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J2Ski Snow Report - February 20th 2025
Started by Admin in Snow Forecasts and Snow Reports, discussing Chamonix and St. Anton am Arlb... |
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Keystone, Colorado, got the goods this week... Some big snowfalls in the US this week, Colorado and The Rockies in general looking good. Mild and sunny in the Alps, with cold and snow expected next week for parts. The Snow Headlines - February 20th - Up to 140cm (4.5 feet) of snowfall in 48 hours in California. - Sweden's Riksgransen opening for its 2025 season. - Ski areas in the Rockies enjoy snowiest week of the season, up to a metre reported. - Biggest snowfall for a fortnight in the Alps, up to 30cm in 24 hours. 
Snow forecasts worldwide.
World Overview After the snow showers that ended last week, it's been a largely sunny picture across much of Europe since the weekend. Temperatures have also been on the rise, most noticeable at lower elevations with afternoon highs reaching +10C in valleys, giving an early spring-like feel, although a return to cold looks likely next week. It's been similar across the Alps, Dolomites, Pyrenees, Eastern Europe and even up in Scandinavia and it looks like it will continue that way through the weekend for most areas. Most slopes are open across the continent. In North America, it's probably been the best week of the season, so far; ski regions across the continent have been getting substantial fresh snowfalls, leaving great conditions and everything open. Japan continues to post the world's deepest snow depths this season so far, at up to 6 metres. Europe Austria It was a sunny week in Austria after unsettled weather at the end of last week. With temperatures reaching +11C in valleys in the afternoons, the snowline is creeping up valley sides, and lower slopes are white lines in the lowest areas. Despite these early spring challenges, most areas are fully open with resorts like Saalbach Hinterglemm, St Anton / Lech (The Arlberg), Ischgl-Samnaun and the Skiwelt (Soll, Westendorf, Ellmau et al) reporting their slopes 95-100% open. France Sunny skies across French ski slopes since the snowfalls at the end of last week brought accumulations of up to 30cm for ski areas including Chamonix and Flaine; which are now posting Europe's deepest snowpacks at about 3.3 metres (11 feet). It's been busy on French slopes with the half-term holidays but most areas continue to report all of their slopes open, enabling the crowds to disperse across the mountains each morning. The 3 Valleys and Portes du Soliel both have more than 95% of their 600km or so of slopes available. The forecast is currently for it to stay dry through the weekend, with plenty of sunshine but a little more cloud than there has been. A return to cold looks likely around the middle of next week, although that's quite uncertain as we write this. Italy Sunshine has also dominated the weather in Italy this week after the unsettled conditions in the first half of the month. Temperatures have also been climbing with daytime highs getting close to +10C in the afternoons in valleys. Overnight lows continue to drop well below freezing under the clear skies though, allowing resorts to make more snow as required. As it is, on the groomers at least, conditions remain excellent with most slopes open across the country. The vast Dolomiti Superski with its 1,200km of slopes reports there are more than 90% open, with several sectors, including Val Gardena, at 100%. Switzerland As with the rest of Europe, it's been a mostly sunny week on Swiss slopes. Here too daytime temperatures have been climbing with valley highs topping +10-C and the freezing point climbing up above 2,000m altitudes. Most of the large ski areas including Verbier's 4 Valleys and the Zermatt-Cervinias cross-border pass are at 90% or more open, the most of the season. And here too it is expected to stay dry through the weekend, with a mix of sunshine and cloud, temperatures dropping a little but staying rather springlike. Scandinavia Scandinavian ski stats have changed little on seven days ago after plenty of sunshine and just the odd light snow shower across the region. The main difference, not published in many resort snow reports, has been fast-increasing daylight hours at northerly latitudes, with the Arctic Circle ski areas of Bjorkliden (last weekend) and Riksgransen (this weekend) opening for their 2025 seasons as a result. The amount of open terrain has grown a little this week at most Scandi ski areas with Sweden's Are resort posting the most, around 75km/80% of its slopes. The forecast is a little more unsettled with slightly more snow falling over the coming week. Pyrenees After a fortnight of colder, snowier weather than they had in the first few months of the season, it has been back to sunny skies in the Pyrenees with temperatures climbing up to +12C at resort level, setting back some of the snow gains of the last few weeks. Ski areas report the most terrain they've had open all season thanks to that snowfall in the first half of February with the biggest, Andorra's Grandvalira (Soldeu, Pass de la Casa etc) at 90% open with nearly 200km of slopes available. More unsettled weather is expected for the rest of this week with temperatures set to drop; a front should bring 10-20cm accumulations by Monday. Scotland Familiar frustrations for Scottish ski areas and skiers with a fortnight of very cold, but dry weather when little was