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Smugglers' Notch, Vermont, just had a great weekend... Snow returning to the Alps, cold and snow across much of Canada and the USA, and it's getting ever deeper in Japan. The Snow Headlines - January 23rd - Sunny conditions across the Alps for a second week, but snow now falling again. - Bitterly cold temperatures across North America see temperatures drop below 0F (-18C). - Southerly Italian ski areas post snowfalls up to 45cm. - Cold temperatures and snowfall return to Scotland and Scandinavia. - US has now had snowfall this winter in all 50 states. - World's deepest snowpacks, in Japan, now over 4.5m depths. - Largest ski area in the US finally fully open, after snow falls and strike ends. 
Snow forecasts worldwide.
World Overview It's been another fairly dry week in the Alps with just the start of the high pressure breaking down and snowfall moving into the south of the region earlier this week, now becoming more widespread, initially in the west. There's a similar story in the Pyrenees and Eastern Europe. Further north, the milder conditions in Scandinavia and Scotland have ended with a return to low temperatures and snowfall. In North America the dominant weather factor has been the cold with lows getting down as far as -30C across much of the continent's ski areas; with some forced to close for safety reasons due to the temperatures. Snowfall in Florida on Tuesday means that all 50 states have now had snowfall this winter, a rare occurrence. Cold notwithstanding, conditions are really the best they've been all season in terms of snow depth, quality and open terrain. Europe Austria After a few final snow showers in Austria at the end of last week, it's been predominantly sunny and mostly cold across the country, giving very nice on-piste conditions. Austria's largest areas, including the Arlberg (St Anton, Lech, Zurs etc), Ischgl, Saalbach-Hinterglemm and the Skiwelt (Ellmau, Soll, Westendorf et al) are all 90% to 100% open. It's currently looking good for the upcoming weekend of Hahnmenkamm racing at Kitzbuhel. There sunshine for a day or two more but the high-pressure system is starting to break down with snow showers forecast from Sunday in many areas. Temperatures remain in the -8C to +5C range. France It's been a predominantly sunny week in the French Alps, the second in a row with little or no fresh snowfall - until the past 24 hours or so. In the meantime, temperatures have allowed for overnight snowmaking and on-piste conditions are mostly good, despite the lack of fresh cover. The high avalanche danger has reduced a little off-piste (although it remains generally around Level 3 - Considerable). French ski areas have now opened almost all of their terrain. Espace Killy (Tignes and Val d'Isère) and The 3 Valleys are both more than 90% open. French ski areas also continue to post the deepest bases in Europe, with nearly 3 metres lying in parts of the Chamonix Valley and above La Rosiere and Les Arcs. Snowfall started in the far southern Alps earlier in the week and by Thursday morning resorts like Chamonix and Serre Chevalier were posting 20-30cm accumulations. The snowfall is expected to continue on and off through the weekend and then be heavier next week so 20-50cm (8-120") accumulations are forecast for high ground. Italy There's not been much snowfall in the Alps this week but for what there has been, Italy has seen the most of it with unsettled conditions across much of the country. Ski areas in Trentino, led by Andalo, have seen the biggest accumulations of up to 45cm (18") in 72 hours but bigger centres including Cervinia have posted 20cm and Madonna di Campiglio and Sestriere 10cm each. The snowfall became more widespread in the west on Thursday (today), with 20-30cm accumulations reported in the Aosta Valley. Otherwise, it has been a mostly dry picture across the country but is now becoming more unsettled with further snowfalls forecast across the country through the coming week. Although bases remain thin, especially in the Dolomites, most Italian resorts have 90-100% of their slopes open. Switzerland A second successive mostly dry week in the Swiss Alps although here too the high pressure has been breaking down since the end of the weekend with much more cloud apparent and now the first snowfalls in what's expected to be quite a snowy week ahead. Crans-Montana was amongst the first to report measurable fresh snowfall, posting a 15cm accumulation on Thursday morning. As with elsewhere in the Alps, most Swiss resorts report that their slopes are 90-100% open with the 4 Valleys, Portes du Soliel and Zermatt-Cervinia posting the largest available areas. Scandinavia A much better week for Scandi ski areas with a return of sub-zero temperatures and snowfall after last week's warmth/rain 'blip'. Norway's Voss and Kvitfjell both posted 10cm accumulations midweek and the rapid drop in base depths has ended. It's still a fairly average season in Finland, Norway and Sweden but more terrain is gradually opening as snowfall continues and daylight hours begin to rapidly increase. Pyrenees The Pyrenees experienced a mix of cloudy and sunny, and sometimes very cold, weather this week. Daytime highs were only a few degrees into positive numbers (C) but overnight lows dropped below -10°C at the top of the slopes. There's almost no fresh snowfall to report, again, in much of the region, but the cold temperatures have been beneficial for snowmakers which have been operating to the max. Some off-piste terrain can still be found with the avalanche danger currently fairly low. Baqueira Beret managed to host the first round of the 2025 Freeride World Tour last Friday. Andorra's Grandvalira (Pas de la casa, Pal-Arinsal, Soldeu etc), the largest area in the region, has about two-thirds of its terrain open equating to around 140km of slopes. Beyond that, there's a real mix with some centres still struggling to open even a third of their slopes, others like Piau Engaly reporting they've managed to open 90% of their runs. Scotland A challenging week for Scottish ski areas after last week's big thaw. There's not been much change but temperatures have been dropping with a frost on Sunday morning and there's now some snow in the forecast. There are small snow areas created with snow-making, mostly used for nursery slopes at Cairngorm and The Lecht, but Glenshee also manages a few slightly longer runs and Glencoe are open for sledging. Eastern Europe A quiet week for Eastern Europe with plenty of sunshine in the Carpathians and adjacent mountain ranges. The deepest snowpack remains down in Bulgaria where Bansko and Borovets both report they are nearing 2 metres lying up top. Most of the region's largest resorts, including the likes of Czechi's Spindleruv Mlyn and Jasna in Slovakia report almost all their slopes open. North America Canada It's been another very cold week right across Canada with temperatures down as low as -30C overnight on some inland mountains. Light to moderate snowfall has also been reported right across the country with daytime highs remaining below freezing. The forecast is for more of the same. Western Canadian ski areas continue to post both the deepest snow in North America (at Mount Washington on Vancouver Island where it is currently lying 3.3 metres/11 feet deep) and the ski area with the most terrain open at Whistler Blackcomb – with over 8,000 acres currently open. Most resorts in Alberta and British Columbia are fully open and on the East Coast conditions continue to improve with some centres posting more than a metre of January snowfall after the poor November/December. Some ski areas including Mont Sutton are finally 100% open and the region's largest, Quebec's Mont Tremblant, is at nearly 90% open now. USA Some very cold temperatures on US ski slopes this week. Overnight lows on high slopes in the Rockies hung around zero Fahrenheit – around the -18 Celsius mark. There haven't been any huge snowfalls, again, but the snow has kept falling in light-moderate accumulations across most of the country's ski regions and of course, it's been great weather for snowmaking. So most of the country's leading centres are close to full operations. After losing its battle with ski patrol unions Utah's Park City Mountain, home to America's largest ski area, is finally reported to be 100% open for the first time this season. |
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Typical views from La Rosiere, France, with great snow this week... Good snow cover and sunshine in most of the Alps. Heavy snow in Alaska. A mixed forecast for the week ahead. The Snow Headlines - January 16th - Alaskan ski area tops 7.5 metres so far this season. - Sunshine dominates the weather in the Alps this week. - Scottish ski areas see 30C temperature rise in less than 24 hours. - 2025 Freeride World Tour gets greenlight to kick off in Pyrenees this Friday. - Temperatures rise in Scandinavia, rainfall replaces snowfall for a time. 
