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J2Ski Snow Report - May 2nd 2024
Started by Admin in Snow Forecasts and Snow Reports, discussing Tignes and Val Thorens |
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Last call for Val d'Isere, France, open until May 5th Many of the few northern hemisphere ski areas still open, will close this coming weekend, with fresh snow. Meanwhile, some decent early snow fall is reported from the other side of the world. The Snow Headlines - May 2nd - Final weekend of the season coming up for the last open areas in Finland. - More fresh snowfall over the last week in the Alps, but more areas close as May 1 passes. - Cold and fresh snowfall on high slopes in Scotland weeks after last area closed for season. - A foot of snow reported in the Rockies for final powder weekend of April. - More pre-season snowfall reported in the southern hemisphere in the Andes and NZ. - US resorts reopening for first May weekend incl. Lee Canyon, Arapahoe Basin and Jay Peak. 
Yes, even more late snow...
World Overview The northern hemisphere's season is in full wind-down mode now with only about 50 centres still open in Europe, North America and Japan, while the start of the southern hemisphere's 2024 season is less than a month away. It has finally warmed up a little in the Alps this week but the snow kept falling into last weekend, leaving some very healthy bases. Although most areas still open are now in the Alps or Scandinavia, Sierra Nevada down in Spain was open at the weekend and may open again next. Jasna in the Tatra mountains of Slovakia has said it does expect to re-open this weekend and had fresh snowfall to offer skiers last Saturday/Sunday. There was cold weather and snowfall in Scotland too, which some tourers took advantage of. All ski areas there have closed for the season but Glencoe is running its Access chairlift to get tourers up high faster and easier. In North America, we're down to about 20 centres still open, mostly in the Rockies or mountains further west, but there was a good snowfall perfectly timed for the last April weekend bringing over a foot of powder to the delight of the still-open centres' skiers. In the southern hemisphere, we're now four weeks away from the expected start of the season with Lesotho's Afriski probably first to open on the 1st of June. The past week has seen some good pre-season snowfalls right across South America with big resorts Cathedral by Bariloche and Las Lenas reporting heavy falls down to resort level and there have been falls to low levels in New Zealand too. Europe Austria After Ischgl, Solden and Obertauern closed on May 1st, we have six Austrian glaciers still open, the most of any European nation. It'll be down to five after this weekend when Pitztal closes, but the Stubai – currently posting Europe's deepest base at more than 5.5 metres – along with the Kaunertal glacier are going to stay open to the latter half of this month. For the Kitzsteinhorn and Molltal glaciers operations continue into June and Hintertux is open year-round. The fortnight of cold, snowy weather finally eased at the weekend with temperatures in valleys getting up to +15C or higher in the afternoon and the freezing point moved up to 3000m or higher. The result was some glorious sunny days on the fresh snow of recent weeks. We're back to more changeable weather now but the trend is definitely for rising spring temperatures. France The French ski season is coming to an end with the Grand Montets ski area in the Chamonix Valley above Argentiere closing on Wednesday (yesterday), leaving just Tignes, Val d'Isere and Val Thorens planning to stay open through the coming weekend to end the French winter season. And that would have been it except that Les 2 Alpes has opened for 'summer skiing' on its glacier throughout May and June, whilst making the point that most of what's open will be reserved for ski teams training. But, there'll be a few blue runs open and you can even learn to ski there. As to the weather, well the fortnight of cold and snowy weather finally ended at the weekend and sunnier, warmer conditions arrived. That's breaking down again now with cooler temperatures and rain/sleet/snow showers but not so cold as before. Italy There were half a dozen ski areas open in Italy at the weekend still, and they reported up to a foot of fresh snowfall too, but four of these, Cortina, Livigno, Macugnaga and Sulden all closed at the start of May leaving just year-round Cervinia (with its shared glacier area above Zermatt) and the Presena Glacier above Passo Tonale which will close after the coming weekend. Cervinia is reporting good conditions after more than a foot of new snow this week. It's changeable with more showers in the forecast (snow up high, rain below), overnight freezing of the snowpack still and low visibility a problem at times with the clouds rolling in. Switzerland Swiss centres also saw the snowfall ease off in the latter half of last week and sunshine and warmer temperatures took hold at the start of this week, although it's since turned more unsettled. Moving into May, more ski areas have ended their season but a handful are continuing on. They include year-round Zermatt with its altitude Glacier Paradise ski slopes which the resort says will be expanded, in terms of terrain open to the general public, this spring and summer. Adelboden, Glacier 3000 and Samnaun have all now closed but you can still ski, at least until the end of this coming weekend, on the Titlis glacier above Engelberg or the Diavolezza Glacier near St Moritz. Scandinavia About a dozen big-name Scandinavian ski areas made it through to May 1st this week, including the biggest, Sweden's Are, and others like Norway's most popular Hemsedal. However, most of these have now closed leaving only a handful open this coming weekend and from next Monday, it'll really just be Sweden's famous Arctic Circle spring-only ski area of Riksgransen, a week away from beginning its fortnight or so of offering skiing under the midnight sun as 24-hour daylight returns at its northerly latitude. Finland's Levi and Ruka ski areas complete their 7-month ski seasons this weekend. The weather still feels quite wintery with temperatures largely remaining below freezing for a few more weeks yet and even the odd fresh snow shower. North America Canada Canada's ski season is winding down with just a handful of areas still open; two of these – Lake Louise near Banff and Marmot Basin near Jasper – reporting fresh snowfall and "mid-winter-like conditions" for the final week of their seasons, concluding Sunday. Marmot Basin reported 10cm over the past three days. The higher slopes at Whistler Mountain and Sunshine near Banff will be the main survivors for a further fortnight to the latter half of May. You can also still ski or board, at weekends, on a small area of snow remaining at the sheltered top of Sommet St Sauveur's ski area in Quebec in the East. USA The number of ski areas open in the US has dropped to about 20 now, most on the West Coast or in the Rockies but with Killington soldiering on in Vermont in the East despite a poor season there. That said, some centres are actually re-opening, including Vermont's Jay Peak, Arizona's Snowbowl (which posted 19"/47cm of snowfall at the weekend, the most in the US), Nevada's Lee Canyon and Sugarloaf in Maine, for one more (?) weekend. Mammoth and the Palisades in California, Mt Bachelor and Timberline in Oregon, Arapahoe Basin in Colorado and Snowbird and Solitude in Utah all plan to stay open at least through May and in some cases longer, although some are dropping to weekend-only operations. Breckenridge and Winter Park are also still open and yet to name closing days whilst Copper, Loveland and Brian Head will close this weekend. The weather in the west has been and looks set to continue to be classic springtime freeze-thaw with a bit of a powder weekend in the Rockies after some fresh snowfall to end last week. |
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J2Ski's Where to Ski in May 2024
Started by Admin in Snow Forecasts and Snow Reports, discussing Chamonix and Val Thorens |
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There's still decent skiing to be had, at altitude, with a couple of dozen northern hemisphere ski areas still open well into May.
