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J2Ski Snow Report July 13th 2023
Falls Creek, Australia, great snow and 100% open! Australia, Argentina and Chile are getting the goods. The Snow Headlines - July 13th - Argentina's Catedral ski area opens 75km of terrain - most in world right now. - Les 2 Alpes and Val d'Isere end 2023 summer ski seasons. - More heavy snowfalls in Australia, Perisher reports upper base over 1m mark. - Saas Fee due to open to all for 23-24 season this weekend. - Norway's Fonna glacier area closing. 
Oh look, more snow in the forecast for Australia, New Zealand and South America
World Overview The southern hemisphere's ski season has been gathering pace further with more big snowfalls in Australia and decent dumps reported for parts of South America too. The result is that the southern hemisphere's two biggest ski areas – Argentina's Catedral and Australia's Perisher – are the two largest areas open in the world at present. It's an improving picture in New Zealand too with more consistently cold weather, but bases remain thin and open terrain is limited. In the northern hemisphere, the summer heat is being felt on the 10 ski areas that were open this time last week in Japan, North America and Europe. Asia's only centre has now closed, and the number of French areas open has dropped from three to one. And one of the two Scandinavian glaciers areas open has announced its season end will be Sunday. But on the upside Switzerland's Saas Fee says it will open for its 8-month 23-24 season from this coming weekend. Southern Hemisphere Australia Australia has had another good week with 2-3 days of heavy snowfall (albeit delivered in blizzard conditions which closed lifts and slopes at times) bringing up to another half-metre accumulation. Falls Creek is the latest Aussie ski area to report every lift running and every slope open, including those served by the resort's famous international lift, which only usually opens for limited periods, if at all, each winter. Perisher though has the most terrain open – about 40km of runs, the second most in the world at present, and Australia's deepest reported snow at 110cm up top. New Zealand It's slow progress for New Zealand where the country continues to wait for a big snowstorm and consistently cold temperatures to really get winter 2023 going. As it is it's been mostly dry, with just a few light snowfalls, and so what is open – not a lot in most areas so far unfortunately – is largely thanks to snowmaking. Some that lack the fire power like Mount Dobson are still waiting to open anything. The best snowfalls in NZ have been have been on the North Island where Turoa on Mount Ruapehu reports a 115cm upper slope base and about a quarter of its runs open. Coronet Peak reports the most terrain open – more than 30km and three-quarters of its slopes – despite still having snow lying only 5-30cm (2-12") deep. Argentina All of Argentina's leading ski areas have now opened for the 2023 season and cold weather with fresh snowfall has led to a big improvement in conditions too. That's most marked at the continent's largest ski area, Catedral near Bariloche, where the amount of open terrain has jumped to 80km (50 miles), about two-thirds of the entire area and the largest area open anywhere in the world at present by some margin. Most other areas have smaller percentages of terrain open, except for Chapelco which is at 80% of its slopes open already, 30km out of the 36km maximum possible. Chile Conditions continue to improve in Chile with most of the country's ski areas now open and a good snowfall over the middle of this week bringing reports of up to 40cm of fresh cover by Thursday morning. Temperatures have also been low at ski areas, rarely getting much above freezing and dropping to double digits below up high overnight. Portillo in the north is reporting that its famous powder snow is currently abundant and Valle Nevado, currently with the most terrain open, says a further 10% of its slopes are now open. Africa There has been quite a lot of excitement in South Africa this week with extensive natural snowfall reaching places it doesn't usually, including big cities like Johannesburg. Sadly though, the country's only ski centre Tiffindell appears to be closed for good. Lesotho's Afriski is open but only for tubing and 'snow play' with no ski lifts operating. The centre blames an inadequate and unreliable power supply. Europe Alps The biggest weather factor for much of Europe at present is heat, and alpine valleys are seeing their fair share of this with highs reaching +30C at 1,000m altitude. Up on glaciers, it's cooler but still reaching high single-plus figures Celsius at 3,000m altitude in the afternoon - so base depths are dropping. Les 2 Alpes and Val d'Isere are reported to have ended their summer ski openings as scheduled last weekend so there are currently just four areas open in the Alps – one in each of the big four ski nations there – Tignes in France, Hintertux in Austria, Zermatt in Switzerland and Passo Stelvio in Italy. Saas Fee is due to open for its 23-24 season on Saturday and says its summer ski slopes will be open to all from day one. Last summer the area had limited terrain only available for race team training and was closed to the public due to the poor conditions. Scandinavia Another of Scandinavia's three small summer ski centres has announced it's ending its 2023 run. Fonna says this coming weekend will be its last until 2024 leaving only Galdhopiggen open, aiming to remain so through to the autumn and still posting a 50-220cm base. The weather has been a mix of rain, cloud and even some light snow showers at times. Temperatures are still dropping to freezing overnight, with daytime highs around +8C. North America Two ski areas remain open to the public in the US with a further two small areas – Copper Mountain in Colorado and the Blackcomb Glacier above Whistler in BC, Canada – offering private, mostly terrain park based – summer snow sports too. Mammoth Mountain, now into the ninth month of its 22-23 season, is the only ski area left open in California. It has reduced operations further this week and now has limited terrain accessed solely from the Main lodge. The Timberline summer ski area on the Palmer Snowfield on Mt Hood in Oregon also remains open. In North America as in Europe some very warm temperatures have been reported, speeding the thaw of the remaining snow from last winter's huge accumulations. |
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J2Ski Snow Report July 6th 2023
Cerro Catedral, Patagonia, Argentina, is now open. Australia looking better and better... The Snow Headlines - July 6th - More heavy snowfalls in Australia. - Les 2 Alpes and Val d'Isere expected to end summer seasons this weekend. - Most ski areas open in South America and New Zealand over the past week. - US ski centres celebrate Independence Day on the snow. - South America's largest ski area, Catedral near Bariloche, opens for 2023 season. 
A little more snow on the way...
