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Snow Reports by e-mail - New Ski Resorts
Started by User in Snow Forecasts and Snow Reports, 85 Replies |
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Snowshoe snow forecasts are now an option on the snow mail preferences. Enjoy! |
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J2Ski Snow Report 1st July 2019
Perisher, Australia, this morning... Welcome to our guide to where to ski this July! This Week's Snow Headlines - 1st July 2019 - 2019 season now in full swing in southern hemisphere - almost all areas open. - Six US ski areas to open for Independence Day July 4th holiday. - Deepest bases in southern hemisphere pass metre mark in Argentina. - The number of glacier areas open in Europe back up to double-figures for July. - Japan's 'Gassan Glacier' enters final weeks of its 2019 season. - Two areas open in Scandinavia through the summer. The northern spring months saw some surprisingly cold and snowy periods in the mountains of Europe and North America right through to the summer solstice but now that summer is fully here, it's definite summer ski conditions and (north of the equator) a case of who can stay open with the snow cover they have? In North America there are actually seven or eight who are doing just that as we enter July, but half only so they can say they were open for the independence day holiday on July 4th. After that they're closing. In Europe, the number of glacier summer ski areas open is actually increasing in July compared to numbers in June, and we're now back to double figures. With record heat in the alps at the end of June though the snow cover will have taken a battering even 3000+ metres up which may cause problems for some later in the summer. South of the equator it's now full winter for 2019 and almost all ski areas in South America, Southern Africa, Australia and New Zealand are open. It is a mixed picture though; Australian areas got off to a great start with heavy snow a month ago, then suffered a warm spell but are currently back to cold and snow. For New Zealand it has been cold but natural snowfalls have been few and far between. In the Andes it has been snowing but a little late and most areas only just opened over the last few days of June. However most were posting 20-40cm 48 hour snow totals for the final few days of June once they did open, and were amongst the first to pass the metre base depth mark in the southern hemisphere so far in 2019. In the Alpine Forecast The very high temperatures currently being experienced across Europe are expected to ease over the coming week, with seasonal averages more the norm by the second week of July. 
More snowfall expected, but not everywhere.
EUROPEAN ALPS After hitting a low with only four glaciers open (one in each of the big four Alpine ski nations) at the end of May, we're now back to nine areas and will hit double figures in early July. It's a big drop from the heyday of summer skiing 20-35 years ago when more than 30 areas could be open at peak season, but summer conditions this year are perhaps a little better than the average for early July after an often cold and snowy spring. The last week of June was mostly a hot one, even up on the glaciers but there was some fresh snow around midsummer weekend. Most report 2-4 metres of snow lying at this point. Austria In Austria there's a choice of three open areas, the year-round Hintertux and the Kitzsteinhorn (above Kaprun) and Molltal glaciers. The latter re-opened a few weeks ago and will now aim to stay open daily through to May 2020. The Kitzsteinhorn will close again later this month after just three weeks' of summer skiing before re-opening for 'autumn skiing', probably in September. France Val d'Isere opened first in France in mid-May but it will also close first – in mid-July. Tignes and Les 2 Alpes opened just over a week ago and will make it through the month in to August unless either or both have a major meltdown. Italy In Italy Passo Stelvio re-opened last month, several weeks later than planned due to late spring snow and resulting avalanche danger. It has a 2.5 metre base and all half dozen lifts and runs open. It should stay open right through to the Autumn. Cervinia's lifts up to the Plateau Rosa ski area also started operating on the final weekend of June a few days ago. Switzerland For Switzerland it's just Zermatt open still as it was at the start of the month. However the year-round centre with Europe's highest lifts and biggest summertime vertical will be joined by neighbouring Saas Fee later this month when it begins its nine month season through to spring next year. Scandinavia Two of Norway's glacier areas – Folgefonn (sometimes known as 'Fonna') and Galdhopiggen are open through July for glacier skiing. Both have one long drag lift a piece serving the run. A third glacier area, Stryn, closed in late June. North America It's one of the snowiest starts to summer in North America in memory with more big snowfalls in the Rockies to herald the start of the supposed hottest season of the year on June 