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J2Ski's Where to Ski in August 2023
We're not sure if this picture is current, but conditions are good in Portillo, Chile! August is a peak month in the southern hemisphere's ski season when all resorts aim to be fully open after snow depths have built through the first half of the season before things wind down in September, the start of spring. Many Australian areas have enjoyed a month or so of cold and snow (and sunshine), but there's not been quite so much winter for ski areas in South America and New Zealand, where the best are running around 70-80% open. But it's a constantly improving picture. In the northern hemisphere the heat has been building through July but thankfully August starts with glaciers in better shape than a year ago in the Alps, thanks to colder, snowier weather in the spring than was the case in 2022. There was even snowfall on high slopes to end July and there is more forecast for early August. Five glaciers in Europe aim to stay open through August if the heat allows. Two centres are also open in the USA, but one will close on August 6th and it's as yet unknown whether the other will stay open through to September.
Southern Hemisphere Australia Australia has had the best first half of the 2023 season of any of the main four southern hemisphere ski nations. After a shaky start in the first half of June, regular snowfalls and periods of cold weather meant most of the country's ski areas were fully open, or nearly so, through most of July. It's therefore currently looking good across the nation's ski slopes with the largest area, Perisher, reporting the most terrain open – around 50km of slopes – as we start the month and with a 1m+ upper slope base depth, a healthy start for Australian skiing. Falls Creek and Mount Hotham both reported they were 100% open in recent weeks but Mount Buller and Thredbo are not far behind. The news isn't all good though, unfortunately, with warmer, dryer weather dominating in recent weeks and Selwyn currently temporarily closed for lack of snow cover. New Zealand New Zealand has had one of its worst starts to a season in recent years with little snowfall and warm temperatures meaning ski areas either couldn't open as planned in June and early July or could only open limited terrain with thin cover. Temperatures in July were reported to be 2 degrees above the average. Thankfully the final week or so of July did see some improvement with a decent dump the weekend of 22nd-24th last month delivering up to a metre of snowfall to high slopes meaning almost all centres could open at last. The bigger commercial centres also finally have all or most of their terrain open, so August should be the best month of the season so far. Argentina A bit of an up-and-down season in Argentina so far too with some delayed openings due to similar issues to New Zealand, too little snowfall, particularly at lower elevations, and warmer weather than they'd like too (or cold but dry). That said, the southern hemisphere's largest resort of Catedral has had up to 95km (59 miles) of slopes open in recent weeks, the most of any area in the world in July. Las Lenas, which is one of those that's suffered from the early season conditions, has had more promising snowfalls at its base in the past week and is reported to have powder lying metres deep in the abundant freeriding terrain above. Chile Chile has also had a mixed first half to its 2023 season with few big snowfalls as yet and nowhere reporting all terrain open as we start August. It has been an improving picture through July with most areas opening more terrain and big names like Valle Nevado and Portillo reporting they're up to 70-80% open. Portillo, famed for its powder, is reporting one of the deepest bases in the world as we start the month, at over 1.3 metres. Southern Africa Unfortunately, there's not expected to be anywhere open for skiing and boarding in Southern Africa in August. That's more down to financial and political issues than a lack of snowmaking possibilities though. Lesotho's Afriski says that although they've had natural snowfall at times in July and have been making snow for a tubing run, they won't run their ski lifts this winter. South Africa's Tiffindell has not operated since the winter of 2019. Northern Hemisphere The Alps Southern Europe saw record-high temperatures in July and that heat impacted glaciers in the Alps where we saw +10C and above at 3,000m and higher through the daytime. That has inevitably led to a fast thaw of snowpacks, but August 2023 is starting in a much more positive position than August 2022. For now, four alpine centres are open and aiming to remain so through the month. Zermatt, linked to Cervinia, will be keen to show its slopes have good cover after closure last August and September ultimately led to the planned first running of World Cup races on the new downhill cross-border ski course had to be cancelled, but they're currently back on the calendar for Autumn 2023. Neighbouring Saas Fee has snow still 2 metres deep, Austria's Hintertux is open and Stelvio in Italy is the fourth option. Scandinavia Norway's Galdhopiggen ski area in Norway, with the region's highest lifts up around 2,000m, is the only ski centre still open in the region. It's hoping to remain so through to late autumn. The latter half of July did see its base diminish but equally some fresh snow flurries were reported overnight some mornings as temperatures hovered around freezing. Its base is still above a metre as we enter August so whether it'll make it through the month remains to be seen. By the end though we'll only be just over 5 weeks away from the first centres opening in Finnish Lapland for their 23-23 seasons, thanks to snow farming at Levi and Ruka. North America Mammoth Mountain announced on July 22nd that it would be staying open into August following the huge snowfalls there last winter. After a nearly 9-month 22-23 ski season it has finally named a closing date – August 6th. The resort received 715 inches of snow – over 18 metres - through the season. It's only the third time in Mammoth's 69-year history that it has managed to open for skiing and boarding into August. The previous times were 1995 and 2017. Timberline on Mt Hood in Oregon is also still open for skiing and boarding. Timberline's base has been dropping fast through the hot weather of July so it's unclear if skiing and boarding on its Palmer Snowfield will survive through August - but no closing date has been announced here as yet. |
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J2Ski Snow Report July 27th 2023
Mount Hutt, New Zealand, where winter has arrived... New Zealand gets snow, more in the forecast too. The Snow Headlines - July 27th - Snowfall on high slopes in the Alps despite record heat by the Med. - Mammoth Mountain announces its season will continue into August for third time ever. - Snowfall in New Zealand allows more resorts to open for the season. - Final French summer ski area closes at the end of 2023 run. - Chile's Lagunillas ski centre re-opens after fresh snowfall in South America. 