Snow forecasts worldwide.
World Overview The sun returned to Western Europe after last week's fog, low clouds, and rain. Fortunately, temperatures have dropped too, with the clear skies, and slope conditions are widely reported to be much better than they were seven days ago. Avalanche danger has also dropped from last week's widespread Level 4 (High) but remains at Level 3 (Considerable) in much of the Western Alps. Elsewhere in Europe the Dolomites and Pyrenees could still do with a lot more snowfall after another largely dry week, but still, most areas in these regions have most of their slopes open, with thin cover. Eastern European destinations have seen cold and snowy weather, but northern Europe saw a big rise in temperatures to start this week – bad news for Scotland and Scandinavia. In the wider world, Japanese ski areas continue to lead in snow depth, up above 4 metres in several cases. Beyond fires in Los Angeles and snowfall in southern states, North America's main ski areas have had a fairly quiet week with little or no snowfall, except in the northern Rockies region and New England where some centres have had seven-day totals of up to half a metre. Snow depths keep improving and more terrain is opening at centres across the continent, where an increasing number are now fully open. Europe Austria Austria is now enjoying sunny weather after experiencing some of the coldest and snowiest conditions in the Alps over the weekend due to a cold front from the northeast. The forecast for the coming week shows predominantly dry conditions, with only occasional snow showers expected. The great news, apart from the weather stability, is that temperatures are remaining fairly low, which means there will be minimal daytime thawing, and overnight snowmaking can continue. The Arlberg region, including St. Anton and Lech, boasts over 150 miles of open slopes, while all major Austrian areas have between 80-100% of their slopes accessible. The Skiwelt, Ischgl-Samnaun (Silvretta) and Saalbach Hinterglemm all have over 200km of slopes open too. France Following last week's mixed bag of weather, which included wind, sleet, fog, rain, and occasional snowfall, a spell of dry, sunny weather has settled in the French Alps since Sunday, bringing much-needed stability and improved surfaces to groomed runs. Temperatures have also dropped, with overnight lows below -10°C, which is excellent news for snowmaking efforts and keeping daytime temperatures from rising too high. The forecast suggests a continuation of these conditions over the coming week, although temperatures may rise slightly but will remain manageable. Most French ski areas are close to fully open and Les Arcs is posting Europe's deepest snow at 2.8 metres. The Portes du Soleil (Morzine, Avoriaz, Les Gets, and Châtel) and Les 3 Vallées (Val Thorens, Les Menuires, Méribel and Courchevel) each have more than 550 km of open slopes, the most in the world. Italy A largely sunny week for Italy as well. With much of the country not having had as much snowfall as further west and north over the past few months, bases remain thin, as low as 20-30cm of mostly machine-made snow for much of the Dolomites. That said Italian areas are nonetheless mostly fully open, or nearly so, and have actually had more reliable piste conditions than some of the deep snow destinations in the Western Alps. There's not much change in the forecast; just another week of sunshine and temperatures in the -10C to +8C range. Centres with around 200km of slopes or more open include Val Gardena, Cervinia and the Via Lattea/Milky Way around Sestriere and Sauze D'Oulx. Switzerland Swiss centres have enjoyed a mostly sunny week too since the weekend, although with some seeing heavy snowfall prior and then light accumulations on Wednesday/Thursday. Saas-Fee was one of the big winners seeing its upper base grow by more than 30cm/10% to more than 2.6 metres, the most in the country. Most Swiss resorts are now 90-100% open although big players like the 4 Valleys around Verbier are still at about 75%. The cross-border Portes du Soleil region linked to resorts in France but accessible from several centres including Morgins and Champery on the Swiss side, has the most terrain open accessible from Switzerland, although the majority of it is in France – about 550km of slopes at present. Scandinavia It's been a bit of a mixed week in Scandinavia. The main problem has been a jump in temperatures which has seen snow cover drop dramatically at some big-name areas like Hemsedal, and snow turn to rain elsewhere. Temperatures are expected to be back below freezing by the start of next week. The region's largest resort, Sweden's Are, has managed to get close to 100% open despite the weather challenges. Pyrenees Some snow showers in the Pyrenees this week, but not really amounting to much in the greater scheme of things and there's no change in reported base depths nor open terrain. That remains at 50-70% for the bigger resorts including Andorra's Grandvalira (the biggest, incorporating Soldeu, Pas de la Casa and others). Some French centres like Piau Engaly have more open (over 90% of its slopes in its case), whilst others, particularly on the Spanish side, are still down at a meagre 20-30%. Spain's Baqueira Beret got the green light to host the opening of the 2025 Freeride World Tour this Friday, despite the snow cover, but the venue has been changed from publicly visible terrain to a more remote, but snowsure, area. Scotland There was disappointment for Scottish ski centres after a straight 10 days of sub-zero temperatures, with reported lows of -20C, and enough natural snow to open terrain at ski areas including Cairngorm, Glenshee and The Lecht at the weekend. Sunday night saw temperatures rise significantly, to more than +10C by Monday lunchtime, rapidly thawing the thin fresh cover. That means they're back to small areas of machine-made snow for the time being. Temperatures are dropping a little after a mild week so far, but not yet back to the cold of last week. Eastern Europe It's been a pretty good week for most parts of eastern Europe with colder, snowier weather reported in recent days compared to ski regions both north, south and west of the Balkans and Carpathians! Ski centres in Czechia, Poland and the Slovak Republic all reported 20-50cm accumulations up to Tuesday and powder conditions. In Bulgaria, base depths are up 20-30cm and the leading centres including Borovets and Bansko are close to 100% open. North America Canada It's been a rather dry week across Canada, with most centres only seeing 10-20cm snowfall totals. Unusually for this season, the East Coast has