Spring Skiing on the Kitzsteinhorn, available until 2nd June, snow permitting. Where to Ski in May 2024 It's May so we're down to about 50 ski areas in the northern hemisphere still open (actually about 50 make it to May 1st but almost half then close before May 2nd!) and anticipation is building for the start of the southern hemisphere's 2024 ski season, possibly beginning before the end of the month IF there are some good early snowfalls. In Europe, the May skiing, at least that served by operating lifts, is all in the Alps and Scandinavia. The season is over, other than some ski touring possibilities perhaps, in the Pyrenees, Scotland and Eastern Europe. In North America, there are centres still open in around 10 US states and Canadian provinces. The latter half of May is one of the quietest periods in the skiing year in terms of open areas. With most of Europe and North America's areas closed and the southern hemisphere's 2024 season not yet started, we can be down to less than 20 areas open worldwide. They include some "spring/summer only" centres just starting to open for their 2024 seasons in Japan, Norway and the US. As mentioned there's a chance that the southern hemisphere's 2024 season may get underway before the end of the month. Currently, Lesotho's Afriski has the earliest announced target opening date of June 1st, most others starting to open around mid-June in Australia, New Zealand and South America, but some could open early, and have opened in late May in past seasons, when there's a big early snowfall and cold snap. Europe Austria Austria enjoyed some really big snowfalls in the latter half of April so snow depths on glaciers are looking as good as they can for the start of May. Several resorts including Ischgl, Solden and Obertauern have made it to the start of the month but close at the end of the 1st, however, moving further into May Austria will have more centres open than any other European nation from Tuesday 6th onward. Although the Pitztal is one of those closing on the 5th, four centres are open into the latter half of May and beyond. The Kaunertal and Stubai glaciers are open to the 20th with the Kitzsteinhorn and Molltal planning to continue into June - and Hintertux is year-round. The Stubai reported over a metre of snowfall in the last week of April and Europe's deepest upper slope base at 5.7m. France The number of ski areas open in France falls away quickly at the start of May, with the country's 23-24 season-ending still with half of the resorts posting the world's deepest snow! The last ski area open in the Chamonix Valley, Grand Montets, closes May 1st with the Tignes-Val d'Isere slopes and Val Thorens at the top of the 3 Valleys continuing into the first weekend of May. The only option then is the glacier at Les 2 Alpes which stays open through May. However, this has gone from claiming to be 'the largest summer ski area in the Alps' for decades to now stressing it is mostly reserved for athlete training with an unspecified 'small area' available to recreational skiers and boarders. Italy Cervinia used to close in May but with the opening of the year-round Alpine Crossing connecting it with Zermatt by gondola and cable car for (mostly) foot passengers, it means the year-round glacier ski area, just on the Swiss side of the border, can now be accessed from the Italian side every day too. Italy does actually start the month with five other areas open but barring any last-minute extensions, they'll all close in the first week of the month. Cortina, Macugnaga and Sulden close on the 1st, Livigno on the 2nd and finally the Presena Glacier above Passo Tonale on the 5th - which has been posting a 4-metre base through April, the country's (and one of the world's) deepest. The country's last remaining summer ski area Passo Stelvio plans to open for the season from June 1st this year so for most of May, Cervinia is the only option. Switzerland The year-round summer ski area at Zermatt will have more to offer recreational skiers in late spring and through summer and early autumn as the resort has announced it won't reserve runs just for ski teams training and will open those runs up to recreational skiers instead. This means that at least 21km of slopes, including a new beginner learning area, will be open to all. Zermatt is the only Swiss area currently expected to stay open right through May. Adelboden, Engelberg and the Diavolezza Glacier near St Moritz are currently expected to stay open through the first weekend of the month (until the 5th). Crans Montana, Glacier 3000, Andermatt and Mürren which have all made it into May in the past have not done so this year. Scandinavia Lots of ski areas in Norway and Sweden stay open to May 1st, including big names like Hemsedal, Are and Yllas, but numbers then drop away to just a handful from May 2nd on. They include Levi and Ruka in Finland which opened back at the start of October, thanks to snow farming, so complete 7 month seasons, the longest in Europe for resorts without glaciers. Riksgransen, Europe's "spring skiing capital", stays open for most of the month and from the second week sees 24-hour daylight return at its northerly latitude and its famous skiing-under-midnight-sun evenings. Besides these options, Norway's three spring/summer glacier resorts begin opening for their 2024 seasons including Galdhopiggen on the 9th and Fonna on the 23rd (Stryn joins them on June 1st). North America Canada It's the usual lineup for the start of May in Canada, with the same five centres still open as last year and most years before. Lake Louise and Marmot Basin in Alberta will be open through to next Sunday 5th May but coastal Whistler and Banff's sunshine area will go another fortnight to the 19th/20th respectively, the latter closing after their famous annual pond skimming event the Slush Cup. On the East Coast Quebec's Sommet Saint Sauveur is opening Fridays to Sundays each week for as long as its snow lasts – it usually tries to keep going until its water park opens for the summer. USA The latter half of the US ski season has seen some good snowfalls after the poor first half and they've kept coming through the final weeks of April. About a dozen ski areas remain open in the West, including the usual suspects for late spring skiing. In terms of making it right through the month, they include Oregon's Timberline, Mt Hood and Mt Bachelor, Mammoth and The Palisades in California and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado. Opening to mid-May, perhaps longer (and in some cases only open weekends) are Breckenridge and Winter Park in Colorado and Brighton, Solitude and Snowbird in Utah. Those closing after the first weekend of the month are Colorado's Copper and Loveland, Washington's Crystal Mountain, Arizona's Snowbowl and Utah's Brian Head. On the East Coast Maine's Sugarloaf and Vermont's Jay Peak are expected to close May 5th, although further late 'bonus weekends' are possible, which really just leaves Killington with its main Superstar run buried deep in machine-made snow through the winter kept open as a bumps run as long as the snow lasts through May. Asia Japan Japan's season is largely over but a dozen or so of the country's best-known resorts like Niseko, Furano, Happo One, Appi and Nozawa Onsen do stay open to the first weekend of the month so will close on 5th or 6th May. The past few weeks have seen warm temperatures and rain so there's an end-of-season feeling at the moment with most areas just having 5-10% of their terrain, the highest slopes, still open. Japan's only summer ski area Gassan also opened for its 2024 season last month. It's posting the snow lying about 7 metres deep at the start of May but it'll thaw down a few metres through the coming month. Still plenty for it to stay open through spring and into summer though. |
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J2Ski Snow Report - April 25th 2024
Started by Admin in Snow Forecasts and Snow Reports, discussing Tignes and Val Thorens |
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Up high, there's still snow at Orelle, Three Valleys, France Yet more late snow in the northern hemisphere, with the southern hemisphere's seasons due to start in just over a month. The Snow Headlines - April 25th - Switzerland's Glacier 3000 area claims 1.5 metres of snowfall in the latter half of last week. - Austria's Stubai reports a metre of new snow. - More snowfall in the Rockies. - Start of southern hemisphere's 2024 season 5 weeks away. - Around 70 ski areas in Asia, Europe and North America will be open into May. 
More late snow forecast!
