Well we may be in to the second week of April but at some resorts at least there has been some serious snowfall – particularly in the Pyrenees – which got a foot (30cm) of fresh snow earlier this week and Western North America where it has just kept snowing in between sunny spells so here is our regular guide to Where To Ski or Board This Week.
There’s also been some new snow in the Alps and there’s much more forecast for the week ahead! (If those forecasts are right…)
But some resorts have already closed for the season – the Skiwelt in Austria and Jackson Hole in the US amongst them.
Austria
More Austrian ski areas will be closing this weekend following the Skiwelt last Sunday but others, including Ischgl and most of the eight glacier resorts will be open in to May. There’s been snow on higher slopes including at the Kitzsteinghorn glacier above, and there’s more in the forecast.
France
It has been mostly sunny on French slopes with sunshine the order of the day as at Val Thorens above, but there has been fresh snow too, with most areas receiving 5-20cm of new cover in the Alps, and as much as a foot down in the Pyrenees. Spring skiing conditions are looking good in to May at resorts like Tignes and Chamonix.
Italy
Sunny days on Italian slopes with very little fresh snow to report (7cm at Livigno) although there is more in the forecast for the week ahead (Up to three feet in the Dolomites apparently if those forecasts are correct. It’s freeze-thaw conditions but generally good.
Switzerland
Little fresh snow in Switzerland either and some mixed weather reported at the BRITS championships in Laax, but its mostly been sunny days here too, if sometimes windy. Here’s a snow report from Zermatt this week from our friends at Inghams …where forecasters say there may be 1.2m/4 feet of fresh snow this week, good news for a resort that offers snow sports year round.
Pyrenees
A wintry scene in Andorra this week as ski resorts received 10-12 inches (25-30cm) of fresh snow! Grandvalira in pictured.
Scotland
There has been fresh snow on Scottish slopes in the last few days (Glencoe pictured above) with Sunday currently forecast as the best day to hit the slopes. Cairngorm and Nevis Range are the other two areas still open.
Scandinavia
Not much fresh snow in Scandnavia this past week, in fact bases have been thawing down a little, but most areas (including Hemedal in Norway above), are looking good for the rest of April.
Eastern Europe
There’s a definite end-of-the-season feeling in Eastern Europe with little fresh snow to speak of, warm temperatures and a rapidly thawing snowpack. Many ares have now closed in the region but others continue with 20-40cm bases. But Bulgaria’s Bansko still has a metre up top if nothing at resort level.
Canada
Here’s Revelstoke’s famous snow gnome showing a 12cm accumulation of fresh snow this week, part of a 20cm accumulation overall, the best in the country this week. Canada has several areas open in to May including Whistler, Lake Louise, Marmot Basin and sunshine – all are looking good with deep bases.
USA
US resorts have seen some big snowfalls yet again in the West (Big Sky in Montana is pictured above on Tuesday morning), but between these it has been very warm in the daytime, freezing overnight, so hard slopes first thing turning to stodge by 1pm. Some resorts including Crested Butte and Telluride in Colorado have closed already and others will follow suit this weekend, but some including Mammoth and Squaw Valley in California have announced they’ll e staying open to at least the end of May.