Snow on Wildebener mountain, above Stuben Austria

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AUSTRIA
It snowed in Austria over the weekend, mainly on the upper slopes.
A dusting of snow fell at Mayrhofen (0/80cm) on Saturday, 27th March, which helped refresh the upper piste conditions. The Ski Club rep in the resort said that the fresh snow made for some excellent skiing up top. 10cm also fell on Friday night so in general the skiing here is a lot better than it was during last week.
Obergurgl (37/145cm) received some snow too, most recently 5cm on Sunday 28th March. The temperature was mild over the weekend but cold enough to produce the fresh snow, and the piste conditions on the upper slopes are excellent. Very low down the runs get a bit soft in the afternoon, but on the whole it’s excellent at the moment.

FRANCE
Winter made a big return in France over the weekend, dumping loads of snow and lowering the temperature.
50cm of fresh snow fell at Tignes (110/195cm) on Saturday which was one of the biggest dumps of their season so far. Loads of powder could be found, even down to the village level, and on Monday conditions were superb. Most of the lifts in the Espace Killy are open so you can ski over to Val d’Isere (100/195cm) and enjoy their snow too.
Lots of snow also fell on the upper half of the mountain at La Clusaz (20/270cm). Their base depth increased by 50cm over the weekend and webcams showed some awesome conditions on Monday. The best skiing is up high as it is still quite mild lower down, but this is nothing abnormal for the end of March.

SWITZERLAND
Winter returned to the mountains in Switzerland over the weekend and most resorts received some good snowfall with it.
20cm of fresh snow fell at Zermatt (6/169cm) on Sunday 28th March. The fresh snow was fairly wet down at village level resulting in slushy lower slopes, but high up it was superb. The Ski Club rep in Zermatt said they had a great day enjoying the powder on the upper pistes. The milder weather low down is to be expected at this time of year.
Some resorts are warmer than others however. Les Mosses (25/115cm) is one of the warmer ones. 6°C was the temperature there on Monday 29th March but they did receive fresh snow over the weekend so there is good spring skiing to be enjoyed.

USA
It snowed quite a lot in Colorado over the weekend, with many resorts receiving up to 30cm of fresh snow. The most snow fell at Telluride (203cm) where 56cm of snow fell on Saturday 27th March. This made for an awesome day on Saturday and also on Sunday. Telluride has plenty of steep terrain, providing amazing riding with over half a metre of fresh snow.
Timberline (343cm) in Oregon received some fresh snow as well. 32cm fell, also on Saturday, which boosted their snow conditions once again. With nearly three and a half metres of snow on the slopes, it looks good for the spring period ahead.
Unfortunately it has become warm again on the east coast, after the recent short cold spell. This caused Attitash Bear Peak (26/76cm) to announce a closure for the first two days of this week. There is no skiing there on Monday 29th March and Tuesday 30th March. They should reopen for the weekend although they are scheduled to end their season on Sunday 4th April.

CANADA
Many resorts in western Canada received a big bump of fresh snow on the night of Friday 26th March. After a reasonably slow second half of the season this was excellent.
Big White (231cm) received 34cm of fresh snow on Friday night, giving a great powder day on Saturday 27th March. This was their biggest dump of the season so far and has pushed the base depth to its deepest of the season so far too. Plenty of powder can still be found off piste, especially in the trees.
It’s been snowing at Whistler (325cm) too. They received 18cm of fresh snow on Sunday 27th March and with nearly a metre and a half expected to fall this week it should be amazing. Plenty of powder can be found in the upper bowls and in the trees.
The colder weather is still persisting on the east coast as well. It’s 0°C at Tremblant (40/80cm) which is keeping the snow in good condition. Across at Mont Sainte-Anne (90/100cm) the 30cm dump they received last week means skiing is good. The snow is being well maintained and plenty of good skiing can be found.