perhaps seen slightly more snowfall than the West over the past seven days, with Quebec's Mont Sutton posting over a foot of snow and noting it's fully open for the first time in winter 24-25. In the West, many of British Columbia's well-known resorts are already fully open and the continent's biggest resort, Whistler Blackcomb, is almost there, now 97% open. It's looking like a similar week for the weather ahead with no big snowfalls forecast and temperatures staying below freezing, in fact getting as low as -20C overnight. USA It's been a fairly good week for snowfall across the US, although we have not seen anything too dramatic. The East Coast, which has had a challenging winter due to warm weather and limited snowfalls, saw some of the biggest accumulations this week. Some falls, in upstate New York in particular, were tied to 'Lake Effect' events driven by Polar air from the north. Further south "Storm Blair" brought heavy snow to states like Virginia. In terms of destination resorts in the west it's been mostly dry and sunny on the Pacific coast, but that's not stopped Alaska's Alyeska reporting it has now had over 300 inches (7.5 metres) of snowfall so far this winter, the most in North America. Inland, the biggest falls were reported in the Rockies with several feet in the last seven days in Utah, Idaho and Wyoming meaning most areas there are now fully open (or almost so) with great conditions. |
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Myrkdalen, Norway, one of many ski areas with fresh this week... More snow for Scandinavia, Europe and America. Fluctuating temperatures, and variable weather, in the Alps but base depths growing at altitude. The Snow Headlines - January 9th - Rain and snowfall in the Alps, higher base depths increasing. - Avalanche risk levels also up, hitting 4/High in Western Alps, 3/Considerable elsewhere. - Coldest temperatures in a decade in Scotland, but not enough snowfall yet. - Scandinavia has a cold and snowy week with more terrain opening. - Snowy week for much of North America too with reports of up to two feet in three-days. 
Snow forecasts worldwide.
World Overview Things have turned more wintery in both Europe and North America this week with significant snowfall reported again in the Alps and the Rockies along with quite a few other mountain regions. Northwestern, East Coast and Midwest North America have all seen heavy snow, as have Scandinavia and Northeastern Europe. Temperatures have plummeted below -10C and bases are building in Scotland again too. Japan's ski areas are continuing to post the deepest snow in the world, with several centres having reached 4m and the snow still dumping there. Temperatures have been variable in the Alps with rainfall as high as 2,500m this week, but conditions have cooled today. The outlook is for a snowy weekend coming up, probably followed by clear and dry conditions into the next week or so. Colder in the East (Austria and Switzerland, particularly). Europe Austria Austrian ski regions are close to full operations after a week of mixed rainy and snowy weather. Valley temperatures dropped below freezing again at the start of the weekend and snow started falling, heaviest on higher slopes in the north and west, but continuing across the country. The big regions including Ischgl's Silvretta pass, the Skiwelt around Soll and Ellmau, The Arlberg with St Anton and Lech and next month's Alpine skiing World Championships hosts Saalbach-Hinterglemm are all at 80-95% operations with some areas like Obertauern and Mayrhofen fully open. France The French Alps have seen some of the heaviest snowfalls of the last week with reports of up to 60cm (two feet) in 72 hours on higher terrain last weekend, the freezing point down below 500m altitudes (so snow to the valley floors). However midweek temperatures climbed well above freezing to high elevations and snow changed to rain giving poor conditions. There have also been strong winds at times, driving the avalanche danger up to high (level 4) earlier in the week, although it's now back down to 3. Most centres already had most of their terrain open for New Years week with the 3 Valleys at 550km of slopes open around Courchevel, Meribel, Les Menuires and Val Thorens. The Portes du Soliel including Morzine, Les Gets, Chatel and Avoriaz is not far behind. Italy Italy has had a colder week with overnight lows on high slopes getting into double digits sub-zero and many areas staying below freezing down to the valley floor, even in the afternoons. Along with great snow-making conditions, there's also been some fresh natural snowfall, as usual this winter heaviest in the north and west, with ski areas in Trentino posting the deepest snowpacks at more than 1.5m, but now there's some snowfall further east too. The area incorporating Val Gardena and connected around the Sella Ronda has the most terrain open in the country, about 400km. The Milky way in the West has around 300km of pistes open. Switzerland Western Swiss ski areas started to see snowfall return after a dry nine-day period at the end of last week. Again, conditions had already been pretty good across the north and west of the country in particular, but warmer temperatures between Christmas and New Year did have quite a heavy impact on snow depths, with drops of up to 80cm reported in just seven days. Most Swiss resorts have 70-90% of their slopes open and the 4 Valleys reports 320km (200 miles) of runs, the most in the country, open around Verbier and its neighbours. As elsewhere, mid-week saw rain for a time to quite high elevations. Scandinavia Things are continuing to move in the right direction in Scandinavia with the region's largest resorts progressively opening more terrain and temperatures now well below freezing (-2C to -20C commonly). Sweden's Are, the biggest single ski area in Scandinavia, has the most terrain open of the bigger resorts, up to about 70km now, 75% of its terrain. The heaviest snowfall continues to be in Western Norway where resorts like Voss and nearby Myrkdalen have reported up to 40cm accumulations in 24 hours delivering some deep powder conditions. Pyrenees and Spain The Pyrenees saw colder temperatures and some fresh snowfall this week too, but the region could do with quite a bit more of the same to really get up to full operations, as it's still not fully on track after the warm, dry autumn. The big areas like Andorra's Grandvalira (Pas de la Casa, Soldeu etc) and Spain's Baqueira Beret are around 70% open and most resorts on the French side are in a similar position too. On the Spanish side some resorts including Cerler and Formigal only have around 30% of their