Sensational deep powder snow falling in Western North America, dry and sunny in the Alps – there have been very different conditions on each side of the Atlantic for the past week.
So if you’re lucky enough to be west of the Rockies you have dozens of ski areas already open, many having opened early, with great conditions. In the Alps, it has been great on the pistes on the glaciers in the sunshine too, but a change to snowy weather is needed ahead of the big season opening – hopefully that’s coming with a forecast change to more unsettled weather in the coming week.
Austria
Austria still has the most ski areas open in Europe with its eight glacier areas joined by Obergurgl (Pictured above) this weekend and Obertauern, all being well, next week. Kitzbuhel is also partly open. As with most of the Alps conditions are good on the glaciers with sunny skies but they’re hoping for lower temperatures and fresh snow next week as the main season draws nearer.
France
Only Tignes (Pictured above) is currently open in France with a 50cm base on it’s Grand Motte glacier slopes. It is due to be joined next weekend by Val Thorens but current webcam images are showing no snow on slopes by the resort so a fast snowmaking effort may be required this week if temperatures drop and it is to open as planned.
Italy
It’s still a choice of Cervinia (from where you can ski over the border to Zermatt) or Val Senales in Italy for glacier skiing at the moment but Livigno (pictured above), one of the country’s highest resorts, is in good shape thanks to late October snowfall and hopes to open imminently…
Switzerland
Zermatt (pictured above) and Saas Fee remain in great shape, each offering around 30km of high altitude glacier skiing. Laax, Glacier 3000 (at Les Diablerets), Davos and Diavolezza (near St Moritz) are also open. Hoewever Crans Montana and Verbier which had hoped to opened at the weekend are believed to have delayed doing so due to the ware weather and limited snow cover on their glaciers.
Scandinavia
It has been getting snowier in Scandinavia. Ruka which began the season nearly a month ago with only machine made snow has now had plenty of the natural stuff, as shown above. Levi is also looking much whiter. Other areas are set to open imminently.
Scotland
Scotland’s warm temperatures and lack of any real autumn snow cover on the mountains has come to an end with Storm Abigail and slopes are finally turning white, as at The Lecht, pictured. Cold temperatures from the arctic this week are expected to bring more snow, but it’s too soon to know when the first ski areas will open.
Pyrenees
It’s still over a fortnight until the first ski areas in the Pyrenees are due to open, all being well, on the last weekend of November. Early snowfall has thawed away in most areas but it has been getting colder again and Spain’s Panticosa fired up the snow cannons (as above) last week to start snowmaking.
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is of course a very big area and whilst there’s not much snow reported yet in countries like Bulgaria and Romania, we’re seeing very snowy slopes in Kazakhstan!
Canada
Western Canada is reporting ever more snowy conditions ans the powder keeps falling. All three Banff ski areas are now open and Big White in BC has opened early. Revelstoke says it has had more than 1.5m (5 feet) of snow in the past fortnight. Sun Peaks (pictured above) is open for national team training ahead of the Lake Louise world cup downhill races in a few weeks’ time. Whistler say they’ll be opening early for the season thanks to all the snow there, with 50th anniversary season operations beginning now on November 19th.
USA
Squaw Valley in California which is one of numerous resorts in California and Colorado that have opened earlier than planned for winter 15-16 thanks to all the snow posted this picture to illustrate the ‘Godzille El Nino’ affect being credited with delivering all the early season snow. Jackson Hole has claimed the most snow so far with more than 40 inches (a metre) but has not opened yet. Breckenridge and Copper in Colorado plus Heavenly, Mammoth, Northstar and Squaw in California are among those that have.