World Overview The 2023 (southern) ski season continues to gather pace with Australia continuing to be the country reporting the most snow falling and consequently most resorts and terrain open. But South American ski centres and those in New Zealand have also seen some snow and colder temperatures meaning more have opened or in some cases re-opened thanks to the improved conditions. The heaviest snowfall has been in Argentina's Patagonia and the coldest temperatures in the Andes. Conditions on glaciers in the Alps and in Scandinavia are also reported to be good for July and Les 2 Alpes has extended its planned summer opening by a week or so. In North America, the big focus this week was skiing and boarding on the 4th of July - which four centres achieved. Southern Hemisphere Australia Australia is currently the stand-out of the four main southern hemisphere ski nations for seeing cold temperatures and plenty of snowfall for the past month now. There's a lot more in the forecast too, and the only real downside has been gale-force winds arriving at times, resulting in blizzard conditions. The country's largest resort, Perisher, has the most terrain open in the world at present, with more than 40km (25 miles) of slopes and all four mountains open. Mount Hotham is reported to have all of its lifts spinning for the first time since 2019. Falls Creek is posting the deepest snow in the country so far at 70-90cm. New Zealand New Zealand's season is gearing up with a big jump in the numbers open from a week ago thanks to centres that had been forced to close like Coronet Peak and Mount Hutt re-opening, and those that had delayed opening, like Treble Cone coming on line. The reason has been some (but not a lot of) heavy, wet snow and then colder weather that allowed snowmaking systems to fire up. So not yet out-of-the-woods and still limited terrain open (either "just beginners" or "suitable for experts only" at some areas), but starting to make progress. Mount Ruapehu's $5m financial rescue, for this season at least, by the New Zealand government also allowed Turoa and Whakapapa ski areas to open there. The Remarkables, one of the two centres that opened and has managed to stay open, since mid-June is posting the deepest base in the country at 72cm. The other, Cardrona, was forced to close for a few days by gale force winds, just to add to the weather mix! Re-opened Mount Hutt has the most terrain open at 14.5km, about a third of its full area. South America Argentina An improving picture in Argentina too with some more big snowfalls reported in Patagonia. Unfortunately for the practicalities of operations though, these are reported to have added to the 4m of snow reported to be lying above Las Leñas, but the resort itself remains closed due to too little snow at the base, where there's been rain reported. Better news though from the continent's biggest ski area, Cerro Catedral which has opened for the season albeit with only about 5% of its potential 120 km of slopes open initially and a 40cm base. Chapelco is posting the country's deepest snow at 75 cm. The world's most southerly centre at Cerro Castor has a 25cm base and 16km (10 miles) of slopes open. Chile The majority of Chile's ski centres have now opened thanks to fresh snowfall and some very cold temperatures, getting down to -10C overnight, ideal for snowmaking. Among the newly open is the famous powder destination of Portillo, reporting a 50-75cm base, with Valle Nevado, now into its second week of operations having been the first in the country to open, reporting 20km of slopes available, about half its total area and the most of any one resort in the country at present. Africa There was fresh snowfall reported at Lesotho's Afriski resort at the weekend and snowmaking continues but the resort isn't running ski lifts and only offering tubing and snow play this winter, it says due to a lack of energy provision. South Africa's Tiffindell has not operated since 2019 and currently appears closed for good. Europe Alps There are six ski areas currently open in the Alps although two – Les 2 Alpes and Val d'Isere – are expected to end their 2023 summer ski seasons this weekend, taking us back to one centre open in each of the main four Alpine nations by next week. Les 2 Alpes had actually planned to close its glacier to snow sports fans over a week ago at the end of June but decided to stay open into July due to what a tourist office staff member described as "superb" conditions. Similar comments have been made for the other currently open areas with blue skies, temperatures a few degrees on either side of freezing and light fresh snow showers reported overnight to freshen up the snow cover each morning. The areas open next week (and this) include Tignes in France, Passo Stelvio in Italy and the year-round Hintertux glacier in Austria. Zermatt's Klein Matterhorn ski area is open too with access also available from Cervinia on the Italian side. Scandinavia There are two small glacier ski centres open in Norway, both with a couple of kilometres of runs open and reporting great conditions. Galdhopiggen currently has the thickest snowpack in the world at 3.3 metres (11 feet). Folgefonn ("Fonna") is the other option. North America There were big 4th of July Independence Day celebrations earlier this week, which also marked the last day of an 8-month ski season for The Palisades ski area. That means there's just fellow Californian ski area Mammoth Mountain and Timberline in Oregon still open and planning to remain so, at least through July. Temperatures have been hot and sunny, and the snow is variously described as "wet" or "mud". Terrain parks are also open to those enrolled in private camps at Copper Mountain in Colorado and on the Blackcomb Glacier above Whistler in BC. |
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J2Ski's Where to Ski in July 2023
Perisher, Australia, has all four ski areas interlinked as of today... July is traditionally when the southern hemisphere's main ski season really starts to take off. Those resorts that have not yet opened for 2023 should do so in the first days of the month, while many that opened in June will be aiming to reach 100% of slopes open (if they're not there already). This year, warming ocean temperatures in the Pacific seem to be having a mixed impact with some nations (notably Australia in recent weeks) doing well, and others (Argentina, Chile and New Zealand) less so, in the early weeks of the 2023 season. For those in the northern hemisphere, it's more a battle against the summer heat to stay open for the dozen or so centres in North America, Europe and Asia that still are – half of them still going from autumn 2022, the other half being 'summer only' destinations... For July 2023 things are looking much better than a year ago when you could count the number of areas open on one hand, as spring and early summer heat last year caused most in Europe and North America to close or suspend operations. It is getting warm again but so far it's a brighter picture for summer skiing in 2023. Three North American ski areas are set to stay open until at least Independence Day on 4th July (two beyond) and there are more than half a dozen areas open in five countries in Europe as we start the month. The next major ski area to open, Saas-Fee, in mid-July, could be said to mark the start of the 23-23 ski season in that once open it stays open through to spring next year!
