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.
Plenty of snow, plenty of sun, in Les Arcs today... picture courtesy of the Tourist Office
This Week's Snow Headlines
- Mammoth blast through 5m snow depth mark.
- A snowy week in the Pyrenees with up to a foot of fresh snow.
- Whistler reports 140cm (nearly five feet) of fresh snow this week.
- Chamonix claims 7m lying on upper slopes.
- Resorts in New England begin closing early at the premature end of a season to forget.
Snowfall in the Alps has slowed dramatically over the past week with most areas reporting no more than 10cm of new snow. Chamonix however claims its upper slope base has now reached an amazing 7m after the latest snow. However in the last 24 hours some big falls have been reported in one small corner of the mountains down between Grenoble and Turin with the small southerly Italian area of Limone getting an 80cm accumulation they say.
There's not been a great deal of fresh snow reported in Scandinavia, and there's been a bit of a thaw in Scotland but new snow has been welcomed in Bulgaria and the Pyrenees.
Across the Atlantic there have been huge snowfalls once again on the West Coast with Mammoth breaking the 5m base depth as a result and whistler reporting nearly 1.4m of fresh snow this week. The dismal season in the East is grinding to a halt with areas starting to close early.
In The Alpine Forecast
There doesn't look to be much fresh snow in the forecast for next week, with temperatures around their seasonal averages as we edge into Spring, and generally clear conditions forecast. There is a possibility of snow in the last week of March, but that's way beyond the reliable timeframe of the forecasts at present.
With deep bases just about everywhere now, late season and Spring skiing options for Europe are looking great!
The Alps
Austria
The snowy weather seems to have come to an end for the time being in Austria – most areas have had between 5 and 15cm (2-6 inches) of snow in the past week and similar accumulations are expected next week as well. Bases are, on the whole, fairly good; even lower elevation ski areas have 50-60cm (two feet) on upper runs and most have snow down to valley level. A few of the lowest, such as Mayrhofen, say they're snowless again in the village, though with a metre up top. The deepest bases are, as always, up on the glaciers, with over 3m, at Solden, Kaunertal and Pitztal and 2.5m at the Stubai.
France
Little fresh snow reported in France this week with the biggest accumulations down in the Pyrenees where some resorts got 30cm or more of new snow. In the Southern Alps, resorts like Serre Chevalier claimed 10cm of fresh. Chamonix says it got another 40cm up top however and that the base there is 7m – the first in the world to claim such a base depth this season.
Elsewhere bases remain good across most French resorts with many areas reporting 2-3m on upper slopes (3.5m at Flaine) and base depths at lower levels pretty good too – over 50cm in most cases although 25cm for Chamonix and at the very base of La Plagne.
Italy
Not much snow for Italy either, with the exception of the West of the country reporting 60-80cm accumulations in the past 24 hours. However for the past week as a whole the Dolomites have seen the most snow, marginally, with Arabba reporting 20cm of snow – most other areas got 5-10cm of snow. Most Italian ski areas have at least a metre on upper runs now and those over 2m are divided between Dolomites (Eg Madonna di Campiglio or Passo Tonale) and Alps (eg Cervinia and La Thuile). The latter is currently claiming the deepest base in the country at just under 3m. Of the big four Alpine nations Italy looks most likely to receive some significant snowfall – possible 2-3 feet (60-90cm), in the coming week.
Switzerland
Very little snow in Switzerland over the past week with Adelboden and St Moritz getting 10cm each the biggest accumulations reported – for most it was 2-6cm. Base depths are generally fairly good although getting thin in a few valleys – 10cm at Grindelwald and 20cm at Wengen for example but on the whole up at 30cm or more. Up top it's a different story with most areas having at least a metre on their higher runs and some areas including Murren, Saas Fee, Crans Montana and Andermatt more than three metres. Engelberg has the biggest Swiss base at 3.8m. Similar conditions but with possibly slightly bigger snowfalls, are expected in the coming week.
Scandinavia
A fairly snowless week in Scandinavia for the first time this season. Bases have held firm however and most areas still have a metre of snow lying, some (eg Voss in Norway) as much as 2.5m. A return to snowier conditions is expected in the week ahead with 10-15cm expected.
Pyrenees
Snowfall has been reported across the Pyrenees with up to 209cm of fresh snow report in Andorra, a foot on the French side (at Cauterets) and 40cm at Baqueira Beret (in Spain) Base depths are fairly healthy across the region – typically in the 1.5-2.35, bracket at the major ski areas. Down in Sierra Nevada in southern Spain which had almost no snow until February, there's now a 2m base on upper runs and most of the area's terrain has finally opened.
Eastern Europe
There's been fresh snow in Bulgaria at last – great news for the ski areas there with Bansko and Pamporovo particularly excited by the fresh cover. Poiana Brasov in Romania also reported 15cm of fresh cover. Elsewhere there's been little fresh snow further north with just a few inches on the slopes of Slovenia and the Czech and Slovak Republics but bases appear to be holding up.
Scotland
All five Scottish ski areas are open and all reporting 'spring skiing' conditions after some exceptionally warm days with temperatures in the valleys well in to double figures this week – the warmest in the UK at times. Most areas have around 60% of terrain open, although Glencoe is almost completely open. They all report better conditions high up and grassy patches appearing around lower runs.
North America
Canada
Whistler has reported one of the biggest snowfalls in the world this past week – 1.4m or nearly five feet. It led the way for a snowy week in western Canada with Big White passing the 3m/10 feet base mark after 20cm joining Fernie who are already there. Whistler has the deepest base at 3.5m now though. There were smaller snowfalls in Alberta and over on the east virtually no fresh snow in Quebec although the snowfalls in late February and earlier this month have kept upper slope base depths up around the metre mark at Mont Sainte Anne and Tremblant.
USA
Mixed fortunes continue in the US with some huge snowfalls once again in the West but the sad end of a lacklustre season at some resorts in the east, including iconic Mad River Glen in Vermont which has no snowmaking and called it a day on winter 15-16 this week. The biggest destination areas like Killington remain open but with only limited terrain. Out West it's a very different story with up to 70cm accumulations in the last seven days in California, much of it coming in big snow storms at the start of this week when many resorts posted 40-50cm falls in 24 hours. Mammoth now has a 510cm (17 foot) base. The snow also fell again in Colorado and Utah in slightly smaller volumes.