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J2Ski Snow Report 27th October 2022
First snows on the autumn leaves in Big White, Canada... More early snow in Canada, US and Japan. The Snow Headlines - 27th October - Up to 25" (63cm) of snowfall was reported in the USA - The 2022 season ends in the southern hemisphere. - Colorado's 22-23 ski season gets started. - 22-23 FIS World Cup Alpine and Big Air tours get underway. - Sweden's 22-23 season is underway this weekend. - Snow in Japan and the Himalayas. Japan's season is underway. - St. Moritz ski season is expected to start on Saturday. 
See where it's going to snow next week...
World Overview North America has stolen the snow headlines this week with over two feet of pre-season snowfall reported on the western side of the continent with ski areas in Alberta, Montana, Utah, inland BC and Wyoming posting the biggest falls, but with everywhere seeing to get at least a dusting... and some snow for the east too. Colorado's season also got underway with the first centre open. It's a very different picture in Europe, with warm temperatures at high altitudes bringing rain rather than snowfall (although there was a bit up high) to glaciers meaning Zermatt/Cervinia joins Les 2 Alpes in cancelling planned World Cup events over the next few weekends. A bit more wintery in Scandinavia where Sweden's season started last Saturday and snowmaking machines are now making fresh snow on top of last-seasons snow-farmed recycled stuff. In the wider world, there's been snow reported at Indian Himalayan resorts and across Japan's ski slopes. The Japanese season has started with a small area at the base of Mt Fuji opening a run thanks to extensive snowmaking. In the southern hemisphere, the last slopes open closed for 2022 on Sunday although Mt Hutt still has a terrain park open. Europe Austria Austria's Hintertux glacier continues to offer the largest ski area currently open with 32km/20 miles of slopes accessible. Solden, which has the second-most terrain open, hosted the FIS 22-23 season World Cup opener on Sunday, with a men's GS race, after the women's race had to be cancelled on Saturday due to rain, snow and low visibility on the glacier. Four other centres are open – the Stubai, Pitztal, Kaunertal and Kitzsteinhorn glaciers – and they had a little fresh snow at the weekend too, although it is now dry and sunny again. Bases remain thin and terrain open limited but many have terrain parks in action already. Kitzbuhel had been opening in October using snow farming for the past few seasons in order to claim a 200-day season through to May, but that plan seems to have been dropped this winter. France France is the only major European ski nation without any centres open so far after Les 2 Alpes and Tignes decided to delay their openings planned this month because of inadequate snow cover on their glaciers. Tignes say they'll open if there's a big snowfall (no sign of that at present still) so it may be Val Thorens opening in just over three weeks' time that ends up first in France. There was a little snowfall up high thanks to the weekend storms here too. Italy Italy's two open centres continue to be Passo Stelvio and Val Senales and it's also possible to take a lift up to the glacier slopes above Zermatt from Cervinia. Passo Stelvio, which first opened for its 2022 summer ski season last May, is expected to close for the year in the next week or so. Val Senales is just getting started though. Both have just a few kilometres of runs and a very thin snowpack. In common with the rest of Europe, the weather has been warmer than average for late October up on glaciers and it's looking dry for the week ahead but also thankfully cooler. Cortina announced back in September they hoped to open some terrain late in October but that now looks 'off' after the mostly warm and dry October. Switzerland Four planned downhill World Cup races over the next two weekends, on a first-ever cross-border race course, from Europe's highest lift-served slopes above Zermatt over to Cervinia in Italy have had to be cancelled. Zermatt said two days of rain even at these high elevations on their previously year-round ski slopes meant the events had to be cancelled, although they're now planning for 2023. The centre is still open to recreational skiers as are nearby Saas-Fee and also Engelberg. The Diavolezza glacier slopes near St Moritz are also due to open this weekend but it looks like plans to open the Gemsstock slopes above Andermatt won't happen this weekend as originally hoped due to the recent warm and mostly dry weather. Scandinavia Sweden's Idre Fjäll and Kåbdalis are the latest in Scandinavia to open, using snow farming. But it feels much more like winter at these more northerly latitudes, and these centres, as well as already-open Levi and Ruka in Finland, are taking advantage of low temperatures to make fresh snow on top of the snow they'd stockpiled through last winter. Norway's Galdhopiggen glacier is also open still but the summer ski centre is expected to close its 2022 run which began last spring within the next few weeks. North America Canada Canada had a good week with a return to winter in the West and some of the first significant snowfalls on higher slopes in the East at centres like Mont Tremblant. The snowfall in the west brought 15-30cm of snowfall down to base levels at many resorts in the BC interior and Alberta. So centres like Big White, Revelstoke and Sun Peaks all posted very snowy images, as did Sunshine in Alberta. Sunshine is due to open for the season in a fortnight's time but Lake Louise could be even earlier, hoping to open a week on Friday, November 4th. USA The US has had a good week with snowfall first in the East on high slopes before last weekend, followed by more significant snowfall on slopes right across the west of the country. The biggest falls – with up to 25 inches reported – were at resorts including Alta, Solitude and Big Sky. Skiers and boarders were reported to be hiking up to ski down at these as yet unopen resorts. One Colorado centre did open on Sunday though, Arapahoe Basin, more thanks to its snowmaking efforts than the fresh snowfall, although Colorado got some and is getting more (Aspen and Crested Butte both reported 13" accumulated by Thursday). Keystone has announced it is opening Friday and nearby Loveland is expected (though not yet confirmed) to open this weekend. The snowfall continued over to the west coast with resorts like Heavenly and Mammoth reporting their first dustings of the season. |
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J2Ski Snow Report 20th October 2022
Solden, Austria, preparing for the FIS World Cup opening races this coming weekend... A few US ski areas open, World Cup racing due to start in Austria. The Snow Headlines - 20th October - First three centres open for the season in the USA. - Solden to host FIS Alpine World Cup season-opening races this weekend. - Only two centres are left open in the southern hemisphere, both in New Zealand. - First snow reported on high slopes in Scotland. - Idre Fjall and Kabdalis due to be first to open for season in Sweden this weekend. - The last centres close in the Andes ending the 2022 season in South America. 
