(There’s still fresh snow to be had in a few places, including Stowe, Vermont, above)
There has been little fresh snow in the world’s leading ski regions this past week but in most cases cover remains good thanks to the accumulated bases which are healthy in almost all areas.
Oddly there have been a few places where huge snowfalls of around two metres in two days were reported at the start of the week – Bulgaria and Italy’s Apennine mountains down East of Rome. The snowfalls here were reported to be at ‘once in a generation’ levels.
Most areas should get more snow next week, with the French Alps and Western Swiss Alps likely to see the biggest accumulations, potentially another 2m at some centres though generally 30-90cm in most cases according to forecasters.
Austria
(Mayrhofen)
Austrian centres have seen the most snow of the big four Alpine nations in the last week with many areas reporting 10 to 20cm in the past few days. But mostly conditions have been sunny and good on the pistes.
France
(Avoriaz)
In France there’s been very little fresh snow but base depths remain healthy at most resorts with up to 3m/10 feet lying on the country’s upper slopes, which should be good through to the end of the season in late April or May now. As mentioned however, the French Alps are in any case expecting to get dumped on again in the coming week.
Italy
(Sestriere)
Italy has also had little fresh snow to talk of this week but fresh falls are expected across the north of the country from the Alps to the Dolomites over the coming week. Although there’s no off piste terrain that’s worth skiing at present, depths on the piste are up to nearly 5 metres at the country’s snowiest centres.
Switzerland
(Zermatt)
Swiss centres have had a snowless week also but also have good snow depths on the country’s pistes so skiers have been able to enjoy the sunshine on snowy slopes. Quite substantial snowfalls are expected in Switzerland over the coming days.
Pyrenees
(Vallnord)
After the huge snowfalls here in late February it has been a snowless week in the Pyrenees. Snow depths are still very good – typically around the 3m mark – because of all that snow and like the Alps, fresh snow, up to 90cm of it, is expected in the coming week.
Scotland
(Glencoe)
Scottish slopes have been battling with first a thaw and then gale force winds over the past week. Glenshee had to close because of the thaw, but then fresh snow blown in on the gales enabled it to open again, whilst West coast areas had to close because of the gales. At one point a tour bus was blown off the road near Glencoe ski area by a 120mph wind. All five Highland areas are currently open and expecting good conditions over the weekend.
Eastern Europe
(Pamporovo)
As mentioned in the intro the snowfalls in parts of Bulgaria this week were claimed by locals to be the biggest in 40 years. They led to ski area closures whilst lifts were dug out and slopes prepared and sadly some avalanche deaths outside ski area boundaries. Things are returning to normal now, albeit with very healthy base depths now.
Scandinavia
(Bjorli)
Scandinavian ski centres are largely in good shape too. Norwegian resorts continue to report fresh snow and have good 1-2m base depths. Bjorli, pictured above, had 20cm of new snow on Tuesday. Elsewhere there’s been no fresh snow reported in Finland or Sweden but cover remains good on the groomed pistes.
Canada
(Tremblant)
It has not been a great year for snow in Western Canada with unseasonably warm weather for much of 2015 so far meaning little fresh snow has fallen, and temperatures have been so high what precipitation there’s been has fallen as rain at times. That situating has largely continued this week. It’s a more normal situation on the East where resorts received 20cm of fresh snow in the past few days.
USA
(Stowe)
As with Western Canada, with the Western USA there’s been little fresh snow this week and the East Coast has again seen more snow, although not so much as in recent weeks. Fresh snowfall of up to 20cm has been reported in New England.