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J2Ski Snow Report 18th August 2022
Cardrona, New Zealand, on a chilly morning last week... Great conditions in New Zealand, and fabulous in the Andes The Snow Headlines - 18th August - World's deepest reported snowpack now in Southern Hemisphere for first time this year. - The final weekend of the 21-22 season coming up for North America. - Scandinavia's summer ski season ends suddenly - sooner than previously announced. - Ski areas in New Zealand report sublime conditions; clear skies after big snowfalls. - Resort in Chile says July was its snowiest in over a decade. - Hintertux likely to be the only ski area open in Northern hemisphere as of next Monday. - Southern Africa's Afriski resort announces 2022 season ends September 1st. 
See where it's going to snow this week...
World Overview New Zealand's ski areas had a great weekend and start of this week with cold, sunny weather following fresh snowfall - and it has been dumping again in Australia and the Andes. In Southern Africa, the 2022 season is winding down to its last weekend at the end of this month. In the northern hemisphere, it's the final week (at last) of the 21-22 season for North America with Timberline, the only centre still open in the US, closing down for skiers at the end of the coming weekend. In Scandinavia Norway's Fonna glacier had planned to close on Sunday too but brought forward its closing day to Wednesday so has now closed. This leaves Hintertux in the Austrian Tirol as the only area open in the northern hemisphere – if it manages to keep open despite the ongoing heat and its thin snow cover. Australia Conditions have continued to improve on Australia's ski slopes after the 'blip' of the warm, wet storm a fortnight ago. There have been several significant snow storms over the past seven days, bolstering snow depths with around six to eight weeks of the season remaining. Snowstorms delivered up to about 20cm of snow by the end of last week, followed at the start of this week by still bigger dumps meaning some areas have had over half a metre of fresh snow in the last seven days. Conditions were at times stormy with strong winds impacting some lift operations, but then there's the payback of fresh pow. Most Aussie resorts are fully open with Perisher, Thredbo, Hotham and Falls Creek all reporting around a metre-and-a-half (five feet) of snow lying on their upper slopes. New Zealand Conditions were at their best of the season over the weekend for many ski areas in New Zealand. The last storm fronts at the end of last week dumped yet more powder but gave way to perfect weather over the weekend and the start of this week – blue skies, light wind and temperatures just a degree or two below freezing – the result, sublime fresh snow conditions. Most centres were fully open and while the deepest reported snow depth is 3 metres/10 feet now, most centres have a healthy 1-2 metres of snow piled on their slopes. Unfortunately, things took a downturn on Tuesday/Wednesday with warm/wet weather again closing ski centres for a few days, but things are expected to improve again from Thursday/Friday. Once operating, Mount Hutt and Cardrona have the largest amount of terrain open (40km/25 miles) and Mount Ruapehu on the North Island continues to open more terrain at its Turoa and Whakapapa bases. South America It has been a snowy week in the Andes too with the latest front moving into most areas on Sunday and accumulations of up to 50cm reported by midweek and plenty of powder to be had. Chile's Nevados de Chillan reported that July had already been its snowiest in a decade so as we enter the final third of the season, the latest snowfall means winter 2022 is shaping up to be one of the snowiest of the century so far. Catedral near Bariloche is reporting the most terrain open of any ski area in the world at present and most centres have at least a metre of snow lying, many now double that. The snowfall of the past three days should clear for the remainder of the week giving sunny skies for enjoying the fresh pow to the max. Africa It's coming up to the last week of the 2022 season next week at Lesotho's Afriski and temperatures are yoyoing between warmer days but still freezing nights. There has been some fresh snowfall however. It's been mostly sunny, as it usually is, and the main run remains open. Afriski says it will close its season on 1st September. Europe Yet another week of mostly sunny conditions and temperatures above freezing even above 3,000m altitude isn't great news for what's left of the snow not yet thawed from glaciers (most has and thaw rates are reported to be three times the summer norm of the past decade). Fonna in Norway said they'll be closing this Sunday but on Wednesday this week made a quick change announcing they were closing to recreational skiers immediately. This means that only Austria's Hintertux, with a thin and icy snow surface, is still open to the public in Europe. It seems to be keeping the 6km of slopes it has open thanks to summer glacier snowmaking when overnight lows dip down enough. Three other centres, the previously mentioned Fonna as well as Galdhopiggen in Norway and Saas-Fee in Switzerland have limited terrain available all reserved only for race teams training. Several more including Italy's Passo Stelvio and Zermatt say they'll re-open if and when conditions improve. North America It's the final few days of North America's 21-22 ski season which began around 10 months ago high up in Colorado, but for the past few months has had just one area still open – Timberline on Mount Hood in Oregon. As in Europe, it has been a largely hot summer here, but unlike the Alps there were some big snow dumps in the spring (after the main season ended), giving timberline a strong hand moving into the late spring and summer season. The heat has been Fairly relentless though and the Sunday 21st closure represents a pretty good season, if not quite making it to the first weekend of September as in years past. North America's 22-23 season will hopefully start in about two months' time in October. |
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J2Ski Snow Report 11th August 2022
Treble Cone, New Zealand, now plans to be open into October. Nice! Snow in the Andes, and more wild weather for Australia and New Zealand The Snow Headlines - 11th August - Fresh snowfall in Australia after a major storm closes slopes with rain and gales. - The last ski area open to the public in the Alps still hanging on despite warm temps. - First significant snowfall for several weeks in the Andes. - The last area still open in North America announces closing day. - First fresh snow of 22-23 reported on mountain peaks in Northern Alaska. - Norway's Fonna latest to announce summer ski closing date on 21 August. - More storms hit New Zealand, with significant snow showers then great conditions. - New Zealand's Treble Cone extends ski season by a week to 2nd October. 
