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J2Ski Snow Report 17th November 2022
Vail, Colorado, USA got snow this week Lots of snow and resorts opening in the US. The Snow Headlines - 17th November - French ski season start delayed again as Val Thorens moves its opening plans back a week. - Colder (and snowy) weather reported across the Alps. - More heavy snowfall and early opening resorts in western North America. - Obergurgl first non-glacier ski area in Alps to open for the season. - Ski areas in eastern North America begin opening thanks to snowmaking. - Switzerland's Andermatt opens this weekend thanks to Snow Farming. - Finland's Levi to host first women's Alpine World cup ski racing of 22-23 this weekend. 
Where will it snow this week?
World Overview North America is continuing to lead the way in terms of terrain open with dozens of western ski areas now open, many doing so early for the season after reporting 3-6 feet of snowfall in the past three weeks. Now the east is starting to catch up with the first resorts opening there after temperatures dropped, snow guns went on and now snow is falling too. Not such good news from the alps unfortunately; it's colder, there's been more fresh snow up high but the volumes are low as the main season nears and several resorts that planned to open for the season this weekend have announced delays. More promising in Scandinavia though where its looking more like winter to low levels. In the wider ski world Japan has been seeing its first snowfalls to low levels. For novelty snow news – there's been still more now very late spring snowfall in Australia, less than a fortnight now from the start of meteorological summertime there. Europe Austria Austria is holding its place, just about, as the European nation with the most areas open. It had been due to be the first country to hit double figures for the season this weekend, with Kitzbuhel, Obergurgl and Obertauern due to open and join the seven glaciers already open, but Obertauern appear to have quietly delayed their plans. Obergurgl opened on Thursday with a 5-20cm base, illustrating how marginal things are, but managing to get 30km of slopes available. Hintertux and Solden are on similar numbers for terrain open. Kitzbuhel has used snow farming so just a few kilometres there. France Another less than great week for French skiing alas, with Val Thorens forced to postpone their planned season start this weekend due to inadequate cover at resort level (they say there's plenty higher up but you can't ski back down to 2300m yet). The delay is hopefully just a week. It was to have been the first area to open in France after les 2 Alpes and Tignes failed to open last month for glacier skiing for similar reasons. Val d'Isere, due to open the weekend after next, has announced it won't open until the start of December. Against these unwelcome bits of news it is looking colder and snowier at last with unsettled weather set to increase the hope of more significant snowfall through the latter half of the month. Italy Italy's season remains yet to fully get started, partly as it's still only mid-November, partly as ski areas have been contending with the same mostly warm and dry Autumnal conditions as the rest of the Alps. There was healthy snowfall down to about 1700m to start the week though and another Italian area Sulden, has opened for the season, with a thin base and limited terrain. It joins the Val Senales glacier and that's it for now. Cortina, which had hoped to open some high terrain in late October, is still waiting but has started snowmaking. Switzerland Swiss ski areas are facing the same issues as the rest of the Alps, needing much more snowfall. But it is cold and there has been a covering down to about 1800m. Snow is in the forecast but amounts not yet certain. New openings nonetheless, albeit with very limited terrain and mostly weekends only, include Davos, Andermatt, Gstaad (Glacier 3000) and Verbier. Andermatt is actually using last season's snow spread back out on the slopes of their Gemstock mountain to create a run. Scandinavia Increasingly wintery scenes in Scandinavia this week where, at the world's most northerly ski slopes on Norway's Northern Cape, the sun is already setting for its two months below the horizon before it re-emerges and the ski season starts in late January. Other northerly (if not quite so far north) areas like Ruka and Levi in Finland are already open with Levi due to host FIS Women's World Cup Slalom races this weekend. They're currently 'on' and if they're staged will be the first women's World Cup Alpine races of the season after three planned previous races at Solden, Zermatt and Lech-Zurs had to be cancelled. Two more leading Finnish areas, Levi and Pyha, are due to start their seasons this weekend. Elsewhere the Galdhopiggen summer ski area in Norway is due to end its 2022 season but there are a handful of smaller areas opening in Norway and Sweden. North America Canada It continues to look like a good start to the season in Canada. The first BC resorts including Cypress Mountain on the Pacific coast opened last weekend and more including Silver star at Big White plan to join them this. Half a dozen Albertan ski areas are already open for several weeks with ever better conditions reported at Lake Louise and Banff. Over in the east ski resorts like Tremblant have got snowmaking underway as temperatures have dropped and some smaller centres like Sommet St Sauveur have just opened a run or two, the first for 22-23. USA The USA is really romping away with the start of the season with at least 50 ski areas now open across the country and it looking like the 100 mark will be passed this coming weekend. Of the big name destination resorts in the West it has become fashionable to announce opening a few days or a few weeks (in the case of Kirkwood in California) early thanks to the good early snowfalls. So Heavenly, Vail, Winter Park, Mammoth (posting the world's deepest snowpack) and many other have opened already, Squaw Valley, Park City (with the biggest ski area in the country) and others will do in the next few days. Over in the East and Midwest it has been much colder since the weekend allowing for around the clock snowmaking and there's been a few inches of natural snowfall too so here also there's been a rush to open. Sunday River was among the first on Thursday this week. Available terrain is also much larger than the Alps at many centres with Wolf Creek in Colorado already nearly fully open. |
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World cup winner Dave Ryding joins newly launched rental platform Snowrental.co.uk
J2Ski will be working with SnowRental this winter, to bring you some great deals on ski hire. Snowrental.co.uk, part of the Ski Company network of stores across Europe including SKISET, SKIMIUM and NETSKI, has re-launched with a new online portal that is specifically tailored for the UK market. 
