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J2Ski Snow Report 31st March 2022
Snow-covered webcams are always a welcome sight... it's snowing in La Clusaz, France... right now! Winter's back! For a while anyway... The Snow Headlines - 31st March - Temperatures drop back down below freezing down to the valley floors in the Alps. - Significant snowfall in North-western North America to end March. - Fresh snowfall underway in the Alps to start April. - Some snowfall for Scotland, but unclear yet if enough for closed areas to re-open. - Ski areas in Alberta report up to 50cm (20") of snowfall in the last 7 days. 
Snow all over the place...
World Overview Europe There's a big change of weather as we enter April in the Alps with temperatures dropping and significant fresh snowfall expected over the next 72 hours for many areas – all potentially good news for Easter holiday skiers after the largely warm and dry March. The snow is falling over a wider area too with Scottish slopes seeing snowfall, albeit a bit too late in the day for some centres that have already closed early for the season. North America Mixed messages from different parts of North America with ski areas around Lake Tahoe warning of thin, old snow cover in places, while further north in Alberta a foot (30cm) of fresh snowfall started the week with another similar fall midweek too. To be fair even the resorts that were warning of thin cover in California saw six-inches of fresh snow on Tuesday so things may be looking up. Otherwise, the continent is divided, as is normal at this time of year, between ski areas saying they're closing earlier than expected due to a poor winter/spring and those – most of which are the bigger, better-known areas, saying they'll stay open later than planned due to good late-season conditions. Europe Austria A real change in the weather in Austria over the coming week with a return of winter. Temperatures have already been dropping as we've reached the end of March and will be below freezing right down to resort level in most Austrian ski areas (and across the Alps) through the weekend and into next week. Quite a change after the warm, sunny and dry weeks that have dominated through most of March. It's a little ironic as a swathe of the country's smaller ski areas will be closing after skiing on Sunday just as snow conditions are likely to be at the best they've been for a month, but that said many of the country's bigger areas will be staying open through the fortnight up to the Easter weekend and some like Ischgl, Solden and Obertauern are open to the start of May. France Colder and snowier weather moved into France on Wednesday and the snow that has started falling is expected to continue dumping into next week, the first of the pre-Easter holiday forecast. With temperatures back around freezing point at resort level and way below in the mountains, it's the coldest and snowiest it has been for the best part of a month. Most French resorts are open to Easter weekend and some of the big names like Chamonix, Tignes and Val Thorens through into May. Base depths are up to 2.5 metres and should start getting deeper for the first time in a month if these 30-60cm snow accumulations forecast over the next few days arrive as expected. We should be seeing some of the best conditions since February. Italy The forecast is looking increasingly snowy for Italy as well through the weekend with the warm, dry, sunny weather ending and temperatures set to plummet over the next few days. Here too, snowfalls could be among the most significant of the season with 30-60cm (1-2 feet) expected in both the Alps and the Dolomites. Most of the ski areas in the country are expected to stay open through to Easter and some like Cervinia and Cortina into May. Although the cover is fairly thin in most areas (1-2 feet), most ski areas in the Dolomites are fully open. The Cervinia-Zermatt ski area is currently reporting the largest area open in the country although that includes the skiing on the Swiss side above Zermatt. Switzerland After a mostly warm, dry and sunny March, temperatures have finally dipped in the Swiss Alps and snow has begun falling again and is expected to continue to do so at least through into next week. Accumulations are generally going to be light to moderate (showers) with sunny spells in between but a heavier fall is expected towards the weekend and accumulations by the end of the weekend could be in the 30-60cm (1-2 feet) bracket up high, good news for Easter week skiers. Some smaller Swiss centres have called it a day on the 21-22 season but all of the bigger centres remain open, most at least through to Easter. Scandinavia Scandinavia has stayed surprisingly settled this past week as the weather has turned more changeable across much of the rest of Europe. That said there have been snowfalls, including some of the biggest on the continent this week, with little Roldal reporting a 30cm accumulation. It's looking good for the next month or so of the season in Finland, Norway and Sweden though with most centres staying open, longer daylight hours and temperatures staying close to freezing, preserving the snow quantity and quality longer than further south. Pyrenees & Sierra Nevada The Pyrenees have generally had colder temperatures and more snowfalls in March than the Alps and although the end of the month and the start of April is more of an even playing field, the Pyrenees are keeping up with a period of moderate snow showers interspersed by sunny spells. Forecasting models predict accumulations over the five days up to Sunday could be as much as 50cm (20") for some resorts in the region with temperatures generally staying below freezing right down to the valley floors – unusual for early April. Some smaller centres have already begun closing but the majority including all the larger resorts remain open, most to Easter. Grandvalira in Andorra, the largest, reports about 85% of its slopes open and an average base depth of a metre. Europe's most southerly ski area, Sierra Nevada, posted an unusual maximum 5 on the scale of 5 off-piste avalanche danger warning at the start of the week, blaming the Saharan dust cloud for destabilising the snowpack. Scotland Scottish snow suffered badly from nearly a fortnight of warm, sunny weather in the latter half of March. The Lecht lost all its snow and is closed at present; Glenshee, likewise, announced they are closed for the season. With its funicular still out of action, Cairngorm said access to its remaining snow up the mountain involved a hike up to the snowline, and has closed outside weekends to preserve what's left. Better conditions in the West where the remaining snow at the top of the slopes at Nevis Range can be reached by gondola then quad chairlift and Glencoe continues to have the most snow remaining with much of the terrain still open although with thin cover at the base. The good news though is a dramatic change in the weather, back to sub-zero with the first fresh snowfall in weeks. This should improve conditions but it is not yet clear if it's going to be enough for any terrain to re-open with temperatures warming again, if not so warm as it has been, from the weekend. Eastern Europe Having been one of the coldest and snowiest parts of Europe for much of March, the weather is finally heading back towards seasonal norms in Eastern Europe with temperatures climbing back up towards +10C in valleys and above freezing on higher slopes too. Despite the warmer weather though, a few light snow flurries are possible and indeed expected during colder periods, interspersed with sunny spells. Most areas are still open and particularly down in Bulgaria posting good bases thanks to all the March snow. Smaller centres have closed but the well-known resorts plan to stay open to Easter weekend. North America Canada Some great late-March weather in Canada with significant snowfalls in the west and things remaining cold and snowy in the East. Marmot Basin, up near Jasper in Alberta, has done particularly well, posting two 25cm (10 inch) accumulations in the past seven days. It's one of the centres open to the start of May, along with resorts like Sunshine near Banff to its south and Whistler Blackcomb, which just announced that its summer skiing in June and July will be back this year for the first time since 2019, although now only accessible to those who sign up for private camps. Some of Canada's smaller ski areas have started closing and most of the better-known areas are planning to join them over the next few weekends up to Easter. USA Light to moderate snowfalls have been reported and welcomed across the USA from California to Vermont, giving a very helpful (and in some cases much needed) refresh of snow cover. Slopes around Lake Tahoe and down in Mammoth further south reported-3-6 inches of snowfall midweek, and there was also snow for the Rockies and in New England where Killington, one of several centres there planning to stay open into May, announced it was still cold enough for it to keep snowmaking too. As with most of the northern hemisphere, April marks the end of the ski season for more than 90% of US resorts with smaller centres already closed and most of the rest planning to window at Easter weekend in just over a fortnight or before. The snow's forecast to keep coming, so look out for our update next week... |
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J2Ski Snow Report 24th March 2022
A very cool piste basher helping prep for the RedBull Super Ski Scross coming up at Andermatt, Switzerland, this weekend. Spring in the mountains, but a little winter return... The Snow Headlines - 24th March - Another predominantly sunny week in much of Europe, most snow in the south. - Snow falls across North America but more centres end their seasons as spring starts. - Further easing of pandemic restrictions across Europe and North America. - Scottish ski centres close earlier than hoped as UK temperatures soar. Although Spring has got a grip in the Alps, we're in for a change at the end of the month... although the forecasts remain very uncertain at this point. 