A lot of snow on the charts for South America, and some top-ups down-under!
World Overview It has been a snowy week for most ski centres in the southern hemisphere with resorts in Australia, the Andes and New Zealand all reporting considerable fresh snowfall. Unfortunately, this arrived with stormy weather, most damaging in Australia where the huge storm that hit at the end of last week was not very wintery – but warm, wet and windy for its first 48 hours. It did though deposit snow in its final day which repaired much of the damage. In the northern hemisphere the impact of the record-breaking summer temperatures at altitude continues to be felt. Only two centres remain open to the public, with just one in the Alps, and its conditions for operating are marginal in the extreme. The only positive is a slight drop in temperatures hopefully marking a change to something more sustainable for the ice. Two centres are open in Norway still but one only to race teams, the other announcing it'll end its season in just over a week. The last area open in North America, Timberline, has announced its season will also end the weekend after next, but by then it'll be less than two months until the 22-23 season should kick off in Colorado and elsewhere. Australia After a relatively stable first half of the season with most areas fully open thanks to excellent early season snowfall, Australian resorts had a bit of a shock to the system as a huge storm hit on Thursday/Friday last week, just as our last report came out. Unfortunately this was more of a warm and wet storm rather than a wintery one and the result was water damage to snow surfaces and some localized flooding. By Friday night though temperatures had dipped and fresh snow was dumping, for a good re-set. On Saturday morning Perisher reported 15cm (6") of fresh snowfall, Falls Creek 17cm (7") and Mt Hotham 28cm (11"). Snow showers have continued since but at a more measured rate. New Zealand While the wild weather in Australia and South America (see below) is not such a frequent occurrence, in New Zealand it is very much the norm and we've had another week of highs and lows – in both weather systems and mood! Multiple systems have moved through once more bringing further heavy snow showers (some centres have again posted more than half a metre of fresh this past week in total). The snowstorms and accompanying gales have, once more closed access roads and/or slopes/lifts prevention centres from operating until these were cleared and made safe. In the days between though there have been more epic powder days. Resorts posted up to 50cm of fresh snow and winds dropping on Wednesday for fantastic conditions. Mount Hutt now has over 1.5 metres of snow lying on its lower slopes, Temple Basin has double that up high. It has, once more, been the South Island benefitting the most with Ruapehu still running behind on terrain it has been able to open so far – though it is a steadily improving picture. South America Most ski areas in Chile and some in Argentina were hit by a major snowstorm at the start of the weekend with reports of up to 28cm (11") of snowfall in 24 hours. The world-famous centre of Portillo was one of the big winners although Nevados de Chillan to the south continues to post the deepest base in the country and the southern hemisphere with 3.5 metres (nearly 12 feet) of snow reported on its upper slopes. Since the snowfall it's been back to dry and sunny conditions giving some great powder days. The next chance for snowfall looks to be early next week. Africa Lesotho's Afriski was in newspapers all over the world at the weekend as news agency The Associated Press ran a story contrasting the fact that people were skiing in Africa with the heat in Europe. The centre, which has a three month ski season that runs to the end of August, reported more snowfall to start the week, albeit rather wet stuff, but overnight lows continue to freeze the snowpack and allow for more snow making. Europe The picture in the Alps continues to be rather dire with webcam images showing the grey glacial ice completely exposed at former summer ski centres and temperatures remaining well above freezing to high above the altitude the ice lies at – a very depressing picture. Hintertux is the only resort currently open, just, maintaining a few white streaks of snow close to its upper station at 3,250m and maintaining its 'open-365-days' reputation (pandemic/weather permitting). Zermatt, the other resort that had claimed that, remains closed while it awaits better weather, as does Italy's Passo Stelvio. It's believed that Saas Fee does have similar terrain to Hintertux on its higher glacier slope still open to race teams only though. Looking for positives, overnight lows on glaciers are now getting back to freezing, even a degree or two below, so things appear to be moving in the right direction. There are two centres still open in Scandinavia, but the only one open to the public, Fonna, announced on Tuesday it would end its season early, a week on Sunday (21st August) and the other Galdhopiggen is operating like Saas Fee, only for pre-booked race team training. North America It has been yet another hot and sunny week in Western North America where the only ski area still open, Timberline on Mount Hood in Oregon, has announced it will end its ski season – which began last fall and is one of the world's longest at more than nine months duration – on 21st August, the weekend after next. For now though the centre still has about a mile and a half of runs open and a snow depth of about six feet. When it closes we'll only be about two months away from the start of the 22-23 season, all being well, in Colorado, and early snowfall has already been reported this week on mountain tops in northern Alaska. |
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J2Ski Snow Report 4th August 2022
Nevados de Chillan, Chile, has over 3 metres snow depth right now... Wild weather and snow for Australia and New Zealand The Snow Headlines - 4th August - Snowstorms hit Australia and New Zealand bringing powder after gales and rain. - Apex ski resort in Canada evacuated due to wildfire. - Hintertux glacier the only one still open to the public in the Alps. - Japan's Gassan, the last Asian ski area still open, ends 2022 ski season. - Fresh snowfall reported in Lesotho, Southern Africa. 