World Cup slalom winner (Kitzbühel 2022) and British number one, David Ryding, joins as official ambassador Snowrental.co.uk, part of the Skiset network of stores across Europe, has re-launched with a new online portal that is specifically tailored for the UK market. With 1200 stores across Europe, it provides skiers and snowboarders with a huge choice of rental options, at the most competitive prices and with the most up to date equipment available. Stores can be found in 8 countries including Andorra, Austria, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. In France there's over 140 ski resorts that offer snowrental.co.uk services. Great Britain's number one men's Alpine skier, David Ryding, has joined the Snowrental team as a brand ambassador, helping to spread the news in a sponsorship deal that helps to support him and his team through the 2022-23 winter season. Sales Director of Skiset, Arnaud Dufour, said:
British Alpine Team ski racer and winner of the 2022 World Cup Slalom race in Kitzbuhel, Austria, Dave Ryding, said:
Prices through Snowrental.co.uk are always discounted between 10% and 50%, depending on dates and location. Examples of pricing include: There are thousands of options available across Europe all throughout the winter season and the search function on Snowrental.co.uk makes finding a rental for all levels quick and easy. 
www.snowrental.co.uk |
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J2Ski Snow Report 10th November 2022
Marmot Basin, Canadian Rockies, now open... Some decent snow in Canada, more northern hemisphere ski areas opening. The Snow Headlines - 10th November - Marmot Basin near Jasper opening with 40 runs and 130cm of snowfall already. - Three more Swiss areas – Murren, St Moritz and Verbier – to open at weekends. - Breckenridge opens early for the season, Copper and Vail follow this weekend. - Italy's Passo Stelvio closes at end of their 2022 season. - Big White announces it'll open first in BC after over a metre of snowfall. - At least a dozen areas open this weekend in the US. The start of the main ski season is now only a week or two away and more big-hitter ski areas like Breckenridge, Verbier, Vail, Solitude and Jasper have opened or will do in the next few days. 
Where will it snow this week?
