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...from Airport Sniffer Dogs...
No, not an April Fool, but in news that will surprise exactly no-one - sniffer dogs at Manchester Airport are reported to have been detecting "cheese and sausages" rather than drugs. 8)
You can read the full article here. Always ensure you comply with regulations on the import of food from abroad and remember; the dogs know you have cheese, they will find it, and they will... |
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Ok, so he's clearly nuts, but we thought this was worth a mention...
Our very own Iceman trained for and survived this over the weekend :- 
...and he's raised over £1300 so far for St.Luke's Hospice in Cheshire. Drop him a PM if you'd like to donate! Well done matey! :thumbup: |
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J2Ski Snow Report - April 7th 2016
This will probably be our penultimate weekly report before we revert to our summer monthly reporting, but there's still snow falling and plenty of skiing to be had in the right places... This Week's Snow Headlines - Up to 30cm (12 inches) of fresh snow in the Pyrenees. - Alyeska in Alaska passes 20m season-to-date snowfall figure. - Up to 120cm (four feet) of fresh snow expected in The Alps and Dolomites in the coming week. - 32cm of fresh snow in Saas Fee, the biggest snowfall accumulation in the Alps this week. Western North America has had the lion's share of the world's snowfall over the past week again, with up to 75cm of fresh reported in Colorado. There's been much less snow in Europe, where it's been a case of a gradual spring thaw. Most still-open areas have good bases at altitude, so it's good on the groomed runs until early/mid-afternoon, but sticky afterwards with not much skiable off piste. It is the beginning of the end, however, of the 2015-16 Northern Hemisphere ski season as a few of the world's leading ski areas - including the Skiwelt in Austria and Jackson Hole in the US - have completed their scheduled seasons, and more will be joining them this weekend. In Jackson Hole's case the resort closed with a deep snow base after another week of heavy snowfall; continuing to fall even after it closed. The snow is still falling in other areas too; there's been a foot of fresh snow in the Pyrenees and snow is forecast for the Alps and even the Scottish Highlands. In The Alpine Forecast Despite the thaw and Spring conditions this week, many areas will see decent amounts of fresh snow over the next few days and into next week. Of particular note are Swiss ski areas including Zermatt and Italian resorts in The Dolomites and the Aosta Valley (Monterosa) which should see up to 50cm over the next two days (just before many of these areas close this weekend!). Elsewhere, a fair amount of precipitation is forecast with an expected snow line anywhere between 1200m and 2000m depending on the location. It being Spring, of course, that will be falling as rain on lower slopes but runs above 2000m should get a good refresh in many places. The highest (and, importantly, latest-opening) ski areas all have good bases and most should even offer some freshies over the next couple of weeks if you're lucky enough to be able to get out. The Alps Austria There's been no real fresh snow in Austria this week and there's been a definite thaw with more and more ski areas reporting zero snow at resort level. But up top base depths are still good enough to avoid any cover issues and in fact some decent snowfall is forecast on higher slopes over the coming days. Several key areas closed for the season last weekend including one of the largest, the Skiwelt, and after this weekend more than half of Austria's leading areas will be closed. Some will stay open into May, including glacier areas which have bases around the 3m mark at the top. France There's been a little fresh snow in the French Alps this past week and rather more in the Pyrenees – 20cm max in Chamonix but 30cm at Cauterets. A few other resorts reported some new snow including 10cm at Flaine in the Grand Massif. The coming week may in fact be snowier if forecasts prove to be correct with 20-50cm expected across most areas. Almost all of the leading French areas are still open although some will be closing this Sunday whilst the majority will be open for up to four more weeks yet. Although the spring thaw means that an increasing