World Overview We're into the final week of April so the 150 or so ski areas still open in Europe, Japan and North America are the real survivors - a mixture of those at high altitude, perhaps with glaciers, or northerly latitude and then the odd one like Vermont's Killington that just piles snow up deep on one key run through the winter so it lasts through May - when most of the rest of their snow cover is long gone. In Europe, almost all of those still open now are in Scandinavia or high in the Alps. In North America it's California, Oregon and the Albertan, Colorado and Utah Rockies where most of the survivors are located. Many of those will close at the end of Sunday's ski days and another 20 or so on Wednesday next week when they can say they made it through to May. Many of these ski areas saw some cold and snowy weather again this week, particularly the Alps where most open centres reported at least 30cm of fresh snowfall (some as much as a metre with one reporting 1.5m - five feet) and temperatures above 3,000m down as low as -15C, but cold and snowfall down to valley floors at times too. All ski areas in the Pyrenees have now closed for the season although Europe's most southerly major ski area, Sierra Nevada, still has about 50km of slopes open despite double-digit temperatures this week (although there was a dip and snowfall last weekend), but then it is the country's highest and this weekend is expected to end its season. In Eastern Europe, just Slovakia's Jasna remains open, at weekends and has fresh snow cover for the coming one, and like Sierra Nevada and many others, just its high slopes. Scotland's season is over but some ski tourers using Glencoe's access chairlift to reach high terrain quickly found fresh powder to enjoy above the inbounds terrain. Europe Austria It's been a snowy week on high slopes in Austria with accumulations of up to two feet in 72 hours reported on glacier slopes. About a dozen of the country's centres are still open and most plan to keep operating into May. In fact, Austrian ski areas (Stubai, Solden and the Kitzsteinhorn glacier above Kaprun) posted the three biggest snow accumulations in the world from Friday to Monday. The snowfall has carried on this week with the Stubai reporting over a metre so far and now the deepest base of a still-open centre in Europe at 5.7m (19 feet). Ischgl, one of those open to May 1st, reports the most slopes still open in the country, just as it did five months ago at the start of the season – with more than 130km (80 miles) of runs still available to enjoy. France French ski areas have posted some good snowfalls too over the last week with up to a foot in 24 hours and 45cm in 48 hours. Ski areas posting those numbers on higher slopes - and open to at least May 1st - have included Chamonix, Tignes, Val d'Isere and Val Thorens. So we've had some late April powder days – along with complaints that the ongoing snowfalls have brought low visibility at times too. Low temperatures of -20C at 3000m were recorded last weekend and overnight lows below freezing down at 1000m in valleys too, but things are now slowly warming up with more sunshine returning for what's really the final week of the French ski season - although Les 2 Alpes plans to keep glacier skiing open through May and June. Italy Italy has had its share of cold, snowy weather too – ironically for some more southerly areas. After a particularly poor, warm winter, it's been colder and snowier than it was in January-March. Only a handful of Italian areas remain open for the final few days of the 2023-24 season with Arabba's Passo Rolle runs open until this Sunday, April 28 and Cortina d'Ampezzo's Faloria and Col Gallina areas continuing until next Wednesday, May 1st. The Presena Glacier above Passo Tonale also stays open into May and Cervinia's shared slopes with Zermatt are now open year-round. Cervinia reported 40cm of snowfall at the weekend. Switzerland Swiss centres reported some of the biggest snowfalls of the last seven days - with temperatures staying cold and snow showers continuing in most areas. Glacier 3000 near Gstaad claimed a remarkable 1.5 metres (five feet) of fresh snow ahead of last weekend while Zermatt reported overnight lows down to -20C on its glacier. Engelberg was another of the big snowfall winners, posting almost a metre more in the first half of this week. Murren, Saas Fee and Verbier were among the areas that ended their seasons last weekend but Adelboden, Engelberg, Grindelwald, Glacier 3000, St Moritz (Diavolezza glacier) and of course, the year-round 'Glacier Paradise' above Zermatt remain open into May. Scandinavia More than half of the leading ski areas in Scandinavia remain open and most, particularly those further north, continue to report wintery weather and temperatures down well below freezing. It's more spring-like further south. This will be the final week for many ski areas with Sweden's Are, the region's largest, aiming for 1st May, and the northerly ski areas in Finland like Ruka and Levi, planning to make it to the weekend after next. Beyond that, it's Riksgransen up in the Arctic Circle and then Norway's three glacier ski areas which begin opening from May 1st. North America Canada It's been a mostly dry week with spring conditions across the country. There are half a dozen ski areas still open in Canada, half of them the three Banff areas, along with Whistler on the BC Coast, Marmot Basin near Jasper to the north and one centre on the east, Sommet St Sauveur in Quebec, which keeps a run or two and a terrain park open as long as the snow lasts into May. Sunshine and Lake Louise are posting the most still-open terrain in the country since Whistler closed its Blackcomb slopes and they remain 90% open. USA There's been more snowfall on high slopes in the Rockies over the past week, but the big picture is of the snowpack thawing, daytime highs 10 or 15 degrees above freezing at resort bases and more centres ending their seasons. A dozen or so ski resorts will remain open into May and several including Arapahoe Basin, Timberline and perhaps Mammoth, later still. Timberline suffered a small fire at its base hotel at the end of last week which led to the ski slopes being closed for a few days, but they reopened on Sunday. On the East Coast, Sunday River and Sugarloaf in Maine are aiming to keep open to May 1st next week while Killington will try to keep its spring bumps Superstar trail open as long as the snow lasts through May. |
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J2Ski Snow Report - April 18th 2024
Started by Admin in Snow Forecasts and Snow Reports, discussing Avoriaz and Morzine |
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Nendaz, Four Valleys, Switzerland, open for a few more days - with great snow! Snow! Say what? Briefly down to the valleys this week in the European Alps, and pre-season snowfalls in the southern hemisphere. The Snow Headlines - April 18th - Copper Mountain extends season into May, the fifth Colorado ski area to do so. - Fresh snowfall in the Alps on still-open slopes. - More pre-season snow for New Zealand and South America. - Ski season over in much of Eastern Europe, Scotland and the Pyrenees. - Zermatt announces more summer ski terrain for all in 2024. 
Yes, that's some heavy snow forecast for the Aosta Valley and a few other spots... catch it while you can!