World Overview The snowfall headlines continue to come from the Western US and Western Canada where ski areas are opening early with lots of terrain from day one after big snowfalls – several reporting more than four feet (1.2 metres) in the past fortnight. In Europe it's a little tenser as - although the picture is fairly promising with cooling temperatures and more snowfall up high at the weekend - it's been mostly sunny, again, and a little too warm for snowmaking at lower elevations. This generally means resorts starting to run late on snowmaking although great conditions up on glaciers with sunshine after the fresh snowfall. The planned World Cup races at Lech / Zurs this weekend are the latest to be cancelled because of the weather issues. It is looking more promising after the weekend though with overcast skies, lower temperatures and increasingly wintery weather forecast next week. Europe Austria A mixed picture from Austria with fresh snowfall up high at the weekend leading to sublime conditions on the country's half-dozen already open glaciers this week, but the fact that it has been mostly warmer than resorts would hope and dry at lower elevations means there's not much snow yet on the slopes beneath the eternal ice. Planned parallel slalom races at Lech Zurs this weekend are the latest casualties at the start of the 22-23 FIS World Cup Tour, taking the tally of cancelled competitions in the Alps over the past four weekends to 11 out of 14. In good news, the Molltal Glacier has opened at last for its 22-23 season today (Thursday 10th November) and all being well the season will start at non-glacier ski areas Obergurgl and Obertauern in just over a week. France The unusual scenario of there still being no centres open in France continues, although resorts have been posting their switch to "winter mode" and the highest slopes are turning white at resorts like Tignes, thanks to weekend snowfall. Val Thorens is due to be the first ski area to open in the country for 22-23, at the end of next week. Italy Italy's ski areas require a good snow fix too to really get the season started there, but there have been promising signs. Bormio has had groomers out on its high-altitude slopes and Cortina has finally been able to turn on its highest-altitude snow guns on the terrain it had hoped to have opened at the end of October, had the first half of autumn been a little colder. For now, though it's just one glacier centre open – Val Senales, as Passo Stelvio, the main summer glacier area, has ended its 2022 season. Cervinia also provides access to the glacier terrain shared with Zermatt, and Sulden in Trentino is believed to be the next Italian area scheduled to open. Switzerland Slightly mixed messages from Switzerland this week with Verbier announcing that it is opening one run at weekends from this Friday on through November, while Andermatt, which had hoped to open for the season at the end of last month, reckons it'll be at least the 19th before it can – saying there's not enough fresh snow or cold enough weather on the Gemmstock for adequate snow cover. It seems, then, that as elsewhere in the Alps, it's cold enough on glaciers but not quite cold enough still much lower down. Murren has though managed to open some high-altitude terrain, joining the open glacier slopes of Engelberg, St Moritz (Diavolezza), Zermatt and Saas Fee. Scandinavia Scandinavia has seen the most wintery weather in Europe over the past week. The region's biggest resort of Are in Sweden celebrated its slopes turning white in the last few days thanks to natural snowfall. Snowmaking guns have also been firing across the region. There's still not much open and most of those that are – Ruka and Levi in Finland and several areas in Sweden – used snow farming to get started, although most have since seen natural snowfall and fresh snowmaking on top. North America Canada Western Canada's looking good with more snow falling, and temperatures staying low. Lake Louise and Sunshine have already been open a week, and are due to be joined by Nakiska and the third Banff resort, Norquay, for this weekend as well as Marmot Basin up near Jasper – which says it will have 40 runs open and has had over 1.3 metres of snowfall already. Over in BC, Big white has announced it's opening a week early, from the 18th, thanks to over a metre of pre-season snowfall so far and Silver Star has already opened its cross-country ski trails. In the East, they're waiting for cold weather but a number of areas say they're ready to go as soon as they can fire up their snowmaking systems. In fact, one of the keenest to open early, Sommet St Sauveur, already did on Wednesday saying it was getting more reliably colder. Tremblant has also been making snow. USA The US is a country divided at present with conditions getting better and better in the West, while ski areas in the East are increasingly frustrated as warm weather lingers, delaying any meaningful start to snowmaking so far. There have been more great snowfalls in the West with ski areas reporting up to two feet more snow, although at times this has been arriving in storms that have also brought 100mph winds and iced-up lifts. But the big picture is definitely good; Mammoth, the first to open in California a week ago, has expanded its early season terrain and it will be joined by a second Californian area, Mount Rose, this weekend. More than half-a-dozen resorts are open in Colorado with Breckenridge opening a few days early and Vail set to join them this weekend. The first resort has also opened for the season in Utah with Brian Head opening at the weekend, Solitude is set to join it this coming weekend. Timberline is also due to open in Washington State, less than three-months after it's 21-22 season ended. We're getting there... see you next week! |
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J2Ski Snow Report 3rd November 2022
Sauze d'Oulx, Italian Alps, this afternoon... A little more snow, and a little more cold for the north. The Snow Headlines - 3rd November - Colorado's Winter Park posts earliest-ever opening, on Halloween. - Up to 1-2 Feet of snow forecast for the Alps To end this week - Mammoth in California and Sunshine in Alberta open early, this week. - Antarctic winds bring snowfall to Australia nearly a month after season end. - No French resorts opened in October for first time in, it's believed, over 50 years. - Canada's ski season getting underway. - Mt Hutt, last area still open in New Zealand and southern hemisphere, ends 22 season. 
A bit more winter in the forecast...