number of areas no longer have cover down in the valley, up top depths remain healthy almost everywhere with Chamonix still claiming the deepest-in-the-world 7m base. Italy A similar story to the rest of central Europe in that little-or-no snow has fallen on Italian slopes in the past week, but most centres remain open and here the forecasts are projecting some of the biggest falls in the coming week – with up to 90cm/three feet expected in the Dolomites by this time next week and a little less than that on the Alpine side in the West. Bases have diminished quite a lot in the past week although all leading Italian areas remain open. Livigno reports 90cm but most now have less than 50cm, Arabba the exception with 1.2m. Bases up top are diminishing too, down to 50cm at Sauze d'Oulx but still there should be enough to see areas through the remaining weeks of the season, especially if that forecast fresh snow materialises. Switzerland Saas Fee clocked up 25cm of fresh snow on Wednesday, the biggest reported snowfall in Switzerland and indeed the Alps in the past week and part of a total 32cm the resort added in the last seven days. Neighbouring Zermatt was the only other Swiss area to report snowfall, but only 5cm/2 inches of it. Zermatt, home to year round skiing and Europe's highest slopes, is forecast to receive a remarkable 4 feet/1.2m of fresh snow in the next week however. Most other Swiss areas should see significant snowfall too. Base depths have dropped a little across Switzerland but remain pretty good for April, mostly with 1-2m up top. Engelberg still has the deepest base at 385cm/13 feet on its glacier which is open to late May. Scandinavia There's been no fresh snow in Scandinavia in the past week and bases have finally started to drop below a metre after holding steady for the past four months. A few inches of fresh snow are expected but bases should be good for the remaining 3-5 weeks of the season here. Pyrenees The Pyrenees have been the snow story of the past week in Europe with most areas in the central and Eastern Pyrenees picking up 25-30cm of fresh snow earlier this week. Grandvalira in Andorra and Cautrerets in France both scored the bigger end of the numbers, however there was less fresh snow on the Spanish side. Formigal has a 2.5m base, the deepest in the region. Eastern Europe Snow bases have dropped across Eastern Europe at the centres that remain open with typically only 20-40cmm bases now. There's been no fresh snow and Kranjska Gora in Slovenia has closed for the season. At Poiana Brasov in Romania it's reporting a 5-15cm base. In Bulgaria Bansko still has a metre up top but zero down in resort. Scotland The three Scottish ski areas still open have been battling warm temperatures and rain at times, although there's also been some snow. Heavier snow and sub-zero temperatures are expected over the weekend ahead. North America Canada Kimberley, Red Mountain and Silver Star in BC are the first of Canada's ski areas to close for 15-16, and quite a lot more will follow at the end of this weekend. There's not been much fresh snow there this week – the biggest fall reported 20cm at Revelstoke. Whistler, open to the end of May, got an inch and has nearly a 3m/10 foot base. Base depths are still over a metre at Canadian resorts open into May including Marmot Basin, Lake Louise and Sunshine. Mont Ste Anne and Tremblant in Quebec in the East are battling on but bases are dropping fast – down to 40-60cm at the former. Some fresh snow is forecast but not a lot – 10-20cm across the country. USA Ski areas have started closing in the US, including Jackson Hole, Crested Butte, Taos and Telluride in the west and Mount Snow and Smugglers Notch in the East, but it has been snowing in Colorado, Montana and even Vermont in the East where Killington picked up a rare-this-season 13cm/5 inches of snow on Monday. Most of the falls have been in the 10-25cm bracket giving a day of powder before a return to freeze/thaw conditions under sunny skies with temperatures mostly in double figures by mid-day. Mammoth still has the deepest base in the country and second deepest in the world at 5.1m although it has had no fresh snow this week. |
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Just passing on a quick note from the folk at Skiplex; if your kids are bored of being on holiday (and not in the mountains) then this might be fun...