World Overview We're into the latter half of April, and past halfway in 2024's meteorological springtime for the northern hemisphere, so it's no surprise that ski areas are closing en masse and that temperatures are generally rising and snowpacks thawing... albeit with a last blast of winter for much of the Alps... As usual at this point in the year we are seeing periods and places where temperatures dip below the average and in some cases well below freezing with late-season snowfalls. That's been the case over the last few days, first in the US Rockies and then in the European Alps where some ski areas have posted over a foot of fresh mid-April snowfall. There are also still about 200 ski areas, give or take, that are opening at least some of their terrain for die-hard skiers. Most of these are in the Alps, Scandinavia, Western North America and Japan with a few others in other ski regions around the world. It's also getting colder in the southern hemisphere with more snowfall reported in Argentina, Chile and on New Zealand's ski slopes over the past week. Europe Austria Many of Austria's big ski regions like the Skiwelt, Kitzbuhel and Saalbach which top out around 2,000m have ended their 23-24 seasons now but over a dozen areas with higher slopes, about half of them boasting glaciers too, are still open and most will now make it into May, some until June and beyond. After a warm and sunny end to last week, it's turned cooler and dropped well below freezing up high with some wintery weather including snow showers leading to the cancellation of planned 'spring sun' events. The country's largest ski area, Lech and St Anton's Arlberg, is still open, but this coming weekend will be its final one this season with Obergurgl also due to close on Sunday. The Ischgl-Samnaun ski area, open to May 1st, has already overtaken it in terms of terrain open, with 170km or more than 100 miles of runs still available, the most still open in the country. France France has the greatest number of ski areas still open and the most terrain in total available in Europe for the latter half of April, as well as, still, more than half of the resorts in the world's current top 10 deepest upper-slope snow depths, most with 4 metres or more lying up top. Here too it has been a mixed week of some sunny days but now colder, wintery weather with up to 30cm of fresh snow reported on higher slopes. Some big ski areas are closing after this weekend though including Le Grand Massif around Flaine, the Portes du Soleil including Avoriaz, Les Gets, Chatel and Morzine as well as Alpe d'Huez and La Rosiere. Italy Italy is down to just half-a-dozen or so centres left open after more areas closed at the weekend. It has also had a big change from a very warm and sunny week last week to much more wintery weather over the past seven days, and it's expected to continue to be cool into the start of next week - with snow too. Among the areas closing this weekend are Italy's largest single ski region (if we exclude the already closed unofficial one around the Sellaronda), the Via Lattea (Milky Way) including the slopes of Sestriere and Sauze d'Oulx, as well as the resort that has been posting the country's deepest snowpack for much of the season, La Thuile ...although it has recently been overtaken by the Presena Glacier above Passo Tonale which has hit 4 metres and is open into the first week of May! Switzerland Swiss ski centres have the same pattern of centres closing and have also had the wintery weather that other ski areas across the Alps have seen after the warm weeks earlier this month. Verbier has posted 23cm of fresh snow in total over the last few days. About a dozen ski areas remain open, with Zermatt posting the most terrain still groomed and ready – around 240km (150 miles) of their high-altitude slopes. Saas Fee, which closes this weekend, has the deepest snow in the country at 480cm. Other areas closing at the end of this coming weekend include Verbier and Mürren. Scandinavia Scandinavian centres are unique in the world right now in having more than half of their main centres still open. Ski areas in Norway, Finland and Sweden are closing, but they're usually a fortnight later than their colleagues in the Alps with a sizable chunk staying open to the last weekend of the month, or into May. Conditions are also among the best in the world right now. The thaw is underway to quite northerly latitudes but with mostly lower temperatures than in the Alps the snow is staying in better shape, for longer each day. Most centres are at least 80% open still, with ski areas in western Norway, particularly around coastal Voss, posting the region's deepest snowpacks at over 2 metres. There will be more snow/sleet/rain showers to end the week then a sunny weekend for most. Pyrenees and Sierra Nevada The season is largely over in the Pyrenees with most of the few areas that stayed open after Easter week closing on Sunday. Cauterets on the French side of the border still has some terrain open this week although all in Andorra and on the Spanish side are reported closed. Europe's most southerly resort, Sierra Nevada, does remain about half-open though with more than a metre of snow lying on its upper mountain. It reports mostly sunny weather, temperatures between +2 and +15C with more of the same forecast. Scotland Scotland's season appears to be over, but there were fresh blizzards to start the week and Glencoe has their access chair open for tourers with the gear and inclination for some off-piste skiing, so some turns could still be made! Eastern Europe Most of Eastern Europe's ski areas have now closed for the 23-24 season including the last of Bulgaria's still-open areas, Bansko, which closed on Sunday having kept about half of its slopes open despite a fortnight of sunny weather with temperatures peaking at around +25C! Still open though, at least the high slopes, is Slovakia's Jasna (weekends only). They've actually seen colder weather over the past few days than for the first half of April and that should continue through into next week. Kanin on the Slovenian/Italian border used to be a good option for late April and May skiing and has lots of snow lying but is currently out of action due to financial difficulties. North America Canada Canada has seen the biggest drop in open ski areas this week, with just half-a-dozen still open. The East saw warm and wet weather with a bit of snowfall mixed in this week. Mont-Sainte-Anne will re-open this weekend, all being well, and Sommet St Sauveur is the only other area open. In the West, it's Whistler Blackcomb (with Blackcomb Mountain now closed for the season), the three Banff areas (Norquay, Sunshine and Lake Louise) and Jasper's Marmot Basin still operating and reporting a little fresh snowfall despite rising temperatures overall. The East Coast areas only have small amounts of high terrain still open, but most of the Albertan and BC areas are almost fully open still. The forecast is for mostly sunny weather, with temperatures ranging from -2C on high slopes overnight to +15C at resort level in the afternoons. USA Whilst the season winds down in the US too, of course, more ski areas have been announcing extended seasons so more than a dozen now plan to stay open into May. There's also been some fresh snowfall on West Coast mountains, the Rockies and even East Coast peaks earlier this week, against a trend of ever-warmer, mostly sunny weather. Copper Mountain in Colorado is the latest to say it'll stay open for as long as conditions allow into next month. It was one of the areas reporting nearly a foot of fresh snowfall and a powder day on Tuesday. But as with everywhere across the northern hemisphere, more areas have closed and are closing this weekend with most of the 40 or so US areas still open located in Colorado, Utah and California. Most East Coast resorts are closed. The weekend ahead looks increasingly warm and sunny in the west with the potential for snow on high slopes, and rain on lower, in the east, where a handful of areas including Killington and Sunday River soldier on. |
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J2Ski Snow Report - April 11th 2024
Started by Admin in Snow Forecasts and Snow Reports, discussing Tignes and Val Thorens |
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Meribel, France, looking pretty good this week, with lifts open for 10 more days. Hot in the valleys, and fresh snow up high, in Europe and North America. The Snow Headlines - April 11th - Heavy snowfall in the Alps, sunshine returns and some valleys see +25C. - A snowy end to the season and an eclipse for many areas in North America's Northeast. - Most Pyrenean ski areas end their 23-24 seasons, but a few soldier on a few more weeks. - Colorado's Eldora extends season to April 21st for longest-ever season in its 62-year history. - Japan's Gassan summer ski area opens for its 2024 season. - Scotland's season about over. - Heavy snowfall in Australia and the Andes ahead of their 2024 ski seasons. 