World Overview November is looking more promising than all of October in many ski areas. In North America, there's been increasingly heavy snowfall in the west, including snow in California, and more than a dozen ski areas will be open this weekend including Mammoth, ski centres in Banff and the first in Utah for the season. Several of these are opening early. In the Alps, we appear to be on the cusp of the first 'decent dump' of the autumn, hopefully, over the end of this week and through the weekend which will hopefully get things looking much better and stop the stalled season openings for high altitude resorts. It may not be massive, but it's a start. Elsewhere there's been the first significant snowfall on peaks in Scotland, more snow in Japan and unusually heavy snowfall (up to 35cm) reported on Australia's ski slopes where the 2022 season ended nearly a month ago and summer starts in under four weeks. Europe Austria Austria continues to be the country with the most ski areas open in the world at present. Although the USA is set to overtake it this weekend as more centres open there whereas Austria has had the same dozen or so glacier resorts open for a month now with little change after a largely dry and sunny October. November is looking more promising with snow forecast this week and high altitude areas which aren't glacier dependent like Obergurgl and Obertauern set to open in just a fortnight's time now. For now though Hintertux's 35km of open slopes is the most anywhere in the world. The other five glaciers open are Kaunertal, Kitzsteinhorn, Pitztal, Solden and Stubai. The Dachstein is also open for cross-country skiing only. France Sadly there was no ski area open in France in October, which isn't thought to have happened for more than five decades. Neither les 2 Alpes nor Tignes, the two areas that had hoped to open by now, were able to due to the lack of snow on their glaciers after a predominantly dry autumn following a record-hot summer. Tignes still say they'll open if there's a good snowfall but currently Europe's highest resort of Val Thorens is the earliest French resort opening date on the books – in a fortnight's time. That said, the coming week is looking much more promising with at least a foot of snow forecast over the weekend and high mountain passes closing as a precautionary measure. Fresh snow has already been falling on high slopes over the past few days, including at Tignes, so perhaps it may still be first after all? Italy Italy too has had another fairly dry, mostly sunny week with little change to report on seven days ago. Bormio did say they had 30cm of snow lying at the top of their slopes but it was unclear how freshly fallen that was. There are the two glacier areas at Passo Stelvio and Val Senales open although it is believed this is the final weekend of the season at Stelvio (which is mostly open from June to October) unless it extends. Cervinia also continues to provide access to the glacier slopes above Zermatt just across the border. Cortina was unable to open their first slopes on the final weekend of October as they'd hoped, but the start of November is looking more promising here too with colder temperatures and snowfall forecast over the next seven days. Switzerland Swiss glacier ski areas are in a similar position to the rest of the alps with the warm, dry October (following a hot spring and summer) making conditions less than ideal. The same three areas that have been open, mostly for over a month – Engelberg, Saas Fee and Zermatt – remain the only three open while areas that would like to be including Andermatt, Adelboden and the Diavolezza Glacier near St Moritz, are on hold. A decent fall of snow is Forecast for the weekend though so that might get things moving at last. Saas Fee is posting the deepest snow depth of an open area – 1.4 metres. Scandinavia More and more Scandinavian ski centres have been getting a taste of winter with the majority due to open later this month. Hemsedal was one of the latest to post images of its slopes turning white. For now though the same handful of centres remain open. In Finland Levi and Ruka opened thanks to snowfarming, but now topped up with fresh snowmaking and natural snowfall. Then Sweden's Kåbdalis used the same technique to open a run and Norway's Galdhopiggen summer ski glacier is still open for a few weeks more. North America Canada Things are looking very good in Western Canada. Lake Louise and Mount Norquay, two of Banff's three ski areas, were set to be first to kick off the country's ski season this weekend after over a week of cold weather and several feet of snowfall, but Banff's other ski area, Sunshine, has now decided to open a week early, from Thursday 3rd November, opening its strawberry terrain. Two other Albertan ski centres, Nakiska nearest to Calgary and Marmot Basin near Jasper to the North, also plan to open in the next week, all being well. Lake Louise is now set to host the first World Cup downhill races of the winter. More snowfall was reported on high slopes in the east in Quebec and Ontario too where several resorts including Mont Tremblant have turned on their snowmaking guns. It keeps snowing in the west. USA It's beginning to feel a lot like winter in the US, particularly the Western side of the country, with the second week of cold temperatures and moderate to heavy snowfall in the mountains, some areas (not yet