Europe
Austria has done well over the past week, though some lower levels could certainly still do with more. There were good top-ups at St Anton (205/25cm), Kaprun (280/70cm) and the Ski Welt resorts are looking much more refreshed after losing some of their depth in the previous week. Hopfgarten is at 50/35cm, and Soll is posting 50/40cm. Flachau in the Ski Amadé (130/50cm) is one of many Austrian resorts expecting up to 20cm of fresh snow in the coming week.
It should be a similar story across France and Switzerland too, as much colder weather means even lower resorts should hang on to most of last weekend’s fresh snow. Snow magazine was in the Portes du Soleil, last week, where, for example, Morzine (90/50cm), was looking seriously bereft when we arrived but draped in fresh snow as we left. Courchevel (90/55cm), in the Three Valleys, had a welcome 20cm dump, while Flaine (150/80cm) and the rest of the Grand Massif are skiing well, too. The vast majority of French resorts have 60cm to 120cm of snow on upper slopes. Lower slope depths remain less impressive - but even here, for example, Chamonix, which was reporting zero last week, now has 20cm at base level. Hopefully the cold temperatures and new snow will improve things further.
Anyone watching the downhill racing at Wengen last weekend, will have seen that the Jungfrau resorts are looking very snowy, and Switzerland is posting some of the most consistently impressive Alpine depths, after a very slow start to the season. Andermatt (350/60cm) remains king of the mountains followed by Engelberg (345/50cm) and Saas Fee (240/45cm). Swiss resorts also score highly in the ‘most snow forecast’ charts, with 20+cm predicted.
Much of Italy had missed out on the early January snowfall but made up for that last weekend with some spectacular dumps in the Dolomites, in particular. Cortina (160/50cm) was one of many Italian resorts desperate for base level snow, but now looking much happier. Cervinia (160/40cm) in the Aosta Valley, hadn’t seen a flake since Christmas, but steady falls since last weekend have left it in tip-top condition. The week ahead currently looks quieter in Italy, however.
The Pyrenees, which had been basking in spring-like temperatures (up to 14°C at base level) and clear skies, has also seen temperatures plunge and fresh snow arrive, benefitting all the French and Spanish resorts there as well as Andorra. Arcalis (120/70cm) is the pick of the Andorran resorts, and snow flurries during the coming week will hopefully further freshen what is being described as ‘packed powder snow’.
The snow has kept coming in Scandinavia, though a tad grudgingly in Sweden. There, Are (50/40cm) is anticipating a mix of freezing fog, patchy light snow and drizzle. Across the border in Norway, Voss (195/95cm) remains top of the heap. A mere 28cm is the current ‘new snow’ forecast here…
In Bulgaria, all resorts reported fresh snowfall and another 10-20cm is forecast for the coming weekend, making this ‘good value’ region an even better prospect for budget-conscious skiers.
Gales and snowstorms battered Scotland in the past week, but once the winds subsided, all five Scottish ski areas were able to open with some superb powder skiing. Glencoe (70/40cm) tops the Scottish snow charts, and has another big dump forecast for Friday – though fingers will remain crossed that this doesn’t fall as rain!
North America
Across the Atlantic, resorts in Utah saw the biggest snowfalls in the US last week, with as much as 60cm of new powder. Snowbird (173/173cm) and Alta (170/170cm) both scored 60cm and the forecast is for clear skies! Vermont in the East was the second snowiest state. Stowe (137/61cm) received 30cm and is 100% open.
There was fresh snow in Colorado too, up to around 10cm in most areas. Copper mountain (145/127cm) had 10cm on Monday and looks mostly sunny over the coming week. Jackson Hole (205/76cm) kept its nose above the 2m mark, but the forecast here is for freezing fog well into next week… the general forecast for the US is for not much new snow in the week ahead, so a quieter time all round.
Last week most of the new snow in Canada fell out east where there was 20cm at Mont Sainte-Anne (259/25cm) and Tremblant (119/89cm) in Quebec.
On the other side of the country, snowfall has been mostly around 5-10cm, but Whistler (157/157cm) is predicted to score another 30+cm dump this weekend – though expect that to fall as rain at resort level, as temperatures are expected to remain mild up to around 2,300m.
Not much sunshine around at Sunshine Village in the Banff area where the slopes are likely to be shrouded in blanket of freezing fog well into next week. And it’s not a lot better up the interstate in Jasper, where Marmot Basin is also looking at a forecast of fog and overcast skies. Nor across the Rockies, in Sun Peaks and Revelstoke, where again you can expect to run into a lot of fog.
Last Word
Japan is seeing a lot of snowfall this season with the popular Happo One in Nagano reporting 250/100cm, and up to 4m in other resorts. But it’s also bringing avalanches, with four skiers reported killed while skiing off-piste only this week.