Big snow possible for South Island, NZ and a dusting at the top in the Alps
World Overview Australia and New Zealand have seen the most snowfall over the past week with some ski areas in the latter seeing as much as 60cm (two feet) in total through multiple storms over the last seven days. Once skies have cleared and roads and lifts dug out there have been some spectacular powder days between the storms. The storms themselves have brought very strong winds and blizzard conditions at times though, closing centres for a day or two whilst they blow through. Australia is, unfortunately, now being hit by another huge storm but this time with warmer temperatures bringing rain initially, turning to snow at the weekend though. In Europe, continuing warm weather at high altitudes continues to impact summer skiing and is causing anxiety for those ski areas due to open for autumn glacier skiing next month. Only one resort is open (to everyone) in the Alps, an all-time low, but there are two summer ski centres to choose from in Scandinavia. Elsewhere, Timberline remains the only centre open in North America and the final area that had still been open in Asia, Japan's Gassan, finally ended its 2022 season on Sunday. Australia A week of heaven then frustration it seems for Australia's ski areas. The good conditions that have dominated the season so far continued through the weekend and were boosted by a 15-20cm snowfall giving powder conditions on Monday morning. Hotham hit the 1-metre snow depth mark and Perisher had every lift turning, every run open. But things have taken a downturn over the past 48 hours with gales and rain showers impacting the snowpack and several resorts including Thredbo closing for the worst of it. Things should improve as we approach the weekend though with the weather cooler once more and a return of snowfall to end the week. New Zealand New Zealand has had a similar weather roller coaster, although that's less unusual there. Here too there was a fresh snowfall, but with 20-40cm totals and a little earlier – in time for the weekend. So conditions were sublime Sunday-Monday. But many areas were closed Tuesday-Wednesday as the next storm moved through, bringing some very violent wind gusts as well as more snowfall – in other words, blizzard conditions. The overall picture is good though with most of the country's ski areas including the main players like Cardrona, Mt Hutt and Treble Cone sitting on healthy bases and with everything open (when storms allow). Mt Ruapehu on the North Island (Turoa and whakapapa) which has had a slow start to its season for lack of snow has also benefitted from the snowfall and is rapidly opening more terrain. South America It has been a quieter week in South America with plenty of sunshine, although the last few days have seen a front bring decent fresh snowfalls to many areas. The continent's largest area, Catedral near Bariloche, continues to offer the most terrain currently open in any one area in the world with around 50 miles (80km) of slopes open. Over in Chile the southerly ski area of Nevados de Chillan is posting the deepest snow in the southern hemisphere at 3.5 metres up high while the famous resort of Portillo has announced its famous Roca Jack extreme run is open for the first time in three winters. Africa August has started well at Afriski in Lesotho with several snowfalls over the past week. These caused minor overnight access problems that were soon cleared and helped replenish snow cover on the main run which has also been topped up with snowmaking. The season here is due to last to the end of the month. Europe We have the previously unheard-of situation of there being more ski areas open in Scandinavia than the Alps this week, although the numbers are low: 2 to 1. The Galdhøpiggen summer ski centre is believed to have re-opened after a three-week shutdown to "preserve the snow". It joins Norway's other open summer ski area, Fonna. In the Alps, only one ski area remains open, just, although as the heat continues it's unclear if it will be able to continue through August. The (hopefully still) year-round ski area of Hintertux has a few kilometres of runs still open up high with less than a foot of snow cover remaining. Saas-Fee also has a small part of its glacier open but continues to restrict access to race teams' training. Britain's Dave Ryding was seen there this week. North America Timberline ski resort on Mount Hood in Oregon remains the only ski area open in North America with skiers and boarders continuing to enjoy the snow on its Palmer snowfield – scheduled to remain open for much of this month. The snowpack there is down to about six feet having been triple that three months ago, but then it has been a long hot summer. Unfortunately, wildfires continue to emerge across North America, sometimes close to ski areas, with Apex Mountain in BC the latest to be at risk. The 200 or so people who live in the resort year-round were evacuated on Monday. |
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J2Ski's Where to Ski in August 2022
Perisher, Australia, got a good start to August Australia wins on early August snow! August marks the last full month of winter in the southern hemisphere and almost all ski resorts in Australia, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand and Lesotho should be open all month. 2022 has seen good snowfalls in the Andes, Australia and, on the whole, New Zealand, meaning most resorts now have good bases and most or all of their terrain open. In the Northern Hemisphere, August is the last full month of Summer and many resorts will be hoping the heat will ease and there'll perhaps be some early snowfalls up high. There are no ski areas open in Asia, just one centre in North America (due to close in the latter half of August) and a handful open in the Alps and Scandinavia. In fact, the numbers of areas open for August in Europe are sadly at an all-time low, after the hot spring and summer.