open) have now had more than four feet (1.2 metres) of snowfall in the past fortnight. Colorado hasn't had the heaviest snow but most areas have had a decent dump for this early in the season and combined with October snowmaking Arapahoe Basin, Keystone, Loveland and Winter Park are now open with Wolf Creek saying they'll open for the weekend. A good dump in California has also led to Mammoth saying they'll open about a week earlier than expected, this Saturday 5th November and Utah's first ski area to open, also this coming weekend, will be Brian Head. With several areas still open in the Midwest it means the US will have the most ski areas open and the first to be back in double figures for areas open since last spring. Not so much snowfall in the East but it has been cold enough for snowmaking overnight. |
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A New Book From "J2SkiNews"* Tells The Stories Behind the Slopes
*a.k.a. ski writer Patrick Thorne 
J2Ski has always tried to bring you ski news from around the world, as well as the main stories from famous resorts, over the past decade or so. It should be no surprise therefore that the new book from our news editor, Patrick "The Snow Hunter" Thorne, aka "J2SkiNews", should be a collection of ski runs around the planet - where each has an interesting tale for you to ponder as you ski down it. "Around The World in 50 Slopes", published by Wildfire Books at £16.99, takes skiers on a journey between ski runs located in 30 countries across six continents and is now available to buy in book stores and online. Patrick, whose last book "Powder, The World's 50 Greatest Ski Runs", topped Amazon's ski-books best-seller list for over six years, has taken a different approach in choosing his 50 runs for his new book. "There are lots of lists online covering the world's steepest, most challenging runs and it's normally the usual suspects, but I'm more interested in runs that have a story to them, an added dimension beyond just being great runs. In short, I wanted to compile all the amazing stories I've been collecting over the past four decades," says Patrick. The runs take us to the world's most northerly and southerly ski areas, to slopes skiable 365 days a year, or on the only slope for thousands of miles in southern Africa, down a volcano in the Andes or under the phenomenal northern lights. There are slopes connected to James Bond, Franz Klammer, St Patrick, The Beatles, Santa Claus, Jesus Christ, Emperor Hadrian, Kim Jong-un, Count Dracula and even the Greek God Zeus. One run follows the line below the flight of a witch and another a route once popular with smugglers. Although having famous runs is not a priority, the book does contain the steepest and longest runs, along with several legendary World Cup and Olympic downhill courses. Some of the runs are important in the history of snow sports, marking key points in the evolution of many of the world's great ski areas, including Mammoth Mountain, St Moritz and the Colorado run where (arguably) the first snowboarding competition took place. Some of the more serious subjects raised include the development of ski areas to reverse rural depopulation, the battle by indigenous tribes to keep control of their ancestral lands (Several opting to run their own ski areas), the connections between different religions and ski resorts, how former mining communities reinvented themselves thanks to 'white gold', the fight for gay rights, a ski area recovered from the Taliban, how some ski areas developed thanks to the growth of rail networks and even ski areas that developed thanks to mountain warfare training. The climate emergency is another subject that Patrick, who also runs SaveOurSnow.com, and other skiers have witnessed first-hand. One famous run graphically illustrates the impact of melting glaciers. But then many of the runs are just simple fun with themes like cheese, love and Christmas. "The late great ski filmmaker Warren Miller got it spot on when he said his favourite ski run was his next ski run. It doesn't matter if it's the longest or the steepest, if you're a great skier or a novice, so long as you are loving your life in the snow," Patrick concludes. Each of the 50 slopes includes a fact box and a hand-drawn map with the run's location marked on. Around The World in 50 Slopes is a 246-page hardback book published by Wildfire Books priced at £16.99 and available now in bookshops and online. The Kindle edition is £8.99. "Around The World in 50 Slopes" is published by Wildfire Books at £16.99 and is available in all good bookshops and online where there's usually a discount offered. Patrick says he is also happy to sign/dedicate books direct, send a private message to him for more details. Around the World in 50 Slopes - Hachette website 
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J2Ski Snow Report 27th October 2022
First snows on the autumn leaves in Big White, Canada... More early snow in Canada, US and Japan. The Snow Headlines - 27th October - Up to 25" (63cm) of snowfall was reported in the USA - The 2022 season ends in the southern hemisphere. - Colorado's 22-23 ski season gets started. - 22-23 FIS World Cup Alpine and Big Air tours get underway. - Sweden's 22-23 season is underway this weekend. - Snow in Japan and the Himalayas. Japan's season is underway. - St. Moritz ski season is expected to start on Saturday. 