trails open. Sierra Nevada, in the south, has similarly limited terrain open but did get a 35cm fall, improving things a lot, midweek. Scotland Much colder temperatures in Scotland this week, below freezing and actually getting down to -10C and below to end the week. Quite a lot of clear skies but also some snow showers so bases are building again. The four centres with all-weather snowmaking machines (Glencoe, Glenshee, Cairngorm and The Lecht) continue to operate limited terrain but hope to open more due to ongoing sub-zero temps. Unfortunately temperatures are forecast to rise at the start of next week. Eastern Europe A good week for eastern Europe as well, with powder days reported for ski areas in countries in the north including Czechia, Slovakia and Poland. Spindleruv Mlyn in the Czech Republic had an especially snowy start to the week. It's been drier with plenty of sunshine further south in Bulgaria and most of the Balkans but most areas are fully open from earlier snowfalls with Bansko still posting the deepest base in the region, now approaching 2 metres up top, after posting the biggest snowfall in Europe during the sunny-almost-everywhere-else Xmas-New Year week. North America Canada Canada has had a week of consistently cold temperatures, with ski areas across the country posting numbers in the -10C to -20C range. The East Coast had largely dry weather for the resorts of Quebec, Ontario and neighbouring provinces, whilst on the western side of the country ski areas in Alberta and British Columbia saw more significant accumulation keeping the powder deep. The result is great conditions at most ski areas across BC with centres including Big White, Fernie, Silver Star and Sunshine reporting their slopes 100% open and the snow lying up to 2 metres deep. In the East, only Tremblant is looking pretty good with two thirds of its runs open; most other centres have less than 40cm lying and only 20-40% of their slopes available after a challenging season start. USA The big storm (christened Blair) that hit the US at the start of the week was most noteworthy for bringing rare snowfall to southern states which rarely see any, but, combined with a Polar Vortex moving down from the north, was also good news for ski areas in New England and the Midwest which are still battling to open even half their terrain after the warm autumn. The best conditions continue to be in the north and west in states like Idaho and Oregon where centres are fully open and base depths up to 3 metres. The Rockies saw good snowfalls too, with Utah's Snowbird reporting snow falling at up to 10cm (4 inches) per hour at one point. |
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Good skiing with great views at Kaprun, Austria, this week... Sunny days after snow for much of Europe this week, with heavy snow in Japan. Snow is now falling in the Alps, with more in the forecast - and also expected for North America. The Snow Headlines - January 2nd - Sunshine for much of Western Europe after exceptionally heavy pre-Christmas snowfall. - Heavy snowfall in Japan takes base depths past the 4-metre mark - world's deepest. - Flaine posting deepest snow in Europe at 2.7m / 9 feet. - Thin cover limits open terrain at centres including Cortina, Heavenly, Hemsedal and Livigno. - Some decent snowfall in the forecast for the Alps this coming weekend. 
Snow forecast for European, American and Japanese ski areas.
World Overview There was little fresh snowfall in the last few days of 2024 in much of Europe and North America, with the biggest reported accumulations on each side of the Pacific in Japan and western Canada. Japan is moving ahead in terms of snowfall totals, reaching a 4-metre base depth this week in several of its centres, the most anywhere in the world. Elsewhere a few regions like Scandinavia, the Rockies and East Coast North America have reported fairly light accumulations at least giving a refresh. Western Europe has been dry and sunny until the last 24 hours, with most resorts basking in beautiful conditions after the big pre-Christmas snowfalls. It has started snowing this evening (Thursday), quite heavily in parts of the French Alps at least. A few ski resorts in the southern and eastern Alps (eastern Italy and Switzerland), much like parts of California and Utah, have struggled to open much terrain after missing out on the big dumps of the last fortnight. Snowfall is on the way again now though. Europe Austria It's been a sunny week in Austria with lots of dry, clear days giving great ski conditions with perfect visibility. The freezing point has been up above 2,000m for much of the week which has meant snow that fell in valleys before Christmas has begun melting away at village level for many Austrian resorts, whilst the upper mountain stays white and valley runs are kept open with groomers and snowmaking. The Arlberg (St Anton/Lech), Skiwelt (Ellmau, Brixen, Westerndorf, Soll et al) and Saalbach Hinterglemm ski areas are all 75-85% open meaning over 200km (125 miles) of runs available at each. Clouds have now started rolling in, temperatures are dropping and snow is beginning to fall to end the week. France It's been a predominantly sunny week in the French Alps too, although conditions are changing now with temperatures dropping and the first snowfall since Christmas Eve being reported. More snow is expected to end the week and continue through the weekend. After the big pre-Xmas snowfalls most of the country's ski areas are between 80-95% open, good news with New Year being one of the busiest weeks of the season. The Grand Massif region (Samoens, Morillon, Les Carroz, Flaine) is posting France and Europe's deepest snow with 2.7m (9 feet) lying on its higher slopes. With the freezing point in the 1,500-2,500m range there has been some thawing on lower slopes but snowmaking and careful grooming have kept valley runs open at lower areas. Italy It's been sunny too in Italy, but then that's been the case for much of the past few months and bases here are thin and largely thanks to snowmaking efforts, particularly in the south and east of the country. Despite this, most terrain is open, especially at resorts like Kronplatz, Madonna di Campiglio and Val Gardena in the Dolomites, all at 80-99% open. The past week has seen afternoon temperatures peak at +10C in valleys so the snow has gone off-piste on lower mountain sides but it is now getting cooler with light snowfall expected through the weekend and temperatures remaining below freezing. Switzerland Switzerland has had a sunny week as well since Christmas but is also seeing temperatures dropping and clouds rolling in. Light snowfall at first