More Snow in the forecast for New Zealand
World Overview For the first time this winter we're able to report that ski areas in New Zealand have seen the most snowfall in the past week, with up to 80cm accumulations. The much-needed snowfall allowed some centres that had not yet been able to open for winter 2023 to finally do so, although inevitably the news wasn't all good with the snowstorm ending with rain at lower elevations causing saturation of existing snowpacks at some centres. Aussie, Argentinian, Chilean and Southern African ski areas all reported periods of snowfall too in the last seven days, just not so much as New Zealand. North of the equator the heat continues to be the main factor, but seven centres look like they'll remain open into August in Europe and North America. Mammoth, announcing an August (6th) closing date after a nine-month 22-23 season, is doing so for only the third time in its 69 year history. There was even snowfall reported on glaciers and high slopes in the Alps mid-week as temperatures fluctuated wildly in southern Europe. Southern Hemisphere Australia Australian ski areas are still in very good shape following the cold and snowy past six weeks. Perisher has about 50km of slopes open, around 70% of its terrain and the second most in the world. It's also one of the few areas posting a metre-plus upper slope base, boosted, as all Aussie areas were, by fresh snowfall at the end of last week. Falls Creek has almost as much terrain open and other areas like Hotham, Mt Buller and Thredbo all report great conditions and almost everything open for each of them. Other than the snow showers it's been mostly sunny with temperatures fluctuating between around -6 and +6C. New Zealand The long-awaited snowstorm hit New Zealand last week and continued through to Monday with some resorts seeing up to a metre of snowfall. It meant that some of the country's areas that had not managed to open like Porters and Mt Lyford were able to open for their 2023 seasons at last. Mount Hutt and Coronet Peak are each reporting the most terrain open in the country, about 30km of runs a piece, which also represents around three-quarters of their skiable terrain. That said, Mt Hutt was forced to close on Monday with the big weekend snowstorm trailing off to rain at lower levels which again saturated its snowpack – an issue that caused it to close for a few weeks in the latter half of June. Turoa on Mt. Ruapehu on the North Island reports the deepest snowpack in the country so far at nearly 1.5 metres (five feet) but only has about a third of its terrain open. They say that's due to issues recruiting staff though and they'll open more terrain as fast as they can get lift staff. South America Argentina It has been quite a snowy week in Argentina with Las Lenas, which had been particularly suffering from low snowfall totals, excitedly posting social media images of heavy snowfall down to resort level. There had been huge accumulations up high, apparently, but until recently it has been more rain and sleet at the base, limiting what could open. Reports of 50-100cm falls this week and pictures of waist-deep powder so it looks like the official depth stats have not caught up yet. It has though gone from 5 to 20km of slopes open, although that's still only about half the groomed total. South America's largest resort Catedral dropped its amount of terrain reported open to about 65km (40 miles) from a high near 100km, but that's still the most in the world at present. Chile Some fresh snowfall in Chile, heaviest on more southerly mountain slopes, allowed the remainder of the country's centres that had not yet opened to do so for the first time in 2023. Valle Nevado has the most terrain open, about three-quarters of its full area and totalling about 30km. Portillo is posting the deepest base in the country at about 1.2 metres (four feet). The past few days have seen a return to sunshine and some rather warm temperatures at low elevations although still dropping well below freezing overnight and up high in the day too. Africa There's been fresh snowfall and cold temperatures reported by the Afriski resort in Lesotho, but the centre is still not believed to be running its ski lifts this winter, just offering sledging. The region's other centre, Tiffindell in the Western Cape area of South Africa, has not operated since 2019 and shows no sign of reopening, for business rather than snowfall reasons. Europe Alps There have been some extremes of weather in southern Europe this week; Wednesday saw reports of fresh snowfall on glaciers and high slopes in the alps while temperatures remained in the +40s around the Mediterranean. The last of the three French ski areas that were open from early May to last weekend for late spring and summer skiing has now closed so that's it for France until winter 23-24 kicks off in October or November, depending on autumn snowfall. Tignes made it to its planned summer closing date although snow cover on the glacier had dropped from 5 metres in March to 30cm now. So we are down to four glaciers open in August, despite, so far, the intense summer heat – although snow cover stats are noticeably dropping fast at several and are now below a metre at Austria's Hintertux and Italy's Passo Stelvio. Switzerland's Saas Fee and Zermatt say their glacier snow depths are still up at around the two-metre mark though. The hot sunny weather has eased slightly and there have even been snow flurries reported overnight above 3,500m, but temperatures are still climbing to high single figures Celsius above freezing above 3,000m by the afternoons, back below zero overnight though. Scandinavia Norway's Galdhopiggen ski area remains the only centre still open in Scandinavia, up on the region's highest slopes, although