Australia 2022 has been a great season for Australian resorts and August looks like it should continue the pattern of the first half of winter. All of the country's resorts are fully open and with a healthy metre or so of snow lying. Falls Creek, Hotham, Thredbo, Perisher and the rest have all been reporting great snow cover after huge falls at the season start in early June, with mostly cold weather and regular top-ups since. New Zealand Kiwi ski areas have had more of a roller coaster winter 2022 so far with frequent big snowfalls but also issues caused by gales and spells of warm weather, the latter sometimes bringing torrential rain instead of snow, particularly to lower elevations. That said, most of the country's ski areas are now open and with fairly healthy depths, particularly up high. The season for most areas lasts to late September or early October so all should stay open – weather permitting – through August. Mount Hutt, Cardrona and Coronet Peak all have more than 1.5m snow depths at the start of August and Treble Cone has one of the world's deepest at present at over 2 metres. South America Like Australia, it has been a season to remember so far in the Andes, where a number of the biggest and best-known ski areas including Chile's Portillo and Valle Nevado and Argentina's Las Lenas are opening for the first time since winter 2019. In any case, it's the first time in three seasons that international guests have been able to travel to Argentina and Chile. There have been big snowfalls in the first half of the season, with some areas claiming the best conditions in a decade. The continent's largest area, Cerro Catedral near Bariloche in Argentina is fully open meaning it has the largest lift-accessed ski area in the world open right now. Europe Seven glaciers had been due to be open through all or most of August in the Alps and Scandinavia. However all are battling the impact of hot weather which has caused several glacier areas that should be open now to close temporarily and we start the month with only one open to the public in the Alps, two in Norway. Of the four still open at the time of writing, Saas-Fee is open in Switzerland (but only to race teams), as is the Hintertux glacier in Austria. The Galdhoppigen and Fonna glaciers are also open in Norway. Italy's Passo Stelvio and Zermatt in Switzerland (its glacier also accessible from Cervinia) are temporarily closed and hope to re-open if conditions allow. Les 2 Alpes in France does not now plan to reopen this summer. It's the first time this century there's no August skiing possible in France or Italy. No other centres are scheduled to open in August, with September usually seeing the first half-dozen or so glaciers opening for their 22-23 seasons. The question is whether we see more issues caused by the hot summer sun or a return of cooler weather and perhaps fresh snow up high as the seasons start to turn. Most Augusts see a bit of both. North America Almost all ski centres in Canada and the US are currently closed. However, the Palmer permanent snowfield above Timberline resort on Mt Hood in Oregon remains open at least for the first half of August. It has been open since November last year and if you discount Europe's year-round centres is the only resort on the planet still open for its 21-22 ski season! Africa Although South Africa's Tiffindell ski area has not opened (for the third successive winter), the Afriski resort in neighbouring Lesotho is open and due to complete its 2022 season at the end of August. Indoors Although the last outdoor ski area still open in Asia ended its 2022 season in July, more than 50 indoor snow centres remain open across the continent. There are more than 50 other indoor snow centres operating on the other five populated continents with Antarctica now the only one not to have one. In fact, there are now more indoor snow centres operating than outdoor ski areas worldwide from around June to September, although not all of the 100+ indoor centres in 30+ countries offer skiing and boarding, about a third are for "snow experience" only. |
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J2Ski Snow Report 28th July 2022
Can you guess where this is? It's Afriski, in Lesotho, Africa! New Zealand gets the goods, again... The Snow Headlines - 28th July - More snowfall in New Zealand. - Italy's Passo Stelvio latest glacier to close, no summer skiing in France or Italy now. - Zermatt will close as well, temporarily, from Friday, July 29th. - Police close roads to Aussie ski resorts at weekend as carparks full. - Final week of the 2022 season at Japan's Gassan summer ski area. - Deepest base in the southern hemisphere reaches 3.5m (nearly 12 feet). - Fresh snowfall in Africa. 
More inbound for New Zealand...
World Overview After the heavy snowfall across southern hemisphere ski slopes earlier this month the past week has been much quieter, although most centres - even Afriski in Lesotho - have reported some fresh snow; just much lighter accumulations than before. Bases are going in the right direction almost everywhere though with the thickest snowpack now up to 3.5 metres, in the Andes. Pretty much the opposite is the case in the northern hemisphere with more hot weather continuing to impact the snowpack even at high altitudes up on glaciers. Passo Stelvio and Zermatt are the latest Alpine glaciers forced to suspend their summer skiing leaving only three glaciers open to the public in Europe as we enter August, a new all-time low in a summer of all-time lows. One centre remains open in North America too with the last still open in Asia due to end its 2022 run this coming weekend. Australia A second fairly quiet week on Aussie slopes in terms of snowfall after the big dump almost a fortnight ago. Most ski areas have been publishing fairly sublime conditions with light snowfalls freshening up slope surfaces, pretty much everywhere open and plenty of sunshine. First-hand (rather than marketing) snow reports have been a little less enthusiastic with the snow described as "heavy and wet" by one visitor to Falls Creek at the weekend. But that hasn't impacted enthusiasm - with the police turning around skiers and boarders trying to drive to Perisher and Thredbo mid-morning on Saturday as the car parks were full. New Zealand A much better week these last seven days than the week before. Ski areas reported fabulous conditions at the weekend after things settled down following a fresh snowfall that ended a few days of storm closures for many. The business was such that several areas had to announce they'd hit capacity early on Saturday and Sunday. There