should intensify through the weekend with heavy falls, particularly in the west of the country, expected by the weekend. The big snowfalls at the start of last week have allowed many areas to open most of their slopes. The 4 Valleys is up to 75% open with 320km (200 miles) of slopes available, the most in the country. Some centres in the east, like St Moritz, missed out on the earlier snow and are struggling to open much more than half their slopes with a 30cm base. Crans-Montana saw its base decrease again by almost as much as the metre-plus it added pre-Christmas, but it still has 75% of its slopes open. Scandinavia Conditions continue to improve across Scandinavia and a little over half the region's slopes are now open. The biggest centre, Sweden's Åre is ahead of the average with 70% of its runs open for New Year. Over in Norway, Trysil is reporting just a 7-inch base and less than half of its runs are skiable, so it remains a fragmented picture. There are some very low temperatures in the forecast, down into the -20Cs, along with some light snow showers plus sunny spells in the mix for the start of January. Pyrenees The Pyrenees have had mostly dry weather with plenty of sunshine this week, similar to the Alps. Warm temperatures in the afternoons in valleys have impacted low-lying snow cover but upper terrain remains good thanks to big December snowfalls and valley runs have been maintained with snowmaking and grooming efforts pushing snow down the slopes. Some French centres including St Lary remain close to 100% open, with the biggest areas like Soldeu/Pas de la Casa (Grandvalira) in Andorra and Baqueira Beret in Spain each posting more than 120km (75 miles) of runs available (around 60-70% of their runs). Scotland Scottish slopes have turned white again after a very warm Christmas week which saw temperatures get above +10C at high altitude. The snowpack damage from the warm, wet and windy weather means that centres are starting from scratch rebuilding bases, but things are at least moving in the right direction again. The four centres with all-weather snowmaking machines have small snow areas available in the meantime. They're at Glenshee, Cairngorm (beginners only), The Lecht and Glencoe. Nevis Range doesn't have anything open at present as they don't have working all-weather snowmaking. Eastern Europe Not much fresh snowfall to report in Eastern Europe but it is turning snowier now, particularly in the Northeast with heavy snowfall expected over the next few days in Czechia, Slovakia and Poland. Here most centres are now 60-80% open. Bulgaria's Bansko continues to post the region's deepest snow at 1.3 metres and most terrain open – around 90% of its slopes. North America Canada Most of Western Canada is looking great after some more decent 15-30cm (6 to 12 inches) snowfalls this past week with temperatures remaining below freezing around the clock. Resorts like Big White and Sun Peaks now have every run open and the largest, Whistler Blackcomb, is not far behind, posting 91% of its vast terrain open. More cold temperatures are in the forecast for the coming week, but there are only light snow showers expected. Ski areas in the east of Canada continue to battle to open and most only have 20-40cm bases after the warm, wet autumn, so despite things getting more consistently colder now, most have only been able to open 30-50% of their slopes still. USA It's a mixed picture across the US with the best conditions continuing to be in the north-west corner of the country where there have been more good snowfalls in states including Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming where most centres are fully open and posting base depths of more than six feet (2 metres). Further south it has been a mostly dry December in California, Colorado and Utah which has impacted some areas more than others. Most are 70-90% open but a few big names like Heavenly and America's biggest Park City have struggled to open much of their terrain. Heavenly has around half their terrain open, whilst Park City only has 20% open. The East Coast has had more snowfall but centres there are still catching up after a warm, wet Autumn so most still only have 20-40% of their slopes available, although the biggest, Killington, is at 70%. |
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Abundant snow in many of the northern hemisphere's ski areas, although not all benefitted from the recent falls. Japan, the Northern Alps and the North-West of North America lead the pack at the moment.
Val Thorens, France, celebrating new snow and a New Year... Where to Ski in January 2025 January is usually the coldest month of the year and a month when almost all ski areas in the northern hemisphere expect to be open - and ideally have all or most of their terrain open too. That is indeed the case for many of the big-name ski areas in Europe, North America and Asia, after some good autumn snowfalls, but, as always, it's a little more nuanced when you dive into the details. In Europe, the Northern and Western Alps have had a lot of snowfall and it's also looking pretty good in Eastern Europe and, after a slow start, the Pyrenees. The Southern and Eastern Alps including the Dolomites have had much less snowfall but have still got most of their terrain open. Scandinavian ski areas are also still catching up after a warm Autumn and open terrain is minimal in Scotland. Across the Atlantic in North America snow depths are generally good in the west, particularly in the north. But sections of the Rockies, especially around Utah, have been struggling for snowfall and the East Coast is also catching up after an often warm, wet, autumn/fall. Japan has had a great December and its ski centres are posting the deepest snows in the world as we start the new year. Europe Austria It's a pretty good start to 2025 for Austrian ski areas after a fairly cold and snowy November and December. Most of the country's big areas such as the Arlberg, Skiwelt and Saalbach-Hinterglemm are 80-90% open. There's a fine balance though as snow cover isn't that deep and mostly machine-made so we start the year with white ribbons of piste down green valley sides below about 1500m. Austrian ski areas will be hoping for more cold and snowy weather in January to bolster things, but equally, their long-perfected snowmaking skills should keep everything open barring an unprecedentedly warm month. France French ski areas are in excellent shape for the start of January. Big snowfalls in the week leading up to Christmas deposited up to two metres (6+ feet) of fresh snow on higher slopes giving the country's higher slopes the deepest bases on the