open due to the previous thaw, ending with a decent snowfall that could have been the start of base re-building, but temperatures are set to hit +12C over the weekend making that seem unlikely. Currently, Glencoe and Glenshee have had a little natural terrain on top of the small all-weather snowmaking machine-maintained areas but it remains to be seen how much of that will survive the coming warm spell. Cairngorm and The Lecht also have small areas open, Nevis Range is yet to open this season. Eastern Europe Bulgaria, which had had dry and sunny but generally cold weather for much of the past month finally saw some snowfall earlier this week, giving a good slope refresh for ski areas like Borovets, Bansko and Pamporovo. They have all slopes open and it's a similar story further north with the big names in Cezchiua, Poland and Slovakia like Jasna also fully open, although it's been dry and sunny here. North America Canada Remaining very cold with some light snowfall in Western Canada; conditions are generally excellent here with deep cover and resorts reporting every slope open. There's been a bit of a holding pattern with those conditions for 3 or 4 weeks now but there are finally signs of change with more significant snowfalls, potentially 40-80cm of snow, expected through the weekend. On the East Coast, the snow has kept falling in Quebec and conditions are the best they've been all season. It's looking a little drier there over the coming week, temperatures remaining sub-zero but not quite as cold as they've been – down to -20C instead of -30C! USA Some big snowfalls across the US this week with all ski regions of the country seeing some significant snowfalls. California got the most as a 48-hour storm last week ended up dumping up to 4.5 feet (135cm) by Saturday morning. Mount Rose (Lake Tahoe) posted the most, but almost everywhere got at least two feet. Inland, The Rockies also saw some of their biggest snowfalls of the season, Utah's Deer Valley and Steamboat in Colorado among areas adding half a metre of snowfall to their base depths. Even the country's East Coast scored too, with more snow for New England. The bigger accumulations took some digging out and Californian centres delayed opening to do so, but overall conditions are excellent across the country with lots of fresh snow and everything open. |
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J2Ski Snow Report - February 13th 2025
Started by Admin in Snow Forecasts and Snow Reports, discussing Jasná - Chopok and Livigno |
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Snow today in many French ski areas, including Megeve... It's been snowing today in the Alps, although there is milder weather to follow. More heavy snowfalls in Japan, not so much in North America - but it's cold there! The Snow Headlines - February 13th - More huge snowfalls take Japan's base depths past 6m/20 feet mark. - Sunny weather in Scandinavia, which is posting the most terrain open this season so far. - Most large ski areas in the Alps report nearly all slopes open for half-term holiday crowds. - The Pyrenees enjoy some of the best conditions of season, with 30cm accumulations. - Frigid temperatures continue across North America and there's been some snowfalls too. 
Snow forecasts worldwide.
World Overview The dry weather that has been dominating the weather in the Alps for the past fortnight has begun to break this week with multiple fronts bringing clouds and some mostly light snowfall across the region. Overall, base depths have been dropping as thawing and settling snowpack exceeds the gains. That's not a huge issue though as most resorts remain fully open. The snow depth numbers and open terrain stats have been on the up in the Pyrenees which has had a second successive week of snowy weather. Across in North America, it's been another cold week with moderate snowfalls - with heavier ones in the forecast again for the US West Coast. Japan is topping snow depth and snowfall tables with several centres there now reporting that the snow is lying over 6 metres/20 feet deep, the deepest snow anywhere in the world for several seasons and about double the deepest snow currently reported anywhere else. Europe Austria Austrian ski areas are seeing a little light snowfall after nearly a fortnight of dry weather. On the groomed runs at least conditions remain good across the country with most resorts fully open, even where snow cover in valleys has melted leaving the familiar white ribbons of maintained pistes descending from above. It's looking like a snowy end to the week, then back to sunshine for the weekend, and a fresh front bringing more snowfall early next week. France The mostly dry weather in France continues after the sunny week last week, although a number of ski areas have had a useful refresh in the last 24 hours. Southerly ski areas have fared well for fresh falls, with 20-30cm reported by some in the southern French Alps to start the week. It's been heavier in the Pyrenees. French ski areas continue to post the deepest bases in Europe and conditions are excellent for the busy February half-term holiday period. The main access road to the Tarentaise Valley (the N90) has been cleared of fallen rocks and is reported to be working well again (albeit with the usual heavy traffic for the half-term weekends). Almost all slopes are open across the country's larger destination resorts. After the current snowfall, the weekend currently looks set to be back to sunshine for