Snowfall for the NW Alps, accumulations of 1 metre / 3 feet to Tuesday, from Ventusky
Big snowfalls are underway in the Northern and Western Alps, while California has also seen significant snowfall. Austria experienced up to 35 cm/14 inches of snow in 48 hours last weekend, and powder conditions have finally arrived in Utah.
The Snow Headlines - January 8th
- Big snowfall underway in Northern and Western Alps.
- More heavy snow in California; some areas have now had over 2 m/6.5 ft since Christmas.
- Up to 35 cm/14 inches of snowfall in 48 hours in the Austrian Alps last weekend.
- Powder conditions in Utah as significant snowfall finally arrives.
- Scottish centres start to open terrain beyond all-weather snow areas.
- Torrential rain closes some resorts on the US West Coast.
Snow in the forecast.
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World Overview
Perhaps the biggest news of the week, for European skiers at least, is that a major storm system is now moving into the NW Alps, with forecasts of accumulations exceeding 1 m/3.3 ft in places by Monday.
This is excellent news as most areas haven't seen a meaningful top-up for a month, leaving little or no fresh off-piste snow. Major resorts still maintain the bulk of their groomed terrain, with some even improving cover for the New Year peak, despite reports of icy, hard-packed conditions.
Northern Europe has generally fared better over the past week, with Scandinavia, Scotland, and parts of Czechia, Poland, and Slovakia receiving 20–50 cm/8–20 inches from an Arctic blast.
North America presents a mixed picture: deep new snow for some and rain-damaged slopes for others. Canada and the northern US remain very cold with solid bases, while the West Coast battles rain at lower levels, while on higher slopes, the snow is metres deep. The Northern Rockies, especially Utah, enjoyed fresh powder, but parts of Colorado continue to struggle.
Europe
Austria
Austrian resorts have enjoyed their best week since late November, with freezing temperatures from valley level upwards and a return of fresh snowfall after a mostly dry month. Some have had just a few centimetres/ inches, but others, like famously powdery Flachau, reported up to 35 cm/14 inches in 24 hours. Obertauern began the week with around 20 cm/8 inches of new snow.
The SkiWelt has now overtaken Ischgl/Samnaun to offer the most open terrain in the country, with over 200 km/124 miles of slopes, surpassing larger areas such as the Arlberg and Saalbach, which have a lower percentage of their terrain open.
More snow is expected here over the coming week, with 30–40 cm/12–16 inches forecast for Friday/Saturday in the north.
France
France's widely anticipated New Year snowfalls failed to materialise, disappointing lower-lying resorts that had hoped for 70 cm/28 inches after a dry December. Some, like Morzine, reported a centimetre or two of fresh snow, and cold temperatures have made snowmaking possible.
The good news is that major snowfall has now returned on a fresh front from the north, expected to intensify over the weekend. Short-term downsides include strong winds, and dangerously high avalanche danger before conditions settle.
Regardless, most of the country's major resorts have 70–90% of their slopes open and managed to open more during the peak New Year week. Les 3 Vallées has about 75% of its slopes open.
We'll be reporting from Les Arcs and the Three Valleys next week - so watch this space!
Italy
Northwestern Italy received the most snowfall in Europe over the final weeks of December and was expecting another round of snowfall in the first few days of this month, but like France, it failed to arrive, with just a centimetre or two.
However, it has been very cold across the country, with daytime lows dipping to -20°C/-4°F at times at around 3,000 m/9,842 ft. Livigno experienced a low of -18.5°C/-1°F at the start of the week, and freezing temperatures have dropped well below base level.
Despite the lack of fresh snowfall, Italian centres have generally increased the amount of groomed terrain open, with the Via Lattea inching ahead of Val Gardena, now offering over 200 km/124 miles of slopes compared to Val Gardena's 170 km/106 miles.
Switzerland
Fresh snow has reached parts of Switzerland this week, with eastern and northern resorts seeing 10–20 cm/4–8 inches of snow after a surge of Arctic air, while many western and southern areas remained mostly dry. Heavier snowfall has now started and is expected to continue in many areas through the weekend.
Andermatt posted 6 cm/2 inches, Davos 8 cm/3 inches, and the Aletsch Arena 11 cm/4 inches. Most pistes above 1,800 m/5,906 ft are now open, with Verbier and its surrounding 4 Vallées having around 60% of terrain available, and Zermatt is at about 80%.
Glacier 3000 still boasts the country and the world's deepest base at nearly 4 m/13.1 ft.