Some top-ups on the way...
World Overview Europe The unusual picture of warm, sunny weather in the northern half of Europe and colder and snowier conditions to the south (east) has continued into a third week. Well, in reality, most of Europe has been warm and dry, it's just the southwestern and south-eastern corners that have seen more snow. There was just a bit of light snowfall in the Eastern and Western Alps (less so in between) but the main picture has been warm sunshine and blue skies making the slopes sticky to quite high altitudes by lunchtimes and pushing the snowline ever higher up mountain faces. The most snowfall has been reported in the Pyrenees and down in countries like Bulgaria again, although not so much as previous weeks, more in the 5-10cm total range for most areas. North America North American ski areas have had another roller-coaster week of repeated fronts bringing snowfall across the continent, but then warm weather troughs – sometimes very warm – coming between the snowfalls. It's not a bad start to spring in most areas, although ski centres have begun closing across the USA with a few doing so in Canada too. Still, most of the big names north of Arizona and New Mexico remain open. Against that, a growing number of resorts have announced extended seasons thanks to decent snow depths and fresh snowfall. As this is now officially spring skiing, the best conditions tend to be in the mornings and in the upper mountains. Europe Austria Austria's predominantly warm and sunny March - after its frequently snowy February - has continued with few areas reporting even a dusting of snow and most just wall-to-wall sunshine. What there was a dusting of, at the end of last week, was sand blown up from the Sahara... So with most of the country's smaller, local ski areas quite low lying it's no surprise that about a third of Austria's less well-known areas have already closed for the 21-22 season. Happily, though the bigger, higher, destination resorts remain open and the biggest areas like the Skiwelt, Arlberg and Saalbach regions are almost fully open with 90-95% of their slopes available. The country's glaciers, some open to late spring or summer, are posting the deepest upper-sloppe base depths with year-round Hintertux topping the table with 2.5m. France Everyone watching the World Cup Finals in Courchevel – Meribel at the end of last week and through the weekend couldn't fail to notice the green valleys and sticky-snow by mid-morning as temperatures quickly climbed to double-digits above freezing. So springtime is definitely here in the French Alps and the snow thawing fast. But despite the less than perfect late-season conditions and lack of freeriding opportunities the spring touring conditions are good and most of the groomed runs are open, with piste-bashers pushing snow down onto lower runs where needed. Italy Italy has seen similar weather to the rest of central and northern Europe – another week of predominantly sunny skies, temperatures getting above freezing even at altitude and 10-25C degrees above freezing in valleys. So here too most resorts are now in full spring sunshine mode. There's not much change in the forecast either, just the chance of a little snowfall up high on Friday/Saturday as a weak front moves across the northeast of the country, with the best hope of a few centimetres in the Dolomites and Trentino. Switzerland A straight sunny week in Switzerland too. There's a chance of a little fresh snow up high in the East of the country at the start of the weekend, but mostly it's full-on spring here too. Photos have emerged of some glacial ice already visible as the snow cover has melted off, so a snowy April would be a bonus. As with most major ski areas across the northern hemisphere, although it hasn't been a great season for snowfall, most Swiss resorts have plenty lying to see out their planned seasons and remain fully open. Scandinavia Scandinavian ski areas have not seen much snowfall in the past seven days either with plenty of sunshine here as well, in common with the rest of northern Europe. Temperatures have stayed closer to freezing than further south, thanks to the latitude, but nonetheless have been creeping to +4 or 5C in the afternoons except in the very far north. Daylight hours are also stretching out with 24-hour daylight only a little over a month away up in the Arctic Circle. All in all, it's a positive picture across much of the region with most centres here planning to stay open for over a month more to the start of May, and currently having all runs open and the snow in good shape. Pyrenees The Pyrenees have had a slightly colder, snowier week than ski areas further north in the Alps, repeating the picture of the past few weeks. There was some fresh snowfall through the week, although spring is making its presence increasingly felt with temperatures climbing up to double digits above freezing at times. Overall base depths are on the decline, unsurprisingly for late March, but most areas remain fully open (or almost so – 80-90% of runs) with base depths up to 2.3 metres ...down a metre on their high point three months ago, but still good for the final weeks of the season. Scotland Scotland saw the warmest weather in the UK over the last week with temperatures hitting +20C in places. Although not so warm in the ski areas it was warm enough. This was a mixed blessing with fabulous weather for snowsports but obviously also rapid thawing temperatures, particularly for lower slopes. The Lecht has lost its snow cover and is closed for now, as is Glenshee, having announcing their 21-22 season was officially over. Cairngorm has decided to close during the week with the aim of opening at weekends but says there's a walk to the base now and no beginner terrain available. Further west things have stayed open so far with Glencoe continuing to post the deepest remaining base. Eastern Europe Europe's southeast has continued to post the continent's coldest and snowiest weather through March and the first week of spring has not seen much of a change with fresh snowfall reported on the mountains of Greece as well as down in Istanbul. In the wider region, it's been a mixture of warm sunshine and snowfall once more in Bulgaria where snow depths are excellent for this late in the season and conditions some of the best in Europe at present. North America Canada Some snowy weather in both Western and Eastern Canada over the past seven days with ski areas around Banff – where the season lasts into May – posting 40-60cm accumulations and snowfall too in Quebec over on the East coast of the country bolstering bases there. Snow depths of up to three metres are still in place in the West but the first of the big-name resorts are getting into their final week or fortnight of the 21-22 season with some closing the first weekend of April, others the second and a third or so planning to stay open to Easter. USA Snowfall has been reported across the US over the last seven days, with March turning out to be a much snowier month than January in the West particularly. When it's not been snowing though it has tended to be warm, sometimes unusually so for March, with temperatures leaping to 10 or even 20 degrees above freezing and plus temps even two miles up in the Rockies. This is kind of normal spring weather of course, if perhaps a little turbo-charged compared to the average fluctuations. Most resorts in the south of the country as well as the Midwest, have ended their seasons over the past few weekends but some in states including Alaska and Colorado and elsewhere have announced the intention of staying open longer into spring with Vail open to the start of may now and Alyeska in Alaska, which has the continent's deepest snowpack at 4.2 metres, staying open weekends to mid-May. We'll have more detail on that snow expected for Europe next week... |
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J2Ski Snow Report 17th March 2022
Just some sandy avalanches in Lech, Austria this week... Sun, Snow and, er, Sand...say what? The Snow Headlines - 17th March - Jungfrau region extends season to May 1st. - More fresh snowfall across North America as start of spring stays snowy. - Saharan dust turns ski slopes and skies orange in the Alps. - Scottish ski areas lose snow on lower slopes but get fresh high up. - World's deepest base (in Japan) drops 10% in a week from 6 to 5.4 Metres. 