most areas. Italy Italy saw some of the best snowfalls in Europe to start the week and a weather system from the south brought up to a foot of snowfall to the Aosta Valley, Lombardy and Trentino among other areas. So unusually for this winter, Italian ski centres started the week with more powder than those in the other three big-name ski nations of the Alps! Madonna di Campiglio was one of the bigger winners, posting 30cm of fresh snowfall. There was also 20cm in the Aosta Valley and some good accumulations for Livigno, Sestriere and others. Switzerland The weather has become more changeable on Swiss slopes this week with light to moderate snowfalls reported, initially heaviest in the south and east. St Moritz and the Engadin posted a 22cm accumulation on Sunday/Monday with the Aletsch Arena reporting a foot (30cm) of snowfall in the same period. For most areas though it was more in the 5-10cm range with cloudier skies than we've seen in recent weeks. A period of heavier snowfall is now moving in across the country. Scandinavia It's been a drier week with plenty of sunshine in Scandinavia. Ski areas here have been opening additional terrain and are now posting the most they've had open all season, in part thanks to rapidly increasing daylight hours following the dark December-January period. The deepest snow is on Norway's West Coast where Myrkdalen ski area reports fresh powder and a snow depth approaching 2 metres. Sweden's Are to the east has the most terrain open in the region, about 75km of slopes. It's looking a little snowier for the week ahead with temperatures continuing to be well below freezing. Pyrenees It's been a second good week in the Pyrenees, the region posting some of the best snowfall accumulations in Europe of the past week. St Lary in France and Formigal in Spain both posted 24-hour 30cm snow totals to start the week. That comes after snowfall the previous week too after a largely dry first few months of the season, so we're definitely seeing the best period of the season to date. The snowfall is thanks to weather systems moving up from the Med which didn't really reach much further north. Most of the region's ski areas now have the most terrain they've had open all season, typically 70-90% of their runs. Scotland Scottish ski areas are still suffering from a shortage of snow following a brief but significant thaw at the start of last week. Otherwise, it's really been a cold month, but as is often the case also a fairly dry one, with very little natural snow build-up. Glencoe has had the best of it in recent weeks, keeping half a dozen or so natural runs open, with Glenshee doing the same on a more limited basis. Otherwise what's open has been largely restricted to small areas of snow maintained with all-weather snowmaking machines. The Lecht has added terrain park features. With February half term here centres are warning of limited ticket availability due to the limited terrain. Nevis Range sadly looks set to remain closed and is yet to open this winter. Eastern Europe Dry weather has continued to dominate Eastern Europe with plenty of sunshine for the south of the region, more cloud and hill fog between clear spells further north. Bulgaria has also posted some of the coldest temperatures in Europe over the last week, down as far as -15C and rarely getting up above freezing in the daytime, whilst further north in countries like Czechia and Slovakia it has been more in the -5 to +5C range. The low temperatures mean there's been little change to snow depths, and have allowed snowmaking to replenish cover lost. Most ski areas in the region, including Bansko and Jasna, remain close to fully open. North America Canada It's been a fairly quiet week for snowfall in Canada, with, if anything, more falling in eastern provinces than western, as happens every now and then. Low temperatures, down to the -20s (C), continue to be a factor on the slopes. Most ski areas are reporting good conditions overall, with the low temperatures helping to keep the snow in good shape. Virtually every ski slope in the country is open with good depths in the west and the best conditions of the season to date in the East. USA The US has had a pretty good week with some good snowfalls reported in the Rockies, on the West Coast and in the Northeast. It appears it's set to get even better over the next few days too with major storms approaching on both the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts. On top of this, it has stayed very cold, which has helped preserve the snow cover and keep most centres fully open. Standouts of the past week include Colorado, which has had a rather dry winter though everywhere is just about fully open, seeing some of its most significant snowfalls to date. California, where the superstorm last week turned out to be a bit of a washout, until the final few days which delivered several feet of snow, will hopefully see another dump (rather than rain) to end this week. The Northeast, which has been getting better and better since the start of the year after a poor end to 2024, should also see more cold, snowy conditions. |
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Landslide blocks Tarentaise valley creating 16 mile traffic jam
Started by Iainm in Ski News, 5 Replies, discussing Les Arcs and Val Thorens |
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The road is now operating in both directions, with the "usual" half-term volumes of traffic (10km tailbacks today, apparently)...
