Snow News, 24th December, 2009

SNOW NEWS UPDATED 24 December 2009
INTRODUCTION
The weather in Europe has been very warm and wet this week. The good news is that the change in weather has brought lots of snow to the higher slopes but this has unfortunately fallen as rain on the lower ones.
The warm weather in Austria bought rain to the lower slopes of most resorts, even Obergurgl. Fortunately though, snow has fallen on the upper slopes especially in the Arlberg region.
The same is the case in France. The upper slopes have received lots of fresh snow, particularly in the southern French Alps. Isola 2000 had 30cm of powder on its upper slopes on Wednesday, putting them resort in good shape for Christmas.
Loads of fresh snow fell in Switzerland, especially on the upper slopes. The Ski Club Rep at Verbier reported awesome powder above mid mountain but low down the snow is quite heavy. Lots of other resorts received good snow too, so it should be a great Christmas.
Christmas should be a good one in the American ski resorts we feature. It was snowing in Utah and Colorado on Thursday and the Christmas weekend should be nice and sunny. For the best powder, head to either Snowbird in Utah or Steamboat in Colorado.
There is plenty of great skiing in Canada for the Christmas period. Whistler received lots of fresh snow earlier in the week but the weather has since cleared and it is quite cold. Monte Sainte Anne on the east coast received 30cm of fresh snow on Wednesday so there is great skiing there.
AUSTRIA
Lots of resorts in Austria received a mixture of rain and snow at the beginning of the week. Most slopes below around 1500m saw rain fall, which turned the runs quite wet and slushy. Higher up snow fell, dropping around 10cm on the majority of resorts in Austria on Monday and Tuesday.
The Ski Club rep at Obergurgl (61/127cm) said there was light rain at resort level earlier in the week. This turned some of the pistes slushy at first and then icy when it went colder. Snow has fallen since then however which has improved the conditions. It was very windy on Christmas Eve at Obergurgl and only seven lifts were running as a result. Unfortunately the wind also created bad visibility.
The Stubai Glacier at Neustift (40/150cm) was fully closed on Christmas Eve because of the high winds. They are expecting to open on Christmas Day however which is good news for people there at the moment.
All but five lifts in the Arlberg area are now running. Lech (40/140cm) has great snow conditions, particularly on the upper slopes where it is coldest. Down at resort level there was a bit of rain but not as much as fell elsewhere, so the snow is still OK. All the links over to Zurs (40/140cm) are open and St Anton (30/130cm) is running all of its lifts too.
FRANCE
Lift operations in France have been affected by strong winds several times this week. Flaine (20/110cm) was forced to shut all but its beginner lifts on Tuesday because of 50mph winds on the upper slopes. Snow has fallen with all the wind however but mainly on the upper slopes. At Flaine village some rain fell so it got quite slushy at times. The Ski Club rep in Flaine said it should be excellent on the upper slopes when the weather clears.
30cm of fresh snow fell at Isola 2000 (74/126cm) on Wednesday 23rd. It is mild in the resort, around 0°C, so the snow is quite heavy down low but higher up it is a lot better. This should make for some excellent skiing on Christmas Day and the forecast looks good for next week too.
The Ski Club rep at Avoriaz (100/130cm) reports mixed skiing, ranging from powder to heavy snow due to the mild weather. As always, it is better the further up you go and Avoriaz is no exception. 30 out of a possible 34 lifts are running on Christmas Eve and it should remain this way on Christmas Day. Even warmer weather is expected for next week with the possibility of rain at all levels.
SWITZERLAND
Most Swiss resorts have received fresh snow this week. Between 10cm and 50cm fell, giving some excellent skiing in the fresh powder.
20cm of snow fell at Arosa (70/120cm) on Wednesday 23rd December. More snow is expected to fall on Christmas Eve and Christmas day but not as much as on Wednesday. Around half of the lifts are open on Christmas Eve, partly due to the increased avalanche risk. When the upper areas reopen there should be some great powder skiing.
Zermatt (40/146cm) also received lots of snow recently. Around 30cm is reported to have fallen on 23rd December, which was on top of another dump earlier in the week. Milder temperatures mean that the snow on the lower slopes is quite heavy in places so for the best powder head high but watch the avalanche risk.