21-22. Steamboat Springs in Colorado made headlines across the US with video of a nearly two foot (60cm) snow accumulation and the snow fell over a much wider are right up in to Alberta, closing high mountain roads and giving a brief bit of powder at the few areas still open. It looks like six US ski areas will make it through to the July 4th Independence Day holiday weekend. Mammoth (which has already said it will stay open to August) and Squaw Valley in California, Snowbird in Utah, Timberline in Oregon, Beartooth Basin summer ski area in Montana and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado. Snowbird says it will actually end its season at noon on the 4th itself, after an 8am start, the others will continue through the weekend. Most of these areas have now been open for more than 7 months since starting their seasons in Autumn 2018, although Beartooth Basin only opened (after a three week delay) in mid-June. Only Mammoth and Timberline are likely to stay open past July 7th at the end of the Independence Day extended weekend celebrations and with Timberline reporting its snow depth at less than a foot – half of what it was a week ago – it seems unlikely it will be open to the end of July, perhaps not even to the middle of the month. North of the border Whistler is currently open for summer skiing and boarding on its Blackcomb glacier and will be for the first half of this month. Asia Japan's 'Gassan glacier' ski area traditionally makes it in to July and 2019 is no exception with the snow (which was the deepest in the world at 10 metres when it opened for this year's season on 10th April) still two metres deep. Temperatures are now hitting the 20s Celcius in the daytime so the end is definitely nigh, but there may be a few more weeks yet. Southern Hemisphere Australia Aussie ski areas got off to a great start at the beginning of last month with three opening almost a fortnight early after a huge pre-season snow storm blew in from the Antarctic. Unfortunately though the snow was followed by a very warm spell, with heavy rain which meant more than half the early snowpack was lost and conditions with what was left weren't that pretty. The good news is that since mid-June things have been back to cold and snow-making systems have been running full blast. The last weekend of June saw a return to natural snowy conditions too so the season is back on track! New Zealand New Zealand's ski centres have had a less snowy start to the season than Australia, but it has been fairly consistently cool or sub-zero across the country through June. There has been a lack of snowfall after a few good dumps at the start of the season. That has led some areas to delay opening, others to only have limited terrain available. Those with substantial snow-making definitely have had an advantage in the early season. But some NZ ski areas have performed well right from the start. The 38-78cm base at the Remarkables is one of the deepest in the southern hemisphere and it has been fully open from day one. Cardrona, Mount Hutt, Porters and Coronet Peak don't have deep bases yet but they do have all or most lifts running and plenty of terrain open. The good news is that substantial snowfalls are expected in the first week of July. Chile The ski season in the Andes has got off to a slower start, although most centres in Argentina and Chile are now open for winter 2019, having started their seasons over the last two weekends of June. The best known resorts like Portillo and Valle Nevado just opened for their 2019 seasons on Saturday 29th June. They had around 25cm of fresh snow for the occasion and relatively good opening day bases of around 60-80cm. Argentina With most of the ski areas only a little way over the border on the Argentinian side of the Andes from those in Chile, it's little surprise that it is a similar picture here to Chile. Most Argentinian ski areas opened for their 2019 season in the last few days of June whilst snow was falling heavily. So bases are building fast now and conditions for opening weekend were great for most. Caviahuie was one of several resorts to report 40cm of fresh snowfall to start July and it also had the deepest base in the southern hemisphere as of July 1st at 115cm. Las Lenas and Cerro Castor also reported good late-June snowfalls and are not far behind with 1m base depths. South Africa and Lesotho Southern Africa's two small commercial ski field have seen the usual sporadic snowfalls over the past few months but their 500-1000 metres of ski slopes are maintained by efficient snow-making systems. Afriski in Lesotho actually had a big upgrade to theirs just before this season started a month ago. So conditions are pretty "normal" at both areas. There was a natural snowfall on 26th June in the region though and another is forecast for July 1st. |
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Australia ski season 2019: Best opening weekend since 2002 for snow
Started by User in Ski Chatter, 1 Reply |
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Just as soon as it stops snowing in Andorra... 