A quieter week for snow in Japan, but more high altitude snow for Europe and America
World Overview The heavy snowfall in the Alps that was just coming to an end as we published last week's report has rapidly disappeared as temperatures have shot up to the 20s in Alpine valleys and skiers and boarders have been enjoying full spring conditions. But then there's been more snowfall, especially on higher slopes, to end the week. It's been much the same in most other parts of the ski world, although Canada and Scandinavia have remained a little more wintery with snow showers and cooler temperatures continuing in most areas, if not exactly 'cold' very often. This coming weekend will be the third successive one to see mass season-end closures and by Monday we'll be down to about 10% of ski areas still operating – most of them, of course, the larger, higher and/or more northerly located centres. Meanwhile, there are more reports of pre-season snowfalls in the southern hemisphere where it's now only about 6-7 weeks until the first centres are expected to open for the 2024 season there. Europe Austria Many of Austria's ski areas have now ended their 23-24 seasons. The country's second biggest area, Saalbach Hinterglemm, closed last weekend and more big names including Bad Gastein, Kitzbuhel and Mayrhofen will run their lifts for the last time this season this coming weekend. In fact, we are down to about 30 areas still open representing 10% or so of Austria's many mid-large sized ski areas. More than a dozen Austrian areas with higher altitude slopes, half of them glacier resorts, will stay open into the latter half of April with some continuing into May, even June or beyond in a few cases. It's been warm over the past week and predominantly sunny with a few rain/sleet/snow showers, but some valleys have seen +25C earlier this week and the freezing point moving above mountain tops too. Then, since Wednesday, up to 25cm of snow has been reported on higher slopes! France Most of the big French ski areas are staying open into the latter half of April with Chamonix, Tignes, Val d'Isere and Val Thorens set to make it into the first week of May. They also continue to post the areas with the most still-open terrain in the world - more than half of the centres posting the top 20 deepest snow depths in the world are French! That's more than any other country and topped by Flaine with 4.6 metres lying on its highest runs. All that being said some of the big French areas including Serre Chevalier and Flaine's Grand Massif do close for the season this coming weekend. As to the weather, the past week has been mostly dry and sunny and got very warm at the weekend, there's been some mid-week snowfall on Wednesday and a brief return to winter but drier, warmer weather is returning now. Italy Some of Italy's biggest ski regions including Val Gardena and Alta Badia closed for the season last weekend and more are of course set to join them this coming weekend too, but as with the other big alpine nations, there are dozens more centres open into the latter half of the month, with several including Cervinia, Cortina and Passo Tonale staying open into May. The weather this week has been similar to the rest of the Alps, with predominantly warm, dry weather, so warm in fact that the upper 20s (C) were reached in some lower Italian mountain valleys at the weekend. There was a mid-week temperature dip with snow showers on some higher slopes, but it's warming up again now. Switzerland The heavy snowfall around the Easter weekend which saw some Swiss centres post over two-metre totals in seven days, ended about a week ago and whilst there have been some snow showers, especially on higher slopes, Swiss ski areas have also seen some very warm temperatures this last week and plenty of sunshine. It has been a little cooler in recent days with Andermatt among the areas posting a full return to winter on Wednesday but we've got classic springtime freeze-thaw conditions, with more thawing than refreezing at this point. The numbers are dropping but Laax and Saas-Fee have been posting the world's deepest snowpacks after that Easter snowfall and are still at around the 5-metre mark. Scandinavia Although Scandinavian ski areas are of course generally colder than further south in the Alps and Pyrenees, the region is not immune to Spring temperature rises. Ski areas in the southern half of Scandinavia, including areas close to Lillehammer and Oslo in Norway will be ending their seasons this coming weekend, with temperatures reaching +8C at bases in the afternoons. Most of the larger destination resorts like Are and Hemsedal, as well as centres up in Finnish Lapland where temperatures remain below zero, will continue on to the end of the month or to early May. Pyrenees and Spain Most ski areas have now closed for the 23-24 season in the Pyrenees but Andorra's Arcalis ski area, famed for its freeriding, has added an extra week (to this Sunday) to make the most of the big March snowfalls in the region. Over the French border Cauterets say they'll keep some high runs open a further week through to Sunday 21st. Southerly Sierra Nevada also remains open. Spain's Baqueira Beret and Formigal were among the areas closing last Sunday with warm, sunny weather now dominating after the snowy March and the start of April. The warmer temperatures and thaw are set to continue into next week. Scotland Highland weather conditions continue to keep everyone on their toes. We've had the familiar mix of rain, sleet and snow (depending on elevation and time of day), hill fog, strong winds and those elusive periods of beautiful blue sky, still weather over the last 7 days. Storm Kathleen brought everything to a standstill over the weekend with violent gales and valley temperatures briefly climbing to +15C. At the time of writing The Lecht, Glenshee and Nevis Range are closed for the season, Cairngorm has not operated since last Friday due to the weather but has not said its definitely closed, Glencoe's own terrain is closed for the season but its running its access chair to allow tourers to reach fresh snow on slopes above its inbounds area. Eastern Europe Most of Eastern Europe's ski areas are now closed for 23-24 but a few are soldiering on. Bulgaria's Bansko's high slopes are open despite very warm weather over the past week - it closes this weekend though. It's the only Bulgarian area still open. You can also ski at Serbia's Kopaonik still or at Kanin in Slovenia, which usually opens at weekends into May. Slovakia's Jasna also plans to keep its high runs open into the first week of May, all being well. It's been colder in the Northeast and there's precipitation forecast but it looks more likely to be rain than snowfall. Still very warm in the southeast. North America Canada The snow has kept falling across Canada's ski slopes as resorts on the East and West coasts close for the season. Lake Louise posted over 50cm of fresh cover at the start of the week, with Whistler posting 30cm on higher slopes with rain at the resort level. There was snow on the East Coast in Quebec too ahead of the solar eclipse last Monday, for which the skies cleared for an amazing display. Mont Sutton, in the path of totality, posted 15cm of fresh to welcome eclipse skiers! Most of Canada's big-name resorts including Fernie, Kicking Horse, Mont Tremblant, Panorama and Revelstoke are expected to end their seasons this coming weekend but half-a-dozen including all three Banff ski areas, Jasper's Marmot Basin and Whistler of course, will continue to the end of the month or into May. USA We've lost a few big-name US ski areas to the dreaded season end at the weekend, including Beaver Creek, Taos, Keystone and Telluride and another swathe will join them this coming Sunday, including Big Sky, Jackson Hole and Vail. At least 50 US areas will stay open into the latter half of the month, however. Most of the snowfall of the last week has been on the Eastern side of the country, with some ski areas in New England posting a metre of snowfall in total over the five days up to Monday. There's been some snowfall in the Rockies too but it has been predominantly sunny and dry with temperatures rising and that is the ongoing forecast for most US ski regions into the weekend and next week. |
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J2Ski Snow Report - April 4th 2024
Started by Admin in Snow Forecasts and Snow Reports, discussing Alpe d'Huez and Saalbach Hinte... |
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Stubai, Austria, snow nearly 5 metres deep and open until 20th May Warmer weather, and sunnier skies in the Alps but there's still a lot of snow on the ground. The Snow Headlines - April 4th - 5 metre+ snow depths reached by Alpe d'Huez, Laax and Saas Fee. - Mammoth reports 3 feet of snowfall in 3 days. - Cervinia, Kitzbuhel, Verbier and others part-closed by strong winds over Easter. - Scotland's Lecht ski area closes on Easter Monday. - Bulgarian resorts except Bansko announce early closing due to warmth. 
