J2Ski Snow Report - January 24th 2013

The J2Ski Snow Report - Week Ending January 25th 2013
(* Free to re-publish in whole or part so long as credited to www.J2ski.com with hyperlink to http://www.j2ski.com/snow_forecast )

This Week and Next - in Brief

Yet more snow blessed much of The Alps, The Pyrenees and most of Europe this week, with heavy snows reported all the way from Scotland down to Sierra Nevada in Spain.

Further snows are expected early next week, although temperatures are forecast to rise above seasonal averages as January ends.

This Week's Headlines

- More huge snowfalls in the Pyrenees - up to 1.5m in 4 days
- All five Scottish areas open again.
- Up to 75cm of snow in the past week in the Dolomites.
- Some big snowfalls in the French Alps again.
- Snow depth reaches 4m mark in the Alps at Andermatt.

Europe
Austria
A snowy week in Austria again with an average 30cm fresh cover at most areas in the country. Upper slope base depths are generally around 1.5m but the deepest snow bases are naturally highest on the highest slopes with Pitztal on 2.9m (nearly 10 feet).

Resorts reporting good snow falls include Bad Kleinkirchheim (30cm), Obergurgl (29cm) and Serfaus (30cm). Lech, with 225cm on higher slopes boasting one of the deepest bases of the country's big ski areas, has had a 10cm top up. The snowy weather is expected to continue over the next few days but ease towards the weekend.

France
There's been lots more fresh snow in France and no sign of a dry spell either with plenty more snow expected over the next week. Bases have now reached 3.5m at some resorts (Chamonix Valley).

Accumulations over the past week have typically been in the 20-40cm bracket with some of the bigger accumulations over the past week reported at Alpe d'Huez (37cm), Chatel (36cm), Flaine (31cm), Meribel (27cm), Val d'Isere (30cm) and Val Thorens (29cm). However La Plagne is way ahead of the rest with a 60cm accumulation claimed taking upper slope base depth to 210cm, indeed above 1800m most resorts in the northern French Alps now have at least a 2m base meaning, bar catastrophic melt down, the remainder of the season is secure even if it stopped snowing now, and there's no sign that that's imminent. On the downside, the avalanche risk is very high off piste. In the south west of the country there have been huge snowfalls in the Pyrenees (see separate entry below)

Italy
The Dolomites have had a second successive snowy week although there's been fresh snow in the Italian Alps too. Big achievers over the past 7 days include Val Gardena with a remarkable 75cm (2.5 feet) ,Arabba on the Sella Ronda circuit with 58cm (that's less than an inch off two feet) and Cortina with 55cm, all three are resorts on the Dolomiti Superski pass. Madonna di Campiglio also got a hefty 50cm.

Over in the Alps, Cervinia, which has one of the deepest bases in the country at 205cm, reported another 25cm of snow, Livigno got 11 inches (28cm) and Madesimo 35cm. It and Passo Tonale share the deepest-base-of-a-major-resort-in-Italy title at present, both with 2.5m.

Switzerland
The Swiss resort of Andermatt received another 20cm off snow over the past week taking its snow depth up to 4m, the first resort in Europe to reach that total this season, and just a little way behind the reported deepest snow depth in the world at present – over in California. Quite a few other Swiss resorts are well past the 3m/10 feet mark on upper slopes too including Gstaad with 3.2m and Engelberg with 3.7m.

Snowfall has typically been 20-40ccm at most Swiss resorts over the past week and snow is expected to continue although at a slightly lower volumes over next week too. Big winners in the past week include Arosa (30ccm), Champery (35cm), Klosters (25cm), Les Diablerets (31cm), Lenzerheide and St Moritz (both 30cm) and Villars (40cm).

Pyrenees
Spectacular snowfall has continued in the Pyrenees which has reported more snowfall than anywhere else on the planet over the past seven days, following on from big falls the previous week. The result is some of deepest snow seen for a decade, according to Baqueira Beret which announced 1.5m (five feet) of snow fell in 4 days to the end of last week. A similar accumulation has been reported on the French side over the past week at Cauterets. In between resorts in Andorra have had up to 60cm of snow and bases at Vallnord have reached 2.4m (eight feet) at Arcalis.

Scandinavia
Very little new snow to report in Scandinavia, as has been the norm since the start of the year, but temperatures are low so bases are staying in good shape and not reducing across the region. The deepest snow bases are around a metre in Lillehammer and Hemsedal in Norway, with 80cm lying at Voss. In Lapland its typically 60-70cm at northern Finnish resorts like Levi and Yllas whilst the regions biggest resort, Area in Sweden, is reporting a 60cm base. All or almost all runs and lifts are operating at every resort.

Eastern Europe
Bansko in Bulgaria had a good snowfall amounting to nearly 20cm at the end of last week and its upper slope base depth is reported at 1.1m as a result, breaking the metre mark for the first time this season but still below other Bulgarian resorts Borovets (1.3m) and Pamporovo (1.8m). Kranjska Gora in Slovenia had a bigger fall still, over the same period, adding 25cm to reach a 90cm base and an 8cm fall on Saturday brought Poiana Brasov in Romania's base up to 60cm.

Scotland
There's still no stability for Scottish ski areas but at least there have been temperatures well below freezing for nearly a fortnight now after the big thaw the week before, and although strong winds have meant the notorious snow fences have come in to play and the wind chill has been pretty substantial on occasion, all five currently have at least some terrain open as we compile this report. None have all terrain open though, but that could change with more snow forecast towards the end of the week – surprisingly Scottish slopes have not seen the full benefit of the recent wintry weather in the UK which initially affected England and Wales far more.

North America
Canada
Canada is looking increasingly snowy after a bright, cold but comparatively dry January to date at most areas. The lack of heavy snow is not a problem as depths are already very healthy, but more fresh powder is always good. Red Mountain, in BC, which is one of the snowiest at present, reports that it expects snowfall on nine of the next ten days. Red has one of the deepest snowbases in the country with 203cm but most other western areas are within a few centimetres of that – Big White with 187cm, Whistler 180cm with and Sun Peaks with 168cm for example. However unusually some of the biggest snowfalls of the past week have been in Eastern Canada in Quebec where Mont Sainte Anne reports 31cm of snow in 24 hours its neighbour Stoneham with a total of 37cm over 48 hours. Over in Ontario Blue Mountain has had 23cm.

USA
There's been less freshs now in the US this past week than the previous few, Colorado sadly continues to stand out, as it did for the same unfortunate reason this time last season, for its lack of snowfall with base depths at best 55-70cm at some of the world's highest ski areas including Arapahoe basin and Breckenridge.

More snow is now forecast though and there should be at least six inches of new snow to freshen up hard packed pistes by this time next week, and in the south of the state resorts like telluride and crested Butte may get a foot (30cm) or more.

Otherwise, generally, the further West and North you go the better it gets. Utah resorts have had a dry week too but base depths are typically double that in Colorado – nearer 1.5m. Move west and it doubles again at some resorts, Squaw Valley reports 2.9m although Mammoth has the deepest snow base of any major resort in North America at 4.9m although new snow there for 10 days. Big Sky up in Montana reported the biggest snowfall of the past week in the country at 35cm but it's also been snowing in the East with Stowe reporting 10cm of fresh snow, half of it on Sunday and Sugarbush 15cm.