EUROPEAN WEATHER OUTLOOK
It should be snowy, on and off, in Europe this week. Most of the French resorts we report on are expecting between 30cm and 40cm of fresh snow but a few are expecting more than that.
Alpe d’Huez should receive around 44cm this week, with most of this falling on Tuesday and Wednesday. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday should be quite cold too, with the temperature not rising above -9°C on Wednesday 31st March.
Zermatt in Switzerland should receive 56cm this week, with the heaviest falls expected on Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday should be cold as well, with a temperature no more than -12°C.
It’s going to be a snowy week in most of Scandinavia as well. Geilo in Norway should receive 45cm of snow between Tuesday 30th March and Tuesday 6th April. It should be cold as well, with night time temperature of -18°C so the snow should be in excellent condition.

NORTH AMERICAN WEATHER OUTLOOK
Another snowstorm is expected in the Tahoe region on Tuesday 30th March. The freezing level should drop down to 1100m which is well below the base of Heavenly. This should make for some great skiing during the week, especially with the 45cm of fresh snow forecast.
Unfortunately the weather on the east coast is much more akin to summer than winter. Heavy rain is expected at Sugarbush on Tuesday 30th March. Then sunny weather with temperatures of 21°C is expected from Wednesday onwards. This is likely to obliterate their remaining snow. The same is the case at Attitash Bear Peak and the mild weather is forecast for their closing weekend. The perfect party weather!
Contrary to the warm weather in the east, western Canada is expecting to get colder and snowier. Kicking Horse is expecting 53cm of fresh snow this week and the temperatures should drop to -8°C during the day. Whistler is expecting heavy snow all this week and the colder weather means a lot of snow should fall, right down to base level. The upper slopes are expecting nearly a metre and a half of fresh snow.
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The same is the case in Switzerland and Austria. Not as much snow has fallen in these countries as did in France and milder weather means the lower pistes are soft or even slushy in some parts. Good skiing can, however, be found up high at all the areas.

The end of this week sees one of the biggest dumps of snow in Scotland for a long time. All five main resorts are closed due to extremely heavy snow and high winds. The snowfall is also affecting access roads but when the weather clears the skiing will be comparable to top powder resorts in the world, especially considering how the snow drifts at the Scottish resorts.

It’s also snowed loads in America, particularly the east coast. Resorts like Sunday River and Sugarbush have been hit with around 75cm of fresh snow, which fell on Wednesday 24^th February. It also snowed 70cm down at Mammoth in California, continuing their excellent season.

Eyes are still on Whistler in Canada and the weather there. Fortunately it has been dry and sunny recently, allowing them to run most of the alpine skiing events without problems. However another storm is heading for the area, bringing with it up to 50cm of fresh snow. This is great news for recreational skiers but not such great news for event organisers. Fortunately, most of the skiing events have now taken place.

AUSTRIA
No new snow has fallen in Austria since Saturday 20^th February in most places. Despite the lack of fresh snow the pistes are generally in very good condition all over, especially high up.

Some great skiing can be found at Lech (85/170cm) where heavy snowfalls on Friday 19^th and Saturday 20^th February last week left some great powder on the mountain. This snow has all packed down now leaving the upper pistes in excellent conditions. Milder temperatures this week and sunny weather have left the lowest pistes a little slushy but on the whole the conditions are very good.

The pistes at Zell am See (25/110cm) aren’t as good as at Lech. The Ski Club rep in Zell am See says that the mild weather and general low altitude of the resort has taken its toll on the snow conditions. The upper pistes are fairly hard but lower down they are much softer, still offering some fun skiing.

FRANCE
Snow fell across most of France earlier this week with some substantial accumulations in some places. Mild weather has been dominant which unfortunately means that rain fell at resort level for many places.

The Ski Club rep in Avoriaz (175/230cm) said there was lots of fresh powder on the upper slopes of the Portes du Soleil area. Many areas were knee deep in fresh snow on the highest slopes. Further down the snow is heavier and even slushy in places. Rain fell down in Morzine (70/210cm) right up to around 1500m so it is worth staying high for the best of the snow.

