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Pitztaler Glacier, Austria, preparing to open on Saturday (28th September). A handful of European alpine resorts will be open by the weekend, Chilean ski areas have extended their winter and Australia is done, while parts of NZ get an end-of-season boost. The Snow Headlines - September 26th - Chile's Valle Nevado announces a two-week season extension. - Australia's 2024 season is over. - Solden opens a week earlier than expected. - Ski season resumes at Galdhopiggen in Norway. - Fresh snowfall on Western North American peaks, although nowhere open yet. - One week to the start of the season in Finland. - Number of ski areas open in the Alps more than doubles from 3 to 8. - Snow in Southern Africa three weeks after season ends. 
Light pre-season snow coming in for the Alps, and some late-season cover for the southern hemisphere
World Overview The seasons have clicked over from summer to autumn in the northern hemisphere and winter to spring in the southern by the astronomical measure as well as the meteorological, so we can now say it's full autumn/fall or spring - depending where you are. In the northern hemisphere, autumn has brought colder temperatures and wintery weather, with more snow on alpine glaciers and up in Scandinavia as well as Scottish peaks. As a result, we're up from three to eight centres open in Europe compared to a week ago and will be in double figures from Saturday. North America saw some snowfall on western peaks last weekend but it's been dry and sunny since with nowhere close to opening there yet – although things often change quickly in October. It's season wind-down time in the southern hemisphere and it's completely over in Australia, a little prematurely but similar to last year when hopes of making it to October also faded. It joins Lesotho in Southern Africa as the second of the five southern hemisphere ski nations to end its 2024 seasons. Ironically there was an unusually heavy snowfall in South Africa earlier this week, more than three weeks after the largely snowless season ended in the region. Many centres in the other southern hemisphere ski nations have had fresh snowfall too, but most are closing this weekend or next with just a handful soldiering on later into October. Most have seen rising temperatures, diminishing bases and reducing open terrain - as normal - for the final weeks of the season. Southern Hemisphere Australia There was some fresh snowfall in Tasmania at the weekend which led to the small Mount Mawson ski area there opening a few runs. However, the warm and sunny daytime weather has continued to dominate conditions otherwise, with rain and strong winds thrown into the mix over the past few days. The last mainland area open, Perisher, decided to close on Wednesday, abandoning their plan to continue through to Sunday. New Zealand New Zealand's weather continues to move between extremes, with another mix of snow, rain, wind and the odd perfect, still, blue sky, fresh snow day thrown into the mix over the last week. Daytime temperatures are climbing gradually though, despite overnight lows still dropping below freezing. For some ski areas, it's an ongoing battle to stay open and several more plan to close after the coming weekend. Cardrona and Mount Hutt are among those aiming for a few more weeks and there was good news on the North Island at last for Turoa and Whakapapa which had significant fresh snowfall this week - and managed to open a bit more terrain for their final weeks as a result, in Whakapapa's case more than they've been able to offer all season. Argentina Argentina's season is drawing to a close with most of the country's centres expected to end their seasons this coming Sunday or the one after. The past week has been predominantly dry with lots of sunshine and daytime highs above +10C at many resorts. That said, overnight lows continue to be sub-zero so the snowpack keeps freezing and bases haven't dropped much in most areas, although the amount of terrain available has. Cerro Catedral, which had 100km of its 120km slopes open until last weekend, has dropped to 20km for the final weeks. There's nothing too exciting in the forecast, more warm afternoons and rain showers are now more likely than snow. Chile Chile's season is winding down fast with mostly dry weather and warm afternoon conditions. Most centres are reporting their snow depth down by 20-40% from a few weeks ago with some also closing sizable parts of their skiable terrain. In fact, a few smaller resorts ended their 2024 seasons altogether last weekend and many more will close this weekend or the one after. The news isn't all bad for Chilean skiers with one of the largest ski areas, Valle Nevado, announcing a fortnight's season extension through to the latter half of October and another big name, Portillo, still reporting its slopes 100% open for the final week of winter there. Temperatures are still getting well below freezing overnight but climbing into double figures above zero (C) by the afternoon most days now. Europe After the snowy weather a fortnight ago things have been calmer in the Alps, although there has been more snowfall reported on high slopes, most recently in the south and east with open Italian glaciers Passo Stelvio and Val Senales reporting fresh cover. Solden joined the Stubai in opening early last weekend and with the country's highest area Pitztal also opening this weekend and