the Fonna Glacier, which closed to the public earlier this month, still seems to be operating for team training. Galdhopiggen aims to stay open through summer to the end of August but last year had to close for around two months as it was too hot. This year it has been cooler (some more fresh snow flurries this week) and there's still a fairly good base of around 6 feet (Neatly 2 metres) so hopefully, it won't have to. North America It currently looks like we'll have two ski areas open in the USA in the first week of August. The day after last week's report was published, Mammoth Mountain announced it would stay open until August 6th, just the third time into August in its nearly seven decades of history. There are just a couple of lifts still open, operating out of Main Lodge daily, weather permitting and serving about three miles of runs, only now suitable to intermediate to advanced level skiers. The base at Timberline ski area in Oregon had been dropping fairly fast in recent weeks but here too it currently looks like operations will continue for at least the next week, with no closure date yet given for the resort's Palmer Snowfield on Mt Hood in its case. |
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Depends where it was found I guess... :lol: but we need more info! Doesn't everyone carry a fire hydrant in their backpacks? You never know when you're going to need one of those... |
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J2Ski Snow Report July 20th 2023
Galdhopiggen, Norway, probably the most northerly slopes open today... Europe's hot, New Zealand's waiting for snow. The Snow Headlines - July 20th - Saas-Fee opens for 23-24 ski season with slopes open to all. - Argentina's Catedral has 95km of slopes open now. - The last of the three French summer ski centres, Tignes, closes this weekend. - Some snowfall in New Zealand eases poor start to the season. - Norway's Galdhopiggen reports fresh snowfall as southern Europe suffers heatwave. 
Snow in the forecast for New Zealand - but will it arrive?
World Overview Winter 2023 continues to generate an improving picture for skiers in the southern hemisphere. Although there has not been fresh snow reported in Australia this last week, it's here that conditions are generally best with most centres either fully open, or close, following the good start to the season here in the latter half of June and first half of July. It's more of a mixed picture in South America with few areas reporting big base depths yet but the largest, Argentina's Catedral, is now about 80% open and reporting good conditions. New Zealand continues to lag behind the rest, still waiting for a big snowfall to really get the season going, but some light-moderate snowfalls in recent days and good snowmaking conditions mean there's gradually more terrain opening. In the northern hemisphere, it has been mostly about the heat in the US and the Alps but half a dozen ski centres remain open nonetheless. By contrast, the one ski area open in Scandinavia reported fresh snowfall earlier this week as it's much cooler up there. Southern Hemisphere Australia Australia has had a quieter week after the heavy snowfall the weekend before last. The weather has been predominantly sunny instead, although snow showers were reported at Ben Lomond in Tasmania last weekend and midweek in New South Wales and Victoria. Snow was falling as we published this week's report on Thursday. Temperatures have continued to drop well below freezing overnight, allowing snowmaking systems to fire up, and conditions are reported to be good almost everywhere. The largest resort, Perisher, is posting a 1m+ base on its upper slopes and around 50km of open slopes, the second most in the world at present. New Zealand The season is still not really taking off in New Zealand but it's an improving picture. The first month of the season has seen temperatures often warmer than ski areas need for snowmaking or natural snowfall and when it has been cold there's not been much snow. So the winners have been those with high terrain and snowmaking with most club fields still yet to open. The past week has seen colder temperatures and the past few days some light to moderate snow showers and most of the commercial fields are open and adding a kilometre or two more terrain every few days. Coronet Peak has managed to open the most; about 80% of its terrain now despite only posting a max 30cm base! Mount Hutt is not far behind and Turoa on the North Island, which has had the best of the natural snowfall, is the first to report a base of over a metre. Unfortunately, the next few days are looking warm again, with +10C possible before temperatures dip again next week. South America Argentina A mixed picture still in Argentina, with Catedral, the continent's largest ski area near Bariloche, now posting over 95km of slopes open, by far the largest in the world at present and the first time any area has got close to 100km open since early May. Most of the country's ski areas now have 60-80% of their terrain open and base depths of 40-80cm, but Las Leñas is lagging behind with about 40% of its runs open so far and only a base depth of 10-30cm. Up above the open lifts though the snow is reported to be 3-4 metres deep. Chile Conditions are slowly improving in Chile, although there has not been much fresh snowfall to report this week. The main thing has been cold temperatures, as low as -10C, so centres with snowmaking have been able to run these at maximum capacity if they wish. There have though been some light snowfalls reported. Valle Nevado has the most terrain open in the country, now up to 75% of its maximum. Portillo also has 75% of its runs open and is reporting one of the deepest bases in the southern hemisphere at 113 cm