It was a similar story in Tignes (114/180cm) where the upper slopes received snow and the lower of the Tignes villages received rain. Due to the height of the Espace Killy area it fell mostly as snow, especially above 1800m. The whole area is fully open, including all the links over to Val d’Isere (117/180cm) where conditions are also generally good. The Ski Club rep said the snow up on the Grande Motte glacier was excellent on Wednesday 24^th February.

SWITZERLAND
A few Swiss resorts received fresh snow on Wednesday and Thursday but most haven’t had fresh snow since the weekend. This allowed people to enjoy the generally good snow conditions.

The deepest base in Switzerland of our featured resorts is at Engelberg (75/275cm). Nearly three metres of snow lies up on the Titlis Glacier and its surrounding mountains. The resort is known for its off-piste skiing and the conditions off piste are excellent now. The last significant snowfall was on Friday 19^th February so it hasn’t snowed for a while but there is plenty of tracked powder to be enjoyed off piste.

The Ski Club rep in Verbier (25/165cm) said they enjoyed some great runs when skiing the upper slopes on Wednesday 24^th February. 10cm of snow fell on Tuesday which gave a good layer of powder to ski on. He said it is best to stick to the upper slopes, as always, as milder weather has turned most of the lowest slopes fairly soft and slushy.

USA
There has been loads of snow on both sides of America this week. Over on the east coast many resorts received up to 80cm of fresh snow on Wednesday 24^th February, which is the biggest dump of their season so far.

76cm was reported to have fallen at Mount Snow (76/122cm) on Wednesday which is the most they have received so far this season. The whole mountain is blanketed in powder, which is up to waist deep, which should make for some incredible skiing on their steep slopes. It is best not to try to ski the easy runs as the snow will just cause you to grind to a halt. Find some of the steeper terrain and enjoy the face shots.

Meanwhile over in California it has also been snowing loads. Mammoth (274/396cm) received 71cm of fresh snow, also on Wednesday. There is plenty of super steep terrain at Mammoth as well so it is perfect to enjoy all the fresh powder. They are having an excellent season and have already received 9 metres of snow so far, and it’s only February.

CANADA
The good news is that fresh snow has arrived at many resorts in western Canada. Between 3cm and 13cm has fallen so far on many areas but it should continue, further improving the riding conditions.

The greatest amount of snow fell at Silver Star (144/180cm), which received 13cm of fresh snow on Wednesday 24^th February. This is the first significant snowfall in the area since 16^th February so it comes as a welcome relief. All of Silver Star’s terrain is open, including the back side of the mountain which houses many steep double black diamond runs. These should be great fun with the new snow.

It’s also been snowing on the east coast of Canada. 15cm of snow fell at Tremblant (30/70cm), also on Wednesday. The hard packed pistes are nicely covered with the fresh snow which should give some fun skiing all over the mountain.

EUROPEAN WEATHER OUTLOOK
The weather in the French Alps is expected to remain fairly mild. Heavy snow is forecast at Argentiere over the course Friday which could dump around 30cm of snow on the upper slopes. Mild weather is then forecast over the weekend, with a freezing level of up to 2200m.

Over in the east of the Alps, it should be snowy too. Resorts like Davos in Switzerland and Ischgl in Austria are expecting around 30cm of fresh snow by the middle of next week. As with France, Sunday is expected to be a warm day with the freezing level rising to around 2100m in most areas.

Scotland is in the grip of a powerful winter storm on Thursday 25^th February. The storm has already dropped around 70cm of fresh snow in some places and it should continue to snow on Thursday night and Friday. The snow and high winds are expected to last until Sunday, before clearing away on Monday. Skiing in Scotland next week could be the best it has been for a long time.

