It's "snowing everywhere" in Perisher, Australia, apparently...
J2Ski's Where To Ski or Snowboard In August 2017
Top 100 Snowiest Ski Areas Worldwide
This Week's Snow Headlines
- Huge snowfalls in New Zealand.
- Fresh snow in the Alps.
- Californian ski area staying open into August, to make 9 month season.
- Big snowfalls in South America.
- Deepest snow at open centres; 3m in northern hemisphere, 2.7m in southern hemisphere.
- Fresh snow in Africa
- Good snowfalls in Australia
July was a mostly cold and snowy month on the ski slopes of the southern hemisphere meaning that after a problematic June for snow in several areas, most resorts are now set up for the remainder of their seasons in to September and October.
There was even a little fresh snow at the end of July in the European Alps on high glacier slopes. Here the summer ski season is coming to an end with more centres opening than closing so we are down to less than 10 places to choose from in Europe in August and that number will drop further by the end of the month - the lowest it has been this century.
Always check local conditions and resort opening times directly before travelling!
Re-publication :- our Snow Report Summary, being the text above this line, 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.
NORTHERN HEMISPHERE
The Alps
Another glacier ski centre, Saas Fee, opened in July but more centres ended their long seasons (Kitzsteinhorn, Dachstein and Val d'Isere) so we are down to seven glaciers open as we start the month, with several more of them expected to close through the month as 'the summer ski season' really ends at the end of August with half-a-dozen centres soldiering on in to September before the big Autumn opening commences a few weeks later.
Perhaps the most exciting thing about glacier skiing in the last week of July was fresh snow, with centres like Tignes and even currently closed glacier centres like Pitztal in Austria posting pictures and video of fresh snowfall inches of fresh snowfall.
Glacial retreat due to climate change is an ongoing problem for the remaining summer ski areas and the Superpark on the Dachstein Glacier which closed for the 16-17 season recently has announced it is ending and will not be rebuilt this autumn in order to protect the retreating glacier there as much as they can.
The snow was particularly welcome at Tignes which is reporting the thinnest snow base at 20cm, however it is also scheduled to end summer skiing earlier than usual this season, on the first Sunday of the month – August 6th. Les 2 Alpes, with 20 runs open and a 5cm base, is scheduled to stay open to the start of September.
In Austria the Molltal glacier continues to report the deepest base in Europe at more than 2.5 metres but there' only 3km of trails open here. It's more like 20km on the year-round Hintertux.
Italy's two glacier ski centres re Cervinia (4 runs open and a 60cm base) and Passo Stelvio (six runs to choose from and a one metre base on the glacier ice).
In Switzerland, as mentioned, Saas Fee re-opened to begin its 9 month ski season through to spring next year. It reports a 90cm base with 10 runs open. It's year-round ski-centre neighbour Zermatt currently reports a 60cm base and has 14km of trails open.
Scandinavia
Norway's Fonna and Stryn glaciers have already ended their 2017 summer ski seasons so only one of the three glacier snow fields in Scandinavia remains open as the only outdoor place to ski in the country in August: Galdhoppigen. The snow base here is reported to be 300-400cm with the usual lift and run operating along with the terrain park.
North America
With Whistler Blackcomb ending its summer glacier skiing last month and Squaw Valley calling it a day after an eight month ski season too there are three snow sports centres still open in the USA as we enter August, although only one of these will be open after the first weekend of the month.
Mammoth Mountain will stay open to 6th August, its second latest ever closing. It enters August with 10 runs open and 80cm left of its 880cm winter base after very warm temperatures in California. Copper Mountain in Colorado, currently with a terrain park open will also close its snowsports after the 6th.
That leaves only Timberline on Mt Hood in Oregon expecting to stay open through August. It has three lifts operating serving intermediate and advanced terrain on the snowfield, a terrain park and pipe.
Southern Hemisphere
Australia
Australian ski areas received fresh snow over and over through much of July. Never particularly huge falls but enough to keep centres buzzing and gradually build bases for the last full month of skiing in 2017 for most – August - before things wind down in September. It's certainly looking much better than during the warm dry June when Aussie centres struggled to open more than the odd run. Now most areas are operating all lifts and runs, or almost. Base depths have reached the 1m mark at Mt Hotham and most other areas are reporting 70cm+ lying.
New Zealand
New Zealand had a mixed bag of weather at the start of the season with some South Island areas managing to operate OK but North Island areas reporting unseasonably warm, dry weather and in some cases delaying planned openings.
July has been very different with some weather extremes bring one metre snowfalls in just a few days leading, ironically, to some of the centres that had to delay their season starts having to close for days to clear snow from roads and dig out lifts. As we enter August there are still some big snowfalls happening and almost all Kiwi areas are looking good for the rest of the winter there. Most centres now have at least a metre of snow lying and several have more than two metres with Mt Hutt top of the pile on 2.7m (nine feet) after some huge July snowfalls there.
Argentina
Conditions are fairly good in Argentina with several heavy snowfalls in the Andes in the latter half of July after a rather warm start to the month. Snow depths are around about the metre mark at most of the country's leading resorts and most have all or most lifts operating and runs open. Temperatures are staying low. Catedral, South America's biggest ski area, got 20cm of fresh snow in the last week of July and has a 90cm base and about two thirds of its 40 runs and 36 lifts are operational.
Chile
Snow conditions are largely good across Chile. Things were a bit touch and go in the first-half of July, particularly at more southerly Chilean ski areas, but a huge snowfall in the middle of last month and further significant snowfalls bringing another foot or so of powder in the last week of last month has left ski areas across the country reporting powder conditions and healthy base depths of between 1m and 2.5m (more than eight feet) – at Valle Nevado, and nearly all lifts are operating, and a lot every ski run is open across the country. One of the deepest bases in the world at present.
Africa
Fairly good conditions at Afriski in Lesotho and Tiffindell in South Africa. Both had fresh snow in July and their runs are full open, but are now I their usual state of being a white ribbon on a green and brown grassy background, the slopes maintained by snow making. Both are due to stay open to the end of August.