up top. Temperatures are expected to stay mostly below freezing for the coming week but again with little fresh snow forecast in the north. Further south though Nevados de Chillan should see some decent accumulations. Africa There have been cold temperatures – as low as -10C overnight and perfect for snowmaking – on Southern Africa's highest slopes. Alas, the ski lifts are still not running at Afriski in Lesotho and Tiffindell in South Africa appears permanently closed. So it's still just sledging possible at present. Europe Alps The summer heat that has seen temperatures top +40C in cities has been hitting the Alps hard with +30C in valleys and afternoon highs of +10C even at glacier height. So the snow cover is thawing but fortunately, there is much more snow lying from the cold and wintery spring, so things continue to look much better than they were a year ago. That's reflected in Saas Fee opening for summer skiing at the weekend reporting the snow is still lying more than two metres deep. With Zermatt also open it means Switzerland now has two choices for summer skiing. France is going in the other direction though with the last centre open for summer skiing there, Tignes, due to close for 2023 this weekend. You can though still ski or board Hintertux in Austria and Passo Stelvio in Italy, both aiming to stay open but seeing their base depths reducing quickly at present. You can also ski the Zermatt glacier by taking lifts up from Cervinia. Scandinavia With first the Stryn and then the Fonna summer glacier ski areas closing, that leaves only the Galdhøpiggen summer ski area, home to Scandinavia's highest ski lift, still operational. The centre does report it still has 2 metres of snow ling so may make it through the warmer months this year to close out its 2023 at the start of November as planned, all being well. Temperatures are much cooler here than in the Alps, much closer to freezing in recent days and weeks. The weather has been a mixture of rain, sleet and snow showers and sunny spells. Light snowfall was reported midweek just as temperatures passed +45C in some Italian cities to the south. North America Two ski areas remain open in North America as the US posts record high temperatures. Although not in the 100F+ range it has been warm and sunny in the mountains of California, where Mammoth Mountain still has some terrain open, and Oregon where Timberline's Palmer Snowfield on Mt Hood also still has its lifts turning too. Each has between three and five miles of higher slopes still open with the aim of remaining so at least until the end of the month. There is 4-6 feet of snow lying on higher runs that will hopefully last through to August now despite the warm temperatures. There's no real change in the forecast but it is still getting down to the low 40s/low 50s Fahrenheit on the slopes overnight. |
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J2Ski Snow Report July 13th 2023
Falls Creek, Australia, great snow and 100% open! Australia, Argentina and Chile are getting the goods. The Snow Headlines - July 13th - Argentina's Catedral ski area opens 75km of terrain - most in world right now. - Les 2 Alpes and Val d'Isere end 2023 summer ski seasons. - More heavy snowfalls in Australia, Perisher reports upper base over 1m mark. - Saas Fee due to open to all for 23-24 season this weekend. - Norway's Fonna glacier area closing. 
Oh look, more snow in the forecast for Australia, New Zealand and South America
World Overview The southern hemisphere's ski season has been gathering pace further with more big snowfalls in Australia and decent dumps reported for parts of South America too. The result is that the southern hemisphere's two biggest ski areas – Argentina's Catedral and Australia's Perisher – are the two largest areas open in the world at present. It's an improving picture in New Zealand too with more consistently cold weather, but bases remain thin and open terrain is limited. In the northern hemisphere, the summer heat is being felt on the 10 ski areas that were open this time last week in Japan, North America and Europe. Asia's only centre has now closed, and the number of French areas open has dropped from three to one. And one of the two Scandinavian glaciers areas open has announced its season end will be Sunday. But on the upside Switzerland's Saas Fee says it will open for its 8-month 23-24 season from this coming weekend. Southern Hemisphere Australia Australia has had another good week with 2-3 days of heavy snowfall (albeit delivered in blizzard conditions which closed lifts and slopes at times) bringing up to another half-metre accumulation. Falls Creek is the latest Aussie ski area to report every lift running and every slope open, including those served by the resort's famous international lift, which only usually opens for limited periods, if at all, each winter. Perisher though has the most terrain open – about 40km of runs, the second most in the world at present, and Australia's deepest reported snow at 110cm up top. New Zealand It's slow progress for New Zealand where the country continues to wait for a big snowstorm and consistently cold temperatures to really get winter 2023 going. As it is it's been mostly dry, with just a few light snowfalls, and so what is open – not a lot in most areas so far unfortunately – is largely thanks to snowmaking. Some that lack the fire power like Mount Dobson are still waiting to open anything. The best snowfalls in NZ have been have been on the North Island where Turoa on Mount Ruapehu reports a 115cm upper slope base and about a quarter of its runs open. Coronet Peak reports the most terrain open – more than 30km and three-quarters of its slopes – despite still having snow lying only 5-30cm (2-12") deep. Argentina All of Argentina's