It’s too early to get over excited about the coming ski season, but so far October has been so snowy it’s very hard not to.
There’s been more than a metre of snow in Jackson Hole and Whistler in the past week, in fact Jackson Hole say it’s the snowiest October they’ve had this century, and there’s still more than a week to go. There have been big snowfalls on the dozen or so glacier areas already open in the Alps with several issuing ‘powder alarms’ for more than 20cm of snow in 24 hour periods in the past few days.
Further north several ski areas have opened in Scandinavia, cleverly recycling snow stockpiled from the end of last season! Meanwhile the 2016 ski season continues at one resort in the southern hemisphere too.
This weekend is a big one with the start of the 2016-17 FIS World Cup in Solden, Les 2 Alpes joining Tignes in France as the second open area there and the North American ski season getting underway at Arapahoe Basin in Colorado. Remarkably, Kitzbuhel also plans to open for the 2016-17 ski season on Saturday 22nd, one of the first non-glacier resorts in the world to do so. Above is a video from Kitzbuhel’s October opening last year
Austria
Austria is where the majority of the world’s Autumn on-snow action is. Eight glacier areas are open (almost as many as the rest of the world put together) and as mentioned above Kitzbuhel plans to use its snowmaking skills to open terrain at Pass Thurn this weekend too. Resorts including the Kitzsteinhorn have been issuing powder alerts this week and the World Cup kicks off in Solden on Saturday 22nd too.
France
Les 2 Alpes opens on Saturday for 10 days, joining Tignes. It is pictured above the evening before opening. Open until the 1st November there are two events coming up at Les 2 Alpes, Enjoy the Glacier, on the 22nd and 23rd October and High Test Decathlon, on the 29th and 30th October celebrating the opening of the glacier with equipment tests, meeting professionals, contests all in a family atmosphere.
Italy
Three open glacier ski areas to choose from in Italy, all with fresh snow this week. Val Senales, Cervinia (weekend only, but full time from next weekend on, meaning cross-border skiing to Zermatt is possible) or Passo Stelvo. It’s another month until the season starts in the Dolomites but they’re excited to have some snow already (below) after the past two poor autumns for snow.
Switzerland
There were plans for several glacier areas including Diavolezza (near St Moritz), Crans Montana, Engelberg (pictured above) and Glacier 3000 (Near Gstaad and Les Diablerets) to open a week ago, joining already open Saas Fee and Zermattt, but they decided to delay. Some may now open this weekend – Engelberg among them, whilst others, including Glacier 3000, will wait another week at least.
Scandinavia
Geilo in Norway and Ruka in Finland (pictured above) have both used snow stockpiled from last winter and spread out on a ski run in order to open in October. Norway’s Galdhoppigen summer-skiing glacier is also still open.
Scotland
There’so chance of any Scottish areas opening in the near future but there was relief this week when there was snow on the country’s mountain tops. Glencoe is pictured above.
North America
There’s a lot happening in North America too. The past week has seen some of the biggest snowfalls yet in the northwest of the country. Whistler (pictured above) clocked up about a metre of snow, Jackson Hole said it has had nearly 1.5m of snow in October, the most in October in 16 years. Sun Peaks, another snowy Canadian resort, is pictured above. Colorado hasn’t had so much snow but it has been cold enough for snowmaking and that and some natural snow has allowed Arapahoe Basin (below) to open for the season today, the first on the continent to do so.
Southern Hemisphere
It has been snowing in Australia a month after the season ended there. Mt Buller is pictured above. But one area, Mt Ruapehu in New Zealand (below), is still open and will remain so in to November It has a base of up to 2.1m and has had more fresh snow this week.