Hintertux re-opening too, Austria now has four centres open – half of Europe/the northern hemisphere's total. Kaunertal and the Kitzsteinhorn, as well as Molltal, are due to open next month, the first in just over a week's time. You can also ski at Saas-Fee and Zermatt in Switzerland, although the cross-border link from the latter's glacier down to Cervinia in Italy will remain closed for another month. Things are starting to happen in Scandinavia too with the region's highest slopes at the Galdhopiggen summer ski area reopening with freezing temperatures and snow showers. Finland's Ruka and Levi also plan to start their 7-month long seasons at the end of next week, using snow stored through summer and now spread back out on the slopes. North America There's been more snowfall, last weekend, across western North America with the first snow reported on mountains in Utah as well as more snow in California, Alberta, BC and even a second fall for Arizona. Since then the past few days have been a little warmer and mostly sunny and that remains the forecast for the coming days so we still seem a little way off from the start of snowmaking anywhere. |
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Snow Reports by e-mail - New Ski Resorts
Started by Admin in Snow Forecasts and Snow Reports, 69 Replies, discussing Arizona Snowbowl and Morillon |
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That's in the list below Stuben, due to the umlaut on Sölden |
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J2Ski Snow Report - September 19th 2024
Started by Admin in Snow Forecasts and Snow Reports, discussing Breuil-Cervinia and Lech |
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Stubai Glacier, Austria, opening tomorrow(Friday!) after last week's heavy early snow. Heavy snow (and flooding) arrives for parts of Europe, while New Zealand and South America get late season boosts with snow falling in the final weeks of their seasons. The Snow Headlines - September 19th - Stubai announces early opening - this Friday! - First snowfall ahead of 24-25 season in the Pyrenees. - Heavy September snowfall in the Alps, down to low levels in places. - Heavy snowfall in New Zealand. - Only two centres still open in Australia. - More Alpine glaciers are preparing to open. - Forest fires threaten ski areas on the US West Coast. 
Decent late-season snow forecast for New Zealand, Argentina and Chile
World Overview The big news in the ski world this past week was the amount and extent of snowfall in Europe in the latter half of last week. Along with sizable falls up above 2,500m, which isn't unusual for late summer/early autumn, there was heavy, wet snow down to low levels, disrupting summer operations, particularly in the Austrian Alps. That's allowed at least one Austrian glacier ski area to start their season early, this coming weekend. The European snow fell over a very wide area too including Slovenia in the east and the Pyrenees to the west. In North America, the ski news was unfortunately more of forest fires threatening resorts than fresh snowfall, but high-altitude resorts in the Rockies are prepping their snowmakers to begin operations. The season continues to wind down in the southern hemisphere with Australia the most 'wound-down' having now only the largest resort Perisher, and one of the smallest Tasmania's Mount Mawson, left open. New Zealand areas by contrast have had a boost with a good fall of snow over the last week and most centres in the Andes remain open. Southern Hemisphere Australia With Charlotte Pass, Falls Creek and Thredbo closing early last weekend, only Australia's largest area Perisher remains open of the big players, albeit with thin cover left and less than 10% of its slopes still skiable. Temperatures did actually dip a little this last week and there were some light snowfalls. Ben Lomond in Tasmania even reported that it was re-opening for weekend sledging, if not skiing as a result, but the other Tasmanian ski centre, Mt Mawson, has a tow still running for skiers. Perisher hopes to stay open to the start of September but with afternoon temperatures continuing to be warm that remains to be seen. Overnight lows are still dipping below freezing. New Zealand It was one of the better weeks of the past month in New Zealand despite the fast-approaching end of the season. The main boost was a 20-40cm snowfall in the final days of last week which really transformed conditions after the spells of warm weather, rain and gales in recent weeks. The past week has seen several blue sky powder days after the snowfall. Coronet Peak, Cardrona and Mount Hutt appear to be in the best shape, with bases up to 2 metres up high and 100% of their terrain still open. Some smaller resorts are struggling with thin cover, and strong winds continue to cause closures. Mount Ruapehu's Turoa and Whakapapa ski areas remain hard hit with very little open so it is not looking good for their usual October operations. Argentina Most of Argentina's ski areas remain open although it's the final week or two for many. It's been a mostly dry week, frequently sunny and although overnight lows continue to dip just below freezing, daytime highs have reached +10C to +15C which is of course impacting snow cover. Most centres still have most of their slopes open, if down a little on a week ago. Catedral near Bariloche still has the most open in the world, down a little from 100km to 94km of slopes. Chapelco