(Treble Cone in New Zealand Last Month)

It was a hot July in the Alps with temperatures reaching double digits above zero on occasion and some of the continent’s glaciers in rather a sorry state as a result.  No fresh snow has been reported since mid-June.

South of the equator things are looking much better with big July snowfalls in all ski regions, transforming the season in South America in particular but also bringing one of the best winters in a while to Southern African ski areas and significantly bolstering bases in Australia and New Zealand.

The Alps:

Austria

Three glacier areas are currently open in Austria with the country’s other five main glacier centres likely to join them from mid-September.  Year round Hintertux (pictured above last week) has the biggest area open in the country with 18km to enjoy and a 165cm base, whilst the Molltal glacier has the deepest snow base in Austria with 2.3m, the Dachstein glacier also reports some terrain open.

France

The thaw has been particularly noticeable on French glacier slopes.  Tignes is scheduled to stay open to the second Sunday in August, July 9^th, it currently has a 60cm base.  Les 2 Alpes (above) will stay open another three weeks to the last Sunday in the month and reports a base of 125cm.

Italy

The Cervinia – Zermatt (above) shared cross-border glacier ski area is fully open through August with over 20m of runs, nearly 1000m skiable vertical and around a 1.3m base.  Cervinia will close in early September.  A similar base on upper runs is reported at Italy’s other remaining summer ski centre Passo Stelvio.

Switzerland

Along with Zermatt (see Italy entry above), its neighbour Saas Fee re-opened last week for its 9 month plus season through to spring 2016.  It has a 1m base on its upper slopes.

Rest Of Northern Hemisphere

Norway

Norwegian glacier ski areas boast the deepest snow bases in the world at present with 6m (20 feet) lying at Folgefonn.  However its due to close for the season on the first Sunday of August – the 2^nd, following Stryn, which already ended its brief summer ski season.  However Galdhoppigen, the third option, is scheduled to re-open on August 1^st.

North America

It’s been very hot in North America too and only the Timberline snow field on Mt Hood in Oregon, USA remains open for lift-served snowsports. Whistler Blackcomb, the only centre still open in Canada, ended its glacier season on the last Sunday in July, but resorts in Alberta posted pictures of fresh snow falling there last month.

Back in the US, some people are still hiking up to ski remaining snow patches at Jackson Hole:

Southern Hemisphere:

Australia

Australian slopes are in great shape following big snowfalls in the last week of July.  Perisher reported the biggest accumulation of 70cm but most other resorts got 40-60cm and now have bases approaching the metre mark – very good for Australia.

New Zealand

Almost all of New Zealand’s ski centres are fully open after regular snowfalls through the 2015 season to date, giving bases of up to 2.5m (Cardrona), the deepest in the southern hemisphere at present.  Treble Cone is pictured above.

Lesotho and South Africa

Southern Africa’s two commercial ski areas – Afriski in Lesotho and Tiffindell in South Africa are both continuing to enjoy a very good winter 2015 with several more good natural snowfalls in July.

South America:

Argentina

Argentinian ski centres opened several weeks later than planned, in mid-July, after a huge snowfall, claimed by some to be the biggest for years, swept the mountains after an unseasonable warm dry start to winter. The snow has returned in the last few days of July with more significant snowfall.  The continent’s largest ski area, Catedral (above) and another of its major resorts, Las Lenas, have the deepest bases at around 1.4m, but all Argentinian centres are now open with good cover.

Chile

Chile’s ski areas opened en masse in mid July, four weeks later than planned in most cases, when an unseasonably warm dry start to winter ended with a huge snow storm which in some cases brought more than a metre of snow to the country’s slopes.  There hasn’t been a huge amount of fresh snow since but temperatures remain cold and most centres are fully open with summit bases at around 70-90cm.