Some top-ups on the way...
World Overview Europe Springtime continues to gain a grip on much of Europe with sunny skies continuing to dominate and some glorious conditions on the groomed runs. That said there has also been fresh snowfall again in the Pyrenees and down in the South-east of Europe which has seen a second week as one of the coldest and snowiest parts of the continent. The Western alps also saw fresh snowfall to start the week and Tuesday brought an unusual if not unheard of phenomenon of orange skies and snow as dust from the Sahara blew across a large swathe of the continent, settling on the snow. It was reported over a wide area but the Austrian alps appeared to turn "orangest". Up in Scandinavia spring has brought great conditions for many with long days and temperatures still around freezing. Scottish ski areas remain open but warm weather has impacted snow cover on lower slopes. North America There's been fresh snowfall across North America over the past seven days, the biggest falls occurring at the end of last week in the West (but with more on the way) and over the weekend in the east. Against that good news, the overall springtime trend is inescapable and the first ski areas in the Midwest, West and East have closed for the season last weekend or announced the upcoming Sunday will be their last. More resorts, however, say they're staying open later with a number extending seasons into May, so we're still far from the end. It's also worth noting that an increasing number of areas are no longer requiring evidence of vaccination for employees or visiting skiers and boarders as COVID restrictions ease. Europe Austria It has been a largely sunny week in Austria, although some areas did report a light snowfall to start the week. The biggest impact on the bright daylight though came on Tuesday in particular when dust blowing in from the Sahara turned the skies an eerie orangey-brown and coated the snow too. Many Austrian ski areas are set to close before Easter, as is usually the case, either on the final weekend of this month or at the start of next, although resorts like Ischgl and Obertauern are open into May and several glacier areas later still. France There was some fresh snowfall in the French Alps at the start of this week to the delight of those in resort. Ski areas across the country reported 10-20cm of fresh powder to freshen up the slopes and provide a little boost to freeriding opportunities too. Otherwise, there's a distinctively spring-like feeling in the air with temperatures gradually rising and lower slopes in particular in full thaw-freeze mode through each 24-hour cycle, with thaw currently winning the day. All French resorts remain open, most fully so, and the World Cup finals are underway in Courchevel-Meribel, rounding off the competitive season for 21-22 less than a year before the 3 Valleys host the bi-annual Alpine Skiing World Championships in 2023. Italy Another mostly dry and often sunny week in Italy although there was some snowfall for resorts in the north and west of the country on Sunday and Monday and the coming weekend could see more light to moderate snowfalls on higher slopes in the Dolomites. The trend is definitely towards warmer weather and thawing snow below 2,000m with temperatures hitting highs of +15C in valleys in the past few days. Almost all Italian ski areas remain open however with good conditions on groomed slopes. Dolomiti Superski currently has the most terrain available. Switzerland A mostly dry week again in Switzerland although some ski areas in Valais and the south of the country reported a little fresh snowfall in the middle of the week, and there have also been overcast skies for much of the week across a wide swathe of the country. Snow depths are down a little on a week ago with Engelberg posting just under 3 metres lying up on its glacier, the thickest snowpack in the country, albeit perhaps half the thickness of an average year reflecting the limited snowfalls this winter. Snow depths are still good enough for most ski areas to be fully open now and able to see out the season. Indeed the Jungfrau region has just announced they'll have lifts running to May 1st after extending their season end date. Scandinavia One of the driest weeks of 2022 so far in Scandinavia and temperatures have been climbing above freezing in the afternoons for the first time in some more northerly parts too. But still, on the whole, good conditions across the region with most centres fully open and reporting decent snow depths - and the snow in good shape for the final 6-8 weeks of the season here. Myrkdalen near Voss is posting the region's deepest base at nearly 3 metres (10 feet). Pyrenees It's the second successive week that the Pyrenees have been reporting some of the best conditions in Western Europe, with the mountains there seeing several more light to moderate snowfalls whilst the alps have stayed dry. Temperatures have been a little cooler than further north too, although here too it is now getting warmer at resort bases. The last snowfall was reported on Monday for most and it has been increasingly sunny through the week since, although more snowfall is expected to start next week. Most areas remain fully open or nearly so with Andorra's Grandvalira having most of its 240km (150 miles) of slopes open, the largest area in the region. Scotland Scottish ski centres have seen some more snowfall – along with the usual occasional gales and rain – but the main impact of the past week, arguably, has been some warm daytime temperatures which have melted away the fairly thin cover on lower slopes, decreasing the amount of terrain available. But centres do remain open and there have been some good blue sky days for snow cover on higher slopes. Glencoe in the West has the deepest snowpack and highest percentage of its terrain open. Eastern Europe Remarkably, Bulgaria has remained much colder and indeed snowier than the alps to the north with lows at high altitudes in the Balkans hitting -20C at times in the past seven days and resorts not seeing highs much above freezing even in the afternoons. There was snowfall to end last week and further snowstorms in the past few days to add a little more. Base depths at resorts like Bansko has also been increasing in recent weeks, now at 2 metres, whereas they've been dropping in most other parts of Europe. North America Canada It has been a snowy week right across Canada with a series of snowfalls bringing fresh powder on repeat occasions over the past seven days. Things were particularly good at the weekend where ski areas in the West (Alberta and BC) and the East (Quebec/Ontario) were all reporting 20-40cm (8-16") accumulations of fresh snow and superb conditions. But then there were more snowfalls every 48 hours or so through the week. Temperatures have been climbing with daytime highs now getting back above freezing in resorts, but generally staying 5-10 degrees below on the slopes. Most of the country's centres will close within the next month but some including sunshine at Banff, Marmot basin at Jasper and Whistler Blackcomb plan to stay open into May and have the snow lying to get there (and more forecast). USA Successive snowstorms across the US at the end of last week brought a good top-up for most ski areas across the country. Resorts in the West were hit first with 6-12 inch falls reported in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California and bigger accumulations further north. Ski areas in the Rockies then saw 6-18" of fresh snow at the end of last week before the snowfall moved East and gave powder days in New England at the weekend. Most areas have had drier conditions since the start of this week but there was more snowfall in the West Monday/Tuesday. Against this good news, the season-long issue of below-average snowfall and warmer temperatures than usual is beginning to have a few negative consequences with one small Californian ski area announcing that it was closing earlier than expected at the weekend due to inadequate coverage. But most do have enough snow lying to see them through the final weeks (and in a few cases months) of the season with Alaska's Alyeska posting the deepest base in the world outside Japan of 16 feet. There are hints of a late cold spell in the European forecasts, so we have our fingers crossed here... |
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J2Ski Snow Report 10th March 2022
Park City, Utah, got snow this week and seem pretty pleased about it... Sunshine in Europe, freshies in the Rockies... The Snow Headlines - 10th March - South-eastern Europe, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia – snowiest in the continent for the second week. - Fresh snowfall across North America. - The world's deepest snowpack reaches 6 metres (20 feet) in Japan, half that elsewhere. - Vail Resorts extend season at half-a-dozen of their ski areas several into May. - Scottish ski areas see best conditions of (previously lacklustre) season so far. 