See where it's going to snow next week...
World Overview North America has stolen the snow headlines this week with over two feet of pre-season snowfall reported on the western side of the continent with ski areas in Alberta, Montana, Utah, inland BC and Wyoming posting the biggest falls, but with everywhere seeing to get at least a dusting... and some snow for the east too. Colorado's season also got underway with the first centre open. It's a very different picture in Europe, with warm temperatures at high altitudes bringing rain rather than snowfall (although there was a bit up high) to glaciers meaning Zermatt/Cervinia joins Les 2 Alpes in cancelling planned World Cup events over the next few weekends. A bit more wintery in Scandinavia where Sweden's season started last Saturday and snowmaking machines are now making fresh snow on top of last-seasons snow-farmed recycled stuff. In the wider world, there's been snow reported at Indian Himalayan resorts and across Japan's ski slopes. The Japanese season has started with a small area at the base of Mt Fuji opening a run thanks to extensive snowmaking. In the southern hemisphere, the last slopes open closed for 2022 on Sunday although Mt Hutt still has a terrain park open. Europe Austria Austria's Hintertux glacier continues to offer the largest ski area currently open with 32km/20 miles of slopes accessible. Solden, which has the second-most terrain open, hosted the FIS 22-23 season World Cup opener on Sunday, with a men's GS race, after the women's race had to be cancelled on Saturday due to rain, snow and low visibility on the glacier. Four other centres are open – the Stubai, Pitztal, Kaunertal and Kitzsteinhorn glaciers – and they had a little fresh snow at the weekend too, although it is now dry and sunny again. Bases remain thin and terrain open limited but many have terrain parks in action already. Kitzbuhel had been opening in October using snow farming for the past few seasons in order to claim a 200-day season through to May, but that plan seems to have been dropped this winter. France France is the only major European ski nation without any centres open so far after Les 2 Alpes and Tignes decided to delay their openings planned this month because of inadequate snow cover on their glaciers. Tignes say they'll open if there's a big snowfall (no sign of that at present still) so it may be Val Thorens opening in just over three weeks' time that ends up first in France. There was a little snowfall up high thanks to the weekend storms here too. Italy Italy's two open centres continue to be Passo Stelvio and Val Senales and it's also possible to take a lift up to the glacier slopes above Zermatt from Cervinia. Passo Stelvio, which first opened for its 2022 summer ski season last May, is expected to close for the year in the next week or so. Val Senales is just getting started though. Both have just a few kilometres of runs and a very thin snowpack. In common with the rest of Europe, the weather has been warmer than average for late October up on glaciers and it's looking dry for the week ahead but also thankfully cooler. Cortina announced back in September they hoped to open some terrain late in October but that now looks 'off' after the mostly warm and dry October. Switzerland Four planned downhill World Cup races over the next two weekends, on a first-ever cross-border race course, from Europe's highest lift-served slopes above Zermatt over to Cervinia in Italy have had to be cancelled. Zermatt said two days of rain even at these high elevations on their previously year-round ski slopes meant the events had to be cancelled, although they're now planning for 2023. The centre is still open to recreational skiers as are nearby Saas-Fee and also Engelberg. The Diavolezza glacier slopes near St Moritz are also due to open this weekend but it looks like plans to open the Gemsstock slopes above Andermatt won't happen this weekend as originally hoped due to the recent warm and mostly dry weather. Scandinavia Sweden's Idre Fjäll and Kåbdalis are the latest in Scandinavia to open, using snow farming. But it feels much more like winter at these more northerly latitudes, and these centres, as well as already-open Levi and Ruka in Finland, are taking advantage of low temperatures to make fresh snow on top of the snow they'd stockpiled through last winter. Norway's Galdhopiggen glacier is also open still but the summer ski centre is expected to close its 2022 run which began last spring within the next few weeks. North America Canada Canada had a good week with a return to winter in the West and some of the first significant snowfalls on higher slopes in the East at centres like Mont Tremblant. The snowfall in the west brought 15-30cm of snowfall down to base levels at many resorts in the BC interior and Alberta. So centres like Big White, Revelstoke and Sun Peaks all posted very snowy images, as did Sunshine in Alberta. Sunshine is due to open for the season in a fortnight's time but Lake Louise could be even earlier, hoping to open a week on Friday, November 4th. USA The US has had a good week with snowfall first in the East on high slopes before last weekend, followed by more significant snowfall on slopes right across the west of the country. The biggest falls – with up to 25 inches reported – were at resorts including Alta, Solitude and Big Sky. Skiers and boarders were reported to be hiking up to ski down at these as yet unopen resorts. One Colorado centre did open on Sunday though, Arapahoe Basin, more thanks to its snowmaking efforts than the fresh snowfall, although Colorado got some and is getting more (Aspen and Crested Butte both reported 13" accumulated by Thursday). Keystone has announced it is opening Friday and nearby Loveland is expected (though not yet confirmed) to open this weekend. The snowfall continued over to the west coast with resorts like Heavenly and Mammoth reporting their first dustings of the season. |
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J2Ski Snow Report 20th October 2022
Solden, Austria, preparing for the FIS World Cup opening races this coming weekend... A few US ski areas open, World Cup racing due to start in Austria. The Snow Headlines - 20th October - First three centres open for the season in the USA. - Solden to host FIS Alpine World Cup season-opening races this weekend. - Only two centres are left open in the southern hemisphere, both in New Zealand. - First snow reported on high slopes in Scotland. - Idre Fjall and Kabdalis due to be first to open for season in Sweden this weekend. - The last centres close in the Andes ending the 2022 season in South America. 