... and the Dauphine news site now have dashcam video of last weekend's rockfall... https://www.ledauphine.com/videos/video-exclusive-sa-camera-embarquee-a-filme-l-eboulement-sur-la-rn90-en-savoie-xkzk8uk ... not what you want to see on the road ahead... |
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J2Ski Snow Report - February 6th 2025
Started by Admin in Snow Forecasts and Snow Reports, discussing Avoriaz and Chamonix |
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Our friends at Snoworks (Ski Courses) appear to be enjoying themselves in British Columbia... Clearer weather in the Alps, with good snow in most areas. Powder in Japan and BC, and very low temperatures in Canada. The Snow Headlines - February 6th - Sunny weather dominates western Europe following last week's big snowfalls. - Huge snowfalls forecast for California don't really materialise, or fall as rain. - More very low temperatures in Canada lead to some ski areas closing for safety reasons. - Snowiest week of the year to date in the Pyrenees. 
Snow forecasts worldwide.
World Overview Sunshine has dominated the weather in the Alps after last week's huge snowfalls. Avalanche danger levels have dropped slightly and those on the slopes this week have seen excellent conditions. Most centres are fully open and posting their deepest bases of the season so far. The Pyrenees, which didn't get their forecast snow at the start of last week have instead seen some light to moderate falls over the past seven days, refreshing cover. Elsewhere everything is open in the Dolomites with similar sunny weather to the Alps after last week's snowfall. Bulgaria has been dry for weeks now but temperatures have dropped again after it got rather warm last week. Across in North America a massive storm hitting the West Coast unfortunately delivered a lot of rain and violent gales rather than the metres of snowfall forecast, but there was a few feet and its still coming. There was more snow in the northern Rockies region in Idaho and Wyoming, whilst Canada remained very cold. Japan is the place that's seem the most snowfall, taking some centres past a 5m snow depth. Europe Austria It's been a great week for most Austrian ski areas and those lucky enough to be on their slopes. After last week's 30-60cm accumulations across the country, skies cleared at the weekend and it has been pretty much non-stop sunshine since. Snow depths, although not huge, are the best they've been all season and most of the country's ski areas are now 95%, or more, open. That includes one of the largest, Saalbach Hinterglemm, where the 2025 FIS Alpine Skiing World Championships, the biggest event in ski racing besides the Winter Olympics, are just getting underway. It's a similar story at The Skiwelt, Arlberg and indeed most other Austrian resorts. France Great conditions in the French Alps too after the huge snowfalls last week. Although base depths have dropped a little after last week's huge gains, three of the country's ski areas - Avoriaz, Flaine and Chamonix - are the only ones in Europe and among five outside Japan that have reached a 3m (10 feet) plus base on their upper slopes this season. Being home to most of the world's largest ski areas, including Paradiski, the 3 Valleys and The Portes du Soleil, each of which is close to 100% open, it is no surprise that the biggest areas currently available to ski are all in France too. French Alps - N90 Road Update The only problem has been getting to some of them, not from snow on the roads but giant boulders from a widely publicised landslip that caused travel chaos to and from the Tarentaise Valley last weekend. Latest news, as of this evening (Thursday), is that the authorities hope to have both lanes open in both directions following a 2 hour total closure scheduled for tomorrow afternoon (2pm to 4pm) to re-route the temporary lanes. This is subject to change, but that's the plan! The weather is turning cloudier with snowfall expected for Sunday, but currently forecast to be light. Italy Italy is also back to sunny weather following last week's snowfall. Here too bases have settled back down slightly, especially on lower slopes more impacted by plus-temperatures in the valleys in the afternoons – but overall the amount of terrain open has actually increased slightly, with most Italian areas at 90-100% open. Some famous names like Val Gardena have everything open, although others like Cortina d'Ampezzo still report bases of less than 25cm and have about two-thirds of runs open. The deepest snow continues to be in Trentino and further west and north. Here too more cloud and some snowfall is expected from the weekend into next week. Switzerland Swiss centres have had a week of predominantly sunny weather too, although skies are now starting to cloud over and there's some light snowfall forecast through the weekend. It has been quite warm at times, particularly at base levels and as a