leading ski areas have now opened for the 2023 season and cold weather with fresh snowfall has led to a big improvement in conditions too. That's most marked at the continent's largest ski area, Catedral near Bariloche, where the amount of open terrain has jumped to 80km (50 miles), about two-thirds of the entire area and the largest area open anywhere in the world at present by some margin. Most other areas have smaller percentages of terrain open, except for Chapelco which is at 80% of its slopes open already, 30km out of the 36km maximum possible. Chile Conditions continue to improve in Chile with most of the country's ski areas now open and a good snowfall over the middle of this week bringing reports of up to 40cm of fresh cover by Thursday morning. Temperatures have also been low at ski areas, rarely getting much above freezing and dropping to double digits below up high overnight. Portillo in the north is reporting that its famous powder snow is currently abundant and Valle Nevado, currently with the most terrain open, says a further 10% of its slopes are now open. Africa There has been quite a lot of excitement in South Africa this week with extensive natural snowfall reaching places it doesn't usually, including big cities like Johannesburg. Sadly though, the country's only ski centre Tiffindell appears to be closed for good. Lesotho's Afriski is open but only for tubing and 'snow play' with no ski lifts operating. The centre blames an inadequate and unreliable power supply. Europe Alps The biggest weather factor for much of Europe at present is heat, and alpine valleys are seeing their fair share of this with highs reaching +30C at 1,000m altitude. Up on glaciers, it's cooler but still reaching high single-plus figures Celsius at 3,000m altitude in the afternoon - so base depths are dropping. Les 2 Alpes and Val d'Isere are reported to have ended their summer ski openings as scheduled last weekend so there are currently just four areas open in the Alps – one in each of the big four ski nations there – Tignes in France, Hintertux in Austria, Zermatt in Switzerland and Passo Stelvio in Italy. Saas Fee is due to open for its 23-24 season on Saturday and says its summer ski slopes will be open to all from day one. Last summer the area had limited terrain only available for race team training and was closed to the public due to the poor conditions. Scandinavia Another of Scandinavia's three small summer ski centres has announced it's ending its 2023 run. Fonna says this coming weekend will be its last until 2024 leaving only Galdhopiggen open, aiming to remain so through to the autumn and still posting a 50-220cm base. The weather has been a mix of rain, cloud and even some light snow showers at times. Temperatures are still dropping to freezing overnight, with daytime highs around +8C. North America Two ski areas remain open to the public in the US with a further two small areas – Copper Mountain in Colorado and the Blackcomb Glacier above Whistler in BC, Canada – offering private, mostly terrain park based – summer snow sports too. Mammoth Mountain, now into the ninth month of its 22-23 season, is the only ski area left open in California. It has reduced operations further this week and now has limited terrain accessed solely from the Main lodge. The Timberline summer ski area on the Palmer Snowfield on Mt Hood in Oregon also remains open. In North America as in Europe some very warm temperatures have been reported, speeding the thaw of the remaining snow from last winter's huge accumulations. |
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J2Ski Snow Report July 6th 2023
Cerro Catedral, Patagonia, Argentina, is now open. Australia looking better and better... The Snow Headlines - July 6th - More heavy snowfalls in Australia. - Les 2 Alpes and Val d'Isere expected to end summer seasons this weekend. - Most ski areas open in South America and New Zealand over the past week. - US ski centres celebrate Independence Day on the snow. - South America's largest ski area, Catedral near Bariloche, opens for 2023 season. 
A little more snow on the way...
World Overview The 2023 (southern) ski season continues to gather pace with Australia continuing to be the country reporting the most snow falling and consequently most resorts and terrain open. But South American ski centres and those in New Zealand have also seen some snow and colder temperatures meaning more have opened or in some cases re-opened thanks to the improved conditions. The heaviest snowfall has been in Argentina's Patagonia and the coldest temperatures in the Andes. Conditions on glaciers in the Alps and in Scandinavia are also reported to be good for July and Les 2 Alpes has extended its planned summer opening by a week or so. In North America, the big focus this week was skiing and boarding on the 4th of July - which four centres achieved. Southern Hemisphere Australia Australia is currently the stand-out of the four main southern hemisphere ski nations for seeing cold temperatures and plenty of snowfall for the past month now. There's a lot more in the forecast too, and the only real downside has been gale-force winds arriving at times, resulting in blizzard conditions. The country's largest resort, Perisher, has the most terrain open in the world at present, with more than 40km (25 miles) of slopes and all four mountains open. Mount Hotham is reported to have all of its lifts spinning for the first time since 2019. Falls Creek is posting the deepest snow in the country so far at 70-90cm. New Zealand New Zealand's season is gearing up with a big jump in the numbers open from a week ago thanks to centres that had been forced to close like Coronet Peak and Mount Hutt re-opening, and those that had delayed opening, like Treble Cone coming