Some top-ups on the way...
World Overview Europe It has been a second week of predominantly bluebird days in the Alps and Dolomites with fairly cold temperatures much of the time keeping the snowpack in fairly good shape with just the beginnings of the typical spring freeze-thaw patterns to every 24 hours coming in to play. Although this has been a below-average winter for snowfall there remains enough lying to see out the season in most areas and almost all are 85-95% open. It has been largely dry and sunny in Scotland and Scandinavia too although that has begun to change in the past few days with more changeable and sometimes stormy weather blowing in with snowfall in Finland, Norway and Sweden. There was some new light snowfall in the southwest of the continent in the Pyrenees but for fresh snow, the best place to be over the past seven days was down in Europe's South East in countries like Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia which were dumped on for a second successive week. North America North America has had quite a snowy start to March with several storm systems moving across the country over the past seven days. Most regions have seen some snowfall, welcome for different reasons. In California and Colorado, there were two main falls, each bringing an average of 6-12 inches of snowfall giving the famous powder conditions for which the region is famous, but which have not been so common this season. Further East it has been more problematic with a mix of freezing rain, sleet and snowfall once more for some areas causing challenges again for slope preparation crews, but most have battled through and kept things in shape so all centres and most slopes remain open. Europe Austria It has been a second straight week of almost non-stop sunshine during the daytime across Austria. Temperatures have been fairly cool but are now starting to warm up as we move further into March and many are expected to see double-digit temps at bases by the start of next week and above freezing higher up too. There's still no real sign of fresh significant snowfall on the horizon. Snow depths have dipped slightly in most Austrian areas but remain good to see out the season almost everywhere. The Arlberg around Lech and St Anton have the deepest snow of the bigger areas with upper slope depth nearing 3 metres, but most of the country's glaciers, some staying open to May, June or beyond, have at last 2.5 metres lying. France A predominantly sunny week in France too although some light snowfall was reported down in the Pyrenees. The end of the week and the start of the weekend are looking more overcast further north too with the chance of a few centimetres of snowfall in the Southern Alps, although it does not look like much before the sun breaks through again to start the new week. Most of the country's slopes remain open however with base depths typically in the 1.5 – 2.5 metre range above 2000m, so looking like plenty for the final 4-6 weeks of the season for most areas. Les Arcs and La Clusaz are posting the deepest cover. Italy There's a break in the wall-to-wall sunshine in Italy to end this week with clouds rolling in Friday-Saturday. Few areas will actually see any snowfall though, there's just a chance of a little light snowfall on Saturday before the sunshine returns and that's really only expected up in the North-western corner of the country. But as with the rest of Europe, snow cover continues to look good in most areas, with most runs open, it's just difficult to find much freeriding terrain at present. Temperatures have stayed cold in the mountains though are set to start climbing well into positive numbers next week. The deepest snowpack, at 2.7m (9 feet) is reported in Trentino. Switzerland Switzerland has also enjoyed a second successive week of sunshine. Temperatures have remained below freezing above 2,000m, day and night, but climbed towards +10C in the valleys and it looks like the sun will still be shining and temperatures a little warmer next week. There is some cloud expected to end the week and start the weekend but just a few snowflakes are forecast for high resorts in Valais. The deepest snowpack in the country, just under 3 metres (10 feet) up on the Titlis glacier above Engelberg, is at about half its usual depth at this point of the season, but still, most ski areas in the country are fully open and conditions on the piste, excellent. Scandinavia It has been a quieter weather week in Scandinavia with many areas enjoying settled conditions and blue skies through the weekend. There has been more snowfall in recent days, particularly on the Swedish side of the region and up in Lapland. Scandinavian ski areas tend to come into their own in March and April as the daylight hours rapidly get longer but temperatures stay low compared to the Alps, so the snow is typically in better shape through the latter half of the ski day. This year doesn't look any different with most leading areas fully open, including the biggest, Are in Sweden, which has every run open for the first time this season. Pyrenees and Spain The Pyrenees have seen the most fresh snowfall over the last seven days of Western Europe's major mountain ranges. The snowfall, typically 10-20cm, extended further west to Spain's highest slopes at Sierra Nevada and even further west still to Portugal's only ski area at Serra da Estrella. Conditions remain good across the region, as they have been all winter. It is starting to warm up in valleys and we're seeing temperatures getting into low double digits in the afternoon but staying sub-zero up high and dropping below zero at low levels overnight too. Almost all centres remain fully open with Andorra's Grandvalira and Spain's Baqueira Beret both offering over 100 miles of groomed runs apiece. Scotland Scottish ski areas have definitely had the best week of a belatedly improving season so far. After losing the two months from mid-December to mid-February, the snowfalls over the past four weeks have built bases and allowed all of the country's centres to open all or most of their runs over the past fortnight. As a bonus, much of the past seven days saw bluebird conditions with clear skies and no wind, very rare in the Highlands. There has been a bit of a deterioration since mid-week with gale-force winds closing centres for periods and warming temperatures impacting snow cover, but overall things are still the best they've been all season. Eastern Europe For the second week in succession, Eastern Europe or more specifically south-eastern Europe, has been the best place in the continent to be for fresh snow. After the two feet of snow in Bulgaria 10 days ago, more snow has been falling in the country, with similar reporting in Romania, Serbia and just over the Asian border in Turkey, where Uludag said "the season restarts in March" after a big dump there. Serbia's leading centre of Kopaonik also posted images of a deep snowfall there. Bansko's long 'home run' back to the resort from the ski area, a measure of snow depth there and often struggling with a 10cm depth at the start and end of the season, currently reports 50cm lying on it. North America Canada A fairly snowy week across Canada with ski areas on both East and West sides of the country reporting 15-30cm of fresh snowfall over the last seven days. Much of that was at the weekend and start of this week with largely sunny weather since Tuesday across the country. In further good news, pandemic restrictions have been easing in a growing number of the country's provinces meaning, among other things, that providing proof of vaccination is no longer required at many. Snow depths remain good, with Kimberley in Eastern BC posting the deepest at 3.6m (12 feet) on upper runs. That said Tremblant in the East is only 20cm or so less. USA It's been a good week for fresh snow lovers in the Western US with ski areas in California, Colorado and other states in the region reporting several snowstorms, followed by sunshine, giving some nice March powder conditions. Ski resorts in Alaska are now boasting bases of over 4 metres (13 feet) – the deepest anywhere outside Japan. Resorts further south on the west – Mammoth in California and timberline in Oregon, both with (probably) 3-5 months of their ski seasons still ahead of them, also have 3m+ bases so things are looking promising so far for spring and even summer skiing in 2022. Over on the East coast it's more of a roller coaster with some resorts seeing rain when others got snow to start the week but it has turned colder and sunny since. |
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J2Ski Snow Report 3rd March 2022
Ax 3 Domaines, France at the end of the day... Spring approaches with sunshine and more snow for many places. The Snow Headlines - 3rd March - Revelstoke passes 9m/30 feet season snowfall to date. - Two feet of snowfall in Bulgaria. - Fresh snowfall across North America. - Two years since Italian ski centres were the first to go into pandemic lockdown. - World's 'spring skiing capital' Riksgransen in the Swedish Arctic Circle opens for 2022 season. - Improving picture in Scotland with more and more terrain open as snowpack builds. - Oregon's Timberline, aiming to stay open to September, hits 4m snowpack, continent's deepest. 