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J2Ski Snow Report - March 31st 2016
This Week's Snow Headlines - Two Feet of fresh snow in Jackson Hole; the most in the world this week. - Up to 40cm of fresh snow in the Alps but 5-15cm for most areas. - Second Scottish area closed by thaw. The forecasts which predicted moderate snowfall in the western Alps a week ago proved to be a bit 'off' with Austria reporting the biggest accumulations in Europe and less significant falls in France and Switzerland. Cover remains good on the pistes almost everywhere for the start of April though with typical freeze/thaw spring conditions. There's little powder to find off-piste now though and there's currently not much fresh show expected in the Alps in the week ahead. Elsewhere In Europe the Pyrenees continue to look good and 30cm more snow is forecast for the coming week. In North America it's been snowing heavily again on the western side of the continent with the biggest snow in the world reported in Jackson Hole, which got two feet of fresh snow in the past week. Other areas typically posted 12-18 inches / 30-45cm. Scottish slopes are struggling to stay snow covered, despite a few fresh snow flurries; Glenshee is currently closed for lack of adequate cover, joining The Lecht, whilst the other three areas are still open. In The Alpine Forecast Spring is certainly in the air... The Alps are looking to be generally warm, albeit with regular light precipitation at altitude, for the next week or so. Although many lower altitude ski areas will be closing this coming weekend, there is still a wide choice of skiing above 2,000 metres with areas such as Paradiski (Les Arcs and La Plagne) and Espace Killy remaining open through April. We'll be posting a round-up of April skiing options in the forum in the next day or two, once we've checked with a few Tourist Offices! The Alps Austria There was a wave of fresh snowfall across Austria at the end of last week. Almost all areas got at least some snow, the smallest 24 hour accumulation was a couple of inches, but some got as much as 45cm/18 inches; including Mayrhofen with good timing for the big "Snowbombing" Festival about to take over the Tirolean village. Fugen received 40cm in 24 hours. The deepest snow bases have dipped below 3m (10 feet) everywhere except the Kaunertal Glacier now with the spring thaw and the first lower elevation resorts will close after this Sunday. On-piste conditions should be good for a few more weeks, for the ski areas like Ischgl and the glacier resorts that will be open into May. France There was not so much fresh in France last week, although 20cm was reported for Chamonix and 16cm for Tignes. Most areas in the northern Alps got 5-10cm, however, which freshened up pistes. Chamonix continues to claim the world's deepest snowbase at 7 metres (23 feet) on upper runs, but only 10cm down in resort. Bases remain good across France and skiers in the resorts this past week have declared themselves happy with good conditions under sunny skies, slopes getting a bit sticky lower down later in the afternoon. Italy A clear week in Italy, although snow in Cervinia and la Thuile at the end of last week brought 40 and 20cm of fresh snow to each respectively. As with the rest of central Europe on-piste conditions remain good, even excellent across the country with reasonably good bases for the start of April in both the Italian Alps and Dolomites. The Western Alps continue to have marginally the best conditions with La Thuile on 290cm (just under 10 feet) the deepest base in Italy and over in the Dolomites Arabba has the deepest base at 180cm/six feet. Not much snow forecast for the coming week but what there is – 20cm at max – is again expected in the West/Aosta Valley region. Switzerland Very little fresh snow was reported in Switzerland over the past week; like Italy just a few areas reported more than 10cm of snow. Grindelwald, which has a 180cm top base, reported that biggest accumulation of 17cm which fell on Easter Sunday/Monday. Base depths on higher slopes continue to be healthy across Switzerland but some resorts are losing lowest bases now – Adelboden and Champery say there's zero in resort and Grindelwald and Wengen have 5cm a piece. At the other extreme Engelberg, open to late May, has 3.9m (13 feet) up on its glacier, 15cm at its base. Eastern Europe Not much new snow in Eastern Europe in the past week but in Bulgaria Borovets had a few inches of snow. Bansko has a 1.6m base on upper runs, nothing down in resort. Pamporovo has the most challenging conditions with only a 20-30cm base now. Snow depths in Solvenia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic are in the 50-70cm region. Pyrenees No fresh snow for the past week but on-piste cover remains fairly good as we enter April. In Andorra the snow base is over a metre on upper runs and still several feet deep at resort level and the deepest snow is at Formigal on the Spanish side at 2.6m (8 feet) deep. Snow is forecast in the Pyrenees this week with up to a foot of snow expected. Scotland A colder week than the previous two and some