Snow Report, 4th March, 2010
INTRODUCTION
The mild weather in Europe has given spring skiing all this week which is great for skiers but not for the snow. Fortunately, a return to wintry weather is just round the corner. The higher French resorts offer some of the best skiing at the moment. Tignes received dustings of fresh snow this week and most of their upper pistes are in great condition.
Some of the lower Austrian resorts have very slushy snow because of the mild weather. They all have a good enough base depth to ensure top to bottom skiing in most places though and the upper pistes are all in good condition.
Great weather in Scotland this week has allowed skiers and boarders to make the most of last week’s fresh snow. Cairngorm has the deepest base depth with nearly two metres of snow at the top. Conditions are excellent for the time of year so if you have always wanted to ski Scotland but have been put off by poor snow, now is definitely the time to go.
50cm of fresh snow at Squaw Valley in California provided them with yet more amazing powder skiing. They are enjoying a good season for snow so far and with more than four metres of it on the upper slopes, it should be an excellent spring.
Whistler is beginning to return to normal now the Olympics have ended. However there are some preparations for the Paralympic Games which begin on 12th March. Elsewhere in western Canada it is still pretty warm but this should come to an end as colder and snowy weather is expected, finally.
An early spell of spring weather has been dominant in the Austrian Alps this week and the snow has subsequently suffered as a result. This doesn’t necessarily give bad skiing however as the softer snow is more forgiving.
The Ski Welt region had soft snow right up to around 1500m and down towards 1000m it is very slushy. It is best to stick above 1500m where the snow is still in good condition due to the lower temperatures. All but two of the lifts are open at Ellmau (35/80cm) on Thursday. It was slightly colder on Thursday so the snow has turned harder. Cold weather is forecast for the weekend, with temperatures down to -9C.
Better snow can be found at Obergurgl (48/154cm) due to the higher altitude. The pistes are all in good condition but some fresh snow would be welcome to improve them further. The Ski Club rep in Obergurgl at the moment said the off piste skiing was also good but there are a few thin patches right down low.
FRANCE
Lots of French resorts have received fresh snow this week. Most places only received around 10cm over the course of the few days but some southern resorts received more than that.
Up to 20cm of fresh snow fell at Vars (171/250cm) on Wednesday night. This greatly improved their skiing and made for some brilliant powder skiing on Thursday. Powder can also be found on piste but this will be groomed on Thursday night. Expect piste conditions to remain excellent for the weekend.
In the northern French Alps there hasn’t been as much fresh snow. A dusting fell at La Clusaz (20/270cm) on Tuesday 2nd March but more is expected over the weekend. Plenty of good skiing can be found in the area, particularly at higher altitudes where it is coldest. Pockets of untracked powder can also be found higher up off piste, so if you know where to look there is some great off piste skiing available.
Conditions are largely the same over in the Pyrenees. Cauterets (20/260cm) has a great base depth for the time of year and off piste skiing is good as a result of this. All but four of their lifts were running on Thursday so there is plenty of skiing available.
SWITZERLAND
It snowed lightly at Grindelwald (25/125cm) on Tuesday 2nd March. Most of the pistes are fairly hard, especially the upper ones where it is coldest. The lack of significant fresh snow recently means some of the off piste areas are starting to get patchy low down due to the mild weather. The good news is that snow and colder weather is forecast for the weekend and into next week.
It snowed very lightly at Verbier (25/180cm) on Tuesday too. The Ski Club rep in resort says the upper pistes are all in excellent condition but the resort runs are spring-like. There is also some untracked powder to be found off piste as there is so much terrain on offer.
Heavy snow and colder weather over the weekend should vastly improve the conditions and cover up the hard pistes that exist at the moment.
USA
Loads of snow fell at Squaw Valley (274/409cm) on Wednesday 3rd March. 50cm fell over the course of the day which has significantly improved their base depths. There is loads of excellent skiing all over the mountain and the deep powder should last a while in some areas.
A dusting of snow fell in Utah too. Alta (239cm) received a few centimetres of fresh snow over the course of Wednesday but more snow is forecast for Thursday, possibly totalling around 25cm. Their base depth isn’t as deep as they’d expect at this point in the season but this doesn’t mean the skiing is any worse. It’s enough to cover most of the rocks off piste and plenty of powder can be found if you know where to look.
Over on the east coast the fresh snow last week has now all packed down and gives some excellent piste skiing. Prolonged cold weather has kept the snow nice and dry, especially up high. There is still lots of deep snow in the trees, some of which is still untracked.
CANADA
It is mild in Canada as well as Europe at the moment. Some of the resorts have spring like conditions on their lower slopes but generally good skiing can be found in most places.
Kimberley (89cm) reports spring conditions on its lower slopes because of the mild weather. All of the ski area is open however and once you rise above around 1400m the snow is in better condition. However, snow is forecast along with colder weather for the weekend so it is expected to improve significantly.
Better conditions can be found over at Kicking Horse (151cm). Although the lower slopes are very hard, they are skiing well but would benefit from fresh snow. Further up there is lots of good skiing as the lower temperatures have kept the snow in good condition. Lots of snow is expected over the coming weekend which should significantly improve their skiing and make the upper bowls a whole lot more fun.
EUROPEAN WEATHER OUTLOOK
Lots of fresh snow is expected in Austria over the course of the coming weekend and into next week. It is expected to be the snowiest of the Alpine countries with over 40cm of snow predicted to fall at Mayrhofen. Saturday is when the snow should be the heaviest, with about 12cm expected to fall. It will turn much colder as well which will be a welcome relief for the locals as it has been warm for a while now.
France, Switzerland and Italy are expecting the same weather trend, but with less snow than in Austria. The general trend is for the temperature to drop significantly by Sunday with between 15cm and 30cm falling at most resorts in the Alps.
40cm of snow is expected at Oppdal in Norway. Much milder weather is forecast with this snow which will mean the snow is quite sticky at lower levels. This snow is great for improving base depths however and should put them in a good position for the spring ahead.
NORTH AMERICAN WEATHER OUTLOOK
Timberline, in Oregon, is expecting the most snow of our featured US resorts. It has been unseasonably warm in the Pacific Northwest for the past two months but it looks like it should get a bit colder next week. 60cm of fresh snow should fall over the course of the week.
Mixed weather is forecast for Colorado, with lots of sunshine but also periods of snow expected. 40cm is expected to fall on Aspen by the end of next week which will help preserve their already excellent snow conditions. There is no sign of spring in Colorado yet as the temperature shouldn’t climb above -5°C.
The colder weather is also expected to bring snow to Canada. 47cm is expected to fall at Whistler and the colder weather means it will start snowing down to the village, something it hasn’t done for a while now. The freezing level should drop to around 300m and Whistler Village is at 675m. Sunday is when the heaviest snow is expected at Whistler.
Brought to you by The Ski Club of Great Britain
Ski Club Website
Snow Reports Ski resort guide