also still has the world's deepest reported snowpack, also down slightly on a week ago, at 3.2m. Chile A definite end-of-the-season feel in Chile with temperatures reaching the high double digits above freezing (Celsius) in the afternoons at some resorts. However, overnight lows on high runs continue to dip below freezing for freeze-thaw conditions so it's not a non-stop meltdown. It has been largely dry and frequently sunny over the last week, although rain/snowfall is expected for the remainder of this week. Base depths are dropping a little with the warmth but most centres remain fully open, Valle Nevado for example posting a 1-2.5m base depth and 100% of its lifts turning and runs open. Portillo has a 70-140cm base, down from double that at the height of winter, but also reports its slopes 100% open. Europe European ski areas had an exciting end to last week with over a foot of fresh snowfall above 2,500m and snow right down to valley floors, particularly noted in Austria where ski resorts like Lech posted PR pics and videos of impatient skiers looking optimistically at the snow on the resort's streets. Stubai Glacier announced on Monday that, after half-a-metre of late summer snowfall, it's starting its season weeks earlier than expected, this coming Friday 20th September. The snowfall covered a wide area including resorts in the Dolomites, as far east as Slovenia's Julian Alps and there was a dusting in the southwest too in the Pyrenees. It has since warmed up in valleys so the interruption to late summer mountain biking and hiking operations is about gone now, but temperatures remain in the -5C to +5C range up above 2,500m with more snow showers, albeit lighter ones, forecast for glaciers. Currently, it remains Saas-Fee and Zermatt open in Switzerland with the link to Zermatt's glacier from Cervinia currently closed, perhaps a little cruelly to Cervinian skiers given the fresh snow at Zermatt! However Italy's Passo Stelvio is open and Val Senales is scheduled to open for its 24-25 season this weekend, although possibly only for race team training initially. Austria's Hintertux had not yet re-opened at the time of writing despite getting a foot of fresh snow at the weekend, but that could change at any time. Two more Austrian areas, Pitztal and Solden, plan to start their 24-25 seasons in a week's time. Scandinavia saw snowfall too, in its case from the same Arctic air that moved down over the UK. Many centres there posted images of light snow coverings. Currently, the only area that should be open, the Galdhopiggen glacier, remains on hold. The two major Finnish ski areas Levi and Ruka plan to start their 24-325 seasons in a fortnight's time thanks to their snow farming efforts. North America In North America, ski areas in Colorado have continued preparing snowmaking systems as cold temperatures overnight have been more consistently dipping below freezing. There remains nowhere open across the continent at present with the first named opening date at Mount Norquay, Banff, Canada still six weeks away on November 1st. There has been more snow dusting high peaks over the last few days, with a second coating for Californian peaks and a first for Utah this autumn/fall. Unfortunately, ski areas have also been in the news for the wrong reasons this week with Oregon's Mount Bachelor and Mountain High and Mount Rose in California all threatened by forest fires. |
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J2Ski Snow Report - September 12th 2024
Started by Admin in Snow Forecasts and Snow Reports, discussing Breuil-Cervinia and Zermatt |
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Early snow for the Kitzsteinhorn, Austria, opening 12th October! Heavy snow (and rain) forecast for the eastern Alps, though it may not last, while the southern hemisphere winds down into spring. The Snow Headlines - September 12th - 30cm accumulation reported on Zermatt's summer ski slopes. - Fresh snow in New Zealand, along with more gale-force winds. - First fresh snowfall of autumn Scottish and Scandinavian slopes. - All but one of remaining Australian resorts to close by Sunday. - Scottish ski instructor killed in avalanche in Argentina. - More snowfall on high slopes in the Alps, reaching Dolomites too. - First flakes reported in Eastern North America. 
Heavy early snow forecast for the Alps
World Overview The change in seasons is becoming more apparent in both the northern and southern hemispheres as we move further into September and are now just a week away from the start of astronomical spring or autumn, depending on where you are. The change in the meteorological measure of the seasons already happened a fortnight back! In the northern hemisphere the prolonged heat is finally beginning to lose its grip, with cooler temperatures and snowfall on high slopes in the Alps and the Colorado Rockies. There has also been snow on high peaks in Scandinavia, Scotland, North-eastern North America and the Dolomites over the past few days. In the southern hemisphere it is ever warmer afternoon temperatures that are hitting snow cover. Australia hardest, where only one area looks set to remain open next week. To a lesser extent New Zealand where the first centres have announced they're shutting down snow operations until 2025 too. The most terrain and deepest snow remains in South America but daytime highs are getting warmer in the Andes as well and though everywhere remains open for