See where it's going to snow next week...
World Overview The 22-23 season continues to gather momentum in the northern hemisphere while the 2022 season is on its very last legs south of the equator - with the last remaining centres there due to close this Sunday (apart from one terrain park hoping to stay open into November). There's fresh snowfall to report on both sides of the world too, if not anything too significant. The biggest falls of 20-40cm (8-16") have been reported in the Andes, parts of Scandinavia and in US Midwest. October snowfall there isn't that unusual although the volume is well above average. It's here too that at least three small areas have claimed first to open for North America in the last few days – although they used snow-making rather than the natural snowfall to do so. Most of the world's currently open areas are glaciers in the Alps, half of them in Austria. It's been a dry and sunny week here, again, but there is some snowfall forecast for the weekend. Europe Most of the wintery weather in Europe this week has been in the north with some of the first snow spotted on high slopes in Scotland and more significant falls to lower elevations in Scandinavia. Two Swedish ski areas aim to start their 22-23 season from Saturday, using snow farming to create a few runs each. The Alps have seen a lot of sunshine and slightly warmer weather up high but that's meant great conditions for those lucky enough to be on the slopes already and there is at least some snowfall forecast at the weekend. Austria Austria continues to be where it's at for skiing with more ski areas open than anywhere else in the world. They include Hintertux – the only ski resort that managed to stay open through the summer, and now the only centre in the world with more than 20 miles of slopes currently open. Solden is also open, and plays host to the first round of the FIS Alpine World Cup 22-23 tour this coming weekend. The other open centres – Stubai, Pitztal, Kaunertal and Kitzsteinhorn are busy too, with several staging Oktoberfests, new season gear tests and unveiling their early peak setups. It's been another fairly dry, mostly sunny week, if anything a little warmer than it has been in the daytime, on glaciers (+4-+6C), although below freezing overnight. However, a decent dump (15-30cm) is expected for many at last at the weekend. France Alas, France remains the only one of the big four nations not yet to have opened for the 22-23 season with Les 2 Alpes and Tignes both reporting some snowfall but not enough to open, as both had hoped to by now. The past few days have seen an Indian summer with temperatures a little warmer than they had been too. But the coming week is looking colder and potentially snowier. This could be the first year in more than 50 with no French area open in October, although Tignes say they will open as soon as they get enough snowfall. Italy Two Italian ski areas remain open with thin cover – Passo Stelvio and Val Senales. The latter has been hosting a lot of the world's top ski racers for pre-season training in recent weeks including the Italian and US World Cup teams. It's also possible to reach Zermatt's glacier slopes from Cervinia. The weather has been mostly dry and sunny but getting below freezing overnight and not too high above, up on the glaciers, in the daytime. Switzerland Engelberg, Saas Fee and Zermatt remain the three open options in Switzerland with The Diavolezza glacier near St Moritz and Andermatt hoping to join them at the end of next week. The country has had the same predominantly dry and sunny weather that the rest of the Alps have had the last seven days, but snowfall is also expected here at the weekend. Saas Fee and Zermatt are also among just a few ski areas worldwide reporting more than a metre of snow lying. Zermatt continues to build up to hopefully hosting the new cross-border downhill speed season-opening World Cup races from the weekend after next. Scandinavia Sweden's 22-23 ski season is due to kick off this weekend with Idre Fjäll and Kåbdalis ski areas set to open thanks to snow farming – spreading snow saved from last season back out on the slopes now temperatures are dropping. They'll join Finland's Levi and Ruka, which opened a fortnight ago using the same technique, and Norway's Galdhopiggen summer ski area which is open for a few more weeks before its stop-start 2022 season ends. Scandinavia has felt the most wintery place in Europe over the last week with cold weather and snow showers down to mid-mountain at many ski areas when much of the rest of the continent has been predominantly sunny. North America For the second time in three winters, ski areas in the US Midwest have claimed the first spot in the race to open for the ski season. Cold temperatures allowed ski areas in Minnesota to fire up snow-making systems and within 72 hours the first, Wild Mountain, had opened a small area with terrain park features and a second centre opened within an hour on Tuesday, then a third on Wednesday. Wild Mountain had been first in North America in 2020 too. The Midwest also reported the most North American snow this week, with up to 18" (45cm) reported in Michigan, but so far the centres open have been in areas that haven't seen natural snowfalls. It's continued dry further west and some Colorado ski areas like Arapahoe Basin and Loveland look close to opening, but no announcement yet. It could change any time though and there's a decent dump of snow finally forecast for the Rockies in the next few days which could really change things for the better if it arrives as anticipated. Southern Hemisphere We are down to two centres still open in the southern hemisphere although more fresh snowfalls have been reported up high in the Andes in the past few days, where the last centres still open for winter 22 closed last weekend. Mount Hutt and Whakapapa are in the final days of their 2022 seasons, both closing on Sunday. Mt Hutt has the much deeper snowpack and still what's currently the second most terrain open anywhere in the world – 31km/19 miles. After the main runs close it is planning to keep a terrain park open for 2-3 weeks into November. |
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J2Ski are delighted to announce that we're going to be working with WeMountain, to encourage increased safety education amongst recreational backcountry and off-piste skiers and boarders.
