The ski season is in full swing now across Europe and North America. Although there has not been much fresh snow in the Alps since November, the big snowfalls last month means conditions are mostly good on the groomed pistes at least.
Those who like deep powder though need to hop on a plane and get over to North America where it keeps snowing and snowing right across the continent, so there’s lots of fresh snow lying several feet deep on both East and West coasts – it’s unusual for both sides to get it at once and great news there for the Christmas holidays.
There has been some fresh snow in Europe in the very far south and very far north. Up at Narvik in the Arctic Circle of northern Norway there’s been lots of snow and amazingly there’s been more than a foot this week at Sierra Nevada right down by the Mediterranean in southern Spain where as much again is expected this weekend too. The weather is starting to change in the Alps though and fresh snow isn’t too far away now, …we hope!
Austria
Austria is the one country in the Alps that has seen a few inches of snow in the past week and a few inches more are forecast for the week ahead, if not yet the big snowfall we could do with. Most ski areas are 60-90% open though thanks to that early snow and subsequent snowmaking. Base depths are typically 30-60cm although glacier areas have more than a metre of snow lying.
France
Although there’s been no fresh snow reported in France over the past week, things are looking increasingly promising in the run up to Christmas after three snow-less week with most areas expected to get up to 30cm of fresh cover by Christmas day. On the piste conditions are goo anyway though, particularly on higher slopes, due to predominantly low temperatures meaning November snow accumulations are holding up.
Italy
Italy is a divided nation in terms of snow cover at present with resorts in the Alps on the west of the country is good shape thanks to those November snowfalls. In the Dolomites to the East they’ve been more reliant on snowmaking to open runs, although they’ve managed to get hundreds of kilometres open, just with fairly thin cover. The good news is 20-40cm of fresh snow is forecast across the country in the week ahead. Our friends from Sauze Online (in the snowy West of Italy!) report on current conditions in Sauze d’Oulx and the wider Milky Way region above.
Switzerland
Some significant snowfall (as much as 2.5 feet/75cm at Zermatt) is forecast in the run up to Christmas in Switzerland too after a third snowless week in a row here too. Currently again on-piste conditions are good, particularly higher up, but with no snow down in resort in virtually all Swiss resorts. Saas Fee (Pictured above on Thursday) has the best upper slope snow depth in the country at 120cm.
Pyrenees
There’s not been any snow in the Pyrenees this past week and depths are 50-80cm, but down south in Sierra Nevada by the Med (pictured) there’s been more than 50cm and its still snowing with another metre of snowfall forecast there over the week ahead. The Pyrenees too should get some fresh snow by this time next week, probably, just not so much.
Eastern Europe
Not very much snow in Eastern Europe in the last week but on piste conditions here are good too after snowfall in early December. Here too snow is forecast in the week ahead. Snow depths are in the 30-90cm bracket – not bad for mid-December.
Scandinavia
The most significant snowfall in Scandinavia this week has been up in the far north at Narvik in Norway (pictured above) where there have been plenty of powder alarms for healthy snowfalls. Elsewhere not much new snow but again earlier falls means on piste cover is fairly good everywhere.
Scotland
The webcam image from Glencoe yesterday afternoon sums up just how bad things are across Scottish ski slopes after three weeks of above freezing temperatures and very little precipitation. There is some hope however with ‘extreme weather’ – which hopefully means snow not just gales and rain – forecast from the middle of next week onwards.
Canada
A snowy week again in Canada with some more good snowfalls on both West and East sides of the continent. In Quebec conditions are said to be the best in years for this early in the season with over two feet of snow falling in the last week at some areas. On the West Revelstoke has now had 492cm of snow so far this winter.
USA
Great conditions on both the East and west sides of the US too with powder alarms for 20cm+ of snow in 24 hours buzzing in almost every minute from one US resort or another to our offices. Jackson hole reports its had nearly 5m of snow already this season up top and resorts in Vermont say they’ve had two feet of snow in the past week. It’s looking good pretty much everywhere stateside.