A quieter week for snow in Japan, but more high altitude snow for Europe and America
World Overview Winter had what may have been its final hurrah for this season in the Alps as we went into the Easter weekend with huge snowfalls reported in the southwestern Alps, particularly southern France. Unfortunately, that sent the avalanche danger up to "high" and gale-force winds driving the storm on led to many areas in the region having to close all or most of their lifts slopes at times through the Easter weekend. Besides the big snowfalls in the southwestern Alps, the past week saw snowfall in the Pyrenees, Dolomites, Scandinavia, Scotland, the rest of the Alps and mountains across Western North America. Indeed the other big 1m+ (three feet) snowfalls of the last 7 days were reported in California, with a good late-season dump in The Rockies too. This being April we're seeing more ski areas ending their season, some just after the Easter weekend with most of the rest due to follow over the next few weekends. But hundreds more do plan to stay open into the latter half of this month, some into May and a select group later than that, through to the start of the southern hemisphere's 2024 season in June. Europe Austria After a cooler start to the week, at least on high slopes, with some snow showers reported, temperatures have been rising in Austria, reaching 20C in the afternoons in mountain valleys, and +10C on higher slopes. So no surprise that the season has ended at one of the country's three largest ski areas, the Skiwelt, around Westendorf and Soll, with another Saalbach-Hinterglemm, due to close this weekend. The biggest Austrian region, the Arlberg, is one of those staying open to the end of the month, as are resorts like Ischgl and Obertauern, with access to higher altitude terrain, and most of the country's half-dozen or so glacier areas. One of these, the Stubai, currently has the country's deepest reported base at 4.5 metres. France The snowfalls that were just getting started as we published last week's report carried on into the weekend and turned out to be some of the heaviest in the season in the southern French Alps. Isola 2000 and Risoul were among resorts posting 2m+ accumulations in 72 hours whilst Alpe d'Huez posted for 24 hours that its upper base had hit 5 metres – a number only it had previously reached anywhere in the world, briefly, earlier in the winter. It's since dropped back to a "mere" 4.5 metres. There was snowfall, with showers continuing into the start of this week, for most other French areas further north, just not so much. Most of France's big ski areas remain open into the latter half of the month and currently say their slopes are still 80-98% open, including the biggest domain, the 3 Valleys. Some smaller and/or lower areas including the slopes around Megeve and the Risoul-Vars area that had the huge Easter snowfall, are due to close for the season at the end of this coming weekend. Italy Snowfall and gale-force winds have been factors on Italian slopes this week, with Cervinia being one of the big scorers on both – receiving a metre of snowfall over the Easter weekend but also having large parts of its ski area shut down at the time by the gales. A bouncing chairlift there, buffeted by the winds in the process of being shut down as the last skiers were disembarking went viral on world mainstream media. Rain was also an issue at times with Madonna di Campiglio giving it as the reason its slopes were closed on Monday. It's been calmer and drier, and a little warmer, over the last few days. As with the rest of the northern hemisphere, large swathes of Italian areas will shut down at the end of this coming weekend or the one after, but dozens more will continue into the latter half of the month. Switzerland Swiss centres had a rather mixed time through the Easter weekend with heavy snowfall (which began in the middle of last week) continuing to fall with gale-force winds thrown into the mix at times. That led to Verbier and the 4 Valleys announcing all slopes were closed at the start of Easter Saturday, although they began to part-open after only a few hours. Verbier wasn't the only one; Saas Fee had only 5% of its slopes open on Saturday, and Laax 30%. Those two resorts are now posting 5m+ bases, the deepest in the world, on upper runs. Switzerland has also suffered multiple ski tragedies this week, with three dying in an off-piste avalanche at Zermatt and three more in a heliski incident near Verbier. Post-Easter, as elsewhere, open terrain is starting to drop and ski centres are starting to close, although plenty of Swiss areas plan to stay open to the latter half of April or into May. Centres closing after this weekend include sectors of Adelboden, Andermatt, Davos and St Moritz and all/most of the ski areas at Leysin and Villars among others. Scandinavia Conditions continue to be among the best in Europe up in Norway, Sweden and Finland, as is usual for this point in the year. Temperatures have remained low, particularly in the north of the region, and there have been more snow showers reported. Finland's ski areas remain open into May, and have reported temperatures in the -5C to -20C range this week, with light snowfalls refreshing cover with a few centimetres of fresh snow most days. It's warmer further south in Norway and Sweden but still close to freezing and seeing rain rather than snow. Big resorts like Hemsedal, Are and Trysil are open through April and currently have most runs open. Pyrenees It was rather a white Easter in the Pyrenees after the rather green Christmas, on lower slopes at least. The wintry conditions that began in early March continued with 25cm of fresh snowfall for the Easter weekend in the region's largest area, Grandvalira. Other centres on the French and Spanish sides of the border posted 10-15cm. Most centres not already closed will be closing this coming weekend, including much of Grandvalira and one of the biggest on the Spanish side, Baqueira Beret. Some, including Arcalis in Andorra, plan to stay open one more week having extended their season. Scotland Scottish ski areas saw the usual mix of glorious sunny days and days of snowfall, gales, sleet, hill fog and rain. Mountain temperatures have stayed close to freezing, valleys climbing towards +10C in the afternoons. We're down to three areas still open at the time of writing. Glencoe and Cairngorm have the most terrain on offer on their higher slopes, best suited to advanced skiers, with Cairngorm's requiring a hike up with the funicular out of action. Glenshee has three short runs open maintained by their all-weather snowmaking machines. The Lecht joined Nevis Range when it ended its ski season with a sudden Easter Day announcement that it was closing at the end of Monday. Eastern Europe Most Eastern European ski areas have now closed or will do this coming weekend or next. Temperatures have been rising and snowsports are on the upper mountain at most areas that are still open. Bulgaria's Bansko has announced a lift ticket price drop for the final fortnight of its season through to the 14th which it says it will stick to despite temperatures leaping into the 20s(C). Borovets announced on Monday that it would end its 23-24 season on Wednesday due to warm weather, and Pamporovo and Vitosha joined it, so all are now closed until next season. Some centres elsewhere, including Slovenia's Kanin and Slovakia's Jasna, are aiming to keep some high runs open into May. North America Canada Many of Canada's ski areas will call it a day on their 23-24 seasons this coming weekend or the one after, but Banff's three ski areas will continue on into May, as will Jasper's Marmot Basin and of course Whistler Blackcomb. The good news for these centres has been midwinter-like conditions for parts of the past week with temperatures down to -10C and accumulations of up to 30cm in 24 hours reported. So there's plenty of snow lying for the final 4-7 weeks of the season, at least on higher slopes. USA After seeing coast-to-coast snowfall across the US in the penultimate week of March, the last seven days have seen a West/East divide with warm temperatures on the Atlantic coast but heavy snowfall on the Pacific side. The Palisades passed 13 feet (nearly 4 metres) of March snowfall whilst at the height of the storm through the Easter weekend, Mammoth Mountain reported it had received three feet of snowfall in 2 days. There was also significant snowfall across the Rockies. Most US resorts will close this weekend or next but dozens will continue to the latter half of April or later into spring. |
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J2Ski's Where to Ski in April 2024
Started by Admin in Snow Forecasts and Snow Reports, discussing La Plagne and Les Arcs |
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Heavy snow continues to fall at altitude, on both sides of the Atlantic. There's been some fierce wind, some wild temperature variation at times - and even some Saharan sand - in the Alps. But it's Spring, and high slopes are in great condition for April skiing.
