Re-publication :- our Snow Report Summary, being the text up to "The Alps", is free to re-publish, but must be clearly credited to www.J2ski.com with text including "J2Ski Snow Report" linked to this page - thank you.
Heavy cloud around Les Arcs this afternoon
Our first February Snow Report is a bit of corker! We're excited...
This Week's Snow Headlines
- Big resorts in the Alps report up to 60cm+ snowfalls in 24 hour periods over the last few days.
- Biggest total snowfall this season, at Alyeska in Alaska, nears 12metres.
- Storm boosts snow cover at some Scottish areas, diminishes it at others.
- Up to 1.2m of fresh snow in 7 days reported by resorts in the Swiss Alps.
- Still little fresh snow in the southern Alps or Dolomites.
- Up to a metre of snow this week in Western North America
It has been a mostly snowy week in the alps, although yo-yoing temperatures took rain to quite high altitudes at times, and milder days have been interspersed with snow to levels below 1,000m.
Elsewhere in Europe it has been more of the same (lack of snow) in the Dolomites and Eastern Europe and nothing fresh in the Pyrenees but all are forecast to get some healthy falls in the next week.
Scandinavia has seen some big dumps and in Scotland it's a mixed picture with some areas re-opening after the thaw and others not.
Across the Atlantic it has also been more of the same; huge snowfalls in the West once again, not much in the East.
In The Alpine Forecast
As if the headlines weren't enough, it's the forecast for next week that's really piqued our interest!
Although there is still some uncertainty as to the detail, this weekend should see the last warm day on Saturday before temperatures take a dip and snow moves in on Sunday. For some areas - particularly the North and West Alps - this is beginning to look like a major 3 or 4 day storm with heavy snow, but very strong winds at times. Snow continues to be a feature through next week, and throughout the following week (usual caveats apply - that's too far ahead to be certain, but it looks good!).
What marks out the currently forecast snow for next week, however, is that it includes significant snowfall for all the main European mountain ranges; The Alps (of course), French and Spanish Pyrenees, and the Dolomites are ALL in the firing line. In fact, it's proving difficult to find a European ski area without snow in the forecast...
Possible Travel and Transfer Disruption
If you are travelling this weekend, please check the forecast. Although Saturday (currently) looks reasonably clear, Sunday's forecast snow storms will disrupt travel across a wide area.
We would also expect there to be some lift closures and occasional white-outs due to high winds and blizzard conditions.
If you're heading out for half-term later this month, or the weeks either side, you might want to be practicing your smug look... 8)
The Alps
Austria
A mixed picture across Austria with most ski areas reporting at least 10cm of snow in the last week, some (Obergurgl) as much as 70cm. St Anton has reported a foot (30cm) in the past 24 hours alone (on top of 20cm on Monday and making a 70cm total for the week too) and Ski Juwel (Alpbach and Wildschonau) even more – 35cm/14 inches. The difference between the snowfall up top and down below is perhaps best illustrated by Solden which has 225cm up on its glacier but rather less in resort with just 15cm. But all in all most Austrian resorts have good cover on higher slopes and moderate to good on lower runs.
France
The snow has been falling thick and fast in France too with up to 90cm (three feet) of fresh reported in the last seven days (at Chamonix – where the base has started to build again too, up from 3m to 3.2m). Many areas have reported 25-50cm of new snow this week. The snow has been falling heavily in the last 24 hours with Alpe d'Huez, La Rosiere, Flaine and Tignes all reporting 20-30cm or more since yesterday. Les Arcs, Val d'Isere , La Plagne and Flaine are all reporting upper slope base depths at or around the 2m mark and even at the base of the slopes most areas have at least 50cm lying and many much more – 90cm in Avoriaz for example, 110cm at Val Thorens. Only the far southern Alps and resorts like Isola 2000 (35cm base) are not performing so well with no fresh snow.
Italy
For much of Italy East of the Alps it has been another fairly dry week with the snow cloud passing to the north. In the Dolomites resorts continue to rely on machine made snow on brown slopes, bases are 20-40cm in what's now becoming one of the worst snowfall seasons on record. However if forecasts are correct that may be about to finally change in the coming week with big falls of 50-100cm predicted. In the Alps in the west of Italy there's no such problem, Cervinia reported another 50cm of snow this week and continues to have the country's deepest snowbase at 2.1m with La Thuile a foot behind on 1.8m.
Switzerland
Swiss ski areas have reported the biggest snowfalls in Europe over the last week with Engelberg and Grindelwald reporting 105cm and nearly four feet (1.2m) of snow respectively this week, half of it in the last 24 hours. Engelberg's base has gone past the 11 foot mark to 335cm – deepest in Europe – as a result. Conditions are generally good across Switzerland but perhaps the most exciting news is that resorts which have had a poor winter for snowfall this season so far have started having significant snowstorms – including St Moritz and Arosa, the latter receiving 50cm in the past week, and both are in line for their biggest falls of the season to date over the coming week if predictions are correct.
Scandinavia
Some big snowfalls in Scandinavia too with the little Norwegian powder haven of Roldal reporting over a metre of new snow in the last week, whilst coastal Voss has gone back to its snowy ways and is the first in Scandinavia to pass the metre base depth mark this season at 145cm after receiving over three feet (90cm) of snow in the past week. Elsewhere the region's biggest resort, Are in Sweden, has had a foot of new snow and conditions are general good across the area.
Pyrenees
There's been almost no fresh snow in the Pyrenees this week but conditions are generally holding up with 60-90cm base depths the norm thanks to previous snowfalls. The good news is that more snow is in the forecast for the next few days – with up to a foot of fresh cover expected by this time next week.
Eastern Europe
Little fresh snow to report in eastern Europe but there has been a few inches in countries like Romania and Slovenia where bases are typically in the 30-60cm region. Down in Bulgaria bases are a bit better but there's been no fresh snow, however that seems likely to change in the coming week with up to 50cm of fresh snow expected.
Scotland
Storm Henry has had an odd effect on Scotland's ski areas - despite their relative proximity to one another, some seem to have done very well out of it (him?) others very badly. The Lecht, for example, is back to being virtually fully operational after a previous thaw a week ago wiped out most of its skiing, but it's near neighbour Glenshee is currently closed for lack of snow. In The West, Nevis range has limited terrain open but Glencoe is almost fully operational. Cairngorm isn't looking too good and we're just coming up to another 24 hour of warm temperatures across Scotland before they dip again on Friday.
North America
Canada
It has been snowy again in Western Canada – at least towards the coastal side of BC, but there's not been much new snow elsewhere. Big White was the stand-out Canadian resort for snow this week issuing an 'extreme snowfall' alert on Monday and clocking up over two feet (65cm) of fresh powder since the weekend. It has the country's second deepest base at 2.6m, 10cm behind Fernie. Whistler got a foot of snow and is looking good with a 215cm (seven foot) base. There were a few inches of new snow in the East too where it's particularly needed and the good news is that significant snowfall is forecast for Quebec over the coming week too.
USA
Amazing pictures of deep snow at Mammoth in California, which got another 70cm of snow, have been doing the rounds on social media this week. Mammoth now has the deepest reported base of any major ski area in the world at 3.8m. Right across the Western US there's been still more heavy snow and at Alyeska in Alaska, the snowiest resort on earth this year, the snowfall-to-date this season is on 11.6m and heading fast towards 12m. However the biggest totals for the last seven days have come from Colorado with a metre at Aspen and 80cm, at Vail. Over on the East coast the numbers are less impressive with moderate cover and only a few inches of fresh snow.