USA
It’s been snowing in Utah. Snowbird (125cm) and Snowbird (119cm) received the most, with around 15cm falling on Tuesday and Wednesday. Both resorts hadn’t received snow for a long while until now so it will have come as a welcome relief for them. Snowbird should open its final three lifts by Boxing Day. Alta has all but one lift running but the fresh snow could mean they open it soon.
Snow is also falling in Colorado, but not as much as in Utah. Around 8-10cm fell at Vail (51cm) on Tuesday and Wednesday which will have freshened up their pistes nicely. Off piste the cover is still fairly thin but there are some good areas where the snow is the deepest.
It has warmed up on the east coast but not to the point where the snow is affected. Sunday River (38/51cm) received a dusting of snow last weekend and currently it is -1°C at resort level. Ten lifts are open at Sunday River, 8 short of their total lift number. It should be a good Christmas for Sunday River.
CANADA
The biggest dump of snow this week in Canada was on the east coast, at Mont Sainte Anne (45cm). 29cm of fresh snow fell on Wednesday 23rd December giving an excellent powder day. The fresh snow covered all the pistes and hugely improved the off piste too. Six lifts were running on 23rd December but most of the terrain was open. It should be a fantastic Christmas period for the resort following this big snowfall.
Over on the west coast it has gone cold again. Sun Peaks (103/121cm) was -24°C on Wednesday morning and a bit of fresh snow fell too. The lower pistes are quite hard but more snow fell up top so it is best up there. Generally the piste conditions are excellent however and all of the lifts and runs are open.
There is great snow at Kicking Horse (143cm) too. Fresh snowfall on Tuesday 22nd boosted the already excellent piste conditions and a good base depth means off-piste skiing is also great. The freshest snow is at the summit of the resort but right down to base level it is very good.
EUROPEAN WEATHER OUTLOOK
The weather in Europe this weekend and next week will vary quite dramatically. The weekend should be very warm in most resorts, with the freeing level rising to nearly 3000m in Avoriaz. Then the cold weather should briefly return, with -12°C expected at 2450m at Avoriaz. Then even warmer weather is due for the middle of next week, unfortunately bringing rain even to the upper slopes of most resorts.
Mayrhofen in Austria is expecting similar weather, with a cold snap around Saturday and then going much warmer around Monday. 10cm of snow is expected at Mayrhofen on Saturday night but only above mid-mountain. It will fall as rain at resort level.
Switzerland and Italy should receive more snow than France and Austria. Grimentz in Switzerland is expecting around 25cm of snow on the upper slopes by Tuesday next week. Thursday night and Monday is when this snow is likely to be the heaviest. It will be 2°C by Tuesday 29th December.
Up in Scandinavia there are no worries of warm weather. It should be a snowy Christmas Day at Geilo in Norway with 12cm of snow expected and a total of 25cm is expected by Tuesday next week. 16cm of snow is expected on Christmas Day at Hemsedal too.
NORTH AMERICAN WEATHER OUTLOOK
Another cold snap is expected for Colorado. -17°C is the expected high on Christmas Day and around 1cm of snow should fall then. The cold weather usually brings dry conditions with it and this cold snap is no exception. -28°C is the expected low on Saturday night at resort level so make sure you wrap up very warm.
Park City in Utah should be cold, dry and sunny for at least the next five days. No new snow is expected at all but the cold weather will mean the snow cannons can be used lots. The windchill will make it feel very cold, around -33°C on Christmas Day.
Over on the east coast there should be more snow. Sugarbush is expecting light snow for at least every day until Tuesday. It should amount to around 10cm, keeping the pistes nicely topped up. It looks as if there will be a sudden cold snap on Tuesday next week, with an expected high of around -21°C at Sugarbush on Tuesday.
It should be cold and dry in the west of Canada. No snow is expected at Whistler until at least Tuesday but the cold and sunny weather will please skiers heading there for Christmas. The same is the case for resorts like Big White, Fernie and Red Mountain. None of them are expecting much snow but the cold weather will keep the snow they do have in good condition.