continent for the start of 2025. It also means most centres are close to full operations, including the world's largest ski area, the 3 Valleys around Courchevel, Les Menuires, Meribel and Val Thorens which reports 90% of its runs open. Italy Most of Italy's ski regions start January with the majority of their terrain open. That said snow cover – other than in the far north and west of the country – is fairly marginal after a largely dry autumn. H The country has become expert in snowmaking so resorts like Val Gardena, posting deepest snow levels of only 50cm, much of it machine-made, have 100% of their 180km of slopes open. It's not a universal picture; the giant Milky Way (Via Lattea) region on the country's border with France is less than half open. It's also worth mentioning that the Apennines that run down to southern Italy parallel with Rome had a huge Christmas week snowfall leaving the snow lying 1.5m deep (after a mostly dry winter 23-24 last season). Switzerland Most Swiss centres have been operating close to capacity over the Christmas period with some huge snowfalls just before Christmas really giving a positive early-season boost. Some centres were already fully open but others like Crans Montana had been struggling with limited snow cover but then saw their base depths quadruple with more than 1.5m of snowfall. It's not a universally positive picture; in the east and south of the country there wasn't much of a snow boost compared to resorts in the north and west and the snow is still less than 50cm thick at some ski areas. Scandinavia After all the hype for Scandinavia being the place to be in a warming world, it wasn't really a great autumn 2024 in Scandinavia, with lots of areas seeing rain rather than snowfall and temperatures too warm for much snowmaking either, right up as far north as Lapland. That said the latter half of December did see some consistently low temperatures and snowfall, heaviest in Western Norway. There's still some way to go though before seasonal averages are reached and the big resorts like Are and Hemsedal have been struggling to open even half their runs. It's traditionally a cold and dark time of the year, with floodlit trails, so hopefully things will continue to improve through January. The sun is due to reappear above the horizon up at Finland's Levi on the 1st. Scotland Four of Scotland's five ski centres managed to open in December, but it has been very limited terrain to date. The country has had its usual ups and downs with low temperatures and some natural snowfall followed by very warm, wet weather washing out much of the natural stuff. It was up to +13C over Christmas. Consequently, it's all-weather snowmaking systems providing small areas of snow terrain at Cairngorm, the Lecht, Glenshee and Glencoe as we start 2025. A period of cold, snowy weather could change things and allow for a bigger opening of natural runs but there's no clear sign of when/if that'll happen in January. Nevis Range lacks a working all-weather snowmaking system and has said it won't open until the February school holidays unless there is a good natural snowfall. Pyrenees The Pyrenees had a challenging start to December with almost no snow anywhere delaying resorts opening until about a third of the way into the month when there was a heavy snowfall and a rush to start the season. The mountains then had a brief warm spell and further pre-Christmas snow. The result of all that is that bases are currently in the 50-100cm bracket and most areas, including the giants like Spain's Baqueira Beret and Andorra's Grandvalira, are 70-80% open. More snowfall and consistently cold temperatures would be welcome through January though. Eastern Europe Most Eastern European ski areas are posting fairly good conditions as we start 2025. Bulgaria's Bansko is a stand-out after some heavy December snowfalls, with about 90% of its terrain open, the snow 1.3m deep up top. Elsewhere it's more commonly 40-70cm base depths and 50-75% of terrain open at centres across the region. North America Canada It's been a very different start to the season in Eastern and Western Canada with the East struggling with warm, wet weather through November and December, the West being dumped on by the La Nina system which has seen some resorts including Revelstoke post more than four metres of snowfall before the end of December. The result is that January starts looking great in Alberta and British Columbia with resorts like Sun Peaks 100% open and the continent's largest Whistler Blackcomb 90% of the way there. On the East Coast (Ontario, Quebec etc), although temperatures have been more reliably sub-zero in recent weeks, there's some catching up to do with most centres still only 40-60% open. USA It's looking good across much of the US as we start 2025 but here too there are variations. The Pacific Northwest corner of the country has had the most snow and it's looking good too in states like Montana and Wyoming. Most of Colorado's ski areas have 80-90% of their slopes open despite no really big snowfalls. The states doing less well and with perhaps only half-a-metre of snow on the ground so far include California and Utah where Heavenly is only half open and America's biggest resort, Park City, only on 20% of its terrain available as we start the new year. The East Coast has had a difficult start to the season with warm, wet weather in the autumn, but it has turned colder in recent weeks and larger centres like Maine's Sunday River now have most of their terrain open. Asia It's been one of the snowiest Decembers of the last decade in Japan with several of the country's ski areas passing a 4m upper slope base depth mark in the final week of December, the most in the world by more than a metre. So it's looking good for the start of 2025 with most of the country's famous ski areas like Niseko and Nozawa Onsen fully open with plenty of powder. |
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Val Thorens, and the French Alps, with deep snow and blue sky this week... Cold and snowy across the Alps, with big snowfalls in the last week followed by clear skies now. Similar conditions on the east and west of North America, and in Japan. The Snow Headlines - December 26th - Huge snowfalls and low temperatures in the Alps for Christmas week. - Scottish centres try to open for Christmas as area sees UK's warmest weather. - Europe's giant ski areas open most of their terrain for season's peak weeks. - Some Japanese ski areas report snowiest December in a decade. - Cold and snowy on US East and West coasts but a dry December in Colorado. 
Heavy snow forecast for some American and Japanese ski areas.