See where it's going to snow next week...
World Overview The 22-23 season continues to gather momentum in the northern hemisphere while the 2022 season is on its very last legs south of the equator - with the last remaining centres there due to close this Sunday (apart from one terrain park hoping to stay open into November). There's fresh snowfall to report on both sides of the world too, if not anything too significant. The biggest falls of 20-40cm (8-16") have been reported in the Andes, parts of Scandinavia and in US Midwest. October snowfall there isn't that unusual although the volume is well above average. It's here too that at least three small areas have claimed first to open for North America in the last few days – although they used snow-making rather than the natural snowfall to do so. Most of the world's currently open areas are glaciers in the Alps, half of them in Austria. It's been a dry and sunny week here, again, but there is some snowfall forecast for the weekend. Europe Most of the wintery weather in Europe this week has been in the north with some of the first snow spotted on high slopes in Scotland and more significant falls to lower elevations in Scandinavia. Two Swedish ski areas aim to start their 22-23 season from Saturday, using snow farming to create a few runs each. The Alps have seen a lot of sunshine and slightly warmer weather up high but that's meant great conditions for those lucky enough to be on the slopes already and there is at least some snowfall forecast at the weekend. Austria Austria continues to be where it's at for skiing with more ski areas open than anywhere else in the world. They include Hintertux – the only ski resort that managed to stay open through the summer, and now the only centre in the world with more than 20 miles of slopes currently open. Solden is also open, and plays host to the first round of the FIS Alpine World Cup 22-23 tour this coming weekend. The other open centres – Stubai, Pitztal, Kaunertal and Kitzsteinhorn are busy too, with several staging Oktoberfests, new season gear tests and unveiling their early peak setups. It's been another fairly dry, mostly sunny week, if anything a little warmer than it has been in the daytime, on glaciers (+4-+6C), although below freezing overnight. However, a decent dump (15-30cm) is expected for many at last at the weekend. France Alas, France remains the only one of the big four nations not yet to have opened for the 22-23 season with Les 2 Alpes and Tignes both reporting some snowfall but not enough to open, as both had hoped to by now. The past few days have seen an Indian summer with temperatures a little warmer than they had been too. But the coming week is looking colder and potentially snowier. This could be the first year in more than 50 with no French area open in October, although Tignes say they will open as soon as they get enough snowfall. Italy Two Italian ski areas remain open with thin cover – Passo Stelvio and Val Senales. The latter has been hosting a lot of the world's top ski racers for pre-season training in recent weeks including the Italian and US World Cup teams. It's also possible to reach Zermatt's glacier slopes from Cervinia. The weather has been mostly dry and sunny but getting below freezing overnight and not too high above, up on the glaciers, in the daytime. Switzerland Engelberg, Saas Fee and Zermatt remain the three open options in Switzerland with The Diavolezza glacier near St Moritz and Andermatt hoping to join them at the end of next week. The country has had the same predominantly dry and sunny weather that the rest of the Alps have had the last seven days, but snowfall is also expected here at the weekend. Saas Fee and Zermatt are also among just a few ski areas worldwide reporting more than a metre of snow lying. Zermatt continues to build up to hopefully hosting the new cross-border downhill speed season-opening World Cup races from the weekend after next. Scandinavia Sweden's 22-23 ski season is due to kick off this weekend with Idre Fjäll and Kåbdalis ski areas set to open thanks to snow farming – spreading snow saved from last season back out on the slopes now temperatures are dropping. They'll join Finland's Levi and Ruka, which opened a fortnight ago using the same technique, and Norway's Galdhopiggen summer ski area which is open for a few more weeks before its stop-start 2022 season ends. Scandinavia has felt the most wintery place in Europe over the last week with cold weather and snow showers down to mid-mountain at many ski areas when much of the rest of the continent has been predominantly sunny. North America For the second time in three winters, ski areas in the US Midwest have claimed the first spot in the race to open for