WEMOUNTAIN LAUNCHES THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL BACKCOUNTRY SAFETY TRAINING PROGRAM WEMountain, the future of mountain safety education, last year launched the first international mountain safety program. 
Combining online courses (E-Learning) and terrain experiences (T-Learning), the program caters to practitioners of all levels, from occasional backcountry skiers to experienced freeriders and tourers. The Freeride World Tour has made the first course of the series, OFFPISTE Digital, mandatory for all licence holders. Available in English and French, the courses were designed by mountain guides, ski instructors and experts from all disciplines involved in backcountry safety and risk management: nutrition, sport psychology, weather, snow science, first aid and education. T-Learning courses are currently offered in six countries: Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Spain. They are taught by IFMGA mountain guides, touring guides and certified ski instructors who have completed WEMountain's instructor training. Learn where and when you want Thanks to WEMountain, backcountry enthusiasts can now learn – in their free time and without having to travel – how to stay safe in the mountains and how to react if an avalanche occurs. 
Accessible to everyone, the WEMountain method is progressive, fun and based on a simple, universal language that enables clear, borderless communication. How it works After completing the online course, participants put their knowledge into practice during a day of training in the mountains. The first part focuses on knowing yourself and your environment, followed by risk assessment and terrain identification in the afternoon. At the end of the day, participants learn how to manage a crisis situation and search for burial victims. Why we need it • Approximately 200 people die in avalanches each year in the Alps, the US and Canada. • 90% of fatal avalanches are triggered by the victim or someone in their party. • 1 in 2 avalanche victims die. • The number of freeride and backcountry enthusiasts is increasing every year. • Access to off-piste areas is easier than ever. • More and more people own rescue and survival gear. Training teaches how to use the gear, but more importantly, how to assess and prevent risk, so that it never has to be used in the first place. For WEMountain, the most valuable safety tool is education: gear is good, but knowledge is vital! 
About WEMountain WEMountain is the future of mountain safety education. Based in Lausanne, Switzerland, the startup behind the program, Smart Sports, was founded to save lives and reduce risk by providing unique training courses and an exceptional client experience. The unique WEMountain ecosystem brings together all mountain stakeholders: riders, brands, resorts and instructors. It's an international community built around shared values of freedom, enjoyment and safety. Join us at www.w3mountain.com. Coming Soon - discounts for J2Skiers on all WeMountain training! |
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J2Ski Snow Report 13th October 2022
Kitzsteinhorn, Austria, now open... Finland gets going, more skiing on Austrian glaciers, and France waits... The Snow Headlines - 13th October - Ski season is underway in Finland. - Snowfall and snowmaking in East and West US. - French 22-23 ski season start delayed. - The last three areas open in The Andes expected to end their seasons this Sunday. - Fresh snowfall in Australia where all areas are closed now with 22 season over. 
See where it's going to snow next week...