was another snowfall, quite significant (20-40cm) for some, midweek. Treble Cone is still posting the country's deepest base at around 2.5 metres (eight feet) but most South Island areas have almost all runs open and a decent base. Things are improving on the North Island where there's been much less snowfall and the country's largest resort, Mt Ruapehu, has struggled to open much terrain so far. They announced a major lift opening at the Whakapapa base at the weekend. South America The heavy snowfall earlier this month has eased over the last week but there have still been some smaller 'top up' snow showers and there's plenty of powder to be found in the backcountry for those arriving with a guide. The continent's largest area, Catedral near Bariloche in Argentina, has almost all of its terrain open – about 100km of slopes, and in fact the largest area open in the world at present. Chile's Nevados de Chillán, one of the country's more southerly ski centres, really got dumped on in the early July storms and is posting the continent's (and the southern hemisphere's) deepest base with 3.5m (nearly 12 feet) of snow lying on its higher slopes. Africa There's been some fresh snowfall at Afriski in Lesotho, which actually caused some access problems on the high pass over from South Africa. These have been resolved now and temperatures varying between subzero and plus 10C have led to issues like fog at times. For now, everything remains open and there are about four weeks of the 2022 season left. Europe More bad news from the Alps alas as the ongoing hot weather following the drier-than-usual winter takes its toll on glacier summer ski centres. Passo Stelvio and Zermatt are the latest to close due to these conditions, noting the freezing point was high above the highest mountain peaks day and night. Passo Stelvio is already closed, Zermatt will join it from Friday. Stelvio has still maintained a small cat skiing operation for race teams on a remaining snow patch but, for now, the lifts have closed. That means only three glaciers remain open to the public – all with thin cover – with none left open at present in France or Italy. Two of the three are in Norway, Fonna and (re-opening this weekend), Goldhopiggen, the first time more have been open in Scandinavia than the Alps. Hintertux in the Austrian Tirol, the only other ski area besides Zermatt to try to open every day of the year, is now the only centre still open in the Alps. However, its base is rapidly thinning too and slopes open have dropped from 20km to 6km in the last week. Saas-Fee is also open but only with about half of its usual glacier area open and only to pre-booked race teams. Both Passo Stelvio and Zermatt say they'll re-open as soon as conditions improve. So far though the weather remains stubbornly warm, even at altitude. North America The talk in North America has all been of very high fire danger due to high temperatures and drought rather than snow, but one ski area remains open high on Mount hood in Oregon, above the Timberline ski area, despite the heat in the 80s and 90s (F) down in the valley below. The snow is thawing fast on the Palmer snowfield but is still reported to be about six feet deep and it is hoping to make it through to the end of August. A snowpark is also open above Copper Mountain in Colorado but only to those signed up for private camps. Asia It's the final weekend of Asia's lift-accessed 21-22 season coming up with the last area still open, Gassan in Japan, ending its season on Sunday. The base there started at 8 metres when it opened in August but is now down to 50cm left in patches up high which need to be hiked to from the top of the double chairlift. |
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J2Ski Snow Report 21st July 2022
Cardrona, New Zealand - freshies all over... More snow for Oz, NZ and in the Andes... The Snow Headlines - 21st July - Snowstorm in Chilean Andes closes access roads and mountain passes. - Only four ski areas open to public in Europe at present – an all-time low. - Major snowstorm hits Australia, boosting cover in busy peak season. - Saas Fee is arguably first to open for 22-23 season. - Stormy weather in New Zealand brings snow, but also heavy rain and gales. - Claims of conditions "best in a decade" for some ski areas in Chile. - Ski lifts operational and outdoor skiing possible on six continents. 
Snow only on the highest peaks in Europe, lots more in the southern half of the globe...
World Overview A week of extremes in northern and southern hemispheres with low temperatures, heavy snowfalls and at times gale force winds in Australia, New Zealand and South America's Andes and more very hot weather in Europe's Alps and the Pacific Northwest. The bigger picture – once the weather allows access – is of great conditions in the Andes with some reports claiming the best conditions in a decade for resorts in Argentina and Chile and an ongoing epic winter in Australia, where the snow is deep, fresh and everything open. It's more of a roller coaster in New Zealand with some great days but also flooding closing access roads and some areas still being unable to open for lack of snow. In the northern hemisphere, the hot weather means a fast thinning, old snowpack at its best in the early morning and very few areas able to open. Australia Australia is having a great season; after big dumps to start the winter, there have been some top-ups over the past six weeks and mostly low temperatures leading most centres to now be fully open and busy with peak season visitors. A weekend storm brought up to 35cm more snow to resorts including Falls Creek and Mount Hotham; with Perisher and Thredbo now reporting bases past the metre mark. Temperatures have remained cold, with Perisher reporting -11C overnight midweek, and ski areas typically have 90-95% of their slopes groomed and open. New Zealand A real week of extremes in New Zealand with ski areas reporting blizzard conditions at the end of last week, then fabulous blue sky powder days over the weekend. Fresh storms and a warm front started this week and caused havoc with more powder up high but heavy rain on the lower snowpack for several areas and a number reporting sections of their access roads washed away by resulting floods. Oh and 130km per hour (80mph) winds once again. So there have been widespread storm/repair closures through midweek. Things have settled down a little, with colder temperatures and more snowfall over the past few days and most resorts including Mount Hutt, Cardrona, Treble Cone and The Remarkables have re-opened on the South Island with fresh snow