World Overview We're past the shortest day of the year which means a little more daylight every day in the northern hemisphere. The good news for skiers heading to the Alps is that full winter set in late last week, with heavy snowfall (up to 2m/6.6 feet five-day totals reported) and low temperatures down to low levels. The downside has been elevated avalanche risk, but that is easing now. It is still a widespread Level 3 (Considerable) Risk so - as always - exercise caution when leaving the piste and always go equipped and never alone. Elsewhere in Europe, it has been cold and snowy too, almost everywhere apart from Scotland, although the 7-day accumulations outside the Alps have been nearer 50cm rather than the metre-plus totals above 2500m in the Alps. There has not been as much snowfall in North America over the past week, but there has still been new snow in most areas and the north-western corner of the continent continues to post the world's deepest snowpack at this early point of the season. Europe Austria Skies have started to clear in Austria after a great week of snowfall which saw some regions post up to a metre from two big dumps before and after the weekend. It was very cold too, with temperatures as low as -20C. Whilst it has warmed up and the sunshine has returned now, we're still seeing -10C with highs around freezing. The snowfall and cold weather have been especially good news for low-lying areas previously relying on machine-made snow. Austria's big areas including Ischgl, the Skiwelt, Kitzbuhel and the Arlberg are all around 60-80% open, with Mayrhofen and Solden closer to 90%. Saalbach Hinterglemm is only around half open though. After more sunny days a return of snowfall is expected from the weekend. France Some big snowfalls in France this week, heaviest on Thursday-Friday and Sunday-Monday, which saw accumulations of up to 60cm reported before the weekend and then up to aanother metre after, meaning some resorts including Courchevel, Val d'Isere and Val Thorens got over 1.5 metres (five feet) in total over four days. This very heavy snow was accompanied by gale-force winds at times, pushing up avalanche danger levels. It was also very cold with ski areas seeing -10 to -15C on high slopes. The sunshine has returned and skies have cleared in recent days for great Christmas conditions with most centres now having most of their runs open. It's currently expected to stay sunny into the weekend with temperatures rising a little but staying close to freezing. Italy Italy saw some of the big snowfalls in the north and west, but much lighter accumulations further east. Ski areas in the Dolomites, including Alta Badia and Val Gardena which have been hosting the latest rounds of Men's World Cup racing, posted 30cm accumulations at the weekend. Otherwise, bases remain pretty thin across the country, but with most slopes open. Dolomiti Superski, the country's largest ski region, is now at 80% open with some sectors including Kronplatz close to 100%. It's been a mostly dry and sunny week with just light snowfall and there's little change in that expected through the week. Temperatures continue to be a little below freezing most of the time. Switzerland A week of mostly snowy weather across Switzerland, but with some gales thrown in at times for good measure to give blizzard conditions. By the end of last weekend, several ski areas including Gstaad and Arosa had picked up several feet of snowfall, after which it continued snowing through to Christmas Eve with some very low temperatures too, so some areas hit the 1.5 metres snowfall mark. Amongst them was Crans Montana which posted 1m in 24 hours on Sunday-Monday alone, transforming a previously lacklustre start to the season. At the same time, ski areas have been opening more terrain with the 4 Valleys reaching 300km open (although it was largely closed by the extreme weather on Monday). It's been warm and sunnier over the past few days, back up to -5 to +5C at ski area bases and looks set to continue that way into the weekend. Scandinavia Scandi ski centres are still posting fairly limited open terrain, mostly between 20% and 50% of their full potential. That's due to the warm autumn delaying snow base build up, but things are continuing to improve with a week of predominantly sub-zero temperatures and light-moderate snowfalls, heaviest in western Norway. The region's largest area, Sweden's Åre, is posting the most piste kilometres open, but only 40% of its slopes so far. Pyrenees It was a pretty good run into Christmas in The Pyrenees, with temperatures back below freezing after last week's warm weather 'blip'. There was light to moderate snowfall through the week with ski areas clocking up 5-10cm accumulations to refresh and gradually build cover. What's open is completely transformed from next to nothing a fortnight ago to almost everything now with ski areas of all sizes in the region aiming to open as much as they can for Christmas week. Spain's Baqueira Beret and Formigal as well as Andorra's huge Grandvalira lead the way with most of their slopes open. France's Cauterets has the deepest snow. Scotland Scotland is on its usual mix of highs and lows. The highs being occasional low temperatures and fresh snowfall, and the lows being warm weather and violent gales. Alas, the latter delayed the planned start of the season at the weekend for some. Glenshee was the first to announce a delay until Monday. The warm, wet weather also means that what's open so far is very limited terrain made with SnowFactory snow. On the upside, when they can, Cairngorm, Glencoe, Glenshee and The Lecht all have some terrain open though. Eastern Europe It continues to look pretty good for most Eastern European ski areas, although perhaps the caveat there should be the larger, higher centres, which have most of their runs open. That's not so much the case at the smaller, lower centres which need more snow and, if open at all, are typically more like 10-30% open. Bulgaria's Bansko is the stand-out at present after multiple big falls with the snow lying 1.4m deep high up top (deeper than many areas in the Alps) and 80% of the ski area open. They have warned of high avalanche danger off-piste though. North America Canada Temperatures are consistently cold across Canada at the moment, with highs around -5C, and lows at -15C, in many areas. It's particularly good news for the East Coast, which has seen periods of warm, wet weather through the autumn, but is now seeing reliable snowfall and temperatures good for snowmaking. In the west, there's been more 10-20cm snowfall accumulations with temperatures staying low here too. Whistler Blackcomb's vast area is now 80% open and Mount Washington on Vancouver Island has the world's deepest snowpack to date at nearly 3m (10 feet). USA The best of the cold and snowy weather in the US has again been in the Northwest where the snow is up to two metres deep now in states like Oregon and Washington. There have also been some big snowfalls in the northern Rockies for resorts like Jackson Hole and over on the East it has been consistently cold with some fresh snowfall as ski areas in states like Vermont and New Hampshire continue to regain lost ground after the warm and sometimes wet autumn. Colorado has had very little snowfall and sometimes base-level highs of +10C in the afternoons throughout December but despite this, they're managing to open more terrain and Vail has about 80% of its runs open, the most in the region. |
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Mountains at Andermatt, Switzerland, ahead of the snow arriving tonight. Merry Xmas from J2Ski! If you asked Santa for snow, it looks as if he's delivering early... there were big snowfalls in North America last weekend, and cold and snow is rolling into the Alps as we write this. There's a lot more in the forecast, for Europe, America and Japan too, for the holiday season. The Snow Headlines - December 19th - Heavy snowfall (and violent gales) on North America's West Coast, up to five feet falls. - Alps and Pyrenees saw temperatures climb earlier, but heavy snowfall is arriving. - Verbier 4 Valleys open half their terrain to have second most in the world (behind The 3 Valleys). - Whistler Blackcomb passes 6,000 acres open and sees a big fresh snowfall. - Snowy conditions in western Norway bring powder to Scandinavia after warm autumn. 