World Overview The gradual change of the seasons means that the number of ski areas open in the southern hemisphere is expected to drop to two after this week, whereas we now have more than a dozen areas open in Europe. Finland was the latest to join the party with two centres opening there thanks to snow-farming last weekend. In the Alps, temperatures have stayed close to freezing up at glacier level and we're into double figures for the number of areas open with Saas Fee and the Kitzsteinhorn near Kaprun the latest to open to the public. There have been more light snowfalls but so far nothing significant. That seems to be why Les 2 Alpes and Tignes - which had hoped to open this coming weekend - have delayed. Les 2 Alpes had hoped to open a week later than planned on the 22nd October but has now postponed until late November. In North America, more and more centres have announced snow-making underway, now in the east as well as Colorado, but we're yet to have anywhere confirm an opening date before early November. Several of the "snowmakers" still hope to open in October if they can though. In the southern hemisphere the 2022 winter wind-down continues with just three areas left open in the Andes with its final weekend coming up, and four in New Zealand, two of them closing on Sunday too. That's not stopped the snow from falling though with Australia's ski slopes receiving a decent dump nearly a fortnight after all the resorts there closed for the season! Northern Hemisphere Europe Finland is the latest ski nation to open for the 22-23 season, with the leading areas of Levi and Ruka getting their lifts spinning on runs made of snow piled up last winter and stockpiled through last summer then spread back out on the slopes. A sixth Austrian glacier, the Kitzsteinhorn, has also opened for the season there and in Switzerland Saas Fee, which had opened back in July but only allowed access to race teams training due to limited snow cover, is now open to all. So we're into double figures for the first time since last May in terms of what's open. France, where at least one area had been expected to open this weekend, is currently on hold though as Les 2 Alpes and Tignes wait for more snow. The good news is it has remained cold up at glacier level, across the Alps and there's been more light snowfall as well as snow on high slopes in the Pyrenees, Scandinavia and on eastern European peaks. Austria Austria continues to lead the way with more than half of Europe's currently open ski areas operational here. There are six glaciers open for downhill skilling and a seventh (the Dachstein) offering cross-country slopes only at present. Although snow cover is thin and terrain open so far limited, conditions are generally fairly good with light snowfalls topping up cover over the past week and temperatures at glacier height sticking close to freezing. Solden, which hosts the World cup Alpine 22-23 ski racing season opener later this month has the most terrain open with 27km of slopes, a little more than Hintertux. Smaller areas are available at Kaunertal, the Pitztal the Stubai and most recently opened Kitzsteinhorn. France It had been hoped that Les 2 Alpes and Tignes would start the French 22-23 season this coming weekend, but Les 2 Alpes has now announced it won't open until the main season start in late November while Tignes has not yet named a date. Tignes issued a statement effectively saying the hot summer following a below-average snow season last winter meant that "although the glacier is still there," the autumn operations had been "compromised" and that it would potentially open if it got a good autumn snowfall. It has been around freezing and there have been some snowshowers but so far not enough. Les 2 Alpes had put pressure on itself to open by hosting the opening stages of the World Cup Snowboard Cross tour at the end of this month and the skiing equivalent at the start of November but the skiing event has now been cancelled, the snowboarding one set back to early December. Italy Italy's Val Senales and Passo Stelvio glacier ski areas remain open and, as with other already open resorts in the Alps, report thin cover but cold weather and light snowfall refreshing the surface over the past week. Cervinia continues to provide access to the glacier slopes above Zermatt. Switzerland Saas Fee is now open to all after being only available to professional race teams training for the past three months. The centre says that thanks to recent cold weather and snowfall it now has about 20km of slopes open, about five times as much as before. It joins Zermatt where anticipation is building for the first cross-border downhill ski races ever staged, opening the 22-23 World Cup speed racing circuit a month earlier than before. Scandinavia Ruka and Levi have both opened for their 2022-23 seasons, which run for seven months through to May 2023. They use snowfarming techniques to create runs a few kilometres long initially. They join the Galdhopiggen glacier summer ski area in Norway which is in its final month of 2023 operations. The weather in the region has been cold and snowy with resorts like Voss in Norway reporting snowfall down to quite low elevations. North America It's been a predominantly dry and sunny week across North America but overnight lows below freezing have allowed snow-making systems to fire up and there's still hope of an October opening somewhere on the continent. Among those with snow-making underway are the high-altitude centres of Keystone, Loveland and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado and Killington, Vermont, in the East. The two resorts to have named early opening days – both targeting November 4th – are Mount Rose by Tahoe in California USA and Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada. But usually, someone beats them to it. Southern Hemisphere As mentioned in our introduction, there are currently seven areas left open for the 2022 season in the southern hemisphere, most in New Zealand and more than half are due to close after operations this Sunday. It is the midway point in spring by the meteorological measure of the seasons. Chile's La Parva has remained open daily, the only resort in the Andes that still is, but Catedral near Bariloche and Antillanca in Argentina both plan to open for a final weekend of 2022 this coming weekend. The weather has been largely sunny but with overnight lows still getting below freezing – daytime highs in double digits above though. In New Zealand, it's the final weekend coming up at Cardrona and The Remarkables, while Mount Hutt plans to continue another week then keep its terrain park open into November. Whakapapa on the North Island is also aiming to stay open at least to the 23rd but snow cover is thin there and the centre's operators have also gone into voluntary administration after a tough winter. |
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J2Ski Snow Report 6th October 2022
The view from the Kaunertal Glacier, Austria, today... Southern hemisphere season just about done, northern is waking up. The Snow Headlines - 6th October - Four more Austrian glacier resorts open, taking the total to six. - Australia ends its 2022 ski season. - The first snow in Japan reported on the peak of Mt Fuji and at Niseko. - Snowfall in the Pyrenees and at Europe's most southerly ski area. - Finland starts its 22-23 ski season. - Most ski areas are now closed in the Andes and New Zealand. - Snowfall reported at Gulmarg in India. 
Light snows for now, but next week looks cooler...