now, there's a definite end-of-season feeling. Southern Hemisphere Australia Australia's 2024 season meltdown has continued with three more centres – Charlotte Pass, Falls Creek and Thredbo all announcing an early season end, either this coming Friday (13th) or Sunday 15th of September. With other centres having already ended their seasons, from Monday only Perisher will still be operating, and it reports that about 90% of its slopes are closed due to the warm sunny temperatures. It's been almost relentlessly sunny with overnight lows still dipping 4C to 8C degrees below freezing but daytime highs topping +10C continuing to thaw the remaining snow fast. New Zealand New Zealand ski areas have had yet another roller-coaster week of gales, rain, warm spells but also snowfall at times. At the time of writing things are on a high as there's been 10-20cm of fresh snowfall in the past 48 hours and Thursday was a blue sky day with sub-zero temperatures and only a small problem with the gales, so most centres reported superb conditions. Wet and windy weather on other days has led to one centre, Temple Basin, saying they can't keep going and are ending their 2024 season. On the North Island Whakapapa and Turoa continue to struggle with their season-long issue of not enough snow and they have only very limited terrain open. However, on the South Island Mount Hutt is still 95% open with the snow over 2m deep. Argentina It has been a largely dry week in Argentina with fairly typical spring freeze-thaw conditions as temperatures yoyo between -10C up high under clear skies overnight to +10Cs at resort bases. There's a definite 'end of the season' feeling from that, but at the same time base depths are holding up, particularly at Corralco (with the world's deepest base of 3.3m up high). Most centres have 70-100% of their slopes open with the 95km at Catedral near Bariloche remaining the most in the world for a single resort of currently open areas. Chile Daytime temperatures are starting to regularly hit double figures above freezing at the mountain bases in Chile, although overnight lows are well below freezing up high, so that's freeze-thaw conditions and very much spring underway, with some centres likely to announce season ends over the next few weeks. Base depths are reported to be holding up though and bigger resorts like Portillo and Valle Nevado remain fully open. Europe There's been a definite shift in the seasons this week in Europe with an Arctic front moving down from the north bringing snowfall to mountain peaks in Norway, Finland, Sweden and Scotland. Colder weather in the Alps has also brought substantial snowfalls to glaciers and high slopes in the Alps, and that's extended further south and East into the Dolomites too. There has also been snowfall down to lower levels, with ski areas like Kitzbuhel reporting a covering of snow. Three of the four glacier areas that are trying to stay open are currently reported to be operating although one of them, Saas-Fee, was cut off by a landslip for much of the past week and the only access in and out was an expensive helicopter taxi. The road has now re-opened however. In nearby Zermatt, the plan to have year-round access from Cervinia also appears to have been quietly shelved with the link currently closed until late October. Skiers on the Swiss side can still access about 11km of slopes open there with fresh snow cover. Skiers in Italy can still ski Passo Stelvio which reports more slopes open. The glacier at Val Senales, which was closed last autumn as a cable car was renewed, reports it will open from next weekend, although possibly only for race team training. Austria's formerly year-round Hintertux glacier has now been closed for more than a month but is reviewing its closure daily and will re-open whenever conditions are good enough. That's a similar position to Norway's Galdhopiggen glacier centre and it's now only three weeks until Levi and Ruka in Finland are due to open for their 7-month 24-25 seasons, using snow stored through last summer and spread back out on their slopes. North America The first snow – kind of – was reported on east coast mountains in New York State at the weekend, an almost unnoticeable dusting, but skiers noticed! That followed the more significant whitening of higher mountains in the Colorado Rockies. Here, temperatures are regularly dipping a degree or two below freezing each night, although the weather is back to predominantly sunny. High resorts hoping to open next month like Arapahoe Basin and Keystone have been busy testing their snow-making equipment. Nowhere is currently open in North America however. |
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J2Ski Snow Report - September 5th 2024
Started by Admin in Snow Forecasts and Snow Reports, 1 Reply, discussing Breckenridge and Val Cenis |
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An early dusting for Breckenridge, Colorado, USA We're getting that autumn feeling; first snows high in the Alps and the Rockies, as spring arrives and the ski season winds down in the southern hemisphere. The Snow Headlines - September 5th - Fresh snow falls on high slopes in the Alps. - Meltdown for Australia's 2024 season, most resorts close early. - August snowfall in Arizona. - More heavy snowfall in Argentina. - September snowfall in the Rockies as Colorado resorts ready snowmaking equipment. - South Africa's season ends on schedule at Afriski in Lesotho. 