Colder, more unsettled weather is moving in, bringing strengthening winds and increasing snowfall, especially at higher elevations.
Scandinavia
Scandinavian resorts have enjoyed a solid week, with regular snowfall and slowly lengthening daylight. Levi in northern Finland even saw the sun briefly rise on New Year's Day after three weeks below the horizon, and daylight hours are now extending daily.
Western Norway's snowpack is still around half its usual depth, though Røldal gained 25 cm/10 inches over the holidays.
Sweden's Åre continues to offer the most open terrain, with roughly 45 km/28 miles of runs, and Salen posted a 35 cm/14 inches snowfall.
A deep Arctic air mass should continue to keep the region extremely cold, with temperatures of -20°C/-4°F to -30°C/-22°F on many summits, light snowfall, sharp wind-chill, and occasional white-outs, but no major storms are expected.
Pyrenees
Cold conditions have dominated the Pyrenees too, with daytime temperatures barely rising above freezing even in the valleys and overnight lows plunging below -10°C/14°F at altitude. Light, occasional snowfall has alternated with sunny spells and some cloudy but dry days.
Overall, the region still offers some of Europe's best coverage following December snowfalls that mostly surpassed those in the Alps, with 70–90% of terrain open. Andorra's Grandvalira (Pas de la Casa, Soldeu, etc.) leads with around 90% of its 210 km/130 miles of runs now skiable.
More wintry weather is incoming, with frequent snow showers, heavier falls late in the week, very cold upper-mountain temperatures, and reduced visibility during gusty periods.
Scotland
It's been one of the best weeks in recent seasons on Scottish slopes, with consistent sub-zero temperatures and regular snowfalls. The only downside has been amber weather warnings closing roads and the fact that there was so little snow cover before this current cold snap; more is needed for most centres to open runs beyond the small areas currently created with all-weather snowmaking.
That said, Cairngorm did manage to reopen higher terrain and currently has a top-to-bottom run open. The Lecht and Glenshee have also managed to open terrain beyond the machine-made snow areas, and Glencoe is offering its snow-covered dry slopes as a beginner area along with its access chairlift to give ski tourers a lift up.
Eastern Europe
Arctic air pushed into Northeastern Europe on New Year's Eve, triggering the strongest snowfall of the season so far and finally delivering widespread fresh cover.
Resorts across the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland benefited, with Tatranská Lomnica recording Europe's highest two-day total into New Year's Day with a foot of snow. Černá hora, another Czechia resort, reported 40 cm/16 inches by the 3rd.
Many neighbouring areas picked up 10–25 cm/4–10 inches, including Slovakia's Jasna and Poland's Zakopane.
Beyond the reach of the Arctic blast, the news was less positive further south, with Bulgaria experiencing a dry week with warmer base temperatures than last week, limiting improvements, although Borovets is up from less than 2% to nearly 20% of its slopes open now and reported colder weather and fresh snowfall on Thursday.
North America
Canada
Bitter cold has settled across Canada's mountains, with temperatures remaining below freezing around the clock. Daytime readings have hovered between -1°C/30°F and -5°C/23°F, dropping to about -15°C/5°F overnight in the west and -25°C/-13°F in the east.
Most resorts have seen little new snow, with only light daily top-ups.
Revelstoke currently reports Canada's deepest base at over 2 m/6.5 ft and is nearly fully open. Whistler Blackcomb is about 90% open, with more frequent snowfall this week than most, but occasional strong winds are causing some issues.
Eastern Canada has been sunny but extremely cold. Quebec's Mont Tremblant is 90% open, the most in the east, while Ontario's Blue Mountain has the region's deepest cover.
USA
It's a complex picture across the US.
On the West Coast, Christmas storms opened huge amounts of terrain, especially in California, but incoming Pacific systems have split fortunes: fresh snow for some, rain for others. The warm spells forced closures at some centres, although many have seen fresh heavy snowfall since. Palisades Tahoe picked up around two feet/61 cm in a day.
Light flurries precede a stronger system late in the week, set to deliver heavier snow to the Sierra and Mammoth. Further north, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska remain wintry.
Inland, the Northern Rockies enjoyed their best snow so far, and there was powder at last for parts of Utah—the return of their trademarked "greatest snow on earth." However, some big-name resorts further south in Colorado still have only a small fraction of their runs open. The East Coast remains cold and snowy, with New York and New England seeing the biggest accumulations this week.