World Overview There's been snow reported on every continent over the last seven days and with ski resorts continuing to open in Europe, but most centres, including all in Australia, now having ended their 2022 seasons in the southern hemisphere, we are just about at the tipping point when more ski areas are open north of the equator than south. We are back into double figures for the numbers open in Europe for the first time since May, but the world total is back down to just a few dozen resorts currently open. Northern Hemisphere Europe Sunshine has returned this week in Europe after a predominantly snowy one last week which saw snowfall on mountains right across the continent including the first in the Spanish Pyrenees and down as far as the peaks of Sierra Nevada, the continent's most southerly resort. It has also stayed cold up high which is good news for the seven or eight glacier areas now open and those due to join them over the coming October weekends. Austria Austria usually has the most ski areas open in Europe in the first half of the autumn and after a shaky start, 2022 is no different with five areas open now and a sixth, the Kitzsteinhorn above Kaprun, due to join them this week. The weather has been largely sunny this week so it has been quite glorious after the fresh snowfall last week, with temperatures remaining below zero on glaciers. Kaunertal, The Stubai and The Pitztal glaciers joined already open Solden and Hintertux at the weekend. France The French ski season edges closer and the fresh snowfall up high last week certainly helped bolster anticipation. Images of the Aiguille du Midi above Chamonix with several feet of snow lying on it last weekend were particularly highly rated on social media. There was snow across the French Alps and, for the first time this Autumn, down in the French Pyrenees too. Tignes and Les 2 Alpes are aiming to open their glacier slopes the weekend after this from 15th October. Italy Cervinia re-opened its access to the glacier skiing above Zermatt at the weekend, with less than a month to go until the two resorts are due to host the first cross-border world Cup Alpine Downhill ski races to kick off the 22-23 season. The Val Senales and Passo Stelvio centres are also open. Cortina d'Ampezzo announced it hopes to open from the end of October and the Dolomites did get more snowfall at the end of last week so it just needs to keep cold and resume snowing over the next three weeks there. Switzerland A mostly dry and mostly sunny week in Switzerland too after last week's snowfall with Zermatt the only centre open to the public at present. Engelberg's Titlis glacier is expected to open the weekend after this and the Diavolezza near St Moritz the following weekend. Saas Fee also has slopes open but continues to restrict access to race teams training at present. Andermatt says they hope to open for the final weekend of the month. Scandinavia Finland is due to kick off its 22-23 season this Friday 7th with Ruka and Levi ski areas both due to open 1-2km of runs a piece using snow saved from last winter by snow farming, spread back out on the slopes now temperatures have cooled for autumn. Both plan to stay open through next May for a seven-month season. Meanwhile, the Galdhopiggen summer ski centre in Norway remains open and reported 40cm of fresh snowfall in the past week. North America There was excitement in the Colorado Rockies with snowfall last weekend, if not quite so much as forecast. Snow was also reported around Jackson Hole in Wyoming. And along with the damage it brought, Hurricane Ian was credited with an early snowfall in the Blue Ridge Mountains to the East. In the last few days, Quebec and Ontario in eastern Canada are the latest to see snowfall on the North American continent. There remain no ski areas open in Canada or the US yet but Keystone, Arapahoe Basin, Loveland and Wolf Creek in Colorado are all candidates to open before the end of this month if they can. Arapahoe basin posted pictures of snowmaking underway on Thursday 6th October. Lake Louise in Alberta has targeted November 4th for opening – four weeks away. Southern Hemisphere New Zealand Most of the centres that had still been open in New Zealand ended their seasons last Sunday, but a handful of centres are still open and are benefitting from a late-season snowstorm, one of the best in the country in early October for years, that's brought a little snow to the North Island and 15cm+ to the South Island. Mount Hutt is probably in the strongest position with more than a metre of snow lying on its upper slopes and the plan is to stay open for another fortnight, then keep its terrain park open into November. On the North Island Mount Ruapehu, home to Turoa and Whakapapa ski areas, which have had a tough winter for lack of snow, says this current boost will help see them keep Whakapapa open at least two more weeks but say the season is now over at Turoa. South America South America is also in the final weeks and days of its 2022 season. The weather continues to get warmer although overnight lows below freezing have still been reached, it's just daytime highs of +15C that trump any night-time cooling. Among the areas closing last weekend was Cerro Castor, the world's most southerly centre down near Tierra del Fuego in Argentina. The continent's biggest, Catedral, near Bariloche, is expected to close this weekend and is down to about a quarter of its maximum terrain extent open now with a thin snow layer remaining. A few smaller centres plan to stay open for another two weekends, closing midweek. |
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J2Ski Snow Report 29th September 2022
On the Aiguille Rouge, Les Arcs, France, today... More snowfall in the northern hemisphere, and cooling too... The Snow Headlines - 29th September - More snowfall in the Alps, with 10+ ski areas expected to be open this weekend. - More pre-season snowfall in Eastern and Western North America. - First ski areas due to open for season in Finland next week. - First snowfall of the autumn reported in the Pyrenees. - More southern ski areas end 2022 seasons, in the Andes and New Zealand. 
Last blast (maybe?) for New Zealand...