Early autumn snow forecast for Europe, and late season top-ups for New Zealand
World Overview The start of meteorological springtime in the southern hemisphere has seen more snowfall across the region's ski nations, but severe gale force winds and mild temperatures bringing torrential rain before the snow have also been factors for New Zealand and Australian ski areas. In the latter's case, it led to more Aussie areas announcing they'd be closing at short notice so now more than half have closed - up to a month earlier than planned. It's a better picture in the Andes where there's been heavy fresh snowfall; and base depths as well as open terrain are all holding up. In southern Africa, the 2024 season ended on Sunday at the only open ski area, Afriski in Lesotho. In the northern hemisphere, Sunday saw the start of meteorological autumn/fall (and of September) which should see the number of ski areas open, (currently, officially, four) more than double by the end of the month. The four glacier areas currently open in the Alps have continued to battle warm temperatures, but there was good news – kind of – as we complete this weeks report with the first snows of September spotted above 3,000m in the western Alps. 'Kind of' because it's the cold end of a torrential rainstorm that's brought flooding to some valleys. Across in North America nowhere is open at present but there's been fresh snow up high as far south as Arizona and anticipation continues to build for the start of the 24-25 season, hopefully next month. Again, as we complete this week's report Colorado ski areas are posting images of fresh snowfall there. Southern Hemisphere Australia Sadly, the warm August weather has led to more than half of Australian ski areas closing early over the past week. Mounts Baw Baw and Buller closed on Sunday, whilst Selwyn Resort said it's likely to abandon it's hoped-for re-opening. Hotham closed on Wednesday leaving just Perisher, Falls Creek and Thredbo still open of the country's bigger resorts. There were a couple of breaks in the heat over the past week, with light snowfall on Friday followed by an Antarctic blast to start the week which brought a 10-degree dip in temperatures and more snowfall. Base depths have almost halved in a week, however, and the open areas – most of which are trying to hang on until October, now have only fractions of their terrain left open. New Zealand New Zealand has had frequently wild weather all season and this past week has been little different with torrential rain at times with mild temperatures and 100mph gales an even bigger issue. That led to the opening of the Park & Pipe 24-25 World Cup Tour at Cardrona needing to be repeatedly delayed through the weekend. Against all these setbacks there have also been periods of heavy snowfall and even some fresh powder days, it's just hard to know what's going to hit from one day to the next. The big picture is that the country's main ski areas including Treble Cone, Mount Hutt, Coronet Peak and others remain 70-100% open with fairly decent depths for the final month of the season. The exception, unfortunately, is Mt Ruapehu on the North Island where Whakapapa and Turoa continue to struggle with very little open. Argentina It's been a good week for Argentina's ski areas with temperatures staying low and some good fresh snowfalls to start September, with accumulations of up to 50cm reported. It's getting warmer now that meteorological springtime is here but is still dipping way below freezing overnight right down to base levels. Catedral, near ski town Bariloche, continues to post the most terrain open anywhere in the world at present with about 100km of slopes and Corralco has the world's deepest snowpack with 3.3m lying up top. It's looking drier and warmer for the coming weekend. Chile Conditions remain good on the whole in Chile with most areas seeing fresh snow this week and reporting their slopes still fully open, even with the end of their 2024 seasons only a fortnight away in some cases. The Tre Valles area east of Portillo which links the slopes of La Parva, Valle Nevado and El Colorado reports nearly 100km (90%) of the area open and base depths just under 3 metres on upper slopes. The base depth numbers are good at Nevados de Chillan to the south too whilst Portillo reports all slopes still open. Europe It's been another difficult week for the four glacier areas in the Alps that are trying to offer summer skiing. It has been a degree or two cooler and there have even been light snow flurries reported above 3,000m, but overall temperatures are getting 5-10 degrees (Centigrade) above freezing even at that altitude, so the snow is wet and then icy where it does get back below freezing overnight. Thursday afternoon did see more promising, widespread accumulations with Italy's Bardonecchia and Val d'Isere in France posting images of fresh snow above 3000m. However in the next valley there were flooding problems and road closures around Val Cenis. As for the ski areas aiming to be open, Austria's Hintertux remains closed but Italy's Passo Stelvio has re-opened and Saas Fee and Zermatt have each managed to open 8-11km of slopes each, albeit with diminished snow levels. Two more alpine glaciers, Pitztal and Solden, are due to open in three weeks and Levi and Ruka in Finland are also scheduled to open in less than a month, in their cases using snow 'farmed' (stockpiled under cover) from last season spread back out on the slopes, so more consistent lower temperatures will help them all make that happen. North America There's nowhere currently open in North America with the first centres expected to start their seasons from mid-October, if conditions allow. There have now been several late summer snowfalls, between warm spells, on high slopes across the western side of the continent. Ski areas in Alberta have now had multiple early season falls and one novelty last week was a snow shower up high in Arizona on the last day of August. This snow quickly melted again but cheered up skiers looking for signs of winter. Overnight lows in the Rockies are now regularly getting down close to freezing and Wednesday night saw dustings of snow on high slopes in Colorado with Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge and Keystone amongst those posting images of their mountain tops turning white. |
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J2Ski's Where to Ski in September 2024
Started by Admin in Snow Forecasts and Snow Reports, discussing Breuil-Cervinia and Zermatt |
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A reducing number of ski areas in Australia and New Zealand will be open through September, whilst those in Argentina and Chile are mostly in good (if not excellent) shape as they start the month.