Southern Hemisphere Australia Australian ski areas had a bumpy start to the 2023 season in the first few weeks of June with some centres delaying opening runs, but successive snow storms and cold weather since the middle of the month have greatly improved things. The last fortnight of June was cold, and snowy, with even blizzards at times and Aussie areas are in increasingly good shape for July with deepening bases and more and more terrain open. The largest resort, Perisher, has all four of its mountains open, and Mt Buller, Hotham and Thredbo are also opening more and more runs and reporting powder days already too. Falls Creek reported 90cm (three feet) of snowfall in 7 days at the end of June. Selwyn Resort, which last operated in 2019 before being destroyed by bushfires in January 2020 and then rebuilt through the pandemic, has finally reopened for snow sports too. New Zealand Alas, the 2023 ski season did not get off to the best of starts in New Zealand last month with several resorts having to delay their planned openings and two of the first four that did manage to open some limited terrain forced to close again by mild weather and rain on lower slopes. On top of this the country's largest ski resort, Mount Ruapehu, was declared bankrupt after creditors couldn't agree on a rescue package. The final few days of June did bring some respite with snow on higher slopes, cooler temperatures and a $5m season rescue plan for Ruapehu from the NZ government, but much more cold and snowy weather will be needed in early July to get the season back on track. Mount Hutt hopes to re-open shortly and Treble Cone which had planned to be open for the last week of June but has so far had to delay say they'll hopefully open from Monday, July 3rd. Argentina There are mixed signals coming from Argentina after big snowfalls of over a metre were reported in May, but then ski areas failed to open on schedule in June. It seems that the snowfall was down in Patagonia rather than in the Andes proper and even here warm temperatures last month thawed much of it away. Las Lenas hoped to open for its 40th season in mid-June but has had to delay while awaiting better conditions on low slopes where there's been rain, although anecdotal reports are of the snow lying 4metres thick up high there already. Several smaller centres including Cerro Bayo and the world's most southerly resort, Cerro Castor down in the Tierra del Fuego region at South America's southern tip have opened some terrain. The last few days of June though saw resorts opening mostly limited terrain including the continent's largest ski area, Catedral near Bariloche, which has a few kilometres of slopes open for the start of July and aims to open much more with snowfall forecast. Chile It's a similar story in Chile to Argentina with most of the country's ski areas due to open but currently 'on hold' for their season starts. Portillo posted a good half-metre accumulation towards the end of last month but this was not enough for it to open for the final week of June as hoped, although it aims to open very soon. It has been cold but rather dry in most of the country's mountainous areas for much of the latter half of June, unfortunately. But ski areas have started opening, Valle Nevado first with 20km (about half its domain) open for July 1st. Southern Africa Alas, there's currently no sign that either Afriski in Lesotho or Tiffindell in South Africa will run their ski lifts at all in winter 2023. Northern Hemisphere The Alps We're starting July with five glacier ski areas open in four countries in the Alps (depending on how you measure it), with two of these due to close during the month, but another due to open in July, so if all goes smoothly, we should end the month with five still operating into August in three countries. Last July the heat of spring 2022 and low snowfall of winter 21-22 took its toll and most areas were forced to close early or suspend operations until the air cooled in the autumn, but this year things are looking more promising although it is currently warming up. France has been the only country with more than a single area open the last month, but the first of its three centres open, Les 2 Alpes, closed at the end of June. This leaves neighbouring Val d'Isere (closing on the first weekend of the month though) and Tignes (closing on the 23rd). Tignes currently has one of the deepest snowpacks and the largest amounts of terrain open in the Alps – around 20km. In Switzerland, year-round Zermatt is joined by Saas-Fee opening 20km of slopes from the 15th of July, the start of its 23-24 season through to April next year, although not promoted as such, there's just no plan to close between that mid-July opening and closure in spring 2024. Also open is Italy's Passo Stelvio with Cervinia providing access to Zermatt's glacier ski area and the year-round skiing at the Hintertux glacier, the only areas that stayed open right through the hot summer of 2022, is open as well. Scandinavia Two small Scandinavian glacier areas are currently open with both planning to stay open through July and to later in the year. Warm weather has melted snow cover and thwarted that plan some years but it's looking fairly promising in 2023 with some of the deepest reported snow bases surviving from a snowy winter 22-23. Folgefonn ("Fonna") and Galdhopiggen are your choices, both in Norway, the latter boasting the highest slopes in Scandinavia. North America Three ski areas are expecting to offer skiing at the start of July for the 4th of July weekend. Others may open at short notice – that has happened in some previous years when there was above-average winter snowfall - and a lot lying still by late spring and early summer. The two resorts that have been saying for months that they'd be open to July are Mammoth Mountain and The Palisades in California. For the latter, a big festival for Independence Day is planned but that's also likely to be the last few days of snowsports with the resort planning to end after a nearly 8-month ski season once the celebrations are done. Mammoth expects to stay open through to the end of July. That will hopefully also be the case for Timberline in Oregon which is home to the Palmer Snowfield where there is training terrain for ski teams as well as terrain parks for fun and freestyle training. If you want to sign up for a private camp you can also access small areas of surviving snow at Copper Mountain in Colorado, Whistler Blackcomb or Mont Saint Sauveur in Quebec. Japan Japan's Gassan Glacier, which opened for the season in April and aims to stay open as long as the snow lasts - is hoping to make it through July, with less than a metre of snow still lying at present. July is usually its final month of its season. |
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J2Ski Snow Report June 29th 2023
Falls Creek, Australia, looking like a great place to be right now... Powder in Australia, snow coming for NZ. The Snow Headlines - 29th June - 90cm (3 Feet) of Snowfall in 7 days at Falls Creek. - Three US ski areas aiming to be open for the 4th of July. - Las Lenas in Argentina closes after snow conditions deteriorate. - A cold and snowy week delivers powder days to Australian ski areas. - New Zealand ski areas struggle with borderline conditions. - Cervinia re-opens lift connection to glacier ski area above Zermatt. 