Grandvalira, June 2019 |
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J2Ski Snow Report 1st June 2019
Perisher, Australia, got Pow this week! Welcome to our guide to where to ski this June! This Week's Snow Headlines - 1st June 2019 - Southern Hemisphere 2019 ski season due to kick-off Saturday June 1st. - Summer-ski glaciers opening for 2019 in The Alps and North America. - World's deepest snow at the start of June lying in Austria. - Norwegian summer ski areas closed by blizzards on last day of May. - Seven US resorts open at start of June (the same as for all of Europe). - Riksgransen to open for midsummer skiing for first time in two years. - Mammoth to extend ski season in to August for third time in its history. - Ski slopes still open at Gassan in Japan. June 2019 (the start of meteorological summer in the northern hemisphere and winter in the southern) is starting on something of a high in many areas of the world. Heavy snowfall in the final days and weeks of May has meant ski areas still open in the northern hemisphere have been enjoying late spring powder days and their bases are holding steady, whilst in the southern hemisphere resorts have been opening early to kick off the 2019 season there in style. In Europe the number of ski areas open drops to its annual low point, in single figures, in late May but should be back into double figures early in June as glacier areas re-open for summer skiing. Bases are looking good so far at most glacier centres and they've generally gone up rather than down in May with some getting more than a metre of snowfall in the past month. Over in North America it's a similar snowy story. A number of resorts keep extending their seasons, now in to June, and one has announced plans to now stay open through to August. South of the equator, Australia has seen big pre-season snowfalls in the last week leading three to open early. Selwyn Snowfields claimed the title of first to open in the southern hemisphere this year on May 30th. It's been snowing hard too in the Andes, South America and to a lesser extent in New Zealand (where the first resorts open from June 1st) and in Southern Africa where ski areas start opening next week. In the Alpine Forecast Generally warm, with perhaps a little high altitude snow toward the end of next week. 
More snowfall expected, but please note that many ski areas are not yet open.
EUROPEAN ALPS As we enter June only four ski areas are open in the Alps – year-round Zermatt in Switzerland along with three Austrian glaciers – the Stubai, Kitzsteinhorn and Hintertux. All four are in great shape after lots of fresh snowfall right through to the end of May. The snow is still lying more than 20 feet (6 metres) deep on the Stubai and is deep on the other glaciers too. Austria The Kitzsteinhorn is scheduled to close after more than 8 months operation after the first weekend in June and the Stubai a week later leaving only Hintertux open in the middle of the month. However the Molltal glacier, which only closed in May (after a 10.5 month season), will re-open for its next long season on June 20th and the Kitzsteinhorn will also re-open for summer skiing for the last weekend of the month so Austria should be back up to three areas open by the beginning of July. France In France, Val d'Isere has announced that its 2019 summer ski season will run for five weeks from 8th June, 2019, conditions permitting. The resort is one of three French areas that still offer summer skiing and boarding, down from around eight in the 1990s. It usually opens several weeks before the other two centres, Les 2 Alpes and Tignes (which opens on the 22nd), which have much larger ski areas. Summer skiing and boarding at Val d'Isere takes place on the resort's Pisaillas. The resort runs the Cascade chairlift and Montets T bar between 7am to midday daily serving the Ok, Verte and Diébold runs. Italy Passo Stelvio, which operates a five month season from May to November had been due to open at the end of May but has postponed, at least until June 7th, due to late May snow causing issues clearing the pass road it is accessed by, with an increased avalanche risk too. Cervinia is due to open on 29th June for its season providing access to the Plateau Rosa ski area. Switzerland Zermatt will be the only ski area open in Switzerland until Saas Fee re-opens in July. Northern Europe All three Norwegian summer ski centres are open in June with Stryn the last to open on May 29th. It was closed again on the 31st by blizzard conditions so it's a fresh snow start to June here and at Galdhopiggen and Fonna which are all posting amongst the deepest bases in the world at 5-7 metres. Meanwhile in Sweden the 'spring skiing capital' of Riksgransen ended its season a few weeks ago but will re-open for midsummer. After failing to open for midsummer last year due to lack of snow, this