on line. The reason has been some (but not a lot of) heavy, wet snow and then colder weather that allowed snowmaking systems to fire up. So not yet out-of-the-woods and still limited terrain open (either "just beginners" or "suitable for experts only" at some areas), but starting to make progress. Mount Ruapehu's $5m financial rescue, for this season at least, by the New Zealand government also allowed Turoa and Whakapapa ski areas to open there. The Remarkables, one of the two centres that opened and has managed to stay open, since mid-June is posting the deepest base in the country at 72cm. The other, Cardrona, was forced to close for a few days by gale force winds, just to add to the weather mix! Re-opened Mount Hutt has the most terrain open at 14.5km, about a third of its full area. South America Argentina An improving picture in Argentina too with some more big snowfalls reported in Patagonia. Unfortunately for the practicalities of operations though, these are reported to have added to the 4m of snow reported to be lying above Las Leñas, but the resort itself remains closed due to too little snow at the base, where there's been rain reported. Better news though from the continent's biggest ski area, Cerro Catedral which has opened for the season albeit with only about 5% of its potential 120 km of slopes open initially and a 40cm base. Chapelco is posting the country's deepest snow at 75 cm. The world's most southerly centre at Cerro Castor has a 25cm base and 16km (10 miles) of slopes open. Chile The majority of Chile's ski centres have now opened thanks to fresh snowfall and some very cold temperatures, getting down to -10C overnight, ideal for snowmaking. Among the newly open is the famous powder destination of Portillo, reporting a 50-75cm base, with Valle Nevado, now into its second week of operations having been the first in the country to open, reporting 20km of slopes available, about half its total area and the most of any one resort in the country at present. Africa There was fresh snowfall reported at Lesotho's Afriski resort at the weekend and snowmaking continues but the resort isn't running ski lifts and only offering tubing and snow play this winter, it says due to a lack of energy provision. South Africa's Tiffindell has not operated since 2019 and currently appears closed for good. Europe Alps There are six ski areas currently open in the Alps although two – Les 2 Alpes and Val d'Isere – are expected to end their 2023 summer ski seasons this weekend, taking us back to one centre open in each of the main four Alpine nations by next week. Les 2 Alpes had actually planned to close its glacier to snow sports fans over a week ago at the end of June but decided to stay open into July due to what a tourist office staff member described as "superb" conditions. Similar comments have been made for the other currently open areas with blue skies, temperatures a few degrees on either side of freezing and light fresh snow showers reported overnight to freshen up the snow cover each morning. The areas open next week (and this) include Tignes in France, Passo Stelvio in Italy and the year-round Hintertux glacier in Austria. Zermatt's Klein Matterhorn ski area is open too with access also available from Cervinia on the Italian side. Scandinavia There are two small glacier ski centres open in Norway, both with a couple of kilometres of runs open and reporting great conditions. Galdhopiggen currently has the thickest snowpack in the world at 3.3 metres (11 feet). Folgefonn ("Fonna") is the other option. North America There were big 4th of July Independence Day celebrations earlier this week, which also marked the last day of an 8-month ski season for The Palisades ski area. That means there's just fellow Californian ski area Mammoth Mountain and Timberline in Oregon still open and planning to remain so, at least through July. Temperatures have been hot and sunny, and the snow is variously described as "wet" or "mud". Terrain parks are also open to those enrolled in private camps at Copper Mountain in Colorado and on the Blackcomb Glacier above Whistler in BC. |
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J2Ski's Where to Ski in July 2023
Perisher, Australia, has all four ski areas interlinked as of today... July is traditionally when the southern hemisphere's main ski season really starts to take off. Those resorts that have not yet opened for 2023 should do so in the first days of the month, while many that opened in June will be aiming to reach 100% of slopes open (if they're not there already). This year, warming ocean temperatures in the Pacific seem to be having a mixed impact with some nations (notably Australia in recent weeks) doing well, and others (Argentina, Chile and New Zealand) less so, in the early weeks of the 2023 season. For those in the northern hemisphere, it's more a battle against the summer heat to stay open for the dozen or so centres in North America, Europe and Asia that still are – half of them still going from autumn 2022, the other half being 'summer only' destinations... For July 2023 things are looking much better than a year ago when you could count the number of areas open on one hand, as spring and early summer heat last year caused most in Europe and North America to close or suspend operations. It is getting warm again but so far it's a brighter picture for summer skiing in 2023. Three North American ski areas are set to stay open until at least Independence Day on 4th July (two beyond) and there are more than half a dozen areas open in five countries in Europe as we start the month. The next major ski area to open, Saas-Fee, in mid-July, could be said to mark the start of the 23-23 ski season in that once open it stays open through to spring next year!