particularly good on the upper mountain. Alas, there's still not enough snow cover for the ski centres on Mt Ruapehu, New Zealand's largest resort - on the North Island - to open properly. Only beginner slopes are open at Whakapapa and Turoa so far. South America There are reports that some ski areas in Chile (including Portillo and Valle Nevado) are currently enjoying their best conditions in a decade after heavy snowfalls and consistent cold temperatures. How true the claims are, with no historical comparisons given, is hard to confirm but there are plenty of images with supporting stats of deep powder with buried cars and buildings at these resorts and others across the Andes. The snow has caused issues though; blocking access roads and heightening avalanche danger, although it's an improving picture there. Argentina's Catedral area by Bariloche is now reporting the most terrain open of any ski area in the world with 80km (50 miles) of slopes open. Africa Lesotho's Afriski remains open. Temperatures have been varying between -5C overnight and +10C in the daytime with dry and mostly sunny weather but the snowpack is holding up with overnight snowmaking top-ups possible as required. Europe Still very hot, hot, hot in the Alps which is ongoing bad, bad, bad news for glaciers which continue to find the freezing point high in the air above them day and sometimes night so the thaw of snowpack and sadly the ice below, continues. Only a few areas are open to the public, with limited terrain. These include Europe's highest lift-served ski slopes, above Switzerland's Zermatt, currently accessible from Cervinia too, and another year-round ski area at Hintertux in Austria (which claims the largest area open - 20km of slopes). Italy's Passo Stelvio is also open, as is Saas-Fee, with about half of its usual summer terrain skiable. It could be argued that Saas-Fee is the first area to open for the 22-23 ski season! Up in Scandinavia, the Stryn glacier has ended its season and Galghoppigen closed temporarily leaving only Fonna currently open and also reporting warm weather. North America Just as you can claim Saas Fee is the first resort to open for the 22-23 season, depending on how you look at things, you could also argue Timberline in Oregon is the last area in the world still open from the 21-22 season. Of course, again, Hintertux and Zermatt are too, but as they both aim to open year-round they don't really have a start or end to their seasons. It has been another hot, sunny week in the Pacific Northwest and the snowpack is thawing, but still lying a couple of metres (six feet) thick up high and there should be about a month more of the season there. Copper Mountain also has a snow park open in Colorado but only for those enrolled in private camps. A similar facility on the Blackcomb Glacier above whistler which reopened for the first time in three years has now ended its 2022 season. Asia Japan's Gassan summer ski centre, believed to be the only one still open in Asia, is just about still skiable, but it's getting more marginal and we're probably about at the end – closure date is "end of July" so perhaps a week more. Temperatures have been in the 20s and snow cover has gone from the main slopes but you can just about make a descent using one of two T Bars and a bit of hiking from above the main chairlift up from the valley. |
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J2Ski Snow Report 14th July 2022
Mount Hutt, New Zealand looking pretty good this week... Lots of snow in the southern hemisphere, warm in the northern. Wait! What? A Snow Report in the 'summer'? Yes, in a break to our approach of many years - and thanks to our many new readers from Australia and New Zealand, where it's now winter, we're going to trial running our weekly snow reports all year around. Clearly, the weather gods got wind of our plan and have been delivering the goods... The Snow Headlines - 14th July - Big snow in the Andes; resorts report up to 90cm (three feet) of snowfall in past week. - Hot weather in the Alps closes all French summer glacier ski areas. - Major storms close New Zealand ski slopes but bring plenty more snowfall. - Sole ski area still open for 21-22 in North America extends season to "late August". - Saas Fee opening for 2022-23 season but initially only to race teams. 
Incoming for New Zealand (again)...
World Overview Winter is in full swing on the ski slopes of the southern hemisphere and the past week has seen some big snowfalls in the Andes of South America and on the ski slopes of New Zealand, bringing plenty of powder to both - and there's more on the way. Ski areas in Australia meanwhile are in good shape from earlier falls and are now running at capacity. In the northern hemisphere, the summer sun is making its presence felt and having a severe impact on Alpine glaciers in Europe leaving an all-time low number of centres able to open for summer skiing. There was though a little fresh snowfall up high on glaciers in Austria, Germany and Switzerland at the weekend. It's hot too in Japan and the US but ski slopes are still open in both countries. With one centre open in southern Africa too, it means lift-accessed skiing remains possible on six continents at present. Australia After two stop-start seasons (mostly stop, unfortunately) through the pandemic, Australia has been enjoying a great winter 2022 to date with big snowfalls at the start of last month helping build bases then predominantly cold weather since, with plenty of sunshine but also light to moderate snowfalls topping up cover. That's been the case again this past week and most of the country's ski areas are now fully open (or almost so) with the busy school holiday period underway. Mount Baw Baw posted 20cm of fresh snow on Tuesday, the largest reported accumulation. The country's biggest resort, Perisher, has more than 60km of slopes open while Thredbo is posting the deepest base in the country at 1.1 metres. New Zealand Conditions were already pretty good across New Zealand with most resorts reporting decent snow depths and most terrain open but the past few days have seen a major storm system dump several feet of snow on many centres, temporarily closing resorts while the storm blew through and access roads and lifts were dug out. So with the weather remaining cold and frequently snowy, it's looking good at almost all of the country's ski areas including Mount Hutt, Cardrona, Treble Cone and Coronet Peak. On the North Island, there has been a week's delay to the season start at Turoa but that will now hopefully happen this coming weekend after plenty of fresh snow