year the resort says things are looking good and it will open for four nights around June 21st. North America 2018-19 has been the season that keeps giving, for at least some resorts, in the US, with more than half-a-dozen still open as we enter June, believed to be a record in recent years at least. The longer seasons have been boosted by plenty of May snowfall, again in some cases the most May snow ever recorded. That's the case at Mammoth in California which now says it will be open to June for only the third time in its history after getting more than 70cm of snowfall last month. Squaw Valley is also still open in the golden state and will be until at least July. In Colorado, Arapahoe Basin and Breckenridge are both open at weekends, it has been snowy here too. Both areas keep extending their seasons which, at the time of writing include the first two weekends of June for Breck and the first four for A Basin, but it's quite likely these will be extended. Elsewhere Killington has made it in to June with the snow piled high on its superstar trail, now a white ribbon down a green hillside. It will close on Sunday 2nd though. Snowbird in Utah is open weekends to mid-June (so far, it may extend) and Timberline in Oregon is also still open. America's only summer ski area, Beartooth Basin on the Montana/Wyoming border (formerly Red Lodge summer camp) was due to open in late May but has delayed opening to June 8th so far – due to maintenance and official certification issues. There's also been heavy snow here at the end of May. Asia Japan's Gassan summer-ski destination remains open in to June (and usually aims for June), but whilst we were reporting it had the deepest base in the world at 9.5 metres a month ago, that figure has more than halved to 4.5 metres at the start of June, so it's thawing fast and that July target may be in question. There have also been some lift operating problems although these have been overcome. Temperatures are reported to have hit +15C. Southern Hemisphere Australia It's a great start to the 2019 ski season in Australia. The resorts hadn't originally planned to open until June 8th, the start of a long weekend in the country, most of which takes the following Monday off as a holiday to celebrate the Queen's Birthday. They often open that weekend with no snow on the ground but this year is very different with a huge snowstorm bringing 50-70cm of snow to the country's ski slopes in the last week of May. As a result Selwyn snowfields, Perisher and Mt Buller have all opened early (this weekend), with Selwyn the first in the southern hemisphere and it and Buller running their lifts free of charge in celebration. The rest of the country's areas plan to open on schedule in a week's time and fortunately there's more snow forecast in the first week of June. New Zealand So far New Zealand has not quite got off to a start to the season like Australia. It did get colder and start snowing in the final days of May, with Treble Cone reporting 50cm of snow fall on its upper slopes on the 31st itself, but so far the cover isn't really there. That's not a huge problem yet though as most areas hadn't planned to open until at least the 7th (Mt Hutt) or 8th and many not until mid or late June. Whakapapa did open a nursery slope and sledging area on the 1st and would have been the first to open in the southern hemisphere if not pipped by the Australian areas mentioned above. Cardrona had planned to open runs too but doesn't quite have enough snow yet so opened with 'snow play' instead. Chile Conditions in the Andes are similar to New Zealand with the snow starting to build up from late May snowfall but not really enough yet for anywhere to open. The bigger Chilean resorts like Portillo and Valle Nevado don't plan to open until later in the month but smaller centres will probably open sooner if conditions continue to improve. Argentina It's a similar story to Chile in Argentina, although ski areas here have perhaps had slightly heavier snowfall, if posted images are anything to go by. Las Lenas, one of the country's biggest resorts, has had some of the heaviest pre-season snowfalls and has targeted Saturday, June 8th as opening day for their 2019 season. Africa South Africa South Africa's Tiffindell has had several snow coverings during the latter half of May, although subsequent warmer weather has thawed this away. Usually reliant on snowmaking, it's due to open for the season in the second week of June. Lesotho Afriski in Lesotho, the mountain kingdom's only ski area, has also had several natural snowfalls but has additionally unveiled a fleet of new snow-making cannons. The slopes were turned white with these for a test run on May 30th and the centre plans to open for 2019 next Thursday, June 6th. |
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Thanks for that Mr. Beep - topic is locked.