Some decent snow bound for New Zealand and South America
World Overview There's mixed news from the southern hemisphere where the 2023 season is gathering pace. The good news has come from Australia where successive snow storms and cold temperatures have created a really promising picture now after a shaky start with all areas open and each opening ever more terrain. But it's less good in New Zealand and South America where resorts like Mount Hutt and Las Lenas have closed again due to poor conditions. That said, the past 24 hours have seen some improvements and resorts have begun opening again - with more snow in the forecast. In the northern hemisphere, we have about a dozen ski areas still open with little change from last week. That's a lot better than the start of July last year when it was just a couple. But temperatures are warming up (even if there has been more snowfall up high in the northern Rockies!) and several centres including Les 2 Alpes, Val d'Isere and The Palisades, will end their summer skiing this weekend or next week. Southern Hemisphere Australia It's been a great week – nearly two weeks now in fact – of cold weather and snowfall for Australia's ski areas. All of the country's centres are now open and rapidly expanding the amount of terrain on offer. Bases are still not yet at a 'safe' depth to see centres through the season if there is a mild spell, but are now several feet deep in some cases and heading towards the metre mark. Last of the big names to open for the season was Selwyn Resort, offering skiing for the first time since 2019 having been rebuilt after a catastrophic bush fire in early 2020. Perisher, the country's largest, has all four mountains open but suffered a bit of a PR disaster when images of huge lift queues appeared online. It is looking good at Falls Creek, where powder days were declared on Sunday and Monday after snowfalls reached 90cm (3 feet) in the previous 7 days. Great conditions too at Mount Buller, Hotham and Thredbo. New Zealand It's not been a great week in New Zealand alas with mild temperatures impacting snow cover so much that two of the handful of areas that had managed to open, Mount Hutt and Coronet Peak, both decided to temporarily close again until things improve, while Treble Cone, which had planned to start its season last weekend, has delayed doing so. Midweek precipitation did see fresh snow on higher slopes but more rain at bases. The Remarkables has managed to open more terrain, thanks to the heroic effort of groomers and snowmakers they said. The other good news is that a $5m grant means the bankrupt and in-search-of-new-owners Turoa and Whakapapa ski areas can open this season when there's snow. Looking ahead, although conditions remain marginal, things are improving and light snowfall and lower temperatures have been reported since Wednesday. This has raised hopes of closed areas reopening and Treble Cone have said they hope to open from Monday. Argentina Mixed news from Argentina as well with two centres, including the continent and the world's most southerly, Cerro Castor, opening at the weekend but one of the country's biggest and first to open this winter, Las Lenas, closing again while awaiting improved snow conditions here too. Despite a big snowfall with over a metre accumulating in May, mild weather has led to most of that disappearing. Most of the centres that haven't opened yet plan to over the coming week. South America's largest ski area, Catedral near Bariloche, opened on Thursday but just a couple of runs initially. Chile There was a decent snowfall with 40cm of fresh snow reported at Portillo last weekend but most of the country's ski areas remain closed while more consistent cold and snowy conditions arrive. That is starting to happen and Valle Nevado was the first to open, on Thursday, reporting a 20-60cm base and about half of its 40 km of slopes open. Most of the rest of the country's centres are expected to open this coming weekend. Africa At present, it does not appear that either of southern Africa's ski areas – Tiffindell in South Africa, which last opened in 2019 for skiing and Afriski in Lesotho – will open for skiing this winter. Tiffindell appears to have gone out of business and while Afriski has been making snow when it has had electricity and temperatures low enough, it says it is only for sledging and tubing. Europe Alps The only real change on a week ago is that Cervinia re-opened its lift connection to the already open Matterhorn Glacier Paradise ski area above Zermatt for the summer at the weekend, making access to the slopes from Italy possible again. You can also still ski at Passo Stelvio in Italy or Hintertux in Austria. There are also currently three centres open for summer skiing and boarding in France – Tignes, Val d'Isere and Les 2 Alpes, but for the latter, this is expected to be the final weekend of the 2023 summer ski season, and for Val d'Isere there's just next week left of its summer season too. Temperatures have been climbing and above freezing by a degree or two even at night on glaciers over the last week, with lots of sunshine as well, although a few snow showers have been reported. Scandinavia After a brief re-opening for midsummer midnight sun skiing at Riksgransen in Northern Sweden, we're back to Norway's two remaining small glacier areas offering the only July lift-served skiing in Scandinavia. The Fonna Glacier Ski Resort and Galdhøpiggen summer area have two and three-metre snow depths respectively but are being impacted by increasingly warm temperatures making it more important than ever to make the most of early morning ski conditions. North America There's been more snowfall up high to end June in the Rockies with the Beartooth Pass closed by snow at the weekend – and up to 4 feet (1.2m) of new snow reported in fact. That's near the location of the summer ski area of Beartooth Basin which closed earlier this month. Three resorts further west are still open and gearing up for skiing on the 4th of July. Mammoth Mountain and the Palisades in Colorado both report their snowpacks still 10 feet (3 metres) thick up top and it's nearer five feet (1.5m) at Timberline in Oregon on the Palmer snowfield. For The Palisades this coming week will be the last of an eight-month 22-23 ski season with planned closure after Independence Day. |
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J2Ski Snow Report June 22nd 2023
After a 3-year hiatus, Selwyn, NSW, Australia has literally risen from the ashes and is back in action tomorrow! Snow in Australia, season starts in Argentina. The Snow Headlines - 22nd June - Ski season gets underway in Argentina. - Tignes opens for glacier ski season. - More snowfall in Australia mean most centres are now open.. - Skiing at midnight under the midnight sun in Sweden this weekend. - More centres open for the 2023 season in New Zealand, but one closes. - Norway's Stryn glacier ends its 2023 season. - US down to three centres open as they head towards 4th of July. - Snowfall in Western North America closes one of few still open ski areas. - Aussie area last open in 2019 will re-open Friday. 