INTRODUCTION

The weather in Europe has been very warm and wet this week. The good news is that the change in weather has brought lots of snow to the higher slopes but this has unfortunately fallen as rain on the lower ones. The warm weather in Austria bought rain to the lower slopes of most resorts, even Obergurgl. Fortunately though, snow has fallen on the upper slopes especially in the Arlberg region. The same is the case in France. The upper slopes have received lots of fresh snow, particularly in the southern French Alps. Isola 2000 had 30cm of powder on its upper slopes on Wednesday, putting them resort in good shape for Christmas. Loads of fresh snow fell in Switzerland, especially on the upper slopes. The Ski Club Rep at Verbier reported awesome powder above mid mountain but low down the snow is quite heavy. Lots of other resorts received good snow too, so it should be a great Christmas. Christmas should be a good one in the American ski resorts we feature. It was snowing in Utah and Colorado on Thursday and the Christmas weekend should be nice and sunny. For the best powder, head to either Snowbird in Utah or Steamboat in Colorado. There is plenty of great skiing in Canada for the Christmas period. Whistler received lots of fresh snow earlier in the week but the weather has since cleared and it is quite cold. Monte Sainte Anne on the east coast received 30cm of fresh snow on Wednesday so there is great skiing there.

AUSTRIA
Lots of resorts in Austria received a mixture of rain and snow at the beginning of the week. Most slopes below around 1500m saw rain fall, which turned the runs quite wet and slushy. Higher up snow fell, dropping around 10cm on the majority of resorts in Austria on Monday and Tuesday. The Ski Club rep at Obergurgl (61/127cm) said there was light rain at resort level earlier in the week. This turned some of the pistes slushy at first and then icy when it went colder. Snow has fallen since then however which has improved the conditions. It was very windy on Christmas Eve at Obergurgl and only seven lifts were running as a result. Unfortunately the wind also created bad visibility. The Stubai Glacier at Neustift (40/150cm) was fully closed on Christmas Eve because of the high winds. They are expecting to open on Christmas Day however which is good news for people there at the moment. All but five lifts in the Arlberg area are now running. Lech (40/140cm) has great snow conditions, particularly on the upper slopes where it is coldest. Down at resort level there was a bit of rain but not as much as fell elsewhere, so the snow is still OK. All the links over to Zurs (40/140cm) are open and St Anton (30/130cm) is running all of its lifts too.

FRANCE
Lift operations in France have been affected by strong winds several times this week. Flaine (20/110cm) was forced to shut all but its beginner lifts on Tuesday because of 50mph winds on the upper slopes. Snow has fallen with all the wind however but mainly on the upper slopes. At Flaine village some rain fell so it got quite slushy at times. The Ski Club rep in Flaine said it should be excellent on the upper slopes when the weather clears. 30cm of fresh snow fell at Isola 2000 (74/126cm) on Wednesday 23rd. It is mild in the resort, around 0°C, so the snow is quite heavy down low but higher up it is a lot better. This should make for some excellent skiing on Christmas Day and the forecast looks good for next week too. The Ski Club rep at Avoriaz (100/130cm) reports mixed skiing, ranging from powder to heavy snow due to the mild weather. As always, it is better the further up you go and Avoriaz is no exception. 30 out of a possible 34 lifts are running on Christmas Eve and it should remain this way on Christmas Day. Even warmer weather is expected for next week with the possibility of rain at all levels.

SWITZERLAND
Most Swiss resorts have received fresh snow this week. Between 10cm and 50cm fell, giving some excellent skiing in the fresh powder. 20cm of snow fell at Arosa (70/120cm) on Wednesday 23rd December. More snow is expected to fall on Christmas Eve and Christmas day but not as much as on Wednesday. Around half of the lifts are open on Christmas Eve, partly due to the increased avalanche risk. When the upper areas reopen there should be some great powder skiing.  Zermatt (40/146cm) also received lots of snow recently. Around 30cm is reported to have fallen on 23rd December, which was on top of another dump earlier in the week. Milder temperatures mean that the snow on the lower slopes is quite heavy in places so for the best powder head high but watch the avalanche risk.