Oppdal in Norway is expecting a big dump of snow next week. 50cm is the predicted total but it should fall towards the end of next week. This will be great for the resort if/when it happens.

NORTH AMERICAN WEATHER OUTLOOK
Heavenly in California/Nevada is expecting the most snow in America over the coming seven days. 47cm should fall, with it being heaviest on Friday 26^th February and then towards the end of next week. However Monday 1^st March could be a very warm day, with freezing levels rising to nearly 3500m.

The snow on the east coast isn’t supposed to let up any time soon either. It should remain snowy until at least Monday, accumulating to nearly 50cm by the time the weather has cleared. This is on top of the 70cm of fresh snow they received on Wednesday 24^th February.

It should be snowy in Colorado too, but not as much as the other two areas mentioned. 30cm is expected at Vail by the end of next week which should provide some excellent skiing conditions.

Up in Canada, snow should fall all weekend and next week at Whistler. This could hamper some of the Olympic events but fortunately most of the alpine skiing events are finished now. For recreational skiers it should be an excellent time with the fresh snow.

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Despite it being one of the busiest weeks of the year in the Alps, many resorts have minimal lift queues and excellent snow conditions to go with it.

Fresh snow fell in the western half of the Alps on Wednesday and in many resorts the snow continued on Thursday too. The southern areas of the French Alps received the greatest amount of this fresh snow. Serre Chevalier received around 30cm of snow over Tuesday 16th and Wednesday 17th February.

The snow hasn’t yet arrived in Austria but it is heading their way. Ski Club reps in Austrian resorts report excellent conditions, particularly at Obergurgl where the pistes are being well maintained.

Nevis Range in Scotland reported up to 40cm of fresh snow on Wednesday 17th February. This is excellent news for Scottish skiing, which is experiencing its best season in many years.

Snow continues to fall in Colorado. The good news is that it is due to get even heavier. Earlier in the week Breckenridge received 30cm of fresh powder which made for one of their best powder days of the season so far.

Skiing in Canada is also good at the moment. Despite reports of a lack of snow at the Winter Olympic areas, Whistler has over three metres of snow and with around 90cm falling since Thursday 11th February there is plenty of powder to be found.
AUSTRIA

There have been some excellent conditions all over Austria this week, which is good as it is one of the busiest times of the season at the moment. The sun has been shining all week so far while the coming weekend is promising some fresh snow.

It’s been sunny all week at Obertauern (125/160cm) and with low temperatures; the runs are in excellent condition. All of the lifts have been open this week and they should all remain open over the weekend too. Despite it being half term, lift queues are minimal so you can enjoy maximum time on the snow.

Over at Ischgl (25/90cm) the Ski Club rep in resort reports excellent conditions. The upper slopes are in the best condition due to the cold weather but snow making systems have kept the lower slopes in good condition too. If you plan to head off piste, pick your area carefully as some of the lower sections have a lot of rocks showing through and the snow conditions are very varied.

FRANCE

There is lots of great skiing on offer in France at the moment. Half term week means many resorts are very busy but these queues can be avoided in most cases, if you know where to go.

A dusting of snow fell on Wednesday night at Avoriaz (150/200cm). The Ski Club rep who is currently in Avoriaz says the pistes offer some great skiing, especially higher up. As the weather has turned warmer the lower slopes are softer but still good fun. The off-piste terrain is tracked out and they need more fresh snow to turn it back to powder.

Most of the fresh snow recently has fallen in the southern French Alps. Resorts like Serre Chevalier (105/225cm) received around 30cm of fresh snow over Tuesday night and into Wednesday 17th February. This is enough to transform the pistes and all the backcountry areas too. Light snow continued to fall on Thursday so it should be a good weekend.

After a sunny week in Switzerland the snow was starting to fall in some places on Thursday morning, although at most of our featured resorts it was just cloudy.