More snow in the forecasts, worldwide, but watch this space for Europe - there's more on the way...
World Overview Europe It has been a gloriously sunny week for most of the Alps as we enter springtime (by the meteorological measure) of the seasons. Fortunately, it has stayed fairly cold, especially above 1500m, so the snow on the groomed slopes remains in good condition for most of the day. Sunny too in the Pyrenees although here clouds and light snowfall have been moving in in the past few days. The biggest snowfall of the last seven days has been in Bulgaria, with Bansko reporting a 60cm fall to start the week whilst Scotland's ski slopes probably take the prize for 'most transformed; with two of the five areas now fully open for the first time this season and the remainder not far behind. North America A bit of a weather rollercoaster across North America, particularly the US, where welcome periods of snowfall are being punctuated by some record high temperatures, unfortunately. The result in some areas, particularly the Pacific Northwest, is very high avalanche risk in the backcountry. But the overall picture remains positive for the start of March with fairly decent snow depths almost everywhere, most of the continent's ski slopes open and in good shape and more fresh snow falling in most areas. Europe Austria The main news from Austria this week is probably the further easing of pandemic restrictions from this Saturday 5th March, making travel there and day to day life in resort that bit easier, if not yet 'normal' again. As to ski conditions, there's been no fresh snowfall to speak of in the past week and conditions have been decidedly spring-like with most areas seeing wall to wall sunshine, often using social media to point out that the mountain slopes have been out in the sunshine when valleys below have been filled with cloud. Things are starting to change now with more overcast skies and snow forecast. All areas are more or less fully open with the big areas like the Arlberg, Saalbach and Skiwelt each reporting around 240km (150 miles) of open slopes. France Like most of the Alps, French resorts have been enjoying fabulous sunny weather once again for the past week. This is starting to change with a front moving in from the southwest bringing snowfall, initially to more southerly resorts like Alpe d'Huez and Serre Chevalier but expected to spread across most areas by the weekend, bringing light to moderate accumulations. As we start March, conditions are good across most French ski areas, with decent snow depths (typically 1-2 metres) leaving them in a strong position to see out the season and most with at least 90% of their terrain open. As with everywhere in the Alps though, there's not a huge amount of fresh snow to be found off the groomed slopes. Italy Italy is always a popular destination for spring skiing and another week of sunshine has helped to usher in a more relaxed atmosphere on the slopes. Cortina is getting excited that it is now the next Winter Olympic host and the first in Western Europe for 20 years. All Italian ski areas remain fully open this winter and though snow depths could certainly be better for some, there looks to be enough here too to see out the season. Cervinia has also announced its June to September 2022 summer skiing dates. Switzerland Swiss slopes have enjoyed about 10 days now of nearly non-stop sunshine with temperatures above 2,000m dropping to -25C below freezing at the start of this week although they're now getting back up closer to zero and rising above by the afternoon. The low temperatures have kept snow on the pistes nice and crispy and dry, although with little or no fresh snowfall for well over a week now the freeriding opportunities are very limited. But despite the fact that limited snowfall this winter means we are not seeing the 5 or 6-metre base depths we usually expect at some areas by the start of March, with numbers typically about half that, most Swiss ski areas are fully open and looking good for the final month or two of the season. Scandinavia Scandinavia is entering the spring skiing period when it has a number of advantages over many ski areas in the Alps, including lower temperatures thanks to its northerly latitude and longer daylight hours, from the spring equinox on in just over a fortnight. Most ski areas in the region have posted fresh snowfall in the past week with Western Norway continuing to see the deepest snowpack and heaviest falls. The famous resort of Riksgransen up in the Swedish Arctic Circle, the only resort to keep operating throughout the pandemic, opened for its 2022 season at the weekend. There should be midnight skiing and boarding under the midnight sun when 24-hour daylight returns there by early May. Pyrenees There had been a week or so of straight sunshine, once again, in the Pyrenees, but the past few days have seen cloud cover roll in and some light to moderate snowfall improving slope conditions. The deep bases that have been built here since back in December remain in place and it's looking good for the final 6 to 8 weeks of the season with the snow more than 1.5 metres deep at most areas and almost all fully open too. Scotland It's still an improving picture on Scottish mountains with more wild weather over the past week including reports of blizzard conditions, wet snow and 100mph gales at times, but overall the direction of travel continues to be good with more snow piling up than thawing and an increasingly promising picture for the start of spring. Glencoe and The Lecht are posting the most terrain open, with the deepest base at Glencoe, but the other three Highland centres all have more runs open and appear in increasingly good shape. Eastern Europe It has been quite the week in Eastern Europe with plenty of fresh snowfall as temperatures dropped to start this week. In Bulgaria, Bansko reported a remarkable 60cm (two feet) of fresh snowfall on Sunday/Monday giving incredible powder conditions for the start of spring. North America Canada A fairly dry week in Western Canada with temperatures staying around freezing or below. Revelstoke in BC marked a seasonal milestone hitting 901cm for 21-22 season snowfall to date – just over 30 feet. It's usually among the top 20 for snowfall quantity worldwide each winter of the better-known resorts, often top 10. Across the Pacific, some Japanese ski areas are already past the 12 metres (40 feet) of snowfall to date. There has been some fresh snowfall in Alberta and BC over the past few days though with more forecast. In the East, Tremblant continues to be dumped on in Quebec and continues to post one of the deepest bases in Canada at over 3m/10 feet. USA A largely sunny week in the Western US following last week's snowfalls, and very warm at times too, but there is more snow in the forecast through the weekend which should provide a welcome boost to cover on the groomers and potentially some powder for freeriding although the avalanche danger remains high in many areas. Over in the East, we've had a third successive week where a warm-weather spike of fewer than 24 hours duration between very low temps the rest of the time has brought damaging rain and thawing, although once again most areas have recovered quickly with fresh snowfall following behind and/or snowmaking. It's similar to the picture back in December but now the cold weather is more consistent and there's an accumulated base to rely on. |
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J2Ski Snow Report 24th February 2022
Not a bad view from Obertauern, Austria this morning... Snow and sun for Europe, mostly snowy in Japan and a mix for the USA... The Snow Headlines - 24th February - Mürren first Swiss ski area to post a 3m/10 Feet+ base this season so far after snowy week. - Best snowfall since late December currently dumping on Western North America. - Wild warm, wet weather hits North-eastern North America before snow returns. - Scotland enjoys sunny Saturday with fresh snow and all centres opening full runs. - Austria and Switzerland ease pandemic restrictions. - Spring skiing centre Riksgränsen opens for its 2022 season this weekend. 