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J2Ski Snow Report 1st May 2019
The Gemstock, Andermatt, Switzerland - open weekends until the 19th May Welcome to our guide to where to ski this May! This Week's Snow Headlines - 1st May - Around 50 ski areas still open for skiing and boarding in to May. - Colorado's Breckenridge staying open through May for first time in two decades. - Snow lying up to 7 metres deep in the Alps at the start of May. - Three US areas planning to stay open to July. - Up to 70cm of snowfall above 2000m in the last week of April in the Alps. - Summer-ski only areas open in Japan and Norway, with Italy and US following this month. - Arizona Snowbowl and California's Donner ski area both staying open in to May so long as conditions allow. May is a low point in the skiing calendar for the numbers of ski areas open. Most resorts in the northern hemisphere have closed for the season, and the majority of the remaining 50 or so will close after the first Sunday of the month (this year the 5th). It is too early for the southern hemisphere ski areas to begin their season (from June), and around ten summer glacier ski areas have yet to open. So we start May with about 50 ski areas open until Monday May 6th, whereafter around 20 will soldier on through the month. Significant snow has fallen in the Alps in the last week, and more is forecast to further improve conditions at still-open resorts. As to snow conditions? Well the rule for May is to expect anything. You'd think we'd be moving fully to 'summer skiing' with decent snow in the morning thawing to slush by lunchtime but the last week of April saw more winterlike conditions in the Alps (and Pyrenees) with fresh snow falling and temperatures sub-zero all day. The Monterosa region reported 60cm of fresh snowfall on the last Wednesday of April and the Zugspitze 70cm in the last few days of the month. Austria's Stubai and Hintertux glaciers got 50cm of snow for the final weekend of the month too and there were smaller (5-20cm) falls at most other still-open areas, so with more in the forecast up high winter may still have a few last attempts to hang on in to May. Cortina d'Ampezzo, Ischgl, Kitzbuhel, Livigno, Oberstdorf, Sunday River and the Zugspitze plan to hang on to May 1st only and close on the day having made it to May. Another 23 areas (at the last count) plan to close on May 5th. This time last year we were excited about how much snow was still lying in the Western Alps with Val d'Isere planning an unprecedented re-opening of its non-glacier slopes. It has not been such an epic year in the West this winter although a decent one. The east has seen the bigger snowfalls and it's here that glacier cover is in the 4-7 metres bracket - hopefully enough to withstand the summer heat through to next Autumn. In the Alpine Forecast There is significant snow forecast for some areas, to fall as low as 1500 metres, over the next few days; so those alpine ski areas still open are likely to offer some fabulous end-of-season conditions! Most resorts are now closed, so please check openings before making any last-minute travel plans! 
More snowfall expected, but please note that some ski areas have now closed for the season.
EUROPEAN ALPS It's looking like a promising spring-summer ski season ahead in the Alps with the snow lying 4-7 metres deep on the continent's skiable glaciers and fresh snow falling in the final days of April. Austria Austria has more glacier ski areas than any other country with eight to choose from, but other than the Hintertux, which tries to open every day of the year, their operating dates vary through the spring, summer and autumn. Besides the Hintertux glacier, the Stubai and Kitzsteinhorn glaciers remain open throughout May. However the glaciers at Solden are closed and the Pitztal will end its eight-month season on May 5th. The Kaunertal and Molltal glaciers will stay open a further week to the 12th May. Most of these areas reported heavy snowfall over the final weekend of April, in the Stubai's case taking its base up to its deepest so far this year – 6m/20 feet – it's open to June 10th. Finally, the status of snowsports at the Daschstein glacier is difficult to ascertain as officially its open year round but often it is closed and some sources says the season ended there or May 1st. France In the French Alps only two ski areas are scheduled to be open after May 1st – Tignes and Val Thorens, both to Sunday the 5th. After that there'll be nowhere open in France until summer skiing at Val d'Isere, les 2 Alpes and Tignes re-commences from June. Italy Italy's Cervinia and Val Senales glacier ski areas are also scheduled to close at the end of the ski day on the 5th. Some 'freeriding only' terrain is also open in the Monterosa region until the 5th too. However there will be some snowsports to May 19th on the Presena Glacier near Passo Tonale if all goes to plan then less than a week after it closes the Passo Stelvio summer ski area is due to open on the 25th. Switzerland Switzerland was posting the world's deepest snow at 6.9 metres a year ago and this year it's an even more impressive 7.8 metres at Engelberg (the number actually grew in the last week of April as more snow fell), which remains open with snowsports on the Titlis Glacier until the final weekend of May. Zermatt is of course open for skiing and boarding on its Klein Matterhorn slopes year-round. Andermatt, which has had some of the deepest snow all season, will open its Gemsstock