(Picture from Cypress Mountain, BC, Canada above)
The rate of snowfall in the Alps may has slowed from the deluge level of a week ago, but there have still been more healthy snowfalls which bode well for the coming ski season. Indeed some are still reporting falls of up to 1.5m in the last few days which remains on a par with, or even better than, a week ago. The first ‘non- glacier’ ski areas in the Alps have opened this week.
Elsewhere in the ski world there’s been more snow across North America too with heavy snow reported in Colorado in particular
More resorts have opened on both sides of the Atlantic as momentum builds for winter 2014-15 – by this weekend around 50 ski centres are expected to be open.
In the Alps and Rockies skiers and boarders at areas that are already open have been largely enjoying excellent conditions – particularly when you consider we’re still in the first half of November!
The World Cup will also be back on our TV screens this weekend with racing from Levi in Finnish Lapland.
The USA now has the most areas open, with more than a dozen, there are nine in Austria and half a dozen each in Canada and Switzerland.
Austria
Austria still has the most areas open in the Alps – with eight to choose from – and they were joined yesterday by Obergurgl (pictured above), the first non-glacier ski resort in the country to open. And thanks to all the fresh snow it was almost fully open from day one – a rarity so early in the season. Nearby Solden has also extended its ski area outside the glaciated slopes area that’s been operating for two months now.
France
It keeps snowing in France but still only Tignes is open. The new snow looks good for the start of the season in two to three weeks’ time for most resorts, although Val Thorens is due to open next week. Some resorts are saying they want more snow at lower elevations, the bigger falls are mostly at 2000m+ The picture is of Avoriaz this morning.
Italy
Italian ski areas have reported some of the biggest snowfalls of the last seven days with Cervinia and the recently re-opened Presena Glacier reporting big accumulations of up to 50cm in 24 hours. They’re joined by Sulda, the first non-glacier ski area in the Alps to open for the season and Val Senales (pictured below) is a fourth area currently open.
Switzerland
More Swiss areas have been opening in the past few days and Saas Fee is claiming the biggest snow accumulation anywhere in the last week, with 1.5m (five feet) falling on the slopes since Monday! Davos, Engelberg and Crans Montana all open for the season this weekend joining already open Zermatt , Glacier 3000 (above Les Diablerets) and Diavolezza (near St Moritz). Verbier, pictured above, which opened last weekend three weeks ahead of schedule due to all the snow, is due to re-open this.
Scandinavia
It’s a big weekend coming up in Levi (above) as the Alpine skiing World Cup is in town. It and fellow Finnish Lapland resort Ruka are the two open areas in the country at the moment with a handful of runs operating at each. The Norwegian area of Kvitfjell, one of the centres near Lillehammer, has opened this week too, believed to be the first in Norway for 14-15.
Canada
The season is really due to kick off in Canada this weekend with half a dozen areas opening. Most are in Alberta and include all three Banff areas (Mt Norquay, Lake Louise and Sunshine) as well as Marmot Basin to the north and Olympic centre Nakiska closer to Calgary. However 2010 Olympic venue Cypress mountain, on the outskirts of Vancouver in BC, says it will open tomorrow too (seer the picture at the top of this report). Whistler, which opens in a fortnight, sent some pics over of how it’s looking already (see below).
USA
Resorts are opening right across the US and it looks like around 20 areas will be operating this weekend from East to west coast and at several states in between. Some are reliant on snowmaking but there’s been good natural snowfall in many areas too with Colorado (pictured below) doing particularly well recording more than a foot (30cm) of fresh snow in the last few days.