Some decent snow bound for South America
World Overview We are into winter proper (by the astronomical calendar as well as the meteorological one) in the southern hemisphere, and summer in the northern. We're also now into double figures for the number of ski areas open in South America, Australia and New Zealand with at least one centre now open in every ski nation there. Australia in particular has been reporting plenty of fresh snow now, in other areas, cold temperatures. Against that, Mount Hutt, the first resort to open for the season in the southern hemisphere, has been forced to close again by rain. In the northern hemisphere, the summer heat is beginning to build with the consequence that Snowbird in Utah has abandoned plans to stay open to US independence day on July 4th, and Norway's Stryn glacier has ended its 2023 season. There has been a hiccup in the warming of the weather in north-western North America however, with up to 30cm of snowfall reported and the snowstorm temporarily closing one of the three still-open US ski areas. On a positive note, Tignes opened for its summer ski season at the weekend and Riksgransen, 200km north of the Arctic Circle in northern Sweden, re-opens for midsummer skiing under the midnight sun for this weekend only. Southern Hemisphere Australia The snow was falling in Australia as we were posting last week's report and in the end, it allowed two more centres - Mount Hotham and Falls Creek, to open their slopes for the season. They joined Mount Baw Baw, Mount Buller and the largest centre Perisher, which had all started skiing the previous Saturday. The terrain had been very limited at those three centres though and Perisher opened some main runs for the first time last Friday after the fresh snowfall. The weather stayed cold into this week though with more snowfall at the weekend adding a further 20-30 cm and then it kept snowing through the week, on and off. Thredbo opened for the season on Tuesday. Selwyn in New South Wales says it's opening Friday, for the first time since the lifts and base building were destroyed by bush fires in January 2020. New Zealand It's a mixed picture in New Zealand with some cold temperatures allowing snowmaking but with clear skies and no snowfall, but then milder air has brought rain. The result is that some areas have slightly expanded the limited terrain they opened with, others have had to close completely or delay opening. The outlook isn't that great for any significant cold, snowy weather arriving any time soon either unfortunately - although there is some light snow in the forecast now. The Remarkables, Coronet Peak and Cardrona all opened last weekend, with the first two adding a bit more terrain through the week. More were due to join them this weekend but one of them, Treble cone, has now delayed opening for the time being. Sadly Mt Hutt, which had been the first in the southern hemisphere to open back on June 10th, announced last weekend that it was forced to close due to the impact of heavy rain on its snow. Argentina Argentina's big opening weekend is coming up on Saturday but one centre, Las Lenas, has already opened, kicking off the country's 2023 season and its own 40th. So far it's been cold but hoped-for big snowfalls have not materialised. The heaviestto date in 2023 have tended to be in Patagonia. The continent's biggest resort, Catedral, and the world's most southerly, Cerro Castor, are among the centres due to open for the season from Saturday. Chile Chile has seen cold temperatures but little snowfall to date and La Parva is currently the only ski centre there reporting it has open slopes. More of the country's better-known ski areas including Portillo and Valle Nevado are aiming to open for their 2023 seasons this coming weekend if they can. Africa At the present time, it does not appear that either of southern Africa's ski areas – Tiffindell in South Africa, which last opened in 2019 for skiing and Afriski in Lesotho – will open for skiing this winter. Europe Alps We are up to three ski areas open in France now, with Tignes opening last weekend, joining its neighbour Val d'Isere. The two areas report 20km of slopes open, the greater part on the Tignes side. Tignes is open for five weeks for snowsports, and Val d'Isere is already nearly halfway through its four-week opening. You can also ski for a week or so more at Les 2 Alpes. Elsewhere the Hintertux glacier is open in Austria, Passo Stelvio in Italy and Zermatt in Switzerland. All the glaciers have reported warmer weather this past week, rarely getting below freezing below 4,000m now and reaching +10C in the afternoons at 3,000m altitude. It's been mostly sunny but there have been some rain showers. Cervinia opens at the weekend for its summer-autumn run but it really only provides lift access from the Italian side of the Matterhorn to the glacier skiing already open above Zermatt at this time of year. Scandinavia It's a big weekend coming up at Sweden's Riksgransen which reopens from Thursday to Saturday inclusive for three days and nights of midsummer skiing – the lifts opening from 10 pm to 1 am on Thursday, Friday and Saturday for skiing under the midnight sun to welcome in summer. It closes again on Sunday. One of Norway's three summer ski glacier areas, Stryn, has ended its season as well, leaving two centres planning to continue through summer and posting some of the world's deepest snowpacks at 3-4 metres, helping to see them through warm temperatures this last week. They're the Fonna and Galdhopiggen glaciers. The latter with Scandinavia's highest lifts up to 2,200m. North America This time last week there was excitement that Utah's Snowbird was re-opening after a three-week hiatus, planning to open weekends to at least the 4th of July, making use of the huge remaining snow reported to be remaining after 800" (20.3m) plus of snowfall that had fallen. Unfortunately though, things didn't play out as planned with Snowbird deciding the thaw was so fast it was going to open for last weekend only, so that's it now closed until next winter it seems. Still open and hoping to remain so into July, despite the impact of hot temperatures for them too, are Mammoth Mountain and The Palisades in California and Timberline in Oregon. There was some respite from the heat too in the Rockies with cooler temperatures and some significant snowfall reported in the Cascades, Rockies and other resorts in the region. Timberline was actually closed for several days at the start of the week by snow and low visibility while Marmot Basin up near Jasper in Alberta reported 30cm (a foot) of snowfall. The fresh snow was apparently not enough to change things enough for Snowbird though. |
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J2Ski Snow Report June 15th 2023
Perisher, Australia just got enough snow to start doing this... Southern hemisphere season is go. The Snow Headlines - 15th June - 2023 Southern Hemisphere ski season is underway. - Val d'Isere joins Les 2 Alpes, Tignes opening next. - Some Australian ski areas open on time, others delay, but opening soon. - Utah's Snowbird plans to re-open this weekend, and on weekends into July. - Fewer than 20 ski areas open worldwide, but over 10 countries and 5 continents. - New Zealand's Mt Hutt opens for 2023 season, more in NZ for the weekend. - Argentina's 2023 ski season starts on Saturday. 
