area delays opening due to mild conditions.
* Heavy snow in the Alps - with 30cm at Les 2 Alpes.
* Pyrenees get a white coat.
* More US resorts open as heavy snowfall reported around Lake Tahoe.
* 2013 season finally over in southern hemisphere.
Momentum for the 2013-14 ski season is continuing to build with substantial snowfalls in the past 48 hours in the Alps (up to 50cm) and western North America (up to 35cm). More ski areas have been opening and the season is due to kick off in Canada this weekend.
Snow has also been reported in Scotland and the Pyrenees. The only area not going quite to plan is Scandinavia, where it's been a bit too warm for snowmaking in recent days. The snow in the alps is expected to continue into next week, and the waves of snowfall in the US (that have brought heavy snow first to the west coast mountains and then to the Rockies) is also rolling on.
The Alps
Austria
As we enter November Austria still has more ski areas open than anywhere else, as it has for the past two months, and Hintertux with 34km of runs open served by 15 lifts and with a 135cm base is the largest open ski area on the planet at the moment.
All eight Austrian glacier ski centres are reporting powder conditions and have been posting impressive snowfall pictures on their sites and social media feeds.
The Kitzstein Glacier has a 1.1m base depth and is reporting another 10cm of snowfall in the past 24 hours and it's a similar story at the other six glaciers – Molltal, Stubai, Pitztal, Kaunertaln (20cm in the past 24 hours), Dachstein and Solden, the latter seeing Ted Ligety win in the first northern hemisphere World Cup Ski competition of the 13-14 season last weekend.
France
Les 2 Alpes is about to enjoy the second weekend in its 10 day October run, closing on Sunday. But there's a foot of fresh snow and a metre base on the glacier for anyone lucky enough to able to make it out there for the ski tests and parties. Tignes, which won't be closing on Sunday and will stay open until next May in fact, also has excellent conditions. It will be the only centre open in France again for a few weeks until Val Thorens starts the charge for the main 13-14 openings in mid November.
Italy
Passo Stelvio's summer ski season will end this Sunday, November 3rd, leaving three glaciers open in Italy. Cervinia's ski area linked to Zermatt will now be open every day after being open weekends only during October, and The Presena Glacier above Passo Tonale along with Val Senales are the other two Italian options with snow depths at around the metre mark and fresh powder on top.
Switzerland
Five ski areas are open in Switzerland at present although one of them, Engelberg will have a scheduled 11 day maintenance closure from next Monday 4th November to Friday 15th November. Three runs are currently open served by the famous ice flyer chairlift. You can also ski on the glacier slopes of Zermatt (25km of runs open), Saas Fee, Diavolezza near St Moritz and at Glacier 3000 between Gstaad and les Diabelerets where nine runs are open, served by five lifts.
Scandinavia
More Scandinavian ski areas look set to join already-open Levi and Ruka in Finland shortly, although the planned opening of Trysil in Norway – due to have happened on Friday 1st November, has been postponed until a current mild spell ends. Operations Manager Jan Lindstad in SkiStar Trysil, says everyone is on alert and ready to start up the snow production again when the weather is cold enough. However Hemsedal, one of the country's largest resorts, still hopes to open a week on Friday, November 8th.
Pyrenees
Significant snow fall in the Pyrenees has given a white coat the mountains down to valley level, although no ski areas ion the area are known to be thinking of opening imminently.
Scotland
Snowfall has returned to Scottish mountain tops now that temperatures have dropped again. Webcams are showing snowfall at Glencoe and on Cairngorm, although there's no snow-reporting from the centres themselves as yet.
North America
Canada
Opening day is very close for the 2013-14 ski season in Canada. Officially Lake Louise, Sunshine, Marmot Basin and Mt Norquay, all in Alberta, aim to open in a week's time on Friday, November 8th, but following recent snow storms and good snowmaking conditions Mt Norquay is now saying it will open this Friday, 1st November with 17cm of fresh snow and machine made snow too. Fellow Alberta resort Nakiska will open on Saturday, 2nd November.
USA
Heavy snowfall in California on Monday and Tuesday led to reports of up to 14 inch (35cm) accumulations around Lake Tahoe with the biggest accumulations at Alpine Meadows. The snow has led to speculation that one of the smaller areas, Boreal, may open this weekend.
The snow is expected to continue East and bring similar accumulations to Colorado by the weekend. Loveland, Arapahoe Basin and Wolf Creek (weekends) are already open so well placed to make the best of that, while Copper Mountain and Keystone which open on Friday 1st November look to have timed it perfectly.
Elsewhere Wild Mountain in Minnesota and Timberline in Oregon are also operating.
Southern Hemisphere
The 2013 season is over in the southern hemisphere. Turoa in New Zealand which still has 97cm of snow has decided to close for the season rather than continue in to 'Snovvember' as in recent years.