slopes for the first three weekends of May (Friday through Sunday). The other choices up to the first weekend of the month include the Diavolezza glacier slopes near St Moritz and Glacier 3000 near Gstaad, both close at the end of the day on the 5th. Murren is also open the first weekend of May but for Telemark skiers only. One other Swiss snow event to note is the weekend of May 18/19 when Crans Montana re-opens its slopes for one weekend only to coincide with the start of the summer mountain biking season. Northern Europe About 50 ski areas remain open in Scandinavia for the start of May but most will close at the end of the first weekend of the month (at the end of the ski day on the 5th). However Norway's three glacier ski areas are just starting their 2019 season with the Folgefonn ("Fonna") glacier already open since April 13th and reporting the continent's deepest base at up to 8.5 metres. It is due to be joined by Galdhoppigen glacier area on May 9th (11 days earlier than last year) and finally the Stryn glacier on May 29th. Also open throughout May is 'Europe's Spring skiing Capital' Riksgransen up in the Swedish Arctic Circle where skiing/boarding under the midnight sun is offered several times a week from mid-May. It tries to stay open to mid-summer / late June each season but last year closed in late May due to a lack of snow; so far this year it is looking more promising with a 270cm (9 foot) base up top, although has dropped nearly a metre in the past month. Scottish skiing hasn't made it in to May this year with Glencoe closing its ski slopes just before Easter rather than making it to the start of May as usual. North America As usual around two dozen ski areas are open in North America for the start of May. More than half should make it to the end of the month but most will then close leaving only a handful to soldier on in to June. The last Monday in May is a public holiday in the US so a number of areas have made this long weekend their final one of the season. New for 2019 (and, they say, the month of May in years to come too), Colorado's Breckenridge, one of the world's highest leading resorts, plans to be one of those making it to that end of May final weekend having previously closed in late April each year. Also in Colorado, Loveland is open to the 5th and Winter Park says it will be open the first two May weekends to the 12th. Arapahoe Basin has named June 2nd as its target season end date. April ended snowy in the state with more than 40cm of snow at Loveland for the final weekend of the month and good falls elsewhere too. May looks like it will start with more of the same. California's Alpine Meadows will stay open Friday-Sunday to the middle of the month, Heavenly for long weekends too through to the 27th. Snowbird in Utah says it will continue a further week to May 12th whilst in Washington State Alpental and in Oregon Mt Hood Meadows say they will re-open for the first weekend of the month, whilst Mt Bachelor will stay open to the 26th. The Timberline snowfield will also be open through to the summer. It currently has a 3.5 metre (nearly 12 foot) base. On the East Coast Jay Peak, Sugarbush and Sugarloaf all plan to stay open to May 5th and Killington hopes to stay open throughout May if conditions allow. Finally, the summer-ski-only area of Beartooth Basin (formerly: The Red Lodge International Ski and Snowboard Camp) on the Montana/Wyoming border is expected to open for its 2019 summer season at the end of May although a date has not yet been set. It relies a little on when the road up to it is cleared of snow. In terms of ski areas open beyond May, California's Mammoth and Squaw Valley have both announced they'll stay open in to July. Timberline in Oregon is open year-round and saw some big April snowfalls so has a good base for the warmer months ahead. In Canada, Whistler has announced plans to stay open to the last Monday of the month - the 27th - a week later than usual and putting it a clear week later than Sunshine at Banff which will close as usual with its famous Slush Cup competition on the 20th (the two often end Canada's ski season on or around the same day). Otherwise Lake Louise and Marmot Basin are open to the first weekend in May and others may be too, if conditions permit, including Mont Sutton in Quebec. Asia Although some Japanese ski areas including Niseko stay open to the first week of May, the resort to head to is now Gassan which opened for its unusual season in Mid-April and aims to stay open to mid-July. It gets too much snow to open in winter but the access road is cleared in early spring. It's currently claiming the world's deepest snow depth at 9.5 metres, down 50cm from mid-April. Southern Hemisphere There have been fresh snowfalls reported in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and South America at times over the past few months and one ski area in New Zealand managed to open for a morning in March after an un-seasonal 50cm snowfall there but the 2019 southern hemisphere ski season won't officially kick off until the start of June, although in past years some resorts have gone early if there's been a big dump in May. That remains to be seen. Until next month... |
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J2Ski Snow Report 18th April 2019