World Overview The impact of spring and autumn is being felt on either side of the world. In the north it's getting cooler and there have been early snowfalls up high; in the south it is getting warmer but there have still been more snowfalls reported in the Andes and New Zealand. In Europe several high-altitude glacier ski areas have opened for their 22-23 seasons this week and more plan to open over the coming weekend. There have also been snowfalls reported above 1500m in the Alps, Pyrenees and other mountain ranges. In South America, Australia and New Zealand more resorts have closed at the end of their 2022 seasons and more will close this coming weekend, most by the weekend after, but some plan to carry on into November. Southern Hemisphere Australia Most Australian ski areas remain open right now, but most will close for the season at the end of this first Sunday of October (coming up) and the rest the weekend after. The country has had a fairly cool week with snow and rain showers and some sunny spells. Thredbo and Perisher in New South Wales still report the snow lying nearly six feet deep on upper slopes and Perisher's 60km of slopes open is currently the most of anywhere in the world. New Zealand Most of New Zealand's smaller club fields have now closed for 2022 but the country's larger commercial centres are all open into October. Although most will close over the next few weekends, Ruapehu's Turoa and Whakapapa as well as Mount Hutt on the South Island plan to keep going to later in October, all being well, and Mt Hutt has announced plans to keep a terrain park open later in to spring – potentially mid-November. The weather has been a mixture of typical spring conditions, usually starting around freezing but warming through the day, with rain and snow showers as well as clear sunny conditions at times. South America The ski season in the Andes continues to wind down and more big name resorts have closed, with Chile's Nevados de Chillan ending its season last Sunday and Argentina's Las Lenas saying it will finish its 2022 run on Friday, 30th. The weather is typical for early spring, with the odd sub-zero temperatures overnight and the occasional snow shower still too, but both of these getting less common as temperatures inch upwards and the thaw gathers pace. Most resorts still open here will close over the next two weekends. Northern Hemisphere Europe There's been plenty of early-Autumn snowfall reported across Europe's mountains including the first reported falls in the Pyrenees and more for the Alps. Another glacier resort has opened there and four more are due to join them this coming weekend when we should see the number of areas open back in double figures for the first time since early May. Up in Norway the one ski area open in Scandinavia reports 40cm of fresh snowfall. Austria Austria usually offers a far bigger selection of ski areas than any other European nation in the first half of autumn and 2022 is no exception. The only difference is there's a lot less snow on the glacial ice than usual so cover is thin and terrain available limited. But it is now cold and there have been more decent snowfalls this week adding 20cm+ so it is currently an improving picture and skiers there now enjoying a fresh snow cover rather than little more than grey ice scrapings as had been the case. Hintertux, the only area that's managed to stay open to its 365-day schedule, has tripled its open terrain from 6 to 18km and unveiled its terrain park. It has now been joined by Solden and three more resorts – Pitztal, Stubai and Kaunertal are opening this weekend. The Kitzsteinhorn and Molltal glaciers are yet to name their opening days and the Dachstein has said it won't open for downhill skiing at all this winter but has already opened for cross-country skiing. France There are no French ski areas open at present and Tignes has now given up on its aim of opening at least one day of every month of the year so no attempt to open 30th September in 2022. Instead, it hopes to open in a fortnight's time. Les 2 Alpes also aims to open from October 15th but initially for race team training only and then for a couple of weeks to early November before closing again ahead of its full season opening. Here too there's been cold weather and some fresh snow up high, improving the pre-season conditions and hopes of opening on schedule. Italy Italy's Val Senales and Passo Stelvio glacier ski areas are currently open, both with limited terrain open so far but with fresh snow cover. Cervinia is due to re-open it's link to the limited terrain that has re-opened above Zermatt from this weekend. There was plenty of snowfall up high in the Dolomites this week too. Switzerland Zermatt remains the only Swiss area open after re-opening a fortnight ago following a seven week closure. It still only has limited terrain open. The FIS have OK-ed their first cross-border World cup Downhill in four weeks' time. Saas Fee is still open but just to race teams training for now. Glacier 3000, Engelberg and Andermatt as well as the Diavolezza Glacier near st Moritz were all expected to open for their seasons in October but a serious fire damaging a key restaurant and lift station at Glacier 3000 has thrown their opening plans into doubt. Scandinavia Scandinavia has been seeing colder weather too and snow showers on the hills in many ski regions as temperatures have been hovering close to freezing. The only slopes currently open are those of Norway's Galdhopiggen glacier, but these are restricted to race teams training only at present. It does report 40cm of fresh snowfall though. Finland's Levi and Ruka ski areas are due to open in a week's time for their 7 month plus seasons. They use snow farmed from last winter and spread back out on the slopes to create runs and few kilometres long to get their seaons started. North America There have been more positive signs of approaching winter from coast to coast in North America with more snowfall reported on high peaks in the East for the first time at resorts like Lake Placid and in the West there's been more on mountain tops around Lake Tahoe. There's nowhere currently open in North America other than the indoor centre in New Jersey. Loveland in Colorado expects to start snow-making this weekend and is hoping to open later in October. |
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J2Ski Snow Report 22nd September 2022
Hintertux, Austria, has snow and is open... More early snow, and glacier openings, for Europe! The Snow Headlines - 22nd September - Fresh snowfall in Colorado. - Zermatt re-opens. - Two Italian glacier centres open, one to start 22-23, the other resuming its summer 2022 run. - Heavy spring snowfalls in Australia bolster cover for the season's final weeks there. - Norway's Galdhøpiggen summer ski centre re-opens taking Europe's open resort count to five. - Several leading ski areas in South America including Portillo in Chile end their 2022 seasons. - More Austrian glaciers plan to open for the season over the next seven days. - First snowfalls of the Autumn reported in the Dolomites and Tatra mountains. 
