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.
Snow Report Summary
Snow, snow and more snow this week...
This Week's Headlines
- Up to three feet of snow so far in the Alps in recent days, lots more expected.
- Winter storm Juno helps resorts in New England build their bases.
- Great conditions in Scotland as wind drops and sun comes out after fresh overnight snowfall.
- More snow in Eastern Europe.
La Clusaz this evening
The return to a normal snowy winter in the Alps is continuing with the rate of snowfall, already good over the past fortnight, ratcheting up a gear. The heavy snowfall expected in the current storm sytem began yesterday. The most optimistic forecasts are estimating as much as six feet (1.8m) of snow could fall on parts of the French Alps by Saturday morning. How correct they turn out to be remains to be seen, but at least 'significant' snow is expected in most Alpine areas.
In most cases now the main issue from the unusually mild start to the winter - thin cover down at resort level - is becoming a memory as bases build right to the foot of the slopes.
It's snowy in the Pyrenees, Eastern Europe, Scotland and Scandinavia too and whilst 'Winter Storm Juno' was not quite the Hollywood Armageddon blockbuster movie type event promised it has dumped significant snow on ski areas in New England this week.
In the forecast - Travel this Weekend???
The next few days are the ones to watch - heavy snow is already falling in the NW Alps, and this is forecast to continue - off and on - for the next 3-4 days. It's likely that many areas will see accumulations of over 1 metre, and even 2 metres in a few places over that timescale.
If you're travelling around The Alps this weekend you will need to be fully prepared for very snowy roads and possible road closures (we are hearing that the Col des Aravis will close tonight - expect other high passes and roads to be shut at times).
And beyond the storm; more cold, more snow... for The Alps, Pyrenees and Dolomites over the next week. The biggest falls are likely to be to the North and West of the Alpine region but useful snowfall is forecast for just about everywhere mountainous.
So be prepared for challenging conditions at times, with poor visibility and some quite cold temperatures and possible strong winds at times... but conditions underfoot, on-piste, are going to be generally superb next week.
Please go carefully, if venturing off-piste, as heavy snow on top of a still unstable base will lead to some large avalanches over the next few days.
Check the J2Ski Forecasts regularly for the latest updates!
The Alps
Austria
Resorts in Austria (and Germany to their north) have been reporting more substantial snowfall than those of the other big four Alpine nations over the past week, and like others the rate of snowfall is increasing. Most areas have seen 50cm or more of fresh snow in the last week, most at least a foot (30cm) and some nearly three feet (90cm). At the snowiest end of the scale, St Johann And Fieberbrunn report 80 and 85cm accumulated respectively. Lech (which reported 35cm yesterday, 25cm more today) has had more than two feet of new snow, as has Flachau and Pitzal, whilst more than 59cm has been reported at Mayrhofen and St Anton.
France
There's been snowfall across France, particularly in the last 36 hours, adding 20-40cm to bases across the country. Very heavy snow is expected to continue over the coming days with up to 1.5 metres more forecast for some resorts. Currently Valfrejus and La Grave, unusually, top the French snow depth league at 2m, but most resorts now have quite healthy bases at top and bottom. Most recently, today there have been healthy snowfalls (typically 20-30cm) reported right across the French alps with Chamonix, Avoriaz, Flaine, Megeve and others all posting big accumulations.
Italy
So far most of the fresh snow has fallen to the north and west of Italian areas although Cervinia – in the NW corner of course, did report 20cm of fresh snow in the last 24 hours, while nearby Courmayeur and Pila got slightly less – but they were about it for Italian snow this week, with nothing fresh reported in the Dolomites after last week's healthy snowfall. Bases remain largely good however, in fact Madesimo, with a reported 1.7m (nearly six feet) on lower slopes and 4.3m on upper runs has the deepest claimed base in the world at present. Elsewhere most Italian areas have 50cm+ on lower runs, a metre plus higher up so are in good shape on groomed trails.
Switzerland
Swiss resorts have shared in the big snow in the Alps of the past few days and placed second after Austria for snowfall to date – with quite a few posting 60-75cm accumulations in the last few days, among them Crans Montana (a foot of it overnight yesterday), Leysin, Murren, Arosa and les Diablerets. Most other areas have had 30-50cm and the snow is just expected to increase over the coming week. Lower slope base depths are again now good (30-90cm mostly, although unusually Europe's highest ski area, Zermatt, has posted the smallest at resort level with 10cm,although there's c2m up on the glacier). Up top it's typically 1-2m although Engelberg and Andermatt both have more than 3m/10 feet.
Scandinavia
Scandinavia's snowy winter continues, once again Voss in Norway has reported the most fresh snow (50cm this week) and deepest base (195cm,) but there have been more good snowfalls at resorts in Finland, Sweden and elsewehere in Norway.
Pyrenees
There's not been so much new snow in the Pyrenees although 10-15cm has fallen in Andorra and much more is in the forecast. But overall bases are down on where they were at the start of the month and runs are hard packed, with little off piste skiing worth having to be found. Bases are still fine on the pistes though – around 50cm at resort level, over a metre at the top.
Eastern Europe
There's been about a foot of fresh snow at slopes in Bulgaria and they're due a big snowfall too, with about double that in the forecast for the next week. Depths are 40-60cm at the base of the slopes, a metre more up top. It's a similar story in other Eastern European resorts.
Scotland
Scottish ski areas are in great shape for February thanks to ongoing snowfalls this week, scheduled to continue through the weekend and in to next week. So far the strong winds which can cause operational problems have not been too much of a factor and so most areas are largely or fully open with great snow conditions. The country's new sixth area in the Lowther Hills down in the Borders has also opened for the first time in the past few weeks, with lift served nursery slopes. The volunteer team are working on the final stages of installing a 400m tow for the main slope.
North America
Canada
Not a huge volume of fresh snow in Canada this week with Banff and kicking horse topping the charts with around 20cm each, but most other areas reporting only a centimetre or two. Base depths are largely good though so that's not a huge problem and rather more snow is expected in the coming week than the one just past.
USA
It has been east coast ski areas which, unusually, have seen the most fresh snow in the US this week as Winter Storm Juno dumped the white stuff. Attitash in New Hampshire has reported the biggest accumulation so far at nearly two feet, but most other areas in the region including Sunday River in Maine and Killington In Vermont have had at least a foot to 18 inches. It's a powder day there today. Out West the fresh snow has been much more modest with an inch in Colorado but resorts in California, which need it most reported two or three inches falling yesterday.