(New Zealand – The Remarkables – readies for opening day)
Despite some good snowfalls in the Alps in recent weeks, you can count the number of areas open for June skiing on two hands, with a handful more open in Scandinavia and North America.
But the southern hemisphere’s 2015 season will kick off in June and by the end of the month most of the 100 ski areas south of the equator should be operational.
There have been promising pre-season signs, particularly in New Zealand, with heavy late-May snow raising anticipation levels!
Austria
(Snow on the Stubai glacier in late May)
There can be up to eight glacier ski areas open in spring, summer or autumn in Austria but only one tries to stay open year round, and only a couple more are planning to open in June. Huntertux is the year round option and is looking good entering June with a nine foot base and more than 20km of piste open. Kaunertal and Stubai are the other two centres still open.
France
After no open ski areas for nearly a month, the small glacier area above Val d’Isere is scheduled to open on Saturday June 6th for a five week run. The bigger glacier area at Les 2 Alpes opens a fortnight later on the 20th of the month and Tignes a week later on the 27th.
Italy
It’s been the first year this century perhaps when no Italian area has been open since mid-May, most of the country’s summer ski areas have closed in recent years and Passo Tonale, normally open through to June or July, is closed this year due to new lifts being built. However Passo Stelvio (Pictured) just re-opened at the weekend with 10 runs to choose from and Europe’s highest base above 2,700m. A second choice, Cervinia, lift-linked to Zermatt even in summer, will re open on the last weekend of June (27th) .
Switzerland
Only Zermatt is open in Switzerland in June, as it tries to open every day of the year, weather permitting. There’s been fresh snow so the glacier is looking good, Neighbouring Saas Fee opens in July and there’s cross border summer skiing in to Italy when Cervinia re-opens on the last weekend of June.
Norway
Norway’s three glacier ski areas of Folgefonn, Galdhoppigen and Stryn (pictured above) all opened during May and should remain open through June. They’re reporting huge snow bases 5m ore more thick and in some cases have had problems digging out the access roads to the slopes. Each has one or two long lifts, including from northern Europe’s highest lift served slopes.
Scotland
Although all five centres in Scotland have stopped running their lifts for skiers, it won’t stop snowing – there was more fresh overnight. Glencoe are gearing up to re-open, briefly, in three weeks, for skiing on or near Midsummers Day, details to be confirmed nearer the time…
Sweden
Riksgransen, Sweden and Europe’s most northerly ski centre, which only opened for the season in February, ends its four month run with a big weekend of festivities over the summer solstice. It’s currently bathed in 24 hour daylight and offers skiing under the midnight sun on selected evenings.
Canada
Whistler is the only ski area open in Canada, it wasn’t planning toi be but it decided to extend its season to June 7th a few weeks ago. It it then closed for just 12 days before re-opening on June 20th for just over a month of summer glacier ski camps.
USA
After the warm winter in the west, more of the areas that can stay open to June or July following a good snow winter in the US areas have closed earlier, including Mammoth, who took the above pic on their last day, May 24th. This leaves Arapahoe Basin in Colorado (pictured below left) and Timberline on Mt Hood in Oregon looking good. Timberline is open for snow sports pretty much year round and Arapahoe Basin had a cool, snowy May and will be open weekends in June until at least Sunday the 14th, maybe longer. Killington in Vermont (pictured below right) had aimed to open in June, though last week it decided initially just on Monday June 1st, to say it got there, having battled a fast thaw. But a rain storm last Wednesday destroyed the last snow cover and the plan had to be abandoned, mother nature always has her way in the end!
Southern Hemisphere
New Zealand
The New Zealand ski season kicks off at resorts including Mt Hutt on June 13th with virtually all areas aiming to be open by the end of July.
In truth it could have started in May as an ‘Antarctic Blast’ brought great snow conditions to many areas with the snow lying several feet deep, so hopefully those conditions will just continue to improve over the next few weeks rather than a thaw., The start of June is still promising at least with more snow forecast.
Australia
Australian ski areas kick off their season on the first weekend of June regardless of whatever the snow is doing. In fact May was quite a promising month down under with some snowfall and low temperatures to allow snow making. The picture of Perisher above was taken in mid-May.
South America
Most ski areas in Argentina and Chile aim to open in the middle of the month of June and although snowfall stats are limited pre-season, some promising looking pictures such as this for Corralco in Chile a few days ago, have been appearing on social media.
Lesotho and South Africa
The ski areas of Afriski in Lesotho and Tiffindell (pictured above) in South Africa are usually amongst the first in the southern hemisphere to open each winter in late may or early June. They do indeed hope to open in the first few days of June but will most likely rely on snowmaking if temperatures are low enough, big snowfalls do happen, but rarely (it’s a library picture).