A little snow in the hope forecast... 8)
World Overview The southern hemisphere's 2023 ski season has officially started with ski areas in Australia, Chile and New Zealand all opening within hours of each other last Saturday morning. New Zealand's Mount Hutt was probably first due to the direction the world turns. Snow cover is fairly limited in Australia and New Zealand so far although improving. Some Aussie areas that delayed opening slopes at the weekend will do so over the next few days, others say they need a bit more snow yet. In the Andes, it's a mixed picture but some areas have half a metre or more lying for opening day. Several dozen more areas plan to open this coming weekend. With ski areas opening on two southern hemisphere continents, the number of continents where lift-accessed skiing is now possible is up to five. There are four areas open this weekend in North America, 10 in Europe and the Gassan summer ski area in Japan continues its 2023 run. The number open north of the equator is actually increasing with Val d'Isere opening last weekend and Tignes then Cervinia (providing access to skiing above Zermatt) due to open over the next few weekends. Southern Hemisphere Australia Most of Australia's ski areas officially opened last Saturday for a three-day 'holiday weekend' with Monday a public holiday to celebrate King Charles III's birthday in most Aussie states including the major ski ones. However only three areas actually had some skiable terrain to offer from day one, after the mild spell over the first week of June gave way to cooler temps and up to 10cm of wet snowfall. Perisher and Mount Baw Baw both had limited terrain open, as did Mount Buller, aided by its TechnoAlpin all-weather snowmaking machine. Conditions have greatly improved in the last few days with heavy snowfall – double what forecasting models projected – dumping up to a foot (30cm) of snow at most Aussie areas by Thursday morning with low temperatures for snowmaking too. As a result Perisher immediately opened additional terrain and other areas are now expected to open imminently. Falls Creek and Hotham have announced they're both opening slopes from Friday 16th but Selwyn and Thredbo say they still need more snowfall – which is expected on Sunday. New Zealand The ski season got underway at Mount Hutt on Saturday morning, 24 hours after the season had been due to begin. It's thought that with time zones in New Zealand's favour, with 9 am there arriving before 9 am in Australia and Chile, it means Mt Hutt was probably, marginally, first in the southern hemisphere to open for the 2023 season. Well, open and hopefully stay open – purists will point to fellow Kiwi ski area Manganui opening a month ago for three days after a good pre-season snowfall. For the past week, temperatures have been getting down to -5C overnight with largely clear skies. Some snow showers but mostly sun. Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Cardrona are all due to open for their 2023 seasons this weekend, noting that they'll have limited terrain available initially. Argentina It's looking like the coming weekend will see the season start in Argentine with Cerro Bayo and Las Lenas among the resorts to have named a date, although it is expected at least half of the country's resorts will open too. Patagonia has done well with pre-season snowfalls, markedly better than any other region in May when several areas including Chapelco and Las Lenas posted snow totals of more than a metre. As Argentina's winters tend to be "all or nothing" it's hoped this is a sign of a good winter ahead. Certainly, there's been more cold and snowy weather over the last week. Chile Chile's La Parva was reportedly the first ski area in the country, and the Andes, to open for the 2023 ski season in South America. According to its snow report initially it has about a third of its 50km or so of runs open. Other Chilean ski areas including Portillo are expected to open for the season this weekend but perhaps there will be some delays as there are reports that some like Valle Nevado have not had much snowfall as yet. Africa At present, it does not appear that either of South Africa's ski areas – Tiffindell in South Africa, which last opened in 2019 for skiing and Afriski in Lesotho – will open this winter. Afriski says it will be open but that it won't be able to run its lifts and snowmaking for logistical reasons, so snow play only. Europe Alps The number of open ski areas in the Alps is currently standing at five with Les 2 Alpes and Val d'Isere open in France (The latter opening for a four-week summer ski season last Saturday), Passo Stelvio in Italy and Zermatt in Switzerland all skiable and reporting a lot of sunshine, classic freeze-thaw conditions and the best conditions mid-morning. Currently, year-round Hintertux, the only ski area open in Austria, is posting the deepest snow at over 3 metres and the most terrain open but Tignes is due to open for a month or so of summer skiing which could see it retake the "Deepest snow in the Alps" title. It was lying about 5 metres deep when it closed for its 22-23 season six weeks ago and while there's been some thawing there's also been some fresh snowfall. Scandinavia It's still the three small glacier areas open in Norway – Stryn, Folgefonn (Fonna) and Galdhopiggen to choose from, although next week Riksgransen in the Swedish Arctic Circle will re-open for a few days of midsummer skiing, including its signature "under the midnight sun" ski experience between 10 pm and 1 am. The weather has been full-on sunshine and getting quite warm with lows around +5C and highs towards +20C so thawing continues and best conditions early. Snow depths remain good though and Galdhopiggen's 2-5m base is the deepest in the world at present. North America There were four ski areas currently open in the USA including California's Mammoth and The Palisades, both aiming to stay open into July (The Palisades now confirming it will end its season on the 4th – Independence Day), the summer skiing on Palmer Snowfield and the Beartooth Basin summer ski area in Wyoming. All four have reported a lot of sunshine and warm weather this week but say conditions remain good in the mornings. The exception is Beartooth Basin which suddenly announced it was closing immediately a few days ago after less than a three week season, blaming rapid snow melt. However, Snowbird in Utah plans to reopen Fridays to Sundays from this weekend onwards, "as long as the snow lasts" – thanks to the remains of the 8m+ of 22-23 season snow still lying deep on kits upper slopes. Uplift is via its new tram cabins which in summer include the option of riding up the mountain outside on a 'balcony' connected to the cabin. |
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J2Ski Snow Report June 8th 2023
Mount Hutt, New Zealand, reports "very thin cover" but will open Saturday 10th June... Southern hemisphere ski season about to start. The Snow Headlines - 8th June - Southern Hemisphere's 2023 season start imminent. - Final area still open in Colorado closes with fresh snow falling. - Four ski areas in four countries open in the Alps. - Val d'Isere summer ski season scheduled to start this coming weekend. 