The view from The Grande Motte, Tignes - open until the 5th May Our final weekly snow round-up of the 2018/2019 winter brings news of just about every kind of weather condition, as some resorts end their season (and a couple open!). We'll be reverting to our monthly reports from 1st of May; have a great summer (or winter, if you're in the southern hemisphere!) This Week's Snow Headlines - 18th April 2019 - More snow in the Alps; up to 50cm in 24 hours and 105cm in 7 days, reported. - Up to 1.2m (four feet) of fresh snow reported in Utah; but most areas close. - Norway's Fonna glacier opens for season immediately reporting Europe's deepest base. - Quebec overtakes California for North America's deepest reported snow base. - Japan's Gassan summer ski area opens for 2019 and posts the world's deepest snow depth. - Heaviest snow in the Pyrenees for several months - up to 40cm in 24 hours reported. - Portuguese ski area re-opens after the heaviest snowstorm of the season. The ski season is in wind-down mode now and it's a little surprising to see that some big resorts have already closed a week or more ahead of the Easter weekend (although that is on one of the latest dates possible this year). Conditions in the Alps and to an extent most of the resorts of the northern hemisphere's main ski areas are best described as 'mixed'. There have been plenty of classic, sunny, spring skiing days, particularly in the Western Alps, but also some fresh snow in many areas. For most this has just been a few centimetres but there are a few resorts in both the Alps and the Rockies that have reported around a metre (40 inches) of new snow up high over the last seven days. There's also been fog (as warm temperatures make mist out of melting snow), gales and rain to get quite a mix. Remarkably we have two new ski area openings in the past week with the first of Norway's three summer glacier resorts opening for their 2019 season as has another cult classic, the little spring ski areas of Gassan in northern Japan, which also opened last weekend and immediately claimed the snow there was lying 10 metres deep – the deepest in the world. It should be open to mid-July. Finally, the little (and only) Portuguese ski area of Serra de Estrella which was open six months ago after freak heavy autumn snow storms - but hasn't opened much all winter - is open again after heavy Spring snow storms and is looking good for Easter skiing! In the Alpine Forecast Temperatures will remain warm for the foreseeable, with a little snow at high altitude in a few places but generally sunny and clear conditions prevailing. Many resorts are now closed, or are about to - so check before making any last-minute travel plans! 
More snowfall expected, but please note that some ski areas have now closed for the season.
EUROPEAN ALPS Austria Austria has seen the biggest snowfalls in Europe over the past week as the weather has switched between sun, snow and fog. The country's glaciers are posting the deepest bases, most notably the Stubai which has reached 575cm (over 19 feet) – one of the five deepest in the world at present. It has reported nearly 90cm (three feet) of snow this week with 50cm of that falling on Saturday so Sunday was quite the powder day. A large number of Austrian ski areas have now closed for the season but perhaps not as many as usual for this later in April with, it seems, a greater percentage deciding to stick it out to the late Easter this coming weekend, particular as a lot are sitting, still, on huge snowbases left from the massive January snow storms. France Most of France's ski resorts remain open to Easter too, although the majority will close for the season after this coming weekend. It has been a mostly sunny week on the country's slopes, with excellent conditions reported in the mornings following the fresh snow the week before last. There has been more fresh snow this past week too, but much less, just 5-10cm at some resorts, none at others. Avoriaz and Morzine in the Portes du Soleil are posting the country's deepest base at 3.2 metres on upper runs, but most have good cover up top. This time of year it is lower slope depth that's more of an issue and it is indeed down to a few centimetres at some areas – 5cm for Morillon, 10cm for Serre Chevalier, 15cm for Morzine and so on. Italy Italian ski areas saw some fresh snow over the past week too with the biggest reported accumulation above Passo Tonale on the Presena Glacier in Trentino where there's still another month of the season to run - through to mind-May. It got 50cm of fresh snow at the weekend, equalling the biggest fall in Europe this past week. The next few days could see more significant snowfalls on higher slopes in the Italian Alps and Dolomites with J2Ski forecasting up to 90cm (three feet) of snow in some areas by Easter Monday, however many of the ski areas likely to see the most snowfall have already closed for the season. However, 30-60cm is forecast for Cervinia which is due to stay open to the 5th of May. Switzerland Swiss ski centres also saw a mixture of sunshine, rain, fog and cloud over the past week as different weather fronts moved through. Overall the sunnier conditions were on the Western side of the country whilst there was more fresh powder to be found in the East, although when it was accompanied by thick fog at resorts like Davos, making it difficult to see where you were going on the mountain, this was a rather frustrating combination for skiers! The base depth at Engelberg remains the deepest in the Alps, although it has dropped from 7.3 to 7.1 metres. As mentioned in the intro it has been overtaken in Europe by the Fonna glacier in Norway opening with an 8m base and