result depth stats have dropped back, particularly on lower slopes, after last week's big jumps with the heavy snowfalls. On the upside avalanche danger is widely down from considerable/high (Risk Levels 3 and 4) last week to 2 this week, on the scale to 5. The more stable conditions have also allowed centres to open more terrain after last week's snow with Zermatt, Verbier and the 4 Valleys and the Portes du Soleil each posting the most open. Scandinavia After last week's big snowfalls in Scandinavia, things have calmed down a little. It has kept snowing but totals have been more in the 5-10cm range rather the 20-40cm. Temperatures have remained mostly on the low side though, so snow conditions have remained good and most centres have been opening more terrain, also helped by rapidly increasing daylight hours, currently adding around half an hour of daylight a week. The biggest falls reported continue to be in the west of the region, on the Norwegian Coast, with Swedish ski areas Are and Salen reporting the largest areas of open terrain. Northerly Bjorkdalen, up in the Arctic Circle, begins its 2025 season this weekend. Pyrenees It's been one of the best weeks of the season, certainly of 2025, in the Pyrenees. The snowfall forecast last week arrived late, but there have been some good 5-15cm falls and cumulative totals of 20-40cm reported, the most for more than a month. As a result, bases have finally started increasing as has open terrain with the biggest resort in the region, Andorra's Grandvalira, hitting more than 75% open for the first time this season. Baqueira Beret over the Spanish border, known for its freeriding, warned the avalanche danger level is elevated there, alongside base depths, to level 3 on a scale to 5, also described as "considerable." Scotland After last week's increasingly positive news of ever more natural terrain opening (we peaked with about a third of the runs at Cairngorm, Glenshee and Glencoe open, the majority at the latter), warm temperatures since Sunday and rain at all levels on Monday have set things back a good deal. It's a fast-changing situation but it's now predominantly the all-weather machine-made snow slopes open, which are learning slopes at Cairngorm and The Lecht, longer runs at Glenshee and a sledging slope at Glencoe (which also has a dry slope for beginners). Temperatures are dropping again now and the process of base building has begun again. Eastern Europe It's been mostly sunny across Eastern Europe as well but temperatures have dropped in Bulgaria after base depths there took a small hit in last week's warm weather. Pretty much all slopes remain open though. There was some light snowfall midweek in Czechia and Slovakia for resorts including Jasna, but it just added an inch (3cm) or so of refresh and we're back to largely sunny conditions now. North America Canada The news is mostly positive this week from Canada. Whilst ski areas further south on the West coast reported a lot of rain, British Columbia and Albertan ski areas got snow, up to half a metre of it in the last seven days, exceeding the forecast predictions this time a week ago. Conditions also remain good on the east coast where centres have had some light snowfall. The only major issue has been cold as it got even colder, impacting ski areas in Alberta and inland BC especially, several of which were partially or fully closed by the low temperatures for several days at the start of this week. They included Nakiska, closest to Calgary and Jasper's Marmot Basin. USA The huge storms forecast to hit the West Coast and dump metres of snowfall arrived on cue but unfortunately, warm temperatures meant ski centres tended to see torrential rain and gales but not a lot of snow. Things have improved a little through the week and some centres have now posted several feet, cumulatively, since last Friday, if not the 10 feet plus that was forecast at one point. There's actually been heavier snowfall a little inland with Jackson Hole posting 80cm of snowfall in 72 hours, and Sun Valley 60cm in the same period. |
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Not specific to Bardonecchia, but I'd definitely book in advance if you can. You don't want to waste potential ski-time...
Although Italy doesn't do half-term, it will be a busy week with families regardless. If you're of similar ability, then booking a private instructor for the 5 of you might work - and give you more flexibility than a ski school. Otherwise you'll need to find various group lessons (with space); which might need some co-ordination. |
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J2Ski's Where to Ski in February 2025
Started by Admin in Snow Forecasts and Snow Reports, discussing Livigno and Saalbach Hintergle... |
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February starts with good snow conditions across most of Europe, much of North America, and (probably) all of Japan!