Kids ski free in Portillo, Chile, in September so if you needed an excuse... there you go! Where to Ski in September 2024 We're into meteorological springtime in the southern hemisphere as September starts, and meteorological autumn/fall in the northern. Spring and autumn/fall by the astronomical season measure will be here soon too, three weeks into the month - so in other words it is all change. The first country/continent to close its skiing for 2024, Lesotho and southern Africa have already closed and most resorts in Australia, New Zealand and South America will join them by the end of this month, although a few will continue into early October. But September is definitely season wind down month for the south. In the northern hemisphere, snowfalls on the highest slopes at the end of August in western North America and in Europe remind us that, yes, winter is coming! Southern Hemisphere Australia It definitely feels like the final weeks of the season in Australia after a slightly lacklustre season was saved from being a bad one by metre snowfalls in mid-July. Since then there have been more light snowfalls but warm August temperatures have led to bases dropping and terrain available dramatically decreasing too. Several centres including Mount Baw Baw, Mount Buller and Selwyn, have closed altogether due to snow shortages. There is cold forecast for early September but it looks like it will be short lived and after that things are only moving in one direction. Some remaining centres will close three weeks into the month as planned, others like the largest Perisher, which has 25km of slopes open at the start of the month, the second most in the world, will hope to stay open until the start of October. New Zealand New Zealand hasn't had the best of seasons, with warmer temperatures than they'd like, and gales a frequent problem as well. That said as we start September for some of the bigger commercial centres like Mount Hutt and Cardrona conditions are about the best they've been with base depths above 2 metres on higher runs and everything open. Most ski areas will hopefully remain like that through September. Unfortunately, ski centres on Mount Ruapehu, particularly Whakapapa, which is often the last in the southern hemisphere to close each season in late October or even early November, have had a very poor season to date and very little is still open, so it is not looking great, without a big improvement over the coming month, for a late season end there. South America Ski areas in Argentina and Chile are into their final month of what has been one of the best seasons for many years. B Beginning early back in May after the biggest autumn snowfalls in 20+ years, it has stayed consistently cold and snowy for much of the past three months and resorts like Argentina's Las Lenas are posting the world's deepest snowpack at present, at over 3m, whilst Catedral to the north has the most terrain open of any centre on the planet, around 100km of slopes. Chilean areas like Valle Nevado and Portillo are also posting very healthy stats. Most South American ski areas will probably close (unless seasons are extended) about three weeks into September as is traditional, with just a few making it into October. Southern Africa Southern Africa's 2024 season at Afriski in Lesotho ended at the close of August so there's nowhere open there now until 2025. Europe Alps September begins with four glacier areas open, or intending to be; Austria's Hintertux – although it has been closed for much of August due to warm weather; Switzerland's Saas Fee and Zermatt (also accessible from Italy's Cervinia) and Passo Stelvio in Italy. All being well, all will remain open through the month and they'll be joined on the final weekend by Austria's Solden on the 27th and the Pitztal Glacier on the 28th. That does depend on conditions improving though and currently, there's not too much to get excited about with temperatures above freezing most days on the glaciers. There have though been some signs of winter creeping in at the highest altitudes so we just need them to creep lower and do so more consistently over the next few weeks! Scandinavia There's nowhere expected to be open in Scandinavia in September although Norway's Galdhopiggen summer ski area, with the region's highest lifts, is on a temporary closure through the hottest months and plans to reopen when cold enough, which could potentially be towards the end of this month. In Finland, Levi and Ruka ski areas plan to open at the start of October for their 7-month 24-25 seasons using snow saved ('farmed') in huge stockpiles from last winter spread back out on the slopes, that process will begin towards the end of September. North America September is the only month when there's nowhere expected to be open in North America. That may still be the case in October but several resorts including Colorado's Arapahoe Basin and Keystone hope to open before the end of that month. There were light snowfalls high in the Rockies and California's Sierras at the end of August but that doesn't always translate to continuing cold weather through the month. |
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J2Ski Snow Report - August 29th 2024
Started by Admin in Snow Forecasts and Snow Reports, discussing Breuil-Cervinia and Lake Tahoe |
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August snow at Lake Louise, Canada, this week - although it didn't last long! Warm weather closes slopes in Austria and Australia, Spring and mixed conditions in South America and New Zealand. Oh, and some summer snow in Canada! The Snow Headlines - August 29th - Two Australian ski areas shut down as snow thaws away. - 4 glaciers officially "open" in the Alps, but several closed by warm weather. - 5 weeks to start of 24-25 season in Finland, thanks to snow farming. - Norway's Fonna summer ski area closes for 2024 (and won't reopen as hoped). - South Africa's 2024 season ending this week. - Nowhere currently open in North America but brief snowfall on high slopes in Western US. - Countdown to snowmaking appears on Colorado's Loveland's website. 