A little snow around the world...
World Overview It is now officially autumn by both the meteorological and astronomical measures in the northern hemisphere, and spring in the southern. We've seen mountains turn white in Europe and North America over the last seven days to drive home that point. The season wind-down in the Andes has continued to gather pace with several big name resorts, including Chile's Portillo, joining the list of those that have closed so far, and Nevados de Chillan saying it will close this weekend, while other big names like Argentina's Las Lenas have a week or two more of their seasons to run. In the northern hemisphere, things are finally moving a little in Europe with a second glacier opening in the Alps and one that had temporarily closed in Scandinavia re-opening to skiers at the weekend, then two more temporarily closed summer ski areas re-opening on Tuesday this week. Several more Alpine resorts say they plan to open in the next week. The weekend snowfall on high slopes in the Alps (as well as the first cover of the autumn for the Dolomites and Tatras) definitely improved spirits but although some areas reported 20-30cm up high it's not yet that much and concerns remain over the viability of season-starting world cup races planned for Les 2 Alpes, Cervinia-Zermatt and Solden in just four weeks' time. Each could do with a big snow dump asap. In North America, anticipation is up in Colorado after most ski areas there got a healthy dusting of snowfall at the end of last week on higher slopes too. Australia It has been a good week for Australian ski areas, other than a little rain going into last weekend. Since then there's been a spring snow dump to give a boost for the final week or two of the 2022 ski season down under, which has been one of the best in years for most resorts. Ski areas posted up to half a metre of fresh snow lying by Sunday morning, although at the same time their snowpacks have dropped on a week ago, as when it is not snowing, it has been thawing, with daytime highs hitting double figures. It was cooler after the snowstorms though and conditions are very good for so late in the season with 1.5m (five feet) average upper slope depths and most still having 90% or more of their terrain open. Hotham, Thredbo, Perisher and Falls Creek are all in good shape. New Zealand It's been one of the more 'stable' weather weeks of the season to date in New Zealand with predominantly light winds, and some snow showers but also plenty of sunshine and not much wind. Ski areas have been reporting good grooming conditions and temperatures dipping below freezing overnight but climbing to high single figures above zero Celsius by mid-afternoon, then dropping away again. The snowpack for resorts on the South Island remains good with resorts like Cardrona, Mt Hutt, The Remarkables, Coronet Peak and Treble Cone posting 1.2m (four feet) or more lying on upper slopes which should be plenty to see them through the season's final weeks. On the North Island, Whakapapa and Turoa which tend to stay open the latest into October in the southern hemisphere are still struggling to build significant bases this winter but it's an improving picture with more terrain opening this week after snowfall there. South America The season continues to wind down in the Andes with most of Argentina and Chile's resorts expected to close over the next two weeks. One of the big-name resorts, Chile's Portillo already did, last Sunday, but Argentina's Las Lenas plans to stay open one more week and the continent's largest resort by uplift, Catedral, until the second weekend of October. It has though closed a lot of terrain in the last seven days and no longer has the most slopes open in the world, that title passed back to Australia's Perisher this week. Europe Ski areas in the Alps got a big boost on Saturday when there was a thin coating of snow on slopes above about 1500m altitude over a wide area – from the French Alps in the west to the Eastern Dolomites. By Sunday snow totals on some glaciers on the Eastern side of the Alps had reached 30cm and the snowfall extended to the dolomites in the south and Tatras in the north. Italy's Val Senales had already announced it would open for its 22-23 season last Friday, finally ending more than a month when Hintertux was the only area open in Europe (and the whole northern hemisphere ...excluding dry slopes and snowdomes). The snowfall led to two 'temporarily closed' areas, Europe's highest slope on the glacier above Zermatt and the popular team training slopes of Passo Stelvio announcing they'd re-open from Tuesday (20th). The Galdhopiggen glacier in Norway has also re-opened (if only to booked teams so far) taking us from 1 to 5 areas open since last week. Hoorah! The snowfall was not a lot and was short-lived with most areas back to sunshine since Saturday afternoon but it is cooler and getting below freezing up high most nights. More glaciers plan to open in the coming week or so including Solden this weekend and Stubai, Kaunertal and Pitztal the weekend after. North America There was plenty of excitement in Western North America at the end of last week as a second September snowfall in the Colorado Rockies brought more snow cover to higher slopes in the state than the previous dusting. Loveland is among several areas hoping to turn on their snowmaking machinery in the next week with the aim, like Arapahoe Basin and Keystone, of opening for the season next month. California, which is in a multi-year drought and has had another long hot summer, posted its first storm bringing much-needed rain at lower levels and some snow to higher ski slopes too. |
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J2Ski Snow Report 15th September 2022
Mount Ruapehu, New Zealand, got a bit wintery this week... Last few weeks for the south, new season in sight for the northern hemisphere. The Snow Headlines - 15th September - Snow reported up high in the Alps including Zugspitze and Hintertux glaciers. - Chile's leading ski resort of Portillo says 2022 season will end this Sunday. - Italy's Val Senales to open for 22-23 season this weekend. - Loveland test snowmaking equipment ahead of season. - Fresh snowfall improves conditions at New Zealand's Mt Ruapehu. - Excitement in Alberta as Sunshine and other areas see good snow covering. 