Even the Easter Bunny got some Powder in Alta, Utah, this week. Where to Ski in April 2024 It's April 2024 and for most of the northern hemisphere's ski areas, the next few weekends will mark the end of the season. But hundreds, including many of the world's best-known resorts, will make it to the latter half of the month, some into May or beyond. The good news is that as in 2023, we're seeing colder weather and heavier snows in spring than we did for much of March and base depths are actually increasing after some heavy late-March snowfalls on higher slopes, so it's looking like a good April for skiers and its to be expected that more resorts will announce extended seasons. In the wider world about a dozen Japanese ski areas including big names like Niseko aim to stay open into May and the country's only summer ski area, Gassan, is due to open for their 2024 season on April 12th, which runs to July if there's enough snow. We're also just two months away from the start of the southern hemisphere's 2024 ski season and we've already seen early autumn March snowfalls on ski slopes in Australia, New Zealand and the South American Andes. Europe Austria Austria offers the two extremes of Spring snow - the vast majority of its ski areas are quite low-lying and have been hard hit by the warm winter with wet snow the norm for much of 2023-24 around Kitzbuhel, the Skiwelt and Saalbach and many more big areas. Most of these will close on the first weekend of the month or in the Skiwelts's case, what is still open (about 35%) closes April 1st! But Austria also has high areas like Obertauern and Ischgl which plan to stay open to May 1st and more glacier ski areas than any other, with the Stubai posting the world's deepest snowpack with nearly 5m lying through much of March, so by mid-April more Austrian areas will be open than any other European nation. France France was posting some of the world's deepest snow depths and saw some of the biggest snowfalls in the final few days of March, so is looking good for the start of April. Isola 2000 got nearly five feet (1.5m) of snowfall in 48 hours into the Easter weekend. Many of the country's ski areas will close by April 14th but some of the biggest and most famous areas continue through to the end of the month, or even to early May. The Paradiski area (Les Arcs and La Plagne) is aiming for the 27th (April) with Chamonix, Les 2 Alpes, Tignes, Val d'Isere and Val Thorens aiming to stay open into May. Italy Italy saw some good snowfalls in the latter half of March, with the mountains across the north seeing a good late-season top-up. As a result most of the vast Domoliti Superski with its 1,200km of slopes, and most of the country's other leading ski regions, start the month 95-100% open. Like the rest of the northern hemisphere, about 90% of them will be ending their seasons in the first half of April. If you want to carry on later it'll have to be at one of the stalwarts carrying on to the final weekends of the month, or into May. Among them are Cervinia, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Livigno, Macugnaga, Passo Tonale (Presena Glacier), Sella Nevea on the Slovenian border and Sulden in the Ortler Alps. Switzerland Several Swiss centres were posting both big snowfalls and some of the world's deepest snow depths as we approached the start of April. Glacier 3000 near Gstaad, which is open right through April, was closed for much of the last week of March as a massive storm raged. Saas-Fee meanwhile posted over 150cm (5 feet) of fresh snowfall on its glacier and was for a time posting the world's deepest snowpack up there, nearing 5 metres. So, as with the rest of Europe, most Swiss centres close over the next few weekends, with snow depths healthy and snow still falling up high, and some remaining open to late April or beyond. The late-openers include Murren, Saas Fee and Verbier (to April 21st), Grindelwald and Glacier 3000 to the end of the month with Adelboden, Engelberg and the Diuavolezza glacier near St Moritz open into May, along with year-round Zermatt of course. Pyrenees The Pyrenees were having a really bad season until heavy snowfall arrived in late February and continued through the first half of March. The past fortnight has seen the best conditions of the season, at least at the big, higher resorts (many smaller lower ones have closed already). Most will focus on keeping everything open through the Easter week and the first seven days of April, even though temperatures are back up to double figures. Most still-open areas will be closing on either the weekend of the 6th/7th or 13th/14th with perhaps just one or two soldiering on into the latter half of the month. Scandinavia Scandinavian ski destinations tend to come into their own in April as their northerly latitude means temperatures stay lower and the snow stays in better shape longer, usually, than down in the Alps or Pyrenees. The daylight hours also tend to extend later than further south as the north rapidly approaches 24-hour daylight (a point reached about a third of the way into May up at Riksgransen). The good news is that 2024 is very much up to par with temperatures low, snow falling and all the major areas fully open and planning to stay open at least to the end of the month and in some cases into May. Finland's Ylläs, Pyhä, Levi and Ruka are open through to May, as are Norway's Hemsedal and Sweden's Åre, Hemavan, Tärnaby and Kåbdalis, as well as, of course, Riksgransen. Eastern Europe We're into the final weeks of the season for most ski areas that are still open in Eastern Europe; around 90% are already closed in fact, but most of the bigger centres are still going, at least their higher slopes. The Spring thaw, as elsewhere in Europe, has impacted the snow cover at lower elevations and bigger resorts like Bulgaria's Bansko and Slovakia's Jasna have about two-thirds of their terrain still open for the Easter holidays but are likely to see open runs drop away dramatically after the 6th/7th weekend. Jasna plans to keep some runs open into May, as does Slovenia's Kanin. Scotland Scottish centres have seen some cold periods with snowfall in the final week of March, but it looks like there won't be much open into April. Three centres, Glenshee, Cairngorm and The Lecht currently have slopes open for Easter Holiday beginner lessons on all-weather snowmaking machine-maintained snow but not a whole lot more than that. Glencoe and Cairngorm have had the most terrain open using natural snow cover otherwise and there's the hope that a good early April snowfall and cold temperatures will allow them to stay open longer into the month, if there's enough demand to justify keeping the lifts running. North America Canada Canada has had a mixed winter 23-24 with generally below-average snow depth/open terrain and above-average temperatures. Coastal resorts on both the East and West Coasts have suffered the most but bases have been down across the country. Against that, the final week of March (and a period in mid-March before it) saw substantial snowfalls delivering a real late-season boost to conditions which should continue into April. Many Canadian ski areas will end their seasons anyway on the first or second weekends of the month, but some, including the three Banff ski areas, Jasper's Marmot Basin and of course Whistler Blackcomb will be staying open into May. USA It has not been an epic season really, for much of the US, although the latter half has been much better than the first, with plenty of snowfall in March, and most of the country's resorts start April with their slopes fully open. The majority will close on the upcoming first or second weekends of April (i.e. the 7th or the 14th). A few dozen will stay open to the end of April though and the biggest, Utah's Park City, has extended its season towards the end of the month. Mammoth and The Palisades in California will be open into May and so, most likely, will be Colorado's Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge, Loveland and Winter Park. It will be interesting to see what Killington in Vermont does as it normally aims to stay open to late May but this winter has battled through on very thin cover. |
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J2Ski Snow Report - March 28th 2024
Started by Admin in Snow Forecasts and Snow Reports, discussing Alpe d'Huez and Les Deux Alpes |
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Chamrousse, France, with 30cm of fresh yesterday. Late season snow keeps coming; Spring skiing is looking pretty good from here! The Snow Headlines - March 28th - Great late-March snowfalls across many North American ski areas. - Cold temperatures and fresh snowfall return to the Alps, Pyrenees, Eastern Europe. - Huge snowfalls in southwestern Alps send Avalanche Risk Levels up to 4(High). - Scottish ski centres struggle to open terrain beyond beginner slopes for Easter. - Swiss, Austrian and US areas overtake French for deepest snowpack in the world. - New Zealand ski areas see early-autumn snowfalls. 