A little hope in the snow forecast...
World Overview The southern hemisphere's 2023 ski season is due to get started this coming weekend with the first ski areas in Australia and New Zealand (and possibly in the Andes too), all aiming to get the lifts running from this Friday or Saturday. The only fly in the ointment is spells of mild weather that have been impacting the pre-season snowpack build-up in Australia and New Zealand. So it's fingers crossed. In the Northern Hemisphere, there are still areas open from the 22-23 season although the numbers continue to slowly decline with the last area still open in Colorado closing last Sunday. But at the same time, more summer ski centres are opening with lift-served skiing resuming in Italy at the weekend and a second French glacier area set to open this coming Saturday. Southern Hemisphere Australia Australia's ski season is due to get fully underway this weekend, the traditional season start date with a long weekend including a Monday holiday reallocated to celebrate King Charles III's birthday, despite its lack of proximity to the actual date. Things were looking promising for much of May with repeat snowfalls totalling about a metre through the month in some areas, plus temperatures low enough for snowmaking, but annoyingly the week up to the opening date has seen warm and wet weather dominate. So no early openings in the end but thankfully temperatures are now dropping with overnight lows below freezing so snowmaking can resume. There was snow reported overnight Thursday-Friday at many ski areas and a little more in the forecast too. However it's not looking like enough in the near term unfortunately and a growing number of areas are saying that although they'll open at the weekend, there'll be no skiing possible initially. Thredbo (one of those reporting snowfall on Thursday night) and Selwyn (opening for the first time since 2019 after a catastrophic bushfire destroyed it in each 2020 and a subsequent rebuild) are among those with "no snow sports possible" openings. At the time of writing Mount Hotham, Perisher, Thredbo, Falls Creek and Mount Buller (which has all-weather snowmaking) had not confirmed if they're able to have some slopes open or not. New Zealand After a rather warm end to May, the weather seems to be coming good just at the right time with snow falling and temperatures dropping on New Zealand's South Island as the start of the 2023 season nears. There were some decent, 20-30cm, snowfalls last weekend and snowmaking has been fired up as temperatures have dropped. Only Mount Hutt had hoped to open this weekend and it said the decision was on a knife edge earlier this week, but on Wednesday it said it will open, limited terrain, just 24 hours later than hoped, this Saturday 10th. Potentially it'll be the first area opening to stay open for 2023 (club field Manganui opened last month for three days after a particularly good pre-season snowfall but has closed since). More NZ ski areas are due to open from the 17th. Argentina It has been cold and snowy in Argentina, although the start of the season is still at least a week away for most centres here. La Hoya was among the resorts posting a big snowfall at the weekend. Catedral, the continent's largest ski area, has said it may open some slopes this weekend if conditions allow, but has not yet confirmed if it will. Chile It's a similar story to Argentina with most Chilean ski fields having seen some good re-season snowfalls. The famous Portillo ski resort said it had had about 25cm of snowfall in a recent storm. Some agencies are reporting La Parva may open this weekend but the centre itself has not yet confirmed this. Africa At present, it does not appear that either of South Africa's ski areas – Tiffindell in South Africa, which last opened in 2019 for skiing and Afriski in Lesotho – will open this winter. Afriski says it will be open but that it won't be able to run its lifts and snowmaking for logistical reasons, so snow play only. It's a shame as it has had more cold and snowy weather in the past week. Europe Alps There are four ski areas currently open in the Alps, one in each of the big four Alpine nations. After a very cold and snowy spring, there are signs of the weather starting to warm with a lot of dry, sunny conditions since the start of the month. Snow depths are not looking that spectacular at most glacier centres however so it remains to be seen if those areas planning to stay open through July to September manage to do so this year, when most didn't last - although spring 2022 was much warmer. You can currently ski or board at Les 2 Alpes in France although it appears to have dropped its long repeated "Biggest skiable glacier area in the Alps" marketing and has a smaller area, complete with boarder and terrain park available this year. It only plans to stay open through June and close later this month but Val d'Isere and Tignes, the latter reporting the snow lying 4 metres deep on its glacier when it closed last month, are due to open over the next two weekends. Val d'Isere should be first, opening two lifts serving seven runs from Saturday 10th for a four-week season to July 7th. However, four of those runs will be for race team training only and closed to the general public who'll just have access to the other three between 7 am and noon daily. In Italy, Passo Stelvio opened at the end of last week for a five-month 2023 ski season and the year-round centres of Hintertux in Austria and Zermatt in Switzerland, remain open. Scandinavia It remains the three small glacier ski fields in Norway – Fonna, Galhopiggen and Stryn – open to all, Galdhopiggen reports it has 5m of snow lying, the most of any open centre in the world. Most of these centres have just one or two drag lifts and a few kilometres of slopes plus a terrain park, but Stryn is offering low-priced summer cat skiing to terrain not served by the lifts. North America There are four centres currently open in the USA. Mammoth and the Palisades in California both plan to stay open into July while Timberline in Oregon has its Palmer Summer Snowfield opening, although its snow depth start is dropping fast so it's unclear how long it will stay open. Finally, the Beartooth Basin summer ski area in Wyoming on the Montana border is also currently operational. It's classic summer ski conditions with plenty of sunshine but temperatures still get to freezing overnight but warm by lunchtime so the best conditions are in the mornings. Snowbird in Utah has said it will re-open the weekend after next as it still has lots of snow lying. The last areas that had been open in the east, Sommet Saint Sauveur in Quebec, Canada and Killington in Vermont both ended their long 22-23 seasons in the last week having made it into June. |
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J2Ski's Where to Ski in June 2023
Falls Creek, Australia, opening soon... US resorts extend into June, season approaches for the south. June is traditionally the month when the southern hemisphere's ski season gets going properly, Europe and North America get their glacier summer ski seasons underway, and there are also up to a dozen 'survivors' that have been open since the previous autumn and are still going after 7 or 8 months keep their lifts turning. Of course, it is not quite as neat as that; some southern hemisphere areas open in May if there's good early snow; fewer glacier ski areas open for ever shorter seasons, and some already opened earlier in the year. Right now it looks promising for those 'still open from last winter' northern hemisphere areas, thanks to huge snow build-ups across western North America, with at least half-a-dozen areas planning to continue into June in 2023 (some years it's only one...). There's also a novelty this year with the chance to slide on snow in Abu Dhabi, for the first time.