Southern Hemisphere Australia Australian ski areas had a bumpy start to the 2023 season in the first few weeks of June with some centres delaying opening runs, but successive snow storms and cold weather since the middle of the month have greatly improved things. The last fortnight of June was cold, and snowy, with even blizzards at times and Aussie areas are in increasingly good shape for July with deepening bases and more and more terrain open. The largest resort, Perisher, has all four of its mountains open, and Mt Buller, Hotham and Thredbo are also opening more and more runs and reporting powder days already too. Falls Creek reported 90cm (three feet) of snowfall in 7 days at the end of June. Selwyn Resort, which last operated in 2019 before being destroyed by bushfires in January 2020 and then rebuilt through the pandemic, has finally reopened for snow sports too. New Zealand Alas, the 2023 ski season did not get off to the best of starts in New Zealand last month with several resorts having to delay their planned openings and two of the first four that did manage to open some limited terrain forced to close again by mild weather and rain on lower slopes. On top of this the country's largest ski resort, Mount Ruapehu, was declared bankrupt after creditors couldn't agree on a rescue package. The final few days of June did bring some respite with snow on higher slopes, cooler temperatures and a $5m season rescue plan for Ruapehu from the NZ government, but much more cold and snowy weather will be needed in early July to get the season back on track. Mount Hutt hopes to re-open shortly and Treble Cone which had planned to be open for the last week of June but has so far had to delay say they'll hopefully open from Monday, July 3rd. Argentina There are mixed signals coming from Argentina after big snowfalls of over a metre were reported in May, but then ski areas failed to open on schedule in June. It seems that the snowfall was down in Patagonia rather than in the Andes proper and even here warm temperatures last month thawed much of it away. Las Lenas hoped to open for its 40th season in mid-June but has had to delay while awaiting better conditions on low slopes where there's been rain, although anecdotal reports are of the snow lying 4metres thick up high there already. Several smaller centres including Cerro Bayo and the world's most southerly resort, Cerro Castor down in the Tierra del Fuego region at South America's southern tip have opened some terrain. The last few days of June though saw resorts opening mostly limited terrain including the continent's largest ski area, Catedral near Bariloche, which has a few kilometres of slopes open for the start of July and aims to open much more with snowfall forecast. Chile It's a similar story in Chile to Argentina with most of the country's ski areas due to open but currently 'on hold' for their season starts. Portillo posted a good half-metre accumulation towards the end of last month but this was not enough for it to open for the final week of June as hoped, although it aims to open very soon. It has been cold but rather dry in most of the country's mountainous areas for much of the latter half of June, unfortunately. But ski areas have started opening, Valle Nevado first with 20km (about half its domain) open for July 1st. Southern Africa Alas, there's currently no sign that either Afriski in Lesotho or Tiffindell in South Africa will run their ski lifts at all in winter 2023. Northern Hemisphere The Alps We're starting July with five glacier ski areas open in four countries in the Alps (depending on how you measure it), with two of these due to close during the month, but another due to open in July, so if all goes smoothly, we should end the month with five still operating into August in three countries. Last July the heat of spring 2022 and low snowfall of winter 21-22 took its toll and most areas were forced to close early or suspend operations until the air cooled in the autumn, but this year things are looking more promising although it is currently warming up. France has been the only country with more than a single area open the last month, but the first of its three centres open, Les 2 Alpes, closed at the end of June. This leaves neighbouring Val d'Isere (closing on the first weekend of the month though) and Tignes (closing on the 23rd). Tignes currently has one of the deepest snowpacks and the largest amounts of terrain open in the Alps – around 20km. In Switzerland, year-round Zermatt is joined by Saas-Fee opening 20km of slopes from the 15th of July, the start of its 23-24 season through to April next year, although not promoted as such, there's just no plan to close between that mid-July opening and closure in spring 2024. Also open is Italy's Passo Stelvio with Cervinia providing access to Zermatt's glacier ski area and the year-round skiing at the Hintertux glacier, the only areas that stayed open right through the hot summer of 2022, is open as well. Scandinavia Two small Scandinavian glacier areas are currently open with both planning to stay open through July and to later in the year. Warm weather has melted snow cover and thwarted that plan some years but it's looking fairly promising in 2023 with some of the deepest reported snow bases surviving from a snowy winter 22-23. Folgefonn ("Fonna") and Galdhopiggen are your choices, both in Norway, the latter boasting the highest slopes in Scandinavia. North America Three ski areas are expecting to offer skiing at the start of July for the 4th of July weekend. Others may open at short notice – that has happened in some previous years when there was above-average winter snowfall - and a lot lying still by late spring and early summer. The two resorts that have been saying for months that they'd be open to July are Mammoth Mountain and The Palisades in California. For the latter, a big festival for Independence Day is planned but that's also likely to be the last few days of snowsports with the resort planning to end after a nearly 8-month ski season once the celebrations are done. Mammoth expects to stay open through to the end of July. That will hopefully also be the case for Timberline in Oregon which is home to the Palmer Snowfield where there is training terrain for ski teams as well as terrain parks for fun and freestyle training. If you want to sign up for a private camp you can also access small areas of surviving snow at Copper Mountain in Colorado, Whistler Blackcomb or Mont Saint Sauveur in Quebec. Japan Japan's Gassan Glacier, which opened for the season in April and aims to stay open as long as the snow lasts - is hoping to make it through July, with less than a metre of snow still lying at present. July is usually its final month of its season. |
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J2Ski Snow Report June 29th 2023
Falls Creek, Australia, looking like a great place to be right now... Powder in Australia, snow coming for NZ. The Snow Headlines - 29th June - 90cm (3 Feet) of Snowfall in 7 days at Falls Creek. - Three US ski areas aiming to be open for the 4th of July. - Las Lenas in Argentina closes after snow conditions deteriorate. - A cold and snowy week delivers powder days to Australian ski areas. - New Zealand ski areas struggle with borderline conditions. - Cervinia re-opens lift connection to glacier ski area above Zermatt. 