St Moritz (80/200cm) received just over 10cm of fresh snow on Thursday morning, 18th February, and the snow is expected to continue on Friday too and this would further improve the conditions. On Thursday the pistes were covered in a layer of soft snow and the off-piste cover was also freshened up by the new snow.

Not all resorts are snowy however. Andermatt (70/220cm) hasn’t received any significant snow since Thursday 11th February. This doesn’t mean conditions are bad though as most of their pistes are in great condition, particularly higher up.

With all the press coverage about the rain at Whistler (301cm) you might expect their skiing is bad. It is in fact the complete opposite, with plenty of fresh powder on the upper slopes and temperatures around -9°C. Over three metres of snow covers the mountain so the off-piste skiing is every bit as good as it is on piste. All the alpine bowls are full of powder, thanks to 86cm of fresh snow since Friday 12th February. Lower down the slopes are a bit hard but still offer great skiing, especially for carving turns.

It snowed a few centimetres at Revelstoke (196cm) on Tuesday 17th February. Their whole mountain is fully open and offering some awesome skiing. The resort never gets very busy so there are still plenty of fresh lines in the upper bowls and in the trees down lower.

The little resort of Blue Mountain (100cm) near Toronto offers some good on-piste skiing. A metre of largely artificial snow lies on the slopes but cold weather means the snow is in good condition. Off-piste skiing is extremely limited due to the terrain and lack of deep snow.

The coming weekend should be a fairly snowy one with a fair amount of fresh snowfall forecast for France, Switzerland, Italy and Austria.

In Italy, Cervinia should receive 50cm of snow by the middle of next week. The snow should be heaviest on Friday 19th and Monday 22nd February and a dry weekend is expected. The next snowstorm should move over after Wednesday 24th February.

In Austria, rain is possible at the lowest slopes. Mild temperatures will bring wetter snow or rain to the villages of resorts like Saalbach, St Wolfgang and Ellmau. Further up, snow is expected to fall though which should make for some fun skiing.

40cm of snow is expected at Voss in Norway by Friday 26th February. Most of the snow is expected to fall next week but Sunday could see heavy snow too. A drop in temperature, down to -17°C at Voss, should be followed by milder weather of around -6°C.

The recent snowfall in Colorado isn’t expected to stop and if anything it should get even heavier. Aspen is expecting nearly 60cm of fresh snow by Thursday 25th February which should make for some awesome skiing. The temperature is expected to remain between -7°C and -10°C for the week ahead so the fresh snow should be of great quality.

Down in California, another snowstorm is fast approaching. Snow is expected this weekend at Mammoth but the main snow event is expected to be early next week. 34cm of snow is expected on Tuesday night which is great news and with a temperature well below freezing there should be some good powder around.

Wintry weather is still dominant on the east coast. The area can be plagued with warm spells but there isn’t one expected any time soon. Light snow and cold weather is expected over the weekend and then all the way through next week.

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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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INTRODUCTION

The bitterly cold weather is coming to an end in the Alps this week and this is good news is made even better by the fact that that heavy snow showers are forecast for most places.

The Ski Welt area in Austria now offers much more skiing. The weekend just gone was when many lifts were opened and as the pistes are in good condition there is fun skiing to be had there.

20cm of snow fell on a handful of French resorts over the weekend. Flaine and Samoens both received a good dump of fresh snow over the weekend and lots of the Grand Massif ski area is open now. It should be a great Christmas week for the area as well as the rest of the French resorts.

Switzerland is where the greatest amount of fresh snow fell in Europe over the weekend. Lots of resorts received between 20cm and 30cm of powder across Saturday and Sunday. The best of the fresh snow is at resorts like Adelboden, Anzere and Gstaad.

There is lots of great skiing to be enjoyed at all of our featured American resorts. Snow has been falling at Jackson Hole in Wyoming and it’s expected to be a snowy Christmas week, so the possibility of riding powder on Christmas Day is high.

