(Pic Above: Laax, Switzerland)
It’s been a very snowy week in Western North America with up to a metre of snow falling in the last seven days.
In the Alps its been cold, dry and sunny so that resorts already open have had great skiing after the heavy snow last week.
It’s not all good news though – resorts that had opened early in New England have had to close again as it has warmed up there, and the FIS have cancelled the next World Cup races planned for Levi in Finland in a week as it’s too warm and conditions aren’t favorable.
But overall things are constantly improving and more resorts are opening.
Austria
Obergurgl, pictured above, will open a week earlier than planned, tomorrow, for a pre-opening weekend. It joins the eight Austrian glacier areas already open plus early-opening Kitzbuhel.
France
With Les 2 Alpes closing again for a month after a great week open France is back to just having one lift-served ski area open at present – Tignes. Val Thorens will reopen in s fortnight.
Italy
Good conditions too on Italy’s glaciers, Cervinia is now open daily, joining Val Senales (pictured above from the web cam), but Passo Stelvio which was open up top November 1st all through the spring, summer and first half of autumn has now closed until next spring.
Switzerland
Ever more Swiss glacier ski centres have been opening with Davos and Laax (Pictured top) joining year round Zermatt (pictured) with its 30km of open ruins and Saas Fee. You can also ski at Engelberg, Glacier 3000 above Les Diablerets and the Diavolezza Glacier near St Moritz.
Scandinavia
Although the next World cup races scheduled for Levi have been cancelled there has been fresh snow in Scandinavia and more areas including Norway’s Narvik (pictured above) expect to open soon. Ruka, which opened three weeks ago, has had fresh snow.
Pyrenees
Nowhere in the Pyrenees is scheduled to open for another three weeks but that hasn’t stopped resorts getting excited as it has got ever more snowy on the slopes ahead of winter 15-16. Lets hope it continues.
Canada
Canada has been snow central this past week with resorts reporting big snow falls in the West, 35CM at Whistler and a remarkable full metre at Revelstoke (pictured above). However it’s Lake Louise that’s set to open first in the country for 15-16, today, November 6th.
USA
(pic: Big snow at Big Sky, Montana, three weeks’ before opening day). The US has been divided in two by snowfall on the west – with as much as two feet reported falling, and warm weather in the East where resorts that opened early like Killington and Sunday River have been forced to close again. Mammoth in California and Keystone in Colorado are due to open this weekend joining Mt Rose in California and A Basin, Loveland and Wolf Creek in Colorado which are already open and reporting fresh snow
