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Snow Report Summary
Snow in a few places this week, and a possible snow event of some significance in the forecast!
This Week's Headlines
- Up to a metre of fresh snow in the southern Alps.
- Fresh snow in the Pyrenees.
- World's deepest snow base nears 5 metres.
- Heavy snowfall - up to 1.8m/six feet - forecast in the Alps over the next week.
It's been a mixed picture for snowfall around the world over the past week. In Europe the Pyrenees and southern Alps got dumped on, the northern Alps stayed largely dry and sunny. In North America there's been over a foot of snow in some areas like Colorado, whilst it remains unseasonably warm further west and, very unusually, north.
In The Forecast!
The forecast models are pointing to significant snowfall over the next week or so which could add up to more than a metre at many areas in the Alps, and potentially double that at some resorts.
Still outside the reliable forecast time-frame, but it's looking likely that the North and Western Alps - in particular - may see 4 or 5 days of heavy snow next week. This will build further on already decent bases to set-up good skiing well into March.
If travelling this weekend - again! - there may be some heavy localized falls this coming Saturday, so check the forecast and road conditions en route.
Check the J2Ski Forecasts regularly for the latest updates!
New Snow Mail Features
Just a reminder of some new options for your Snow Reports by e-mail; Imperial Measurements (inches and Fahrenheit) and Snow Storm Early Warnings are now available in your J2Ski Profile.
The Alps
Austria
It has been a dry and largely sunny week in Austria with virtually no fresh snow reported (we're seeing 11cm at Obergurgl as the only snowfall in the last seven days). Although the off piste is skied out pretty much everywhere, conditions on the piste remain largely good thanks to accumulated snowfall, which remains at healthy depths for most areas. Only a few are starting to look a little thin down at resort level – Zell am See, Zell am Ziller and Solden are in the 5-15cm only bracket there, whilst Mayrhofen reports no snow cover at village level. Fresh snowfall is forecast over the coming week however with most areas expected to get at least 40cm, some as much as a metre, but most around 60cm/two feet.
France
In contrast to Austria, every major ski area in France has reported at least some fresh snow in the last seven days, but there's a great variety from only 2cm to more than 50cm, with the greater falls typically the further south you go – the biggest of all in the French Pyrenees, although the southern Alps also did well. Typically though, like Resorts like Risoul, Alpe d'Huez and Isola 2000 in the southern Alps have reported 20-30cm of new snow – although most of that was over last weekend when the snow crossed southern Europe. In the northern French Alps it was more commonly 5-10cm although Val Thorens claimed 20cm. Base depths remain good across the country and some big snowfalls are forecast over the coming week, the most optimistic totalling around six feet/1.8m before the end of the month.
Italy
Italian resorts reported the biggest snowfalls in the alps in the last week, with most of it falling between Sunday and Monday, rebalancing the snowfall stats this season a little, as they'd previously favoured the other three of the big four Alpine ski nations. Macugnaga claimed the biggest snowfall in the world this week with a metre of fresh snow, whilst Madesimo has the deepest snow in the world at 4.8m after reporting three feet/90cm of new snow. Most resorts in the west of the country received 30-60cm but sadly the dolomites missed out again with closer to 5-10cm, of new snow.
Switzerland
Swiss ski areas have also been divided on snowfall – with a few areas like Saas Fee and Zermatt in the south of the country receiving around a foot of snow from the weekend storms, but most areas receiving nothing, or at most just a few inches. Again conditions on the piste remain largely very good, with generally clear conditions on well covered and prepared ski runs. As for the rest of the Alps some serious snowfall also forecast for Switzerland with a metre or more expected in the next 10 days at most areas here.
Scandinavia
Another moderately snowy week in Scandinavia with Norway seeing the lion's share of fresh snowfall (up to 50cm reported), Sweden rather less but Finland none at all. Most slopes are open with good cover at most areas, with Voss still reporting the most fresh snow and the deepest snowbase (2m) in the region, but all other major resorts having snow at least 70cm deep and in many cases double that.
Pyrenees
It has been the snowiest week for a fortnight in the Pyrenees with snowfalls of 40-50cm reported on both the French and Spanish sides of the southerly mountain range. In Andorra, in between, there's been less fresh snow but still a significant 20cm or so of new cover. Snow depths remain very good across the region.
Eastern Europe
Small snowfalls of 2-10cm have been reported in the last week in Eastern European areas, but bases remain extremely good thanks to earlier snow storms which brought deep cover. It's been sunny on the slopes most of the last week, with superb conditions.
Scotland
Scotland's recent 'mostly good' conditions have continued through the half term holiday period and this season is looking like one of the best since the 'best-this-century' 2010-11 winter in terms of operational days this season. This being Scotland it's not THAT simple, strong winds have affected operations this week with Glencoe particularly badly hit, closed for several days, and Cairngorm suspending lift ticket sales when the terrain it could open filled up. Some of the UK's warmest weather mid-week led to a thaw too with runs at the three central and eastern areas (Cairngorm, The Lecht and Glenshee) affected, but not yet disastrously with most terrain still open. Fresh snow and lower temperatures are now forecast.
North America
Canada
The unusually warm weather in Western Canada, blamed on the same Pacific weather trend that has kept areas on the West coast of the US with much diminished snowfall, has continued with very little snow and very mild conditions in the west of the country. Marmot Basin in northern Alberta did report six inches of snow and excitedly announced it was the snowy exception. Some smaller areas like Mount Washington and Castle Mountain which normally receive more than 10m of snow a year remain closed having only received less than a quarter of that so far and nothing recently. Cover on the pistes remains good though. Very little fresh snow reported in the east of the country either this week.
USA
Mixed snow reports across the US once again with a fourth week of significant snowfalls in New England – some areas reporting a foot of fresh snow in the past 24 hours (mostly in New Hampshire at resorts including Attitash and Cannon)– and also some of the best snowfalls for a few weeks further west in Colorado. Breckenridge reported 14 inches (35cm) midweek for example and published some great powder pics. There were also big snowfalls further west still in Alaska where Alyeska reports the most snow in the country this week – with 60cm/two feet of fresh powder – jumping northwest over the unseasonably warm north west sector south of the Canadian border.