Incoming! Snow is in the house.
World Overview It's the start of winter now, according to the astronomical measure of the seasons, and the weather outlook certainly looks like it! The most dramatic weather this week has impacted the full North American West Coast, with heavy snowfall reported over the weekend from California up to BC, whilst snow is now falling across the Alps and forecast to continue. That North American snow arrived with a major storm accompanied by gale-force winds that caused some issues, however, storm totals of up to five feet (1.5m) of fresh snow were eventually reported. Europe Austria About three-quarters of Austria's ski areas are open now with most of the rest joining them this weekend. It's been a bit of a challenging few days after some positive weeks of cold and snowy weather with temperatures rising above +12C at the start of the week, impacting thin cover, especially at lower levels. It's not yet clear if much damage has been done to the snowpack but temperatures are now falling again and there's a lot of snowfall in the forecast down to low elevations right up to Christmas. Ischgl still has the most terrain open, followed by Kitzbuhel – which has leapt to second place after opening most of its terrain last weekend, and then the Arlberg. France The 3 Valleys continues to post the most terrain open in the world with about half their slopes open. Other big areas joined them this week including the huge Paradiski (La Plagne and Les Arcs) and (with a partial opening) Les Portes du Soliel including Morzine, Les Gets, Avoriaz, Chatel and half-a-dozen others. These have not opened much of their terrain so far. All will change for the upcoming Christmas Week (in a good way!). France saw some snowy, windy and sometimes foggy conditions at the weekend before temperatures began rising under mostly sunny skies at the start of the week, but the temperature gauge is plummeting again now with some very low numbers (-10C and below) and up to a metre of fresh snow forecast between now and Christmas. Italy After some cold and snowy weather to start this week, Italy also saw temperatures climb from Monday to Wednesday with valley highs getting above +10C under mostly sunny skies. There's not thought to have been much damage to the snowpack although a decision on whether Bormio will be up to hosting its World Cup racing was briefly put on hold before the green light was given. Temperatures are dropping fast now and snow is forecast to end the week (and continue into the next). The Cervinia-Zermatt cross-border area has the most terrain open in the country (or at least accessible from it), around 200km, but Val Gardena is close behind with 175km or more than 95% of its runs open now. Switzerland After a mostly cold and snowy weekend, Switzerland also had some warm temperatures this week with low-lying resorts getting as high as +12C down at 1,000m altitudes under sunny skies. Here too, temperatures are now dropping dramatically and snow has begun falling - and is expected to continue for the next few days. Big accumulations are expected above 2,000m but there will be snow down to the valley floor too. The 4 Valleys opened all their sectors last weekend and is now about half open - just behind Zermatt for terrain currently available in the country. Scandinavia Some promising signs from Scandinavia that things are back on track after the warm autumn. Temperatures are consistently below freezing, generally well below, and Western Norway in particular has been hit by multiple fronts bringing big snowfalls at last to resorts like Voss. It's been snowier too at Hemsedal but going further east and north the numbers remain low on snow depth and open terrain with many areas still posting less than 20% of their slopes open and thin bases too. The forecast is staying cold with some light snowfall, heavier in the west. Pyrenees It's been quite a month for the Pyrenees, missing the big holiday period at the start of the month with no snow, then racing to open last week after a big dump finally transformed things, and then this week seeing the temperature spike from Monday to Wednesday which took a toll on that snow at lower levels. It's getting much colder again now. The larger areas like Grandvalira and Baqueira Beret hit 90km of slopes open before things warmed up, and should be in good shape after the new snow. Scotland Warm weather moved into the Highlands at the weekend after a few weeks of sub-zeroes. Unfortunately, that spelt the end of the limited amount of 'natural' skiing that had opened at Glencoe as snow cover thawed. However, Glencoe and The Lecht have managed to maintain small areas using their Snow Factory all-weather snowmaking machines. Glenshee and Cairngorm plan to join them for the upcoming Christmas school holiday weeks. Eastern Europe Eastern Europe seemed to largely escape the temperature spike further west with the numbers staying just a few degrees above freezing. Bulgaria is having a particularly good season start with Bansko starting the week with another healthy snowfall. Jasna in Slovakia in the Northeast of Europe has been opening more terrain and now has about 70% of its slopes open. North America Canada Western Canada was hit by a big storm through the weekend and into the start of this week which brought more than half a metre of snowfall to Whistler Blackcomb and other westerly ski areas. The snow arrived with very strong winds which impacted operations initially, before the full powdery glory could be enjoyed. It's now passed 6,000 acres open and the snow has kept falling all week and should continue into the weekend. On the East Coast, there's still an issue with warm temperatures spiking once or twice a week, so bases remain thin and open terrain limited at resorts like Mont Ste Anne and Tremblant. It is looking to stay well below freezing through into Christmas week now though. USA There were big snowfalls on America's Pacific Coast at the weekend and at the start of this week, with up to three feet falling. The snow was driven in on gale-force winds so blizzard conditions ensued at times before some great powder days when the storm had passed through. Less fresh stuff further inland in the southern Rockies, although from Utah northwards, some snow has fallen. Challenging conditions continue in the East, with waves of warm, wet weather coming through between colder, snowier spells, setting progress back. |
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Skiing in the Arlberg
Started by Tachedub2 in Austria, 2 Replies, discussing Lech and St. Anton am Arlberg |
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I guess by 'tracks' you're referring to the itinerary runs (generally off-piste, and running to about 200km in total) that the Arlberg is blessed with?
If you're not equipped / experienced for going off-piste, then there are also over 300km of marked pistes across the region (including the ski areas of Lech, St. Anton, St. Christoph, Stuben, Zürs, Warth and Schröcken), which is enough to keep you entertained for a while... You can find a good overview of the region at https://winter.intermaps.com/skiarlberg?lang=en If you've got any specific questions, quite a few of the regulars here are familiar with St.Anton and Lech; great ski area and should be on everyone's list to do at least once. |
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