Banff in Canada is now fully open, with all of its lifts running. Conditions are excellent due to prolonged cold weather and good snowfalls. Another cold snap is heading for British Columbia and Alberta around Christmas Day. It could dip down to -37°C in Alberta so take plenty of layers if you are heading there for Christmas.

AUSTRIA

The weekend just gone was a great one for Austria. Many resorts opened a lot more of their terrain, including the Ski Welt area which now has over two thirds of its lifts running.

The resort of Soll (5/45cm) has eight of its ten lifts turning and it should stay this way all week. Although the low snow depths might suggest the skiing isn’t great, the runs are mostly on grassy meadows so 45cm of snow is more than enough for complete coverage. Some more light snow is forecast on the upper slopes this week.

Three lifts were opened on Saturday at St Wolfgang (50/70cm). The resort has a very impressive snow depth considering its low altitude of around 700m. Although the ski area is fairly small, there is still some fun skiing to be had and the slopes are likely to be quite quiet for at least the first few days of this week.

FRANCE

Most of the French resorts we report on are now open. Many that were already open have now opened up more terrain and lifts.

This is the case at Meribel (20/80cm) where 40 of their 43 lifts are now running. The links over to Val Thorens (85/105cm) and Courchevel (46/110cm) are also open so there is loads of skiing on offer. Fresh snow fell in the Three Valleys on Sunday 20th December and more should fall this week. The cold weather has also disappeared, so skiers are blessed with more comfortable temperatures this week. The best snow is on the upper slopes, so head high for the best skiing.

The Ski Club rep in Les Arcs (30/70cm) reports good snow on the upper slopes but the lower slopes are hard and icy. The recent cold weather and lack of fresh snow has created some rock hard areas, but the snow cannons are doing their best to make the conditions better. The good news is that fresh snow is forecast for most French resorts this week so conditions should improve in time for Christmas.

SWITZERLAND

It’s been snowing at virtually all of our featured Swiss resorts recently. Many have received up to 30cm of fresh snow, so Monday was a powder day for many resorts.

20cm of powder fell at Adelboden (35/65cm) on Monday, giving a great boost to the snow conditions in their ski area. You can now find powder over virtually all of the resort, the best of it being in the highest areas. 43 lifts are running so there is plenty of access to the fresh snow. It puts the resort in a good position ahead of Christmas.

There wasn’t as much fresh snow at Saas Fee (65/110cm) but around 7cm fell on Monday, topping up their pistes nicely. Virtually the whole area is now open as it is the Christmas holiday period. As you might expect, it is fairly busy but as nearly all of the lifts are running the queue times should be minimal. More features have been opened in the terrain park, so head over there for a bit of fun on the kickers and rails.

USA

Many of the resorts on the east coast managed to open lots more lifts over the weekend just gone. The big snowstorm that hit much of the eastern areas of America gave some of the resorts a good dump of snow too providing some excellent skiing. Stowe (30/101cm) is now almost fully open, with only two lifts closed. It is nice and cold as well meaning the snow cannons are working all the time. Off piste, the snow is a little thin for decent skiing yet but it should improve with some more snow.

Down in California and Nevada, the snowstorm last week which dumped over a metre of fresh snow is still providing great skiing. Squaw Valley (127/178cm) has a great base depth, meaning excellent skiing both on and off piste. Most of the area is open, including a lot of the steeper terrain which is great for this time of year.

Snow was falling at in Jackson Hole on Monday. Nine lifts are running this week and the fresh snow should make for an excellent Christmas week. Most of the steep terrain that Jackson is famous for is still closed as they need more snow for it to open, but the available runs are all good.

CANADA

There is now a Ski Club rep in Whistler (229cm). On Sunday the rep reported excellent skiing, particularly on the upper slopes where it is coldest. Low down the resort runs are a bit hard packed due to the warmer weather. Off piste there is also some lovely snow at higher elevations, with a mixture of powder and tracked snow. Lower down it is heavier but still fun to ski. 21cm of fresh snow fell on Sunday and more is forecast for the week ahead.