More heavy falls of Spring snow forecast, at altitude...
World Overview As Easter arrives, the ski season is starting to wind down with the first of the big ski regions, including Austria's Skiwelt, closing as early as Easter Monday and most others over the following two weekends. But Mother Nature hasn't quite got the memo with lots of snowfall reported this week across Europe and North America, albeit with temperatures more typical of Spring than Winter. Base depths on higher runs continue to grow and are close to the 5-metre mark in places; the deepest bases since early January. The Northern Alps and Eastern Europe, as well as the US East and West coasts, reported some good snowfalls over the weekend, but the past few days have seen huge falls in the south-eastern Alps with French, Swiss and Italian areas posting up to 80cm in 24 hours and 140cm in 48 hours, sending the avalanche danger leaping from a moderate '2' to a high '4' on the scale to 5 in the region. So all in all, in terms of fresh snow and open terrain, things are looking pretty good across European and North American slopes, albeit with the caveat that it's nearly April so expect conditions to get heavy by lunchtime, even where there's fresh snow, the best at high altitude and northerly latitudes. Ski areas in the southern hemisphere have been reporting some early pre-season snowfall, with the 2024 season still 10 weeks or more away. Ski areas in New Zealand had snowfall down to resort level on Wednesday. Europe Austria Austria has had a snowy week since the final Men's World Cup Downhill race of the 23-24 World Cup season in Saalbach was cancelled on Sunday with 15cm of snow on the upper half of the track. There have been snow showers through the week but the heavy snowfall forecast at the start of the week which was expected to peak around Wednesday/Thursday did not really materialise. The country's lower-lying ski areas continue to suffer with the warm temperatures and the end of the season is here really, with the Skiwelt due to close after the Easter weekend and many others next weekend (8th April). However, Austria does have more glacier ski areas than any other country, where the snow is lying up to 4.7 metres deep. High areas like Ischgl and Obertauern will be open to the start of May. France The Southern French Alps have seen some big snowfalls over the past 48 hours, with some fresh snow for the Northern Alps too. Most of the country's ski regions are between 85-100% open for the Easter holidays, although some lower centres like La Clusaz have announced they'll be shutting sectors down soon after Easter Sunday. The biggest falls (several feet/60cm in 24-36 hours, then up to 140cm in 48 hours to Thursday) were reported in more southerly areas in Serre Chevalier, Risoul-Vars, Les 2 Alpes, Alpe d'Huez and Isola 2000. Here the avalanche danger has shot up to a 'high' 4. The forecast is for more snow showers, but lighter, through the Easter weekend and gradually warming temperatures. Italy Italian ski centres have seen a big mix of weather over the past week, with valley temperatures touching +20C at the weekend, but much colder weather and for some, heavy snowfall, over the past few days, which will continue into the Easter weekend. Some ski areas in the western Alps, including the country's largest, the Milky Way (Via Lattea) with Sestriere and Sauze d'Oulx linked to Montgenevre in France, saw some of the biggest midweek falls. Pila in the Aosta Valley posted a 45cm accumulation on Thursday. The snow is expected to keep coming, in showers, through the Easter weekend but with valley temperatures gradually rising as we enter April – so rain to increasingly higher levels. Switzerland The (in)famous Foehn wind was back bringing snowfall to Swiss areas, particularly in the south and west of the country and especially on higher slopes this week. However, it was the common scenario of the snow being welcome, the wind not so much and Glacier 3000 near Gstaad was among the areas closed by the weather for several days. Davos Klosters posted one of the biggest accumulations, with 40cm in 48 hours at the start of the week. Switzerland now has two areas in the world's top 5 for deepest snow, the only country with more than one; Saas Fee with 4.7m up high (another area getting a big fall this week) and Laax with 4.75m, the most in the world at the time of writing. Scandinavia Conditions, in terms of fresh snowfall and low temperatures, remain good across much of Scandinavia. Most of the region's big resorts have reported 10-20cm snowfalls in the past few days with Norway's Geilo posting a 30cm fall on Tuesday. Most ski areas remain fully open with many planning to be open to the start of May. Pyrenees Winter has been back in the Pyrenees again with plenty of snowfall down to low levels. There have been periods of warm weather in the valleys, so the thaw continues at low levels, despite the snow sticking around higher up. Thus the amount of terrain open has dropped, Grandvalira (Soldeu, Pas de la Casa), is back down to about 70%/150km of its slopes open, still the most in the region but down about a quarter on a week or so ago. Freeride centre Arcalis posted 15cm of fresh snow on Wednesday. Scotland The usual weeks of ups and downs on Scottish slopes with Cairngorm and Glencoe managing to open the most terrain, mostly on their upper mountains, mostly only suited to good skiers and in Cairngorm's case still requiring a hike up due to the funicular being out of action. Both areas, along with The Lecht and Glenshee, also have beginner slopes available, maintained with all-weather snowmaking systems. Glenshee has a little more terrain open. Nevis Range is unable to offer snowsports at present. It was cold with fresh snowfalls in the first half of the week, but now temperatures are rising a little as we go into the Easter weekend. Eastern Europe For the last full week of March, it's been a good one for the bigger, higher ski areas still open in Eastern Europe. Ski areas like Spindleruv Mlyn in Czechia and Jasna over the border in Slovakia both reported sub-zero temperatures and fresh snowfall to start the week, and Bansko in Bulgaria got snow up high from Monday. It is the final week or two of the season for most areas in the region. Even with the new snow, it's very much spring conditions with the best up high and not much left on lower runs. Bansko's long run back to base is now closed. North America Canada Definitely one of the better weeks of the season for Canada with low temperatures and snowfall from coast to coast. Ski areas in Eastern Canada claimed the weekend was THE best of the season, despite arriving close to the end of it, with every slope open for some for the first time this often-challenging season, and a foot or more of powder snow on top. A similar story on the West Coast where the snow fell too, also delivering powder days through this week. Whistler Blackcomb and the ski areas around Banff, several of which still have nearly two months of season left, reported every run open for the Easter holidays. USA It has been a very snowy week from coast to coast in the US. Among totals claimed were 55cm in 72 hours by Aspen in the Colorado Rockies, 80cm in 48 hours by the Palisades in California and then over on the East coast multiple ski areas posted up to a metre of fresh snow through the last seven days. So, it's a case of powder at almost every open centre in the country and some of the best conditions we've seen all winter, particularly for the East Coast. That said, temperatures have warmed up over the past 48 hours so it's freeze-thaw time for most US slopes for Easter although another big snowfall is just coming in off the pacific coast and is expected to last all through the weekend. |
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