Summer snow on the peaks in Europe, more forecast for New Zealand, and South America
World Overview We're just a few days away from the start of meteorological springtime in the southern hemisphere and warm weather has been an issue for some centres, particularly in Australia where one area closed this week as cover was no longer adequate, although it has started snowing again since. New Zealand has had a mix of gales, snowfalls and rain this week to keep resort operators there on their toes. In South America though resorts continue to post the world's deepest snows and largest areas of terrain open. In southern Africa they're on to the final weekend of winter in Lesotho. In the northern hemisphere, the start of autumn/fall is nearly here and there have been a few signs of the winter to come in North America with a dusting of snow on peaks along the West Coast following similar light coverings in the Canadian Rockies. In the European Alps, the few glaciers still open are struggling to remain so with warm temperatures at high altitudes continuing to be the issue. Southern Hemisphere Australia We're approaching the final 3-5 weeks of the season in Australia, with conditions to match. Temperatures have been getting into double figures on the slopes in the afternoons, rarely below freezing overnight, and as a result base depths are dropping - as is the amount of terrain open. Mount Buller has struggled to open all of its terrain all season and is now back below 20%. Selwyn announced on Monday it was forced to close as its snow cover had melted away, but says it hopes to reopen if adequate snowfall arrives. Mount Baw Baw announced on Thursday that its season would end on Sunday, September 1st due to the conditions. Most other Aussie centres still have 50-75% of their slopes open, with Perisher still posting an upper slope base of over a metre. Thredbo is the only other ski area in the country with similar depths - and has about 50km of slopes open. It also posted a 2cm dusting of fresh snowfall on Thursday morning. The weather has been improving in recent days with colder temperatures and snow showers slowing the thaw. New Zealand New Zealand has had a mixed run of conditions this past week with resorts initially celebrating and enjoying big snowfalls in the first half of last week, before warming temperatures, rain and wind forced a number of smaller centres to close. A major snowstorm is currently underway, just as the 24-25 World Cup Park & Pipe tour is due to get underway at Cardrona. The big picture is pretty good at most South Island resorts. Mount Hutt remains above 2m for its upper slope base depth, the best outside of South America and it is one of several posting its slopes 100% open with all lifts turning. Unfortunately not such good news still from the North Island with Whakapapa and Turoa both still needing fresh cover on Mount Ruapehu - unfortunately little is open there still as a result. Argentina It's starting to feel a little more springlike in Argentina too, particularly in the north of the country where it has been a mostly sunny week and base level temperatures have topped +10C in the afternoons. There have still been snow showers though and sub-zero overnight lows with colder and snowier conditions at more southerly centres. Catedral near Bariloche continues to post the most terrain open in the world at present with nearly 100km of slopes available whilst Chapelco has the deepest reported snow anywhere right now with 3.3m (11 feet) up top. Chile A similar situation in Chile to Argentina with a mostly dry week with some snow showers and more forecast. Slightly warmer daytime highs here, but overnight lows are still getting down to double digits (Centigrade) below zero at altitude. Base depths have actually been growing with resorts including Valle Nevado and Nevados de Chillan reporting close to 3m/10 feet up top. Most centres, including Portillo, have all or almost all of their slopes open still. Southern Africa It's the final weekend of the 2024 ski season coming up at Lesotho's Afriski. Temperatures have been getting up to double figures above freezing and not getting below freezing anymore at night so the main run has begun breaking up. The season ends with a 'Winterfest' final weekend celebration to see in the start of spring. Europe Four glacier ski areas remain open in Europe, officially, but continuing warm weather at altitude means that most have had closure days. In the case of 'year-round' Hintertux, the only Austrian centre open, that closure has continued for several weeks now. Saas-Fee in Switzerland, which has been posting the deepest snow at over 2.5 metres on its slopes, was closed due to wet snow but has now reopened. Zermatt, with Europe's highest glacier slopes also accessible from Cervinia in Italy, has remained open throughout. Passo Stelvio, the only area currently open on Italian soil, is the latest to temporarily close due to the conditions - with webcam images showing the snow gone from its glacial ice. In the north, Norway's Fonna glacier, only open to ski race teams for the last month, has announced it has closed for 2024 and won't re-open in autumn as hoped. Fellow Scandinavian centre Galdhopiggen, is also currently closed but will re-open, it hopes, in October. Temperatures remain warm for the start of September in the Alps although dropping a degree or two to give more freeze-thaw conditions up high. North America Less than a week after the final ski area still operating its 23-24 season (Oregon's Timberline) ended its run, snowfall was reported on high slopes in Canada and the US. The most recent falls were reported right along North America's Pacific Coast from Mammoth Mountain in the south via Lake Tahoe resorts including Mount Rose and Northstar to Oregon's Mt Bachelor in the north. Nowhere is currently open in North America but it will hopefully be cold enough for snowmaking to begin on high slopes by the end of next month and for resorts to start opening in the latter half of October. Colorado's Loveland ski area has started its "days-to-start-of-snowmaking" website countdown clock. |
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J2Ski Snow Report - August 22nd 2024
Started by Admin in Snow Forecasts and Snow Reports, discussing Breuil-Cervinia and St. Anton ... |
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Blue Moon at sunset, Hotham, Australia (they have snow too!) Decent snowfall in New Zealand, lighter and warmer in Australia, with fresh snow again for some South American ski resorts. The Snow Headlines - August 22nd - New Zealand receives more weekend snowfall than expected, around 50cm. - Southern Africa's Lesotho enters final week of 2024 season from Sunday. - Mount Hutt first in Australia or New Zealand to pass 2 metres base depth in 2024. - North America's 23-24 Season ends but 24-25 likely less than 3 months away. - St. Anton, Austria damaged by flash floods. - First snowfall of 24-25 on Canadian slopes. - Two more glaciers in the Alps close due to snow conditions. 