Snow in the forecasts, with lots for Japan (again).
World Overview Europe Quite a snowy week for most of Europe with ski areas in the Alps reporting further accumulations after snowfalls in recent weeks ended the prolonged largely dry spell through the first five or six weeks of the year. The result has been some great conditions once the sunshine returned and base depths moving in the right direction, getting deeper again, after declining in January. There has also been some quite wild weather at times though with strong winds, particularly in the north and west. Elsewhere in Europe, the Pyrenees saw a second week of snowfalls and Scandinavia more snow, as well as stormy weather. The biggest step forward was up in Scotland where more than 70 slopes have been open across the five Highland centres when it had only been a handful all season until now. In good news beyond snow cover, Switzerland has eased most pandemic travel restrictions and those on lifts in resorts, and Austria has also eased restrictions on dining and apres-ski. North America The main news from Western North America was a return of snowfall, with two storm systems passing across the continent in the past week. The first brought 6-12 inches of powder to the Rockies in time for the President's Day long weekend, the second even more snowfall over the past 72 hours, transforming the region that has seen little fresh snow since the end of last year. The East, by contrast, has seen plenty of snowfall this month but had a bit of a shock at the end of last week when an unseasonal temperature spike saw warm, wet weather driven in on storm-force winds, closing slopes briefly. However, within 24 hours temperatures had dropped below freezing again, snow was falling and it was a winter reset. Europe Austria It has been a frequently snowy week in Austria with most of the country's ski areas seeing snowfall on multiple days over the past seven, typically with light accumulations of 5-10cm but at times seeing as much as 20cm in 24 hours. So there's plenty of fresh snow lying and base depths are building, particularly good news for glaciers aiming to open for late spring and summer skiing, as well as for those where March marks the last full month of the season. In other good news, Austria has further eased pandemic restrictions allowing a more normal apres-ski scene to develop. Most of the country's slopes are open with the Skiwelt, Arlberg and Saalbach ski areas each having more than 240km (150 miles) of slopes open. France There was more fresh snow in the French Alps going into the weekend and again at the start of this week so there's been another good top-up of fresh cover, further improving conditions in what has been a snowy February - seeing bases build in most areas. Another round of (lighter) snowfall is expected to end the week before a sunny weekend. Temperatures in most resorts should remain cold, close to freezing at low levels, 10C to 15C below at altitude. Most of the large French areas are fully open, more or less, and for some of the high, well-known resorts there are still two months of the 2022 season left to run. Italy Italy has seen more snowfall over the past week and here too the slopes are in good shape in most areas after the February refresh. The Espace San Bernardo ski area, which straddles the border between La Rosière in France and Italy's La Thuile, is posting the country's deepest base with the snow lying 2.4 metres (8 feet deep) on upper slopes and still 1.5m (five feet) at the base. More snowfall is expected to end the week before a cold and sunny weekend across the country. Switzerland Swiss ski areas have also reported a couple of snowfalls since our previous report, nothing massive and with some sunny days before and after but enough to give a good refresh to the slopes. There have been strong winds at times too, closing some lifts whilst they blew through. Unusually, the Lötschental ski area in Valais is posting the deepest base in the country, the only one to report the snow lying three metres (10 feet) deep on its upper slopes. But most resorts have a decent depth for the start of spring, especially higher up, and have almost all runs open across the country. Here too after the end-of-week snowfall it looks like a dry and sunny weekend and start to next week with temperatures in the range of +5 down in resort to -15 Celsius on higher slopes in the mountains. Scandinavia The snowfall has eased off a little in Scandinavia with parts of the east of the region seeing more dry and sometimes sunny days – with the days also getting longer quickly now as we approach the start of March. The main beneficiary of the storms that have been whizzing across the UK this week and hitting colder air over Scandinavia has been Norway's West coast with ski areas around Voss and the wider area being repeatedly dumped on. The snowpack there has now passed 2.2 metres (7 feet) and its powder conditions they say. Riksgränsen up in the Swedish Arctic Circle opens for its 2022 season - which runs to mid-May - this coming weekend. Pyrenees The Pyrenees have had their second successive week where there's been fresh snowfall after a mostly dry few months between mid-December and early February. That early snow back at the start of the season was exceptional and left bases until very recently the deepest in Europe, and they're still up there, although a few in the Alps have finally overtaken the Pyrenees' deepest. With the start of spring (by the meteorological calendar) arriving next week there's plenty of snow lying to see out the season. Baqueira Beret in Spain with more than 100 miles of runs open and the snow lying more than two metres deep got another 20cm of snowfall and Grandvalira (Andorra) now has almost all of its 240km (150 miles) of runs open. Scotland Scottish ski centres were finally able to open more than just their small base area snow slopes at the weekend as heavy snowfall built bases across the Highlands with the worst of storms Dudley and Eunice unusually passing to the south. Saturday was a stunning day of blue skies and little or no wind and the five Highland centres all opened the most terrain they'd had open all year. The best snow cover was in the west with Glencoe almost fully open and Nevis Range opening more than half of their runs. Since then it has been a mixture of rain/sleet and snow showers and strong winds but the picture remains much better than at any point since mid-December. Eastern Europe A cold and snowy week in Eastern Europe with ski areas in most nations reporting 30-60cm accumulations in successive snowfalls over the past week. Temperatures have barely climbed above freezing in most ski resorts in the region and typically been 5 to 15 degrees below in the mountains. In Bulgaria, Borovets reports a very healthy 175 - 210cm (6-7 feet) base but all resorts in the country are posting decent base depths and looking good for spring skiing. North America Canada There's been snowfall across Canada over the past week, from coast to coast, and the country's deepest snowpacks – approaching 3 metres/10 feet, have built upon the country's Pacific and Atlantic coasts. It's been stormy weather at times too, with gale-force winds in both the Northeast and the West, particularly at the end of last week and into the weekend when 20-40cm accumulations were reported. It's been more settled, and actually dry in the West, since the weekend with skiers and boarders enjoying the fresh snow cover. USA Some great snowfalls in Western North America over the past few days and in fact still dumping down as we post this report. Ski areas in California which had hardly seen any fresh snow for several months (since a huge dump at the end of December in fact) reported up to 18 inches (45cm) in the first 24 hours of the storm. The snow fell over mountains across the West though; with the Rockies further inland reporting several feet of snow too, again the best in most cases for several months. The East has not had such a snowy week and was actually hit by near-record warm temperatures just before the weekend with gales and torrential rain - along with snowmelt - causing flooding at some areas in states like Vermont. In better news, temperatures shot back below freezing almost as fast as they'd shot up, allowing snowmaking to resume and there was some natural snowfall too, so many areas reopened faster than might have been hoped. The start of the new week was dry, a little warm again, but temperatures have since dropped away and snowfall is forecast for the weekend. |
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J2Ski Snow Report 17th February 2022
A small herd of nocturnal piste-bashers gather at Val d'Isere, France... Snow for Europe, Japan and USA... The Snow Headlines - 17th February - Plenty of snowfall across the Alps, up to 60cm (two feet) accumulations reported. - Deepest snow in Canada is now reported on East rather than West Coast. - First significant snowfall of the year so far in the Pyrenees. - New Zealand gets more snow in summer – ski areas report another 10cm. - Japanese ski area passes 5-metre base depth – world's deepest. 