USA
It’s been snowing in Utah. Snowbird (125cm) and Snowbird (119cm) received the most, with around 15cm falling on Tuesday and Wednesday. Both resorts hadn’t received snow for a long while until now so it will have come as a welcome relief for them. Snowbird should open its final three lifts by Boxing Day. Alta has all but one lift running but the fresh snow could mean they open it soon. Snow is also falling in Colorado, but not as much as in Utah. Around 8-10cm fell at Vail (51cm) on Tuesday and Wednesday which will have freshened up their pistes nicely. Off piste the cover is still fairly thin but there are some good areas where the snow is the deepest. It has warmed up on the east coast but not to the point where the snow is affected. Sunday River (38/51cm) received a dusting of snow last weekend and currently it is -1°C at resort level. Ten lifts are open at Sunday River, 8 short of their total lift number. It should be a good Christmas for Sunday River.

CANADA
The biggest dump of snow this week in Canada was on the east coast, at Mont Sainte Anne (45cm). 29cm of fresh snow fell on Wednesday 23rd December giving an excellent powder day. The fresh snow covered all the pistes and hugely improved the off piste too. Six lifts were running on 23rd December but most of the terrain was open. It should be a fantastic Christmas period for the resort following this big snowfall. Over on the west coast it has gone cold again. Sun Peaks (103/121cm) was -24°C on Wednesday morning and a bit of fresh snow fell too. The lower pistes are quite hard but more snow fell up top so it is best up there. Generally the piste conditions are excellent however and all of the lifts and runs are open. There is great snow at Kicking Horse (143cm) too. Fresh snowfall on Tuesday 22nd boosted the already excellent piste conditions and a good base depth means off-piste skiing is also great. The freshest snow is at the summit of the resort but right down to base level it is very good.

EUROPEAN WEATHER OUTLOOK
The weather in Europe this weekend and next week will vary quite dramatically. The weekend should be very warm in most resorts, with the freeing level rising to nearly 3000m in Avoriaz. Then the cold weather should briefly return, with -12°C expected at 2450m at Avoriaz. Then even warmer weather is due for the middle of next week, unfortunately bringing rain even to the upper slopes of most resorts. Mayrhofen in Austria is expecting similar weather, with a cold snap around Saturday and then going much warmer around Monday. 10cm of snow is expected at Mayrhofen on Saturday night but only above mid-mountain. It will fall as rain at resort level. Switzerland and Italy should receive more snow than France and Austria. Grimentz in Switzerland is expecting around 25cm of snow on the upper slopes by Tuesday next week. Thursday night and Monday is when this snow is likely to be the heaviest. It will be 2°C by Tuesday 29th December. Up in Scandinavia there are no worries of warm weather. It should be a snowy Christmas Day at Geilo in Norway with 12cm of snow expected and a total of 25cm is expected by Tuesday next week. 16cm of snow is expected on Christmas Day at Hemsedal too.

NORTH AMERICAN WEATHER OUTLOOK
Another cold snap is expected for Colorado. -17°C is the expected high on Christmas Day and around 1cm of snow should fall then. The cold weather usually brings dry conditions with it and this cold snap is no exception. -28°C is the expected low on Saturday night at resort level so make sure you wrap up very warm. Park City in Utah should be cold, dry and sunny for at least the next five days. No new snow is expected at all but the cold weather will mean the snow cannons can be used lots. The windchill will make it feel very cold, around -33°C on Christmas Day. Over on the east coast there should be more snow. Sugarbush is expecting light snow for at least every day until Tuesday. It should amount to around 10cm, keeping the pistes nicely topped up. It looks as if there will be a sudden cold snap on Tuesday next week, with an expected high of around -21°C at Sugarbush on Tuesday.  It should be cold and dry in the west of Canada. No snow is expected at Whistler until at least Tuesday but the cold and sunny weather will please skiers heading there for Christmas. The same is the case for resorts like Big White, Fernie and Red Mountain. None of them are expecting much snow but the cold weather will keep the snow they do have in good condition.

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