on Mount Ruapehu. The volcanic activity alert in the region which had been on level 2, meaning a 2km exclusion zone around the crater, encroaching a little way onto the ski field, has been lowered to level one so that's additional good news for the season start. South America After a bit of a stop-start first month of the South American ski season with early snowfalls not really being built upon, things have improved dramatically this week with many resorts in the region reporting a metre or more of light Andean powder dumping on their slopes and creating some of the best conditions in years – not that many skiers have been able to get there the past few winters. Indeed resorts including Portillo, Valle Nevado and Las Lenas are really only opening for the first time in three seasons. But borders are now open again and travel in to enjoy the powder is possible once more. Africa Lesotho's small Afriski centre remains open and after a fresh natural snowfall at the start of the month, it is back to relying on its machine-made snow cover. South Africa's only ski area Tiffindell unfortunately remains closed for the third successive season but there's talk of its re-opening in 2023. Europe It's believed to be the worst summer on record for summer skiing in the Alps with just three areas still open and each of them struggling to open all of their normal summer terrain. The mountains are suffering a double whammy of below-average winter snowfall lying on the glaciers then hit by record high temperatures for much of spring and early summer. All three French summer ski areas – Les 2 Alpes, Tignes and Val d'Isere have closed early (well Val d'Isere decided not to open). This past week has seen more of the same, with temperatures again hitting 20C at 2,000m and 10C at 3,000m. The three glaciers still open are Austria's Hintertux, Italy's Passo Stelvio and Zermatt in Switzerland (which can also be accessed from Cervinia in Italy at present). A fourth glacier, Saas-Fee, is due to open this weekend for its 22-23 season, but initially, because of conditions, will only allow team training on about half of its usual area, with no public access. All that being said, there was actually a 5-15cm snowfall up high on glaciers last weekend, not unusual and not likely to change the overall direction, but a brief respite at least. Further north three small ski areas are open in Norway, which had a snowier winter than the Alps and conditions are generally reported to be better. One of these, Stryn, will end its 2022 season at the end of the weekend though. North America The permanent snowfield at Timberline on Mt Hood in Oregon is the only ski area open to the public in North America in July. The weather has been hot, sunny and dry but fortunately big snowfalls in spring built bases five metres (17 feet) deep in May and two months later there's still more than half of that left. So much so that the centre has extended its expected season to "late August" over the past week. If you sign up for a private camp you can also ski or board on snow terrain still open and lift-accessed above Copper Mountain in Colorado and on the Blackcomb glacier above Whistler in BC, Canada. Asia The only lift-accessed skiing still open in Asia is the Gassan snowfield in Japan. It's lost three-quarters of the eight-metre snow-depth it had when it opened for its 2022 season in April and its main lifts and runs have closed for the season, but still has limited skiing and boarding on its upper slopes, some of it hike-to after using the T Bar to get most of the way up. It's aiming to stay open to the end of July. |
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J2Ski Snow Report July 2022
So that was Perisher, Australia, last week... not too shabby at all! Great conditions in Australia! The Snow Headlines - July 2022 - Molltal and Val d'Isere decide not to open for summer skiing due to poor conditions. - Best start to winter for more than 20 years in Australia after big June snowfall. - Canada's Sunshine ski area opens in July for first time since 1991. - Norway's glacier areas say summer skiing 2022 good, thanks to 21-22 snowfall and cool June. - Whistler re-opens Blackcomb glacier for summer skiing, for first time in three years. - After a warm May a big snowstorm arrives with perfect timing for NZ's season start. - Deepest base in the world for June is at Fonna in Norway at over 7 metres. - Asia's 21-22 ski season ends in July with the last open area in Japan due to close. We are now into full winter, or summer, depending on which half of the world you're looking at. Ski areas in the southern hemisphere are rapidly approaching the peak of the 2022 season and those in the northern hemisphere are heading for what will probably be the hottest days of summer (if they've not already occurred). With the summer solstice behind us in the northern hemisphere, the days are now getting a little shorter and we're on the downhill track to next winter. June saw spectacular snowfalls first in the Andes, then Australia and finally New Zealand, with ski areas in each posting up to a metre accumulation. This was perfectly timed – pretty much - for the season starts with some Aussie areas opening early and deeming the start of winter 2022 the best in over 20 years. In New Zealand, it was more relief after an unusually warm May and early June gave way to a major Antarctic snowstorm. Only in the Andes was the snowfall a bit early for some and accumulated levels had dropped before resorts opened later in the month. But the main relief, besides the arrival of snowfall, across the southern hemisphere, was the return of international guests, in most cases for the first time in 3 years. Back in the northern hemisphere, June was another hot month at times in the Alps and Val d'Isere caused a surprise when it announced it wasn't opening for summer skiing this year due to poor conditions. Neighbouring Tignes did open but warned conditions are so marginal it could close again at any time. Further north in Scandinavia it's a better picture, apparently. There are ten centres (providing access to nine glaciers) open in Europe altogether. Elsewhere there's one centre open each for July in Asia and North America. Japan's Gassan is expected to close for 2022 during July but Timberline in the US aims to stay open until September. Actually in North America, three other areas are open as we start July, with two open just to those booked in summer ski camps and Sunshine near Banff re-opening for skiing in July – until this Sunday 3rd at least – for the first time in more than three decades. 
Incoming for South America...