A little snow around the world...
World Overview Probably the most welcome news of the past week was the appearance of a thin fresh snow covering on Alpine glaciers in Europe after the long hot spring and summer. This was not yet the kind of decent early-autumn dump we get some years, but something at least, and the unprecedented period of there only being one area open in the northern hemisphere should end this weekend as a second glacier area opens. There was a good snowfall in the Canadian Rockies too. The season continues to wind down in the southern hemisphere with the first of the big name resorts south of the equator, Chile's Portillo, announcing it will end its 2022 season this Sunday. Most of the rest will follow over the next three weeks. There's been some fresh snowfall reported in Australia and New Zealand this week, although also periods of rain in Australia and strong winds once more in New Zealand. Australia Australian ski areas have had another good week with decent snow depths leading into the final weeks of the season. Thredbo tops the pile with just over two metres lying while Perisher, having about 20cm less, has more terrain open, the second-most in the world at present with nearly 60km of runs open in fact. There was some fresh snowfall to start the week adding 5-10cm and temperatures have been cold enough overnight for snowmaking but it is warming up and the next front arriving is unfortunately expected to bring rain initially before transforming to deliver a decent dump of snowfall. New Zealand A fairly good week by the standards of this season in New Zealand with some decent fresh snowfalls reported and generally good weather in between although the familiar issue of gale-force winds did temporarily close some areas once again and avalanche mitigation work also led to some areas being closed to access. Mount Ruapehu on the country's North Island, where the Turoa and Whakapapa ski areas have had one of their most challenging seasons on record, was one of those excited to see fresh snowfall. They're aiming to make up for lost time by staying open to the latter half of the autumn, if they can, but bases are still not deep here. The numbers are better on the South Island with Mount Hutt, Treble Cone and others posting around 1.5 metres (five feet) lying or more. These areas reported up to 30cm (a foot) of fresh snowfall on Thursday morning. South America Another fairly dry week in the Andes, where the season continues to wind down, despite the ski areas with the deepest reported snowpacks in the world at present (2.5 – 3 metres) and the most terrain open (^4km/40 miles at Cerro Catedral near Bariloche) both being here. Temperatures have continued to dip below freezing on the slopes overnight but have been reaching double-figures above zero Celsius in the afternoons at bases. Chile's famous resort of Portillo says its season, its first full one since 2019, will end this Sunday whereas Argentina's Las Lenas will carry on to September 30th. Most other ski areas in South America will close before the end of the month although a few including La Hoya say they'll be open to early-mid October. Europe The prolonged hot weather in the Alps though spring and summer set alarm bells ringing that the start of the autumn opening of glaciers might be delayed this year. However two – Italy's Val Senales and Austria's highest glacier slopes at Pitztal - have announced they'll open this month. Val Senales this weekend and Pitztal on the final Friday of September. The news comes after fresh snowfall was reported on glaciers on Friday-Saturday at the end of last week, the first noticeable fall, albeit a minor one, for months for most places. At Hintertux in Austria, currently the only ski area currently open in the northern hemisphere, the grey glacial ice turned white once more. Several resorts including Norway's Galdhopiggen, Switzerland's Saas-Fee and Zermatt and Passio Stelvio in Italy are temporarily closed until conditions improve, which might be soon. That said the weather has been sunnier since the weekend, although staying cool up high. North America The big excitement in North America over the past week was a decent covering of snow on Friday-Saturday at the end of last week at a number of ski areas in Western Alberta and Eastern BC in Canada. Sunshine ski area near Banff, which usually opens late October/early November with natural snow cover, was one of those blessed. Elsewhere, particularly in the Western US, it has been hot once again and a number of fresh forest fires have broken out near several ski areas in California. Despite this Loveland ski area in Colorado, one of America and the world's highest, tested their snowmaking systems earlier this week, getting lots of media attention for doing so, with the hope it will be cold enough to turn them on and start snow-making at the end of the month. There's nowhere currently open for snow sports on snow in North America except for the indoor Big Snow centre in New Jersey, however a number of areas high in the Colorado Rockies hope to start snow-making in about a fortnight if it's cold enough, with mid-late October opening targeted. |
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