the ski season. Cold temperatures allowed ski areas in Minnesota to fire up snow-making systems and within 72 hours the first, Wild Mountain, had opened a small area with terrain park features and a second centre opened within an hour on Tuesday, then a third on Wednesday. Wild Mountain had been first in North America in 2020 too. The Midwest also reported the most North American snow this week, with up to 18" (45cm) reported in Michigan, but so far the centres open have been in areas that haven't seen natural snowfalls. It's continued dry further west and some Colorado ski areas like Arapahoe Basin and Loveland look close to opening, but no announcement yet. It could change any time though and there's a decent dump of snow finally forecast for the Rockies in the next few days which could really change things for the better if it arrives as anticipated. Southern Hemisphere We are down to two centres still open in the southern hemisphere although more fresh snowfalls have been reported up high in the Andes in the past few days, where the last centres still open for winter 22 closed last weekend. Mount Hutt and Whakapapa are in the final days of their 2022 seasons, both closing on Sunday. Mt Hutt has the much deeper snowpack and still what's currently the second most terrain open anywhere in the world – 31km/19 miles. After the main runs close it is planning to keep a terrain park open for 2-3 weeks into November. |
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J2Ski are delighted to announce that we're going to be working with WeMountain, to encourage increased safety education amongst recreational backcountry and off-piste skiers and boarders.
WEMOUNTAIN LAUNCHES THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL BACKCOUNTRY SAFETY TRAINING PROGRAM WEMountain, the future of mountain safety education, last year launched the first international mountain safety program. 
Combining online courses (E-Learning) and terrain experiences (T-Learning), the program caters to practitioners of all levels, from occasional backcountry skiers to experienced freeriders and tourers. The Freeride World Tour has made the first course of the series, OFFPISTE Digital, mandatory for all licence holders. Available in English and French, the courses were designed by mountain guides, ski instructors and experts from all disciplines involved in backcountry safety and risk management: nutrition, sport psychology, weather, snow science, first aid and education. T-Learning courses are currently offered in six countries: Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Spain. They are taught by IFMGA mountain guides, touring guides and certified ski instructors who have completed WEMountain's instructor training. Learn where and when you want Thanks to WEMountain, backcountry enthusiasts can now learn – in their free time and without having to travel – how to stay safe in the mountains and how to react if an avalanche occurs. 
Accessible to everyone, the WEMountain method is progressive, fun and based on a simple, universal language that enables clear, borderless communication. How it works After completing the online course, participants put their knowledge into practice during a day of training in the mountains. The first part focuses on knowing yourself and your environment, followed by risk assessment and terrain identification in the afternoon. At the end of the day, participants learn how to manage a crisis situation and search for burial victims. Why we need it • Approximately 200 people die in avalanches each year in the Alps, the US and Canada. • 90% of fatal avalanches are triggered by the victim or someone in their party. • 1 in 2 avalanche victims die. • The number of freeride and backcountry enthusiasts is increasing every year. • Access to off-piste areas is easier than ever. • More and more people own rescue and survival gear. Training teaches how to use the gear, but more importantly, how to assess and prevent risk, so that it never has to be used in the first place. For WEMountain, the most valuable safety tool is education: gear is good, but knowledge is vital! 
About WEMountain WEMountain is the future of mountain safety education. Based in Lausanne, Switzerland, the startup behind the program, Smart Sports, was founded to save lives and reduce risk by providing unique training courses and an exceptional client experience. The unique WEMountain ecosystem brings together all mountain stakeholders: riders, brands, resorts and instructors. It's an international community built around shared values of freedom, enjoyment and safety. Join us at www.w3mountain.com. Coming Soon - discounts for J2Skiers on all WeMountain training! |
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