There was fresh snowfall on high slopes across the nothern hemisphere in the last weeks of September and glacier ski areas have been opening in the Alps for the start of long 2016-2017 seasons.
Over in North America ski patrol were able to snow on accumulated fresh snow in Colorado whilst in the southern hemisphere ski areas have started closing at the end of their winter 2016.
All in all excitement is building for the season ahead with more areas scheduled to open throughout October.
Austria
As usual for October, there are almost as many ski areas open in Austria as we start the month than in the rest of the Northern Hemisphere put together. Pitztal (above) was amongst those re-opening, and getting fresh September snowfall, last month. Also open are Hintertux, Solden, Molltal, the Dachstein Glacier and Kaunertal. The Kitzsteinhorn and Stubai glaciers are scheduled to open in mid-October as is Kitzbuhel on the 22nd.
(Solden pictured top in the last week of September)
France
After a month with no areas open in France, the once year-round ski centre of Tignes opens on Saturday, October 1st, for its eight month long winter season through to next May. It’ll be just Tignes for most of the next two months although Les 2 Alpes will open for its annual school holiday opening in the last week of October.
Italy
Winter is coming to the mountains of Italy and the sheep have been brought down from the high pasture at Val Senales, one of the two Italian glacier ski areas (the other is Passo Stelvio) currently open for snowsports. Cervinia will join them and open up cross-border October pistes to Zermatt from the middle of the month; open weekends at first then full time from the final weekend on.
Switzerland
The number of ski areas open in Switzerland should increase from two to seven by the end of the month, second only to Austria in terms of the number of centres open worldwide. Saas Fee and (year round) Zermatt (where fresh September snow has been falling on their new 3S lift construction site as pictured above) have been open all summer but from mid-October they’ll be joined by five more glacier ski areas (Engelberg, Glacier 3000 near Diablerets, Crans Montana and Diavolezza (near St Moritz) as well as non-glacier area Arosa Lenzerhide.
Scandinavia
A real choice of October ski options for Scandinavia. The region’s highest peak, Galdhoppigen, is the only one of three summer ski areas still open in 2016 and planning to stay open to the end of the month. But the snow at Geilo (above) is even older, stored from last winter and spread out on a 1km run that opened on the last Friday in September after its great popularity a year ago. Or if you wait until October 10th the ski area with the longest season of a non-glacier area in Europe, Lapland/Finland’s Ruka, is scheduled to open too.
Pyrenees
No ski areas are scheduled to open in the Pyrenees until late November but there was excitement in mid-November when the first snow was spotted on mountain tops at Formigal in Spain (above).
North America
September was an exciting month in much of Western North America with many ski areas from Colorado to BC in Canada reporting fresh snow. At Mammoth in California and Lake Louise in Alberta (above – getting 30cm in 24 hours) it made it down to base level. Silverton Mountain in Colorado had enough powder fort the last weekend of September for ski patrol to make a few turns (below). The race is now on to be the first area in the US to open – probably Copper Mountain, Arapahoe Basin, Loveland and Keystone in Colorado will do battle. The near-year-round Timberline ski field in Oregon will be open too. Canadian resorts around Banff will start to open at the beginning of November.
Southern Hemisphere
The 2016 ski season is nearly over south of the equator. Southern Africa’s ski areas closed in late August and now 95% of areas in South America, Australia and New Zealand have closed, or will be doping so this first weekend of October or next (Mt Hutt in NZ is pictured above). Only one may still open to ‘Snow-vember’ – it hasn’t been decided yet. Mt Ruapehu in New Zealand (pictured below) has done so before and probably could do again this winter if it wants to thanks to a 2m base.
