July brought mixed fortunes to the world’s open ski areas. All of the summer glacier ski areas are now open and most had some significant fresh snow in July and are looking good for August.
In the southern hemisphere big snowfalls in South America and New Zealand in early June were followed by warm weather and a thaw, but both have seen a return to snowier weather in recent weeks. Australia had a slower start to its 2016 season but has seen colder weather through July. There’s also been more fresh snow in southern Africa. August is the last full month of the southern hemisphere ski season at most resorts, except in New Zealand where most centres are normally open to at last early October.
(Image Top: The Remarkables, New Zealand)
Austria
The Kitzsteinhorn near Kaprun (which closed at the end of the July) is pictured above with a July snowstorm raging. However the year-round Hintertux and Dachstein glaciers are still open and the Molltal glacier has re-opened (and will now stay open daily to next May) giving a choice of three areas.
France
Conditions are pretty good at the two French summer glacier areas open through August at Les 2 Alpes and Tignes (pictured above last month by Flo Bastien). The third area open last month, Val d’Isere, has now closed again until next winter.
Italy
Cervinia and Passo Stelvio are both currently open in Italy, the former offering cross-border skiing with Zermatt in Switzerland. Both have good bases and have had some fresh July snow so are looking good for August.
Switzerland
Saas Fee has re-opened for summer skiing at the end of July, actually it woin’#t close again until next spring so a nine month season is just underway. It joins its neighbour, year-round snowsports centre Zermatt, as one of the two Swiss ski areas you can ski ore bosard in august. Both with snowparks and fresh July snow.
Norway
Conditions remain good in Norway where the Folgefon (or ‘Fonna’) glacier and Galdhoppigen slopes are both open. Fonna claims a 7m base, the deepest in the world.
North America
Fresh July snow on the high peaks in the North West of the US too, picture above is from Jackson Hole. Only one area is open for skiing on the North American continent though – Timberline in Oregon has several runs and a terrain park open on its permanent snowfield on Mt Hood – which also reports fresh July snow.
Australia
Australian slopes are in great shape after some big end-of-July snow storms built on aa already winter 2016 to date. All of the country’s areas are looking good for August with the four biggest resorts – Mt Hotham, Thredbo, Falls Creek and Perisher all with around a 1m base depth- very good for Australian resorts.
New Zealand
After a challenging first half of the season (it’s been the warmest year on record in NZ), things are looking much snowier as we enter August with some good snowfalls in the last week of July and base depths passing the metre mark at the country’s leading resorts. So things are finally looking good!
Argentina
Argentina also saw some healthy snowfalls at the start of the season with some resorts opening weeks early as a result. Unfortunately the snow didn’t continue through June and several areas, including Catedral near Bariloche, the largest in the southern hemisphere, could’t open. That’s all changed now though after a return to snowy weather with all areas open including Catedral, above. las Lenas reports a 1.5m snow depth up top, the country’s deepest at present.
Chile
Things are looking great on the slopes of Chile after a warm spell earlier in July forced a couple of the smaller areas to shut down for a few weeks. But the end of July was like the start of June with some huge snowfalls and several resorts now have more than a 2m base – the deepest in the southern hemisphere (including Portillo, pictured above).
Africa
There’s been a good fresh snowfall in South Africa and Lesotho in the past week topping up snowmaking cover. Both Tiffinell (In South Africa) and Afriski (in Lesotho) are looking good for the final month of their 2016 seasons coming up.
