It’s expected to be a snowy weekend in the Alps with up to 50cm of fresh snow falling. Snpow is also forecasdt for other areas like the Pyrenees where no resorts are open yet. It’s great news for the 20 or so areas already open in Europe and a positive sign (if too early to be sure) of a (hopefully) snowier start to winter 16-17 than the past few seasons.
Across the Atlantic some resorts have already clocked up eight feet of snow before even opening and Canada’s first area has opened for the season in the past few days, ahead of schedule.
South of the equator it’s the final weekend of the 2016 season at the one centre still open.
Austria
There are nine ski areas in Austria at present – the country’s eight glacier ski areas plus Kitzbuhel. After a clear and sunny 10 days or so on Austrian pistes, significant snowfall is expected across all this weekend, meaning November powder is hopefully on the cards.
France
After Les 2 Alpes ended its 10 day October opening last weekend we’re back to just Tignes being open in France for the next three weeks. The picture above is 10 days old (taken on 26th October when the last snow fell) but 50cm of fresh snow is forecast to fall on the glacier there this weekend so hopefully it’ll be a case of deja vu!
Italy
It’s getting colder in Italy and Dolomiti Superski (pictured above) report they’re making snow day as well as night now. The three areas currently open at Cervinia, Sulda and Val Senales are all expecting healthy snowfalls this weekend.
Switzerland
There are six areas open in Switzerland and like the rest of the Alps they’re expecting some good snowfall over the next 48 hours. The past week has seen sunshine and hard packed snow. Davos was the latest to open, last weekend, three weeks early.
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is set to see a lot more centres opening over the next few weeks with Norway’s Beitostolen due to open today (Nov 5) and Kvitfjell on Thursday 10th. Last week Bjorli opened (pictured top). Just before opening (pictured below) it relied on snowmaking, then 20cm of snow fell! Already open are Ruka in Finland and another Norwegian area, Geilo. Hemsedal says it is producing 10,000 truckloads of snow every day (pictured above)
Canada
Sunshine village near Banff (pictured above) announced it was opening a week earlier than planned, on Thursday, and in the earliest date for 30 years after building a natural snow base of more than 60cm/2 feet. There’s been a lot of snowfall in Western Canada already, Revelstoke say they’ve had eight feet/2.4m! Lake Louise is due to open next weekend.
(It’s not open yet but Whistler has had lots of snow as pictured below, image credit:Mitch Winton of Coast Mountain Photography)
USA
After the initial excitement snow area openings have slowed in the US. Warm weather through late October in Colorado has led Keystone to delay opening to next weekend instead of this as planned, but Arapahoe Basin remains open, as does Killington in Vermont and fresh snow has been falling. Next weekend sees the first big name Western areas scheduled to open including Breckenridge, Squaw Valley and Mammoth.
New Zealand
It’s the last weekend of the season at Mt Ruapehu, the only area in the southern hemisphere still operating its 20167 ski season. The area’s Turoa ski field still has a 1.5m snow base but calls it a day on its ‘Snowvember opening’ on Sunday.