Aletsch Arena, Switzerland; similar conditions across the Alps at the moment Where to Ski in February 2025 February is usually the peak month of the northern hemisphere's ski season when all the snowfall of the previous three months enables resorts to open all of their slopes and before temperatures start to rise for spring. 2025 is, on the whole, living up to these norms. Most of the skiing world, at least in the northern hemisphere, is almost fully open. Some ski areas - western North America, most of Japan and much of the Alps - have had a fairly good winter and have had everything open for weeks or in some cases months. Others, like North America's East Coast, have been on a bit of a catch-up after a poor season start but as we start February, are just about there. That leaves a few regions still facing challenges. The Pyrenees are doing OK but none of the big areas have quite made it past 70% open so far and it's a similar story for Scandinavia. Scotland, unfortunately, has its all too common roller coaster winter underway with nowhere yet able to fully open for the season. The hope there is for a big February snowfall to transform things. Europe Austria The ski racing world will be focussed on Austria this February as Saalbach Hinterglemm hosts the biggest competitions outside the Winter Olympics, the bi-annual World Championships. It has been a pretty average season for Austrian ski areas so far but the end of January brought some good snowfalls (after rain) and February sees most areas fully open, or nearly so. There have been few big snowfalls but cold temperatures overnight have allowed snowmakers to produce the goods and ensure almost every run is open. France The usual weather mix in France over the past few months has caused problems with rain on the snow at times and high avalanche danger but has also delivered the deepest snow cover in Europe to some of the country's best-known ski areas, now up around the 3-metre mark. The overall picture - with the February half-term holidays, coming up, the busiest weeks of the season on French ski slopes – is pretty good with most of the country's ski areas reporting their slopes at least 90% open. Huge snowfalls in late January certainly helped, with several centres going past the 3m/10 feet base mark, the only ones in Europe to do so so far this winter as a result. Chamonix recently posted a remarkable 1.2 metres (4 feet) of snowfall in 72 hours. Italy It has been a fairly dry winter so far for Italy and most of the country's ski areas have been offering skiing on snow lying less than 50cm thick, a lot of that snow machine-made. That said, most are close to fully open, and long-used to operating with little natural snowfall. Some centres in the Dolomites have said that their customers prefer cold, sunny days to prolonged snowstorms. The biggest snowfall of the season, so far, was in the final weeks of last month; areas including Livigno, seeing as much snowfall in three days as they had all winter. The snow depths are much greater in the north and west of the country, lying over 2 metres deep at La Thuile on the French border. Val Gardena in the Dolomites reports all 180km of its slopes open for February despite just a 50cm base. Switzerland Swiss centres also start February with most posting all of their runs open and fairly decent snow depths. The final week of January saw up to 90cm (3 feet) of fresh snowfall, the most this season so far. Saas Fee actually has one of the deepest snowpacks in Europe, approaching 3 metres, although at the other extreme St Moritz reports only about 30cm lying, but still has two-thirds of its terrain open. So far there has been much heavier snowfall in the west of the country than the east, but ski areas across Switzerland are in the best shape they've been all winter, in terms of terrain open, which is close to everything. Scandinavia It's not really been the best of winters in Scandinavia so far. Although there have been periods of famously cold temperatures and some decent dumps on Norway's coast we've also had a warm autumn bringing below-average snowfalls and some highly unusual spells of warm, wet weather in January. Bases are gradually building and open terrain increasing through these ups and downs, although some of the region's biggest areas start February with still only 40-60% of their slopes open. The final week of January also saw some of the heaviest snowfall of the season in the region. The end of this month should see the season start at northern destinations including Bjorkliden and Riksgransen. Scotland Scotland has had its familiar pattern of very low temperatures followed by very warm temperatures over the past three months. In the cold weather, bases have gradually built up and Glenshee, Cairngorm and Glencoe have managed to open a few natural runs for a few days each before the next warm spell. As we start February we're in another positive period with centres opening more natural terrain again, although the forecast for the start of February is for rising temperatures. Pyrenees The Pyrenees are not having the best of seasons so far, but not the worst either. There has been relatively little natural snowfall all winter, so much of the open terrain is machine-made snow and base depths are not huge. On the upside, it's been cold overnight for much of January and so snowmaking machines have been able to operate to the max. Some ski centres still only have 30-40% of their slopes open but most are up at 60-70% and a few on the French side have managed to hit 909% open. Hopefully, these numbers will keep