fresh snowfall on higher peaks since the Easter weekend. However the thaw has also continued and now Glenshee has joined The Lecht in being forced to close. Although the other three Highland centres remain open, with the best skiing on higher slopes. Scandinavia Just an inch or so of snow in Scandinavia this week with on-piste conditions looking good across the region and bases typically 80-120cm. There's still a month or so of the season to go at most Scandinavian resorts. The deepest base of 230cm is still at Voss in Norway and its Norway where up to 20m of fresh snow is expected in the week ahead. Canada Not too snowy a week in Canada but what snow has fallen has as usual been in the West with Big White getting the most – 30cm/a foot of fresh snow. Other areas in the west got 5-15cm of snow and Fernie, Whistler and others have bases of more than 3m/10 feet. Despite this most will be closing over the next few weekends. Whistler and Sunshine are open to the end of May however. Whistler has had 10cm of new snow and is at 325cm in depth. USA It just keeps snowing in Western North America as we enter April. But whilst ski areas in the East have been closing due to a lack of snow cover, in the West resorts are starting to close because it's their end of season – even when the snow may be lying 10 feet deep on the ground. Jackson Hole has had two feet of snow, as has Winter Park in Colorado which reported 45cm (18 inches) in the last 24 hours. Mammoth has the second deepest snow base in the world at 510cm (17 feet). More areas have closed in New England where no fresh snow has been reported in the past week and conditions continue to be challenging, with Attitash and Mount Snow amongst those calling it a day on this season. |
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:( Thanks for your updates again this year Brucie; you staying until they shut the last lift? |
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J2Ski Snow Report - March 24th 2016
The view from the Aiguille Rouge, Les Arcs... picture courtesy of the Tourist Office This Week's Snow Headlines - Virtually no snow in the Alps for the past week, but there is a little pre-Easter snow in the forecast and snow has started falling in Austria. - Still more heavy snow in Western North America. - Large snowfalls forecast for the Western Alps - Up to 50cm of fresh snow in the Pyrenees. - Whistler and Squaw Valley extend seasons towards end of May. - Scottish ski area closes in spring thaw, others battle on It has been a largely snowless week in Europe with virtually nothing in the Alps and just a few inches in the Pyrenees. Conditions on the pistes though are generally good to excellent, with almost all resorts having decent cover, it's great carving under blue skies, perhaps just getting a bit too warm in places by the mid-afternoon. More snow, particularly in the Western Alps, is in the forecast however and as we go to press the first powder alarms have come in for 20cm of fresh snow in the past day on the Stubai glacier and at Schladming. Elsewhere the Pyrenees have had a good week with some big snowfalls, particularly on the Spanish side, but cover is getting thin on lower slopes and one area has closed in Scotland. Across the Atlantic there's been still more heavy snow in the Western US with resorts from Colorado to California north picking up 30-60cm (1-2 feet) of fresh snow in the past few days. In The Alpine Forecast A real mix of weather in the forecast now for the Easter week; following a few snowfalls, the weekend is likely to be warm and sunny in most areas... but that will be followed by a pronounced dip in temperature and the arrival of snow. Scattered snow showers, some heavy, may bring significant accumulations to some areas with widely varying temperatures and precipitation departing from the blue skies of the past week. As we move into April, the forecast is much less clear but with deep snowpacks at altitude across most of The Alps, the prospects for late and last minute skiing are really very good. The Alps Austria There had been no fresh snow reported this week in Austria until this morning and conditions had been distinctly Spring-like, with the snow getting stickier by mid-afternoon on lower slopes. The good news is firstly that it is now spring so this can be considered normal, and second that it has got a little more wintery in the past 24 hours with fresh snow now falling. Snowing or not, on piste conditions are reported to be largely good. There has been some thawing and there's no snow again at village level in Mayrhofen (a metre up top) and at Solden only 10cm in the village (but nearly 3m up at the top on the glaciers. Indeed the glaciers have the best of the snow depths across the country with 3m/10 feet+ lying on most but virtually all Austrian areas have enough snow to comfortably see them through the final weeks of their season. France Other than a few inches down in the Pyrenees (see separate entry) there's been virtually no snowfall on French slopes either this week. Here the forecast is for more significant snowfalls over the next few days around Easter