on the world scale by the Gassan ski area in Japan opening and posting a 10m base there! Perhaps the more interesting stat for many skiers is the lower slope base depth which has dropped to zero at Engelberg meaning top to bottom skiing is about over now although there's still five weeks of skiing left here. Scandinavia Most of Scandinavia's ski areas are open at least to the end of April with more of the locals now taking to the slopes to enjoy the long sunny days but still fresh snow, whilst the foreigners who tend to visit in mid-winter are thinner on the ground. Norway's Fonna summer ski area opened at the weekend immediately posting Europe's deepest base (and more than double that of nearest competitor Riksgransen in Scandinavia, which has dropped another 20cm to 3.4 metres) at 8 metres. No fresh snow has been reported in Scandinavia this past week. Pyrenees The season is ending in the Pyrenees with more than half of the ski areas there now closed, but it has been snowing, continuing the April trend after a fairly dry March. The biggest falls were reported on the French side with a 40cm fall at Cauterets, but there was 10cm or so in Andorra at the weekend too for a bit of powder skiing there. The principality's ski areas will close for the season after Easter Sunday. In the wider region the Portuguese ski area of Serra de Estrella, Europe's most westerly ski area, got a heavy snowfall and has re-opened for Easter skiing saying conditions are the best they've been all winter. There has also been some fresh snow for Sierra Nevada, Europe's most southerly major resort, down near Granada which will be open to the start of May. Scotland Scotland's 2018-19 ski season appears to be just about over with only Glencoe still operating and temperatures set to be in double figures into the weekend. Glencoe has three or four runs open and says their terrain is only really suitable for good skiers at the moment rather than novices. Most recently they've reported that they could stay open to May Day Bank Holiday Monday but think most likely Easter Bank Holiday Monday will be their closing day, not due to lack of snow up top they say, but due to a lack of skiers! Eastern Europe Bulgaria's ski season is now over and most of the rest of the ski areas on the eastern side of Europe have closed too, but there are a dozen or so – mostly the region's larger, higher ski centres – that are staying open for Easter weekend and indeed a few (Kobla and Vogel in Slovenia) have announced their intention to stay open through to the first weekend in May. North America Canada Most of Western Canada's ski areas are now closed but a dozen or so are staying open to Easter and several of the big names including Banff's Sunshine and Lake Louise and Whistler over on the Pacific Coast are staying open into May. There was up to 30cm of fresh snow here at the start of the week and up to 30cm more is forecast for the week ahead. There's been a little more snow in the east, with up to 50cm more at some areas in Quebec, although this has sometimes fallen as rain. Mont Tremblant, which closed after Easter Sunday too, now reports its base is more than 6 metres, which following thawing to below 6m of previously bigger bases in California, gives it the deepest depth stat in North America this week. USA US ski areas are closing thick and fast too although more than 100 resorts are open for Easter and some big names have extended their seasons. Breckenridge and Winter Park in Colorado are among those staying open into May and of course, Mammoth and Squaw Valley, with the deepest bases in the country at over 5.5 metres, have previously said they'll be staying open to July. There has been fresh snow this week in parts of California, Colorado and Montana, generally 20-50cm on higher slopes. The biggest totals, of more than a metre, at Alta and Snowbird in Utah, were in the week that ended last weekend. The latter is staying open well into May. There's been little fresh snow in the east, by contrast, more often rain, but several areas including Killington in Vermont have said they plan to stay open into May too. And that's a wrap for Winter 2018/2019! It's been a blast... but we'll be back with a monthly summary from the 1st May... |
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I don't know Hintertux, but did a fair bit of summer skiing (Tignes) many years ago... great fun!
Layers, water, suncream, and follow the sun and the shade... Daily temperature variation can be massive; on the mountain it can go from -10C overnight to +25C by lunch. - If you're early up (you should be - and the lifts will likely open v.early) it'll be very cold first thing and hot by lunchtime, so wear multiple thin layers (and a rucksack to stash them as you peel them off - nothing says "I didn't think this through" like skiing around with 3 fleeces tied round your waist...). - Skiing in warm weather will dehydrate you much faster than you're used to, and the air's usually drier up high; so take water and take regular swigs! - Slopes are likely to be rock solid first thing, but soften quickly as the sun hits them; so follow the sun early on and switch back to any slopes that stay shady / got the sun later as it warms up. YMMV, but the sweet spot is probably with between 2 and 10cm of slush. The daily freeze/thaw generally means the base under that will be very smooth. ...and don't forget the sun-cream! 8) Oh, and please post some pictures! |
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