improving through February. Eastern Europe A fairly good picture across Eastern Europe as we start February. The Balkans are arguably in the best shape with some of the deepest snowpacks reported for several years and pretty much every run open at Bansko and Borovets in Bulgaria. Further north the numbers aren't quite so spectacular in Czechia and the Slovak Republic in terms of snow depth but again most runs are open at the region's best-known resorts like Spindleruv Mlyn and Jasna. North America Canada It has been a better-than-average season for Western Canada with ski areas there posting the world's deepest snow depths, excluding Japan, and Revelstoke in British Columbia the first to pass 6 metres (20+ feet) of seasonal snowfall to date in the country. January was a drier month than November and December but remained very cold, rarely getting above freezing in fact, and most centres in Alberta and BC are fully open. A much more challenging winter in the East, although January was cold and snowy which has greatly improved things now. The largest area, Tremblant, announced it was finally fully open in the last week of January. USA The US has had a moderate season to date, with few huge snowstorms to report and some problems with warm temperatures at times, particularly on the Northeast side of the country. February is set to start with a snowstorm expected to hit the country's West Coast, delivering up to 100 inch (3 metres) of snowfall in the first few days of the month. Conditions are now the best they've been all season with the gradual build-up of snow over the last three months meaning more and more US resorts are either fully open (including Park City Mountain) or at 90%+. Asia Japan has been enjoying one of its best seasons of the past decade with the abundant light powder it is famous for arriving regularly, building up the deepest bases in the world this season to date – some areas are now close to the 5 metres mark lying on their upper slopes. February should be an epic snow month in Japan. |
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Samoens, Grand Massif, France, looking lovely under fresh snow... Decent snowfalls across much of Europe and Scandinavia. Major falls expected for USA (Pacific) and Japan. The Snow Headlines - January 30th - Very heavy snowfall in the Alps - up to 60cm in 24 hours, 120cm in 72 hours. - The heaviest snowfall of the season to date in Scandinavia. - Huge snowfalls forecast for US Pacific Coast this weekend. - Scottish centres have some of the best conditions of 24-25 so far. - Midsummer snowfalls in New Zealand. 
Snow forecasts worldwide.
World Overview There's been a big change in the weather in the Alps this week with heavy snowfall moving in across much of the region, sending bases back on an upward trajectory after weeks of not a lot happening. It's not just the Alps either, the Pyrenees have seen some of their best snowfalls of the winter and up in Scandinavia its back to cold and snowy weather too, again with some of the biggest accumulations of the season to date. Even Scottish centres have been able to re-open slopes requiring natural cover after conditions improved here too. Please Take Care! The current snowpack in the Alps, over a wide area, has "weak layers" off-piste following the latest snowfall, and there have been a number of fatalities in avalanches this past week. Check the regional and local Avalanche Bulletins/Reports before leaving the piste, always take safety kit (and know how to use it) and do not ski alone. Over in North America, it has been cold again, just not so cold as the week before. As previously there have been some modest snowfalls but nothing to get over excited about. On the upside, most centres remain fully open with the most terrain they've had available all winter. There's also something big coming this weekend with colossal snowfalls expected on America's Pacific coast. Japan continues to top the world snow depths league although here too there's been much drier weather this week. Several centres there have over 4m of snow lying and here too there's a big snowfall expected at the weekend, so 5 metres may be reached soon. For a bit of novelty, the past week also saw some snowfall in New Zealand, where it is currently Midsummer and six months away from the season start. Mt Hutt was among the areas that saw their slopes turn white. Europe Austria Austria has had a very snowy few days midweek, but the sunshine is now returning so skiers can enjoy all the fresh cover under blue skies. Most centres have had 1-2 feet of fresh snow, although many saw rainfall on Tuesday as the storm moved in before this turned to snow. Competitive focus is currently on Austrian resorts after the Kitzbuhel Hahnenkamm last weekend, the Schladming might slalom midweek and the 2025 FIS Alpine Skiing World Championships at Saalbach Hinterglemm starting next week. Each of these areas, like most Austrian resorts, is fully open with fresh snow. France It's been an amazing week for snowfall in the French Alps with the largest falls of the season so far. Chamonix topped the tables with a 1.2m (4 feet) accumulation reported in 72 hours. It's posting the deepest base in the continent up at the top of the Valle Blanche at 3.9 metres (13 feet). However, Avoriaz and Les Arcs both went through the 3 metres/10 feet base mark too. The news wasn't 100% positive though, some areas, particularly lower slopes, saw torrential rain at the start of the storm and avalanche danger levels are well up (widely Level 3 - Considerable - and Level 4). Bases are looking good for the rest