however, perhaps as much as two feet on higher slopes in some places. Otherwise it has been the same 'springlike' conditions here with glorious sunny days and excellent on-piste conditions, although with a bit of a thaw in the afternoon. Base depths are good or even excellent at most areas on upper runs with many having 2-3m or more lying (in fact a metre at Puy St Vincent is the thinnest upper base reported), but in the lower valleys it is starting to get thin with 5-10cm reported at Chamonix, Les Carroz, Les Contamines and Vaujany. Italy There's been almost no fresh snow in Italy this week either, only Madesimo reported a 5cm/two inch accumulation last weekend. But thanks to the healthy snowfall in the West of the country since New Year and the good snowfalls earlier this month in the Dolomites, base depths are pretty good in all areas which is good news for cover for the remaining month or so of the season. All Italian ski areas report at least a metre of snow on higher slopes and at least 30cm (a foot) at resort level, many have double that. La Thuile in the Aosta Valley is one of half a dozen resorts reporting more than 2m of snow on upper runs with a 2.7m (9 foot) base, the glacier at Passo Tonale has 2.5m. Switzerland It's the same story in Switzerland with no fresh snow reported this week but here quite significant snow is in the forecast models – perhaps as much as 60-90cm in places if they're correct. Again slopes have deep snow cover from previous storms so on the groomed runs conditions have been generally excellent under sunny skies for the past week. Engelberg has the country's deepest snow at 3.8m (nearly 13 feet) on upper runs though only 30cm in resort, it will be open for another two months to late May (22nd). All but one of the Swiss ski centres has at least a metre of snow lying on upper runs, the exception being Adelboden with 7-75cm on its slopes. Scandinavia Scandinavia's largest resort of Åre posted the biggest snowfall in Europe, outside the Spanish Pyrenees, with just over 30cm in the past week taking its base up to the metre mark and with five weeks of the season left, good news for April skiing. There was very little fresh snow reported by any other Scandinavian resort but bases are holding out – again mostly around the metre mark right across the region. Pyrenees There seems to have been a West – East split in the Pyrenees with heavier snow on the Spanish side (Formigal reported 50cm and bases are up wqell past the 2m mark), then 10-20cm in Andorra (bases 1-1.5m) and nearer 5-10cm reported on the slopes of the French Pyrenees during the week. But everywhere got something! Eastern Europe Not much fresh snow reported in Eastern Europe, just the odd centimetre here and there. Reported bases remain survivable for Easter though, typically 30-90cm with Bulgaria's Bansko claiming both the deepest (167cm) base in the region at the top of its slopes and the least (zero) down in resort. Scotland Warm weather has impacted snow cover on Scottish slopes over the past few weeks and The Lecht has had to call it a day with only snow patches remaining. It's a mixed picture elsewhere with Glenshee also suffering and only operating higher runs with no beginner terrain accessible. Cairngorm and Nevis Range are also saying conditions are better up top. Glencoe has the most terrain open with almost all runs still open. There may be some fresh snow in the coming week. North America Canada Most of Canada has had some fresh snow this week - just not a huge amount of it! The biggest accumulations of 10-20cm were reported in BC, with just an inch or two across the rest of the country. Revelstoke got the biggest snowfall of 20cm but there was 10cm more for Whistler which has the deepest snow in the country at 3.5 metres and just announced its staying open to the end of May. USA It has been snowing a lot in Western North America, as it has done all season, with ski areas in California, Colorado, Montana, Utah and Wyoming posting 30-60cm snowfalls over the past few days. Steamboat Spring just tops the table. As has been the story all winter, it's a sadly different picture on the East where ski areas still open have only partial terrain open and thin, mostly machine made, cover as it remains unseasonably warm as it has almost all season. Mammoth continues to post the deepest base on the continent and second deepest only to Chamonix worldwide with 510cm – or 17 feet lying up top. More snow is expected for the week ahead with possibly up to a metre in Colorado if forecasts prove correct. |
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Some early planned opening dates (subject to change) for the Southern Hemisphere :-
June 1 (Wednesday) - Tiffindell 2 (Thursday) - Afriski 10 (Friday) - Mt Hutt. 11 (Saturday) - Cardona, Coronet Peak, Falls Creek, Mt Buller, Perisher, Selwyn Snowfields, Thredbo, Las Lenas. 18 (Saturday) - The Remarkables, Chapelco, Portillo and Valle Nevado. 23 (Thursday) - Treble Cone. 24 (Friday) - Catedral, El Colorado and La Parva, Charlotte Pass. 25 (Saturday) - Nevados de Chillan. |
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