J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by J2SkiNews

It's looking like it's going to be a very White Christmas along North America's West Coast with a series of storms moving in a week after the region's long dry spell through November and early December ended with a huge snow storm.

The new storm system may initially see some rain fall on Wednesday and early Thursday before temperatures drop and heavy snowfall begins.

Up to ten feet (3 metres) of snowfall is possible through into next week, with particularly heavy snowfall expected over the Christmas week. However it's going to be stormy with winds of up to 90mph expected which is of course likely to cause operational issues.

"J️ust in time for the Winter Solstice, another big storm system is moving into the Sierra. This one is starting out warmer with a mix of rain and snow before snow levels are forecasted to drop below the base on Thursday. We could see another few feet on the mountains by Friday! With this storm we also expect very high winds—upper mountain lift closures are likely this week, and delayed openings may be necessary when things clear out," warned a spokesperson for The Palisades at Tahoe.

The resort was one of the big winners in last weeks snowstorms which delivered up to five feet (1.5m) at the base and seven feet (2.1m) up high.

China is to close the ski areas set to host Olympic competition next February from January 4th.

Normally ski areas staging Olympic events stay open to tourism up to and during Olympic competitions.

However reports from China say the centres concerned will remain closed to the public through to the end of March, effectively the rest of the season, in order to cover the Paralympics from 4th to 13th March too.

Most of the ski races will take place at ski areas in Chongli, part of Zhangjiakou, about 200km (125 miles) north of capital Beijing and now linked to the capital by a high-speed rail connection making the journey in less than an hour.

The area has also become the boom zone of Chinese rapid ski resort development of recent years.

Visitors to the area will now need to show proof of a negative coronavirus test dated within the previous 48 hours.

Due to the pandemic race courses at the 2022 Games will see international competition for the very first time at the Olympics and Paralympics themselves. Planned test events over the past two seasons had to be cancelled because of coronavirus travel restrictions.

The Yanqing National Alpine Ski Centre which will host the blue ribband downhill ski races and some other Alpine competitions is brand new and was completed in late 2019 just as the virus began to emerge in China. It has been hardly used as a result but will be turned in to a ski resort open to the public after the Games.

China is to close the ski areas set to host Olympic competition next February from January 4th.

Normally ski areas staging Olympic events stay open to tourism up to and during Olympic competitions.

However reports from China say the centres concerned will remain closed to the public through to the end of March, effectively the rest of the season, in order to cover the Paralympics from 4th to 13th March too.

Most of the ski races will take place at ski areas in Chongli, part of Zhangjiakou, about 200km (125 miles) north of capital Beijing and now linked to the capital by a high-speed rail connection making the journey in less than an hour.

The area has also become the boom zone of Chinese rapid ski resort development of recent years.

Visitors to the area will now need to show proof of a negative coronavirus test dated within the previous 48 hours.

Due to the pandemic race courses at the 2022 Games will see international competition for the very first time at the Olympics and Paralympics themselves. Planned test events over the past two seasons had to be cancelled because of coronavirus travel restrictions.

The Yanqing National Alpine Ski Centre which will host the blue ribband downhill ski races and some other Alpine competitions is brand new and was completed in late 2019 just as the virus began to emerge in China. It has been hardly used as a result but will be turned in to a ski resort open to the public after the Games.

Ski resorts along the West Coast of the US are scrambling to open after a huge snowstorm left 40-80 inches (1-2 metres) of snow lying on their previously bare slopes.

A warm, dry fall had left some running almost a month late on planned opening dates after an unprecedented late-October snowfall was followed by nearly eight weeks of unfavourable weather for snowfall or snowmaking.

California has seen particularly heavy snowfall with The Palisades reported five feet (1.5 metres) of snow at resort level and more on its upper slopes. Mammoth said its summit signpost which is 24 feet (8 metres) high had been buried by drifts.

Among ski areas planning to open in the next few days are Homewood Mountain Resort today and Diamond Peak tomorrow.

The volumes of snow means resorts need to dig out lifts and access roads and make slopes avalanche safe before they can open. Most that were open prior to the storm's arrival at the weekend were closed over the past few days due to blizzard conditions and dangerous amounts of snow.

The forecast for the next week or so up to Christmas is for a return to sunny, calm weather so it is looking promising now for the peak Holiday season.

That's great news you made it and especially that it's worth the hassle to actually be there. I made it to The Lecht on Sunday so I at least made it on a ski lift in 2021 ...but trying hard though they were it was ice, heather and rocks so I had to try to convince myself I was enjoying it and not think about how great conditions are in the Alps, where I had been supposed to be the same day, right now.

A huge snowstorm that may bring as much as 7 feet (2 metres) of snowfall to Western North America by the end of this week has just got started.

Ski areas in California and expected to see some of the biggest accumulations which, at the most optimistic end, could see as much as five feet (1.5 metres) of snowfall at resort level and an extra 50cm (20") more up on the highest slopes, by the end of this week.

It's a huge change in the weather after a very warm and largely dry fall for much of North America, but particularly the West coast where some areas still have not opened more than a month after their planned season start day and those that have opened have typically only been able to open very limited terrain with just a covering of snow scraped together in the few periods it's been cold enough to make snow.

Things did start to improve last week though with colder temperatures and some snowfall, but now a season-transforming fall is underway.

"The storm has arrived and it's just getting started! Snowfall is expected to continue and get heavier tonight through Tuesday with the potential to drop 3.5–5 feet at the base and 5–7 feet on the upper mountains!" a spokesperson for The Palisades ski area at Lake Tahoe said.

The amounts of snow falling so fast looks set to cause operational (access roads blocked, lifts buried) and safety issues (heightened avalanche danger) initially but hopefully things will start to be looking very good in the week running up to Christmas.

Four of Scotland's five Highland ski areas are re-opening today (Saturday 11th December) for the first time since they were closed by the second lockdown at the start of January.

In fact Glenshee was first to open, yesterday, with Cairngorm, The Lecht and Glencoe all announcing yesterday that they'll be opening limited terrain too, this weekend.

All four areas, along with the fifth, Nevis Range, have all-weather snowmaking machines, however the early-opening appears to be more down to a period of cold, snowy weather over the start of December which has allowed a thin base to build.

The centres are warning though that there's limited terrain open at each and "early season conditions" mean it won't suit beginners. Several are just running lifts and not opening facilities like rentals or grooming the thin snow cover.

There are currently concerns (as everywhere) that The Scottish Government may further increase pandemic restrictions and there's also warm weather forecast from Sunday afternoon through next week, so it may be a case of ski while you can.