of the season now plus the sun is back out this weekend too. Italy There was palpable relief in Italy, which has had little snowfall except along its northern and western borders all winter, as the country received some huge snow dumps this week. Livigno's base depth, which had been very meagre, more than doubled and it was a similar story in many other Italian areas. The biggest gainers include Val Gardena, getting 70cm and La Thuile reporting 80cm. As elsewhere, the sunshine is now returning and conditions are looking ideal for the coming week. Switzerland Switzerland has also had its share of huge snowfalls with Crans Montana posting the most, 70cm, although the Aletsch Arena was only slightly behind. As elsewhere in the Alps, the snowfall led to a big jump in snow depths, particularly on higher slopes and most notable in the east of the country (where snowfall had been scant up to this week) for resorts like Arosa and St Moriz, both of which scored 50cm+. The snow clouds are moving on here too and most of Switzerland will have a sunny weekend. Scandinavia It's been a good week for Scandinavia as conditions have continued to improve after the mid-January warm temperature blip. Ski areas in Norway and Sweden reported some good snowfall accumulations of 20-40cm, the biggest of the season, at the weekend after stormy weather blew through, and the snow has kept falling since. Sweden's Sälen, the country's largest resort by uplift, has been one of the big winners, reporting 50cm of snowfall this week and jumping from about 60% to 95% open. It was by no means alone with a much-improved picture across the region. Pyrenees and Spain This time last week forecasting models suggested that the Pyrenees, which are badly in need of a big dump, were due to get just that with similar accumulations to the Alps. Unfortunately, that failed to materialise and accumulations were in the low inches rather than several feet. Some centres saw rain too. So the result hasn't changed much, most areas are still 50-70% open as they have been the past 4-6 weeks. The good news is that more significant snowfall has rolled in to end the week which should bring a good refresh. Heavy snowfall has been reported as far south as Sierra Nevada, Europe's most southerly resort. Scotland Scottish ski areas are looking better as temperatures have dropped and snow is falling once more. Storm Éowyn was the catalyst for the change with violent gales and snow bringing blizzard conditions closing all centres at the end of last week. By Saturday it became clear that some areas had had snowfall blasted off it by the violent winds, others had drifts up to a metre deep. Glencoe was the first to report it was opening terrain with natural cover last Sunday and all the other centres, except currently-closed Nevis Range, have been able to open some runs too. The only hiccup now is warming temperatures on the horizon. Eastern Europe It's been a mostly sunny week in the Balkans with rather warm temperatures, as high as +11C, at resort base levels, although Bansko has maintained its run back to its base and it is now getting colder with snow forecast. Further north in the Tatras it has been colder with some snowfalls, if not so much as in the Alps to the south and west. North America Canada Canadian ski areas have had another cold and rather dry week with just modest snowfalls on the eastern and western sides of the country. That is set to change in the coming week with heavy snowfall forecast for coastal British Columbia, some of which should make it inland. Temperatures have been in the -5 to -20C range and that's set to remain the case into the start of February. On the eastern side of the country ski areas in Ontario are posting good cover thanks to Lake Effect snow and the largest centre, Quebec's Mont Tremblant, reports everything open and claims conditions are the best they've been all season. USA The US has had another cold week, if not quite so cold as the exceptionally cold week before when the snowfall made it to Florida. There's not been much fresh snow this week, although upstate New York has had about a foot more and California also got similar totals, the most for a month or so. Despite the lack of fresh cover conditions remain the best they've been all winter on the groomed runs at least with most centres fully open, or nearly so. Things are set to change from this weekend in the west with big snowfalls expected, particularly in California, where current models suggest 2-3 metres of snow may arrive by this time next week. The snowfall should also continue further east to at least the northern Rockies. |
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Is there any snow in the Rosengarten around Tires/Tiers Italy?
Started by Babohacz in Italy, 3 Replies, discussing Cortina d'Ampezzo and Val Gard... |
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I don't know the area myself, but the closest ski area is - I think - Carezza, which appears to have reasonable snow cover (and plenty of people skiing) right now;
See https://carezza.it/en/info_service/webcam Also, "late February" is 2 or 3 weeks away yet so there's plenty of time for the weather to change. There's no major snowfall in the forecast at the moment, but temperatures are expected to stay low and - importantly - apart from this coming Friday, there's no rain predicted either; so the snow on the mountains should hang around. So it depends; are you feeling lucky? will you have a car? how late can you cancel/rearrange your hotel, etc. |
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