Southern Hemisphere The vast majority of ski areas in South America are now open and perhaps the first point to note is that this is the first fairly-normal-starting season since 2019, with pandemic restrictions in the main ski nations of South America, Southern Africa, Australia and New Zealand eased enough to allow international arrivals, under certain circumstances, for the first winter in three years. Restrictions are still in place and they vary. In the Andes, there aren't many requirements in terms of vaccination but international arrivals must show on arrival at the border they have adequate funds and insurance to cover any eventuality, including medical evacuation, if unlucky enough to need it. In Lesotho vaccinated skiers can enter but the unvaccinated still need a recent negative PCR test result at the border. That requirement has been dropped in the past few weeks for New Zealand but still, there are restrictions on which passport holders can enter. New Zealand was famously open through the pandemic years for new Zealanders and for much of that time ski areas could operate fairly normally, just without international staff or guests. As to actual conditions, things have started well in most countries. Particularly notable is Australia where a huge pre-season snowfall led first to early openings at the start of June, then areas like Falls Creek being fully open earlier than ever before. June stayed mostly cold with more snowfall leading to some resorts claiming the best season-start in more than two decades. New Zealand had a more challenging May and early June leading resorts to warn they might not open on time due to inadequate snow cover. Things changed dramatically when a huge storm got here too and instead resorts delayed opening due to blizzard conditions and three-metre-high drifting snow! Things have quietened down and most resorts opened over the past three weeks but there's been a battle to dig out and make terrain avalanche safe. All in all, though, another promising season start. Across in South America, the Andes saw some good snowfalls in late May and early June but by the time resorts opened just after halfway through the month a lot of this had melted from lower slopes and the cover wasn't looking great. The good news is that more fronts moved in over the last week of June, bolstering cover here too. There's particular excitement for ski areas like Portillo in Chile, which opened a week early for the 2022 season after a 90cm snowfall, and Argentina's Las Leñas, which hadn't opened at all, or hardly at all, for the past two seasons. You can also currently ski in Southern Africa at Afriski in Lesotho on about a 1km run, mostly created with machine-made snow, although the centre has had some decent natural snow dumps too, most recently over the final weekend of June. South Africa's only resort Tiffindell says it will miss its third successive winter but hopes to re-open in 2023. The Alps The Alps saw some very hot weather in June, as in May, with temperatures at 3,000m reaching +10C, not great news for the glacial ice or the snow lying on top of it. Six summer ski areas are open as we start the month though, with a further two that would normally be open deciding to give summer a miss in 2022. Val d'Isère announced it wouldn't offer summer skiing this year citing record warm temperatures at altitude in May, and lower than average snowfall last winter meaning a thinner base than usual was thawing fast. Of course, with typical irony, it was actually snowing on the first day it had been due to open last month. Austria's Molltal glacier also decided not to open this summer, saying it will do in the autumn. Here it's not clear if the reasons are environmental or financial. Both have impacted its operations in recent summers. So where IS still open this July? Well, Hintertux and the Kitzsteinhorn are the two Austrian choices. The Hintertux still has nearly two meres of snow lying and claims the largest amount of open terrain in the northern hemisphere at present, some 20km. The Kitzsteinhorn above Kaprun is entering the final month of its 10-month ski season and is expected to close on July 19th. That's the same weekend that Switzerland's Saas-Fee should be opening for its 22-23 season, joining the year-round glacier slopes above Zermatt which can also be accessed through July from Cervinia. The other Italian summer ski operation currently open is Passo Stelvio, a particularly popular choice with race teams. Although Val d'Isère didn't open, Tignes did in mid-July, warning though that conditions were marginal and that it might be forced to close at any point. Skiers are warned not to buy a ski pass more than two days ahead and it has been closed several days already in its first 10 days of operation and is reporting only a 15cm base. It joins already-open Les 2 Alpes and both plan to stay open through July, hopefully. Northern Europe It's currently looking rather better for Norway's three glacier ski areas than it did a year ago when warm, windy weather led to rapid thawing and several centres closing very early. So far, touch wood, the Scandinavian centres are saying they got better winter for snowfall than further south in the Alps and that as a consequence they're hoping for a longer summer ski season this year. The stats do seem to match up with most centres posting 2-3 metre bases, about double that for centres open in the Alps. Spring temperatures have also been cooler in the north. The three centres are Folgefonn (Fonna), Stryn and Scandinavia's highest slopes on Galdhopiggen. Stryn says that its season will end on the 17th. Fonna is posting the deepest base of any open area in the world at present with the snow more than 7 metres thick on its upper slopes. North America There's only one ski area still open really in North America – the Palmer permanent snowfield at Timberline on Mount Hood in Oregon. Things weren't looking great for summer skiing in 2022 there at the end of winter, but a cold spring increased the base to 5 metres. It's now back down closer to three metres but that should still hopefully see it through July and, ideally, August. Elsewhere the Blackcomb Glacier has reopened for summer skiing and boarding for the first time in three years but has changed the rules so that only those attending private camps can use it. The same is true at a terrain park maintained at Copper Mountain in Colorado. On the final weekend of June, Sunshine ski area near Banff, which had only closed for 21-22 just over a month before in late May, announced it would re-open for six days to Sunday, July 3rd, conditions permitting. It's its first July opening since 1991, with the focus on being open for Canada's national day, July 1st. It says plenty of the nine metres of snowfall it received through last winter is still lying and its had fresh snowfall in the final week of June. Asia Japan's 'Gassan Glacier' sole summer ski centre which opens each April to July is open again and it is possible for tourists to enter the country once more, so long as they're part of organised groups. Gassan's base has dropped from over 8 metres when it opened 12 weeks ago to less than two now and it will probably close as usual in the next four weeks, especially with parts of Japan sweltering under the hottest temperatures in more than a century. |
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