Snow forecast for New Zealand, and South America
World Overview The 2024 season is entering its final month for most ski centres south of the equator and for one, Lesotho's Afriski, its final week. Conditions are good to great almost everywhere though with most centres in Argentina, Australia, Chile and New Zealand fully open, or nearly so. Conditions have been more springlike in Australia, but there's been fresh snow here too. New Zealand has posted the heaviest snowfall this last week, some areas reporting over half-a-metre of snowfall up high, although some had rain early on. Ski areas in the Andes continue to report the world's deepest snow cover and the most terrain open anywhere right now. North of the equator, we're down to only 4 ski areas aiming to be open to the public, and skiing is now possible on just one continent and in total less than 30km of slopes, all the lowest stats of 2024 to date. In fact, two of the four centres have been closed by warm, weather this week. More glacier areas are due to open, conditions permitting, in around one months time. Actually, numbers could increase slightly sooner, potentially, as the two small glacier areas still operating in Scandinavia - but currently only for race teams - Fonna and Galdhopiggen, could re-open to the general skiing public. Timberline in Oregon, USA, the last area that had been open still for the 23-24 season in North America ended its season last Sunday, but Wednesday evening saw what could be considered the first snowfall of 24-25 on high slopes in the Canadian Rockies at resorts including Sunshine near Banff. More snowfall is forecast on high slopes in California and Colorado this weekend too. Southern Hemisphere Australia There was some light snowfall for Australian slopes this week, although temperatures have also been climbing so we're getting warm, springlike conditions in the afternoons. Conditions remain excellent overall and at the highpoint of the season to date really with most centres posting 80-100% of slopes open, including most big-name resorts including Falls Creek, Hotham, Thredbo and Perisher, which has the most terrain open in the region, around 60km of slopes. Upper slope depths are healthy by Aussie norms too, most with over a metre lying up top. New Zealand Another week of yoyoing temperatures and everything from hill fog, gales, rain and, yes, snow hitting Kiwi slopes. The best news was a larger-than-forecast snowfall at the weekend with some centres posting 50-60cm accumulations and snow down to low levels, so the week started well for most with plenty of powder to enjoy once slopes were made safe and access roads clear. Mount Hutt passed the 2 metre base depth mark with their new snow too, the deepest in the southern hemisphere away from South America. It and most other NZ centres are currently fully open. Skies have cleared for much of this week but its looking like more snowfall, expected to be light, at the weekend. Argentina There's been more light to moderate snowfalls across Argentinian ski slopes and they're forecast to continue for more southerly resorts through the weekend, drier up north. Catedral ski area near Bariloche continues to post the largest ski area open at one resort in the world at present with about 100km of slopes available there. Las Lenas, to the south, has what's currently the world's deepest snowpack at 3.3 metres, Chile Chilean centres saw snowfall at more northerly resorts this past week, with Portillo one of those still posting its slopes 100% open and one of the country's deepest snow depths at more than 2.2 metres. The snow-bearing front is now moving south so resorts in the southern half of the country will see more snow into next week. Valle Nevado and its neighbours La Parva and El Colorado are posting the deepest snowpacks in the world at 2.5 metres, as is Nevados de Chillan to the south. The three linked areas in the Tre Valles near Santiago have about 100km of slopes open between them. Southern Africa We are nearly into the final week of the season at Lesotho's Afriski, the only operational centre in the region. Temperatures have been rising and are now generally above freezing, but webcam images show the main run still fully intact, along with beginners area and terrain park ahead of the season-ending WinterFest in a week's time. Europe We are down to just four centres officially open in the whole northern hemisphere, all in the Austrian, Italian and Swiss Alps with the season-end of North America's only still operating areas at the weekend. As has been the case for the past month, the Alpine glaciers are struggling with the heat even at their altitudes with temperatures generally above freezing even at night and daytime highs touching +10C at times so snow depths are falling fast and open terrain likewise. Rain has also been reported on the snow. Officially Saas Fee and Zermatt in Switzerland remain open (Zermatt's glacier also accessible from Cervinia in Italy), along with Hintertux in Austria and Passo Stelvio in Italy. The first three have approximately 10km of slopes open each, Stelvio about half that, best conditions first thing in the morning, of course. The impact of the warm temperatures varies with heavy, slushy snow the main result, but Hintertux warns that their slopes are extremely icy at times. Both they and Saas Fee have been closed most days over the past week although both say opening decisions are being made daily, Saas Fee reporting the snow has been too soft in the mornings due to the warm temperatures. The decision at Hintertux may have been due to torrential rain in Austria this week which led to flash flooding damaging cars and buildings in St Anton among other places. |
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