Some decent snow bound for New Zealand and South America
World Overview There's mixed news from the southern hemisphere where the 2023 season is gathering pace. The good news has come from Australia where successive snow storms and cold temperatures have created a really promising picture now after a shaky start with all areas open and each opening ever more terrain. But it's less good in New Zealand and South America where resorts like Mount Hutt and Las Lenas have closed again due to poor conditions. That said, the past 24 hours have seen some improvements and resorts have begun opening again - with more snow in the forecast. In the northern hemisphere, we have about a dozen ski areas still open with little change from last week. That's a lot better than the start of July last year when it was just a couple. But temperatures are warming up (even if there has been more snowfall up high in the northern Rockies!) and several centres including Les 2 Alpes, Val d'Isere and The Palisades, will end their summer skiing this weekend or next week. Southern Hemisphere Australia It's been a great week – nearly two weeks now in fact – of cold weather and snowfall for Australia's ski areas. All of the country's centres are now open and rapidly expanding the amount of terrain on offer. Bases are still not yet at a 'safe' depth to see centres through the season if there is a mild spell, but are now several feet deep in some cases and heading towards the metre mark. Last of the big names to open for the season was Selwyn Resort, offering skiing for the first time since 2019 having been rebuilt after a catastrophic bush fire in early 2020. Perisher, the country's largest, has all four mountains open but suffered a bit of a PR disaster when images of huge lift queues appeared online. It is looking good at Falls Creek, where powder days were declared on Sunday and Monday after snowfalls reached 90cm (3 feet) in the previous 7 days. Great conditions too at Mount Buller, Hotham and Thredbo. New Zealand It's not been a great week in New Zealand alas with mild temperatures impacting snow cover so much that two of the handful of areas that had managed to open, Mount Hutt and Coronet Peak, both decided to temporarily close again until things improve, while Treble Cone, which had planned to start its season last weekend, has delayed doing so. Midweek precipitation did see fresh snow on higher slopes but more rain at bases. The Remarkables has managed to open more terrain, thanks to the heroic effort of groomers and snowmakers they said. The other good news is that a $5m grant means the bankrupt and in-search-of-new-owners Turoa and Whakapapa ski areas can open this season when there's snow. Looking ahead, although conditions remain marginal, things are improving and light snowfall and lower temperatures have been reported since Wednesday. This has raised hopes of closed areas reopening and Treble Cone have said they hope to open from Monday. Argentina Mixed news from Argentina as well with two centres, including the continent and the world's most southerly, Cerro Castor, opening at the weekend but one of the country's biggest and first to open this winter, Las Lenas, closing again while awaiting improved snow conditions here too. Despite a big snowfall with over a metre accumulating in May, mild weather has led to most of that disappearing. Most of the centres that haven't opened yet plan to over the coming week. South America's largest ski area, Catedral near Bariloche, opened on Thursday but just a couple of runs initially. Chile There was a decent snowfall with 40cm of fresh snow reported at Portillo last weekend but most of the country's ski areas remain closed while more consistent cold and snowy conditions arrive. That is starting to happen and Valle Nevado was the first to open, on Thursday, reporting a 20-60cm base and about half of its 40 km of slopes open. Most of the rest of the country's centres are expected to open this coming weekend. Africa At present, it does not appear that either of southern Africa's ski areas – Tiffindell in South Africa, which last opened in 2019 for skiing and Afriski in Lesotho – will open for skiing this winter. Tiffindell appears to have gone out of business and while Afriski has been making snow when it has had electricity and temperatures low enough, it says it is only for sledging and tubing. Europe Alps The only real change on a week ago is that Cervinia re-opened its lift connection to the already open Matterhorn Glacier Paradise ski area above Zermatt for the summer at the weekend, making access to the slopes from Italy possible again. You can also still ski at Passo Stelvio in Italy or Hintertux in Austria. There are also currently three centres open for summer skiing and boarding in France – Tignes, Val d'Isere and Les 2 Alpes, but for the latter, this is expected to be the final weekend of the 2023 summer ski season, and for Val d'Isere there's just next week left of its summer season too. Temperatures have been climbing and above freezing by a degree or two even at night on glaciers over the last week, with lots of sunshine as well, although a few snow showers have been reported. Scandinavia After a brief re-opening for midsummer midnight sun skiing at Riksgransen in Northern Sweden, we're back to Norway's two remaining small glacier areas offering the only July lift-served skiing in Scandinavia. The Fonna Glacier Ski Resort and Galdhøpiggen summer area have two and three-metre snow depths respectively but are being impacted by increasingly warm temperatures making it more important than ever to make the most of early morning ski conditions. North America There's been more snowfall up high to end June in the Rockies with the Beartooth Pass closed by snow at the weekend – and up to 4 feet (1.2m) of new snow reported in fact. That's near the location of the summer ski area of Beartooth Basin which closed earlier this month. Three resorts further west are still open and gearing up for skiing on the 4th of July. Mammoth Mountain and the Palisades in Colorado both report their snowpacks still 10 feet (3 metres) thick up top and it's nearer five feet (1.5m) at Timberline in Oregon on the Palmer snowfield. For The Palisades this coming week will be the last of an eight-month 22-23 ski season with planned closure after Independence Day. |
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