Southern Hemisphere's June 2023 Ski Season Kick Off Australia Australia's 2023 season is due to start on 10th June for most ski areas. That's the beginning of the long weekend break that for seven decades celebrated Queen Elizabeth II's official birthday but is now commandeered to celebrate King Charles III's instead. The good news is that a mostly cold and frequently snowy May means things are currently looking good for opening day. The first week of June is looking mild and possibly wet, but it should be cold and snowy again just in time for the opening weekend. Mount Buller, Thredbo, Hotham, Perisher and Falls Creek are all lining up for first lift rides of the season and Selwyn Snowfield will re-open for the first time since a catastrophic 2020 bushfire. Rebuilding is now completed and the ski area expects to re-open with the rest. New Zealand New Zealand's Mount Hutt has the earliest scheduled opening date of any southern hemisphere ski area – 9th June. Coronet Peak and The Remarkables are targeting a week later, the 16th of June, with Cardrona going for the next day, the 17th of June. The Happy Valley area at Whakapapa and Treble Cone hope to open on the 24th. May has seen some good snowfalls on higher slopes in New Zealand and one club field, Manganui, already opened for three days in May following an early snowfall, the first in the southern hemisphere for 2023. The end of May was a little mild but colder weather is forecast for early June, so fingers are crossed. Argentina The last third of May brought good news for Argentina's ski centres with some very healthy snowfalls. Nowhere more so than the leading resort of Las Lenas which reported over a metre of snow lying on 22nd May after a huge pre-season snowfall. Chapelco posted images of a 20-30cm fall there a week later on the 30th, so the signs are good. Most of the country's biggest resorts, including the largest in South America, Catedral near Bariloche, should open from mid-June. Chile Most ski areas in Chile begin to open from mid-June. Things have been looking promising with some good late-May snowfalls and temperatures low enough for overnight base-building snowmaking too. Portillo posted pictures of white slopes on May 30th, Valle Nevado, Nevados de Chillan and a dozen other resorts should be open for the latter half of the month. Africa Africa is the only continent with ski areas in both the northern and southern hemispheres, despite having the lowest total number of any continent. Unfortunately, though, its northern hemisphere ski areas in Algeria and Morocco didn't operate their lifts last northern hemisphere winter 22-23 and it is looking like the same will be true for Afriski in Lesotho and Tiffindell in South Africa this season too this southern hemisphere winter. Afriski appears to be dealing with practical or political problems, saying it will be open for snow play with natural snow this winter (and it's had some already in mid-May), but it won't run its lifts in 2023. It has had some good natural snowfalls in the latter half of May too, the latest on the 30th closed the access road. Ski Areas Open in June 2023 in North America June 2023 is looking like it will see more ski areas open in the US than any summer in the past decade. Half-a-dozen ski areas have now confirmed plans to open at least part of the month, thanks to huge snowpacks still lying from last winter and spring snowfalls. Most are opening at weekends (Friday to Sundays) and earlier in the day (typically 8 am-2 pm). In California, Mammoth and The Palisades still have snow lying more than 12 feet deep and both plan to stay open into July this year. Timberline in Oregon's Palmer Snowfield is also expected to stay open through June if the snow holds, as is the recently reopened Beartooth Basin summer ski area on the Wyoming/Montana border. In Utah, Snowbird has announced it will reopen at weekends from mid-June, and keep opening so long as the snow lasts and Colorado's Arapahoe Basin is also opening for the first weekend of June, closing on the 4th. Besides these centres, you can also ski or ride on the Horstman Glacier on Blackcomb Mountain above Whistler in BC and at a terrain park above Copper Mountain in Colorado but only if you sign up to a private camp at either. Killington also decided it will open its Superstar trail with less than foot of snow left for advanced skiers on Thursday June 1st. It looks a lot like this will be the final day of the 2022-23 season, although that's to be confirmed. May saw several ski areas re-open after having been closed for a month, and this may happen in June too. Glacier Skiing in Europe in June 2023 Fortunately, spring 2023 has been much, much cooler and snowier than spring 2022 was on Alpine glaciers, so it's a more promising picture for ski slopes that plan to open in June. Tignes posted the deepest base in Europe much of the winter, at nearly 5 metres at the peak in early spring, so it remains to be seen if that stat has changed much. It is due to open for summer skiing on June 17, a week after Val d'Isere on June 10, both joining already-open Les 2 Alpes, which has moved its 'summer ski' season to earlier in the year and hopes to stay open through June. The three centres put France well ahead of Austria, where just the Hintertux Glacier is expected to be open in June. Italy should have two centres open by the end of the month, with Passo Stelvio due to open at the start of June and be joined by Cervinia from 24th June, while Switzerland has just Zermatt open. So there should be seven Alpine glaciers open through, or at least at various points during, June. Scandinavian Glaciers and Skiing at Midnight at Midsummer Three small glacier ski areas are open in Norway and posting the deepest snowpacks in the world – with snow up to 8 metres deep. Fonna, Stryn and Galdhopiggen Glacier ski areas are all expected to stay open all month. Sweden's Riksgränsen ski area, one of the world's most northerly, closed at the end of May but has announced it will re-open its slopes over the Midsummer period in late June. Skiing Asia and The Rest of The World in June 2023 Elsewhere in the world, Japan's Gassan summer ski area is open for its 2023 season and has about 4 metres of snow lying at the start of June. Over 100 indoor snow centres are open worldwide and June 2023 offers the novelty of playing in the snow in Abu Dhabi for the first time as the company behind Ski Egypt and Ski Dubai opens a new indoor snowpark, the first in the Arab Emirate. |
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