Snow in the forecasts, with lots for Japan (again).
World Overview Europe It was a snowy start to the week in the Alps with some areas in the West of the range seeing their best snowfalls for quite some time. There was also a third or fourth snowfall in three weeks for the Central and Eastern Alps. It's not stopping any time soon either with more snow in the forecast for the weekend and the start of next week for many places. Ski centres in the Dolomites and Pyrenees have also had fresh snowfall and up in Scandinavia more snow there has taken the deepest base up to the two-metre mark in western Norway. Scotland too has reported some fresh snow cover along with gales, allowing centres on the west to open a few runs beyond the base areas for the first time this year. North America It's been a fairly quiet week across North America with most areas seeing some snow, but nowhere a really big accumulation. In the west, it has remained largely dry, as has been the picture for all of 2022 so far, but there have been a few inches of snowfall in the Rockies and up in the Pacific Northwest, small falls in the Sierras too. In the northeast, there's been more snowfall and more very low temperatures but there has also been a brief blip with temperatures spiking above freezing and some rain at lower latitudes, but that has passed and it is cold again now. Europe Austria Austria has had one of the best Februaries of the major skiing nations with many resorts now having had as many as four decent dumps since the start of the month giving cumulative totals of more than a metre of fresh snow. So it's a transformed situation from dry January. There is more snowfall forecast for much of the country through the coming weekend. Snow depths on glaciers like Solden, Kaunertal and the Kitzsteinhorn are approaching 3 metres, good news for spring and summer skiing ahead. The big areas around Ischgl, St Anton, Saalbach and the Skiwelt are all fully open with 200km or more of their slopes skiable. France The French Alps saw some of their best snowfalls of the year with resorts across the region reporting multiple 20-30cm accumulations through the start of this week with more snowfall expected after a return to sunny weather, by the weekend. Most of the country's slopes remain fully open with the deepest snowpacks – around 2.5 metres – reported in both the Alps (La Clusaz) and Pyrenees (Superbagneres). The world's biggest ski area, the 3 Valleys, reports 550km of their 600km of slopes are currently open. Italy Italy also saw snowy weather on Monday and Tuesday, continuing to Wednesday at some locations, but it's sunny again now, for a day or two, before more snowfall expected from Sunday/Monday in the north of the country. The snow is particularly welcome for resorts like the Milky Way region which, although managing to open about two-thirds of its terrain, has had less than half a metre (18 inches) of snow lying on its slopes for much of the winter so far. Big 25-60cm accumulations were reported at ski areas like Livigno and Bormio. The Dolomites saw some fresh in the falls earlier this week too, more unusually this year than for more northerly resorts here. Switzerland Swiss ski areas too have enjoyed multiple snowfalls over the past week. Laax is currently posting the country's deepest base of 275cm, ahead of the usual leaders for spring snowpack in both Switzerland and the whole of Europe – Andermatt and Engelberg – which are currently running at their normal 5-6 metre upper slope base depth by early March, so a lot of snow needs to fall to reach that level in the next few weeks. Snow cover is certainly good enough almost everywhere with the vast majority of Swiss slopes open, the 4 Valleys posting the most, with 360 of the 410km of slopes there open. Scandinavia Snow depths in western Norway have reached the two-metres mark with powder conditions reported for ski areas like Voss as the snow keeps falling there. The rest of Norway as well as Sweden is looking increasingly good as more snow falls and temperatures stay low. On clear nights the northern lights are reported to have been excellent too. The snow has been continuing to fall in the far north, with ski areas in Finnish Lapland posting images of trees now fully coated in white and transformed into "snow ghosts". The summer ski resort of Fonna - which is due to open for its 2022 season in May - posted images of its drag lifts three-quarters buried by snow, so that's looking promising. Pyrenees The Pyrenees have had an interesting winter so far. They actually saw the biggest snowfalls in Europe back at the start of December and as such, in the largely snowless few months since, have been sitting on the continent's deepest bases. But the lack of fresh snowfall worth measuring for so long hasn't been great news, especially for freeriders, even though all the slopes are open. The good news this week though is, finally, a decent snowfall in 2022. Resorts in the region reported 30cm (a foot) of fresh snow to start the week. Scotland It's the best it has looked all year for Scottish centres, at least on the west where Glencoe and Nevis Range have been able to open a few runs using natural snowfall for the first time in 2022. After a snowy weekend, temperatures rose at the start of the week and now more storms have blown in so it is unclear what state slopes will be in when these clear at the weekend. It's half-term holidays so the limited availability is also generally booked out in advance. Eastern Europe It has been a mixed week in eastern Europe with more northerly nations like Serbia, the Czech and Slovak Republics reporting some decent dumps, up to 30cm of fresh, but more sunny skies have been reported further south and east for countries like Bulgaria and Romania. North America Canada It's been a fairly dry week across Canada with just the odd snow flurry in the west and the weeks of snowfall in the East coming to an end for a while it seems. More snow is forecast in the west from this coming weekend. The snow in the east has let the region's best-known resort, Tremblant in Quebec, post the deepest snowpack in the entire country at just over 3 metres/10 feet – quite a turnaround from the warm, wet end to 2021 when Eastern areas struggled to open much terrain at all. The big resorts out West are just a few centimetres/inches behind and remain fully open. USA Another fairly dry week across the US although with a few promising inches of snowfall reported for the Rockies and Pacific Northwest. The overall trend of sunshine and rather warm weather continues but with everywhere, pretty much, fully open. It's generally colder in the East, but not so much as it has been and with an unfortunate and hopefully short-lived warm temperature spike to end this week which may well see some areas getting rain rather than snow, before temperatures drop away once more. Park City in Utah has the largest ski area open in the country, whilst the deepest snow – around 4 metres deep – can be found up in Alaska. |
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J2Ski Snow Report 10th February 2022
Zermatt, Switzerland and a famous mountain in the sunshine... Snow for Austria, Japan and USA... The Snow Headlines - 10th February - Two snowstorms in a week bring a metre of snowfall to some areas in the Alps. - Snowfall causes high avalanche danger, multiple fatalities in Tirol region. - Alaskan ski area reports deepest base in North America, over 4 metres (13 feet). - More Japanese ski areas pass 10-metre seasonal snowfall totals, ~5m base depths. - Another snowstorm in Eastern North America delivers another 1-2 feet of snow. - Scandinavian ski areas see big falls, deep powder in western Norway. - Scottish area opens a few runs beyond the snow-machine made base. There's snow inbound for the Alps, but quantities still uncertain. 
Snow in the forecasts, although the models can't make up their minds how much for Europe!
World Overview Europe We've had two big snowstorms in the Alps in the seven days since our last report ...which is the first time that's happened this season! The first, at the end of last week, was concentrated in the Eastern and central Alps with resorts in Austria, Southern Germany, Switzerland and Northern Italy reporting up to a metre (40 inches) of snow and once the skies cleared at the weekend, amazing conditions. Then a second snowstorm on Monday covered a wider area with another 50cm or so in the Eastern Alps but this time ski areas in France in the west reporting up to 30cm too. All the snow did push avalanche danger up to very high levels, particularly in Austria's Tirol where, sadly, five ski tourers were killed in one avalanche and five rescued from under the snow in another. The sun has come back out since, but there's more snowfall in the forecast. In the rest of Europe, there have been significant snowfalls too in Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and even Scotland where slopes are just about able to open for the season beyond the all-weather-snow-machine-maintained small areas at the country's ski centres' bases. North America It has been a repeat of the previous week really in North America with largely sunny weather once more in the West, cold and overcast skies in the east with another big storm bringing a foot or two of snowfall to ski areas in the Northeast going into last weekend. Alaska has moved to the top of the table for snow depth in North America with snow dumping on Alyeska, its upper slopes now buried more than 14 feet/4 metres deep. Although there have been a few inches of snow for ski areas in the rest of Western US, there's little change on seven days ago. Most ski slopes are open across the country with the biggest resorts like Park City and Whistler Blackcomb fully open for a few weeks now and the largest areas in the East like Killington, Tremblant and Sunday River joining them in having every trail open thanks to the latest snowfalls there. Europe Austria Austria saw its biggest snowfalls of the season just after our last report went out at the end of last week. A major storm saw reports of up to 110cm (44") accumulations for some areas, and many saw at least half a metre of fresh snowfall. As mentioned in our introduction the snowfall did push the avalanche danger level up to 4 on the scale and there were dozens of avalanches reported, several causing fatalities. Sunday-Monday saw another snowstorm roll in, bringing a second 50cm accumulation in days to ski areas in the Ziller valley, among others. The storm just before the weekend and rapid snow build-up led to temporary resort closures whilst slopes and access roads were made safe but the past week has seen largely clear skies and ski areas reporting sublime conditions with the fresh cover. Many had another snowfall on Tuesday but it has been sunny again since. The country's Loser ski area now has Europe's deepest reported base at 3 metres/190 feet. France France largely missed out on most of the snowfall from the big storm that hit at the end of last week but ski areas in the country's Northern Alps were major beneficiaries of the second snowstorm at the start of this week - bringing up to 30cm (a foot) of snow in 24 hours top the region. Val d'Isere and La Rosiere both posted 25cm (10 inches) accumulations on Monday. The country's deepest snow remains in the Pyrenees as it has been since the start of the season, although the snowpack is slowly diminishing there and growing in the Alps. Porté Puymorens has the most with 260cm with Flaine and La Clusaz now only 10cm behind with 250cm on their upper slopes. It's noteworthy though that some low lying traditional resorts are only reporting 10-30cm on their lowest slopes. Italy Most of Italy has had some snowfall in the past week, although some much more than others. It was the areas in the north of the country which benefitted from the same big storm that hit much of Switzerland, Austria, as well as southern Germany and the Tatra Mountains at the end of last week which brought 50cm or so of snowfall to resorts like Cervinia. The weekend was mostly dry but then another wave of snowfall on Monday brought another 5-15cm to resorts in regions like Trentino. There have been mostly sunny skies since but further light to moderate snow is expected to end the week. Switzerland Depending on where they are in the country Swiss ski areas also saw two snowfalls and a growing avalanche danger over the past week, and a third snowfall is expected to end this week. The rail line up from Villars to its ski area was dramatically hit by an avalanche, sweeping much of an empty train from the tracks, although fortunately the carriage with the driver in was left on the tracks and they were unhurt. The past few days have been sunny and although cold on the slopes, some villages have seen +10C in the afternoon. Laax (65/297cm / 32/110") is posting the country's deepest snowpack. Scandinavia Snow conditions are getting better and better in Scandinavia just as the daylight hours bounce rapidly back up from zero over Christmas and New Year in the far north. Bjorkliden in the Swedish Arctic Circle opens for its 2022 season this weekend, following the northernmost ski area in the world up at North Cape in the far north of Norway. There's been more snowfall in Lapland over the past week and other northern areas but the biggest dumps have been along Norway's North Sea coast where ski areas like Voss have been reporting the kind of powder drops they're famous for - but had not really seen this season until the start of February. Pyrenees It has been yet another predominantly sunny week in the Pyrenees with most areas seeing wall-to-wall sunshine as has been the case for pretty much two months now, with a few brief exceptions. The region is still boasting some of the deepest snow depths in Europe thanks to big early-season snowfalls in late November and early December, meaning most areas remain fully open, in the case of the largest ski areas like Grandvalira in Andorra and Baqueira Beret in Spain that's with more than 160km (100 miles) of runs skiable. There are signs of a change in the weather, although it may only be brief, with snow-bearing clouds expected to move in to end the week. Scotland Things have continued to improve in Scotland with plenty of snowfall, particularly in the west, albeit driven in on gale force winds and with the common Scottish problem of temperatures yoyo-ing up to 5 to ten degrees above freezing after the cold, setting things back again. Glencoe announced Monday it had enough snow to open some lower runs beyond the base area all-weather snow machine but then more gales, warm temperatures and rain hit - although it has since cooled down again and at the time of writing Glencoe did have a handful of lower runs open for the first time since December. Eastern Europe It's been quite a snowy week in most parts of eastern Europe with ski areas in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia and Serbia all reporting 30-60cm (1-2 foot) snowfalls in the past week, the heaviest falls just before the weekend. As a result skiers and boarders in these countries have been enjoying some deep snow conditions and centres have been opening up more terrain. In several cases, it has meant centres have had every run open for the first time this season. With 1-2 metre slope depth averages, it's starting to look good for them to see out the season into April now, even if there's not much more snowfall. North America Canada Last week ended with fresh snow (10-20cm) in both east and west Canada, but the past five or six days have been generally dry across the country, with sunshine in the west, more overcast skies in the east. It's in the East that temperatures have been lowest and snowfall has just started to return over the past few days. Unfortunately, the West is staying dry for now and over on the Pacific coast back to quite warm daytime temperatures at low elevations, as high as +10 Celsius at Whistler's Base. Despite that, everything is open thanks to a decent base built up over the past few months. Kimberley in Eastern BC in the West and Tremblant in Quebec both have just under 3 metres of snow lying on their upper slopes, the most of any areas in the country. USA The Eastern US has once again been the region to see the most snowfall over the past week with another major winter storm just after our last update at the end of last week bringing at least a foot of snow to the Northeast (and chaos to the region's cities) in a repeat of the previous week. Up in Maine ski areas like Sugarloaf and Sunday River reported nearly two feet more snowfall and deep powder. The wider region has finally caught up after the poor start to the season in November and December and everywhere is now fully open. Cold and overcast skies since, after a sunny weekend, with more snow showers too. In the West, it has been another largely sunny week although some areas have had light snowfalls and it is looking like there's more on the way this weekend. That has been the pattern for much of 2022 so far. Most resorts are fully open though thanks to big snowfalls building bases back in December. |
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