15 out of 16 lifts are running at Big White (120cm) now. The only chair closed is the Falcon Chair, which needs a deeper snow base to be able to open due to the rocky terrain that it serves. 5cm of fresh snow on Sunday helped top up the pistes and there is great skiing to be enjoyed all over the mountain. The powder bowls at the Cliff area opened for the season on Monday 21st December and all the double black diamond runs will be open to ski and board.

Further east, Tremblant (40/50cm) is almost fully open. Only four lifts were closed on Monday and more could possible open this week. A temperature of -13°C at the base is quite cold so wrap up warm if you are skiing in Tremblant this Christmas. The cold weather is expected to continue all week, which is excellent news.

EUROPEAN WEATHER OUTLOOK

It should be a snowy Christmas week for most of the Alps, with many resorts expecting up to 75cm of fresh snow by Boxing Day.

Saas Fee in Switzerland should receive of snow each day this week, with 28cm expected to fall on Christmas Eve. It could be a Christmas Day powder day at Saas Fee. The colder weather of late should also disappear too, giving way to warmer but snowier weather. Due to Saas Fee’s altitude however, snow should fall at all levels.

Up to 81cm should fall at Passo Tonale, especially on the Presena Glacier. The busy holiday period needs great snow conditions so this heavy snowfall will be warmly welcomed. The heaviest of the snow in Passo Tonale and also across most of the Italian Alps should be on Christmas Eve, when anywhere between 20cm and 35cm could fall.

It should be snowy in Austria too, but not as much as in Switzerland, Italy or France. The Ski Welt area could see mild temperatures too, which may bring rain to anywhere below mid-mountain. Snow should fall at the top however, improving conditions in the area.

Up in Scandinavia, the cold and dry weather is set to continue. Hemsedal in Norway will remain below -15°C at all times, dropping to around -25°C at night. No snow is forecast in either Norway or Sweden but the snow cannons will be running all the time.

NORTH AMERICAN WEATHER OUTLOOK

Most resorts in America should see light snow over the coming week, which is excellent news for the Christmas period.

Winter Park in Colorado should receive around 18cm of fresh snow by Boxing Day with temperatures getting progressively lower as the week goes on. By Friday, it is expected to be -20°C during the day at mid mountain, bringing a frost nip risk with it.

Mammoth, Heavenly and Squaw Valley in California and Nevada should be dry this week. Only a light dusting of snow is expected at all three resorts which will give great weather for the Christmas period. Tuesday is when the light dusting of snow is expected at Mammoth and the temperature will drop sharply for Tuesday. After Wednesday it should recover to around -1°C however.

Warmer weather is heading for the east coast of America by Christmas Day or Boxing Day. Before then it should be cold but dry, at least allowing the resorts to have the snow cannons running full time. Winds of 56mph on Boxing Day with a mixture of rain and snow could make for a miserable days skiing, but the snow base should stay intact due to the recent cold weather.

Up in Canada there is another cold snap heading for the western areas. Jasper in Alberta should see temperatures down to -37°C but it will feel even colder with a strong wind blowing. This is expected to be the coldest of the resorts there but all other resorts will dip below -20°C during the day on Thursday and Friday.

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Lots more resorts in Europe are poised to open this weekend, helped by the recent snowstorm.

Switzerland received huge amounts of snow earlier this week. This allowed Arosa to make a surprise opening after having previously postponed their opening to this coming weekend. Around a metre of fresh snow fell there, providing excellent skiing.

Meribel and Courchevel in France open this coming weekend. The neighbouring resort of Val Thorens is already open so the opening of Meribel and Courchevel will create a great place to ski this weekend. All three resorts have excellent snow conditions, particularly on the upper slopes, so there should be some fun skiing on offer.

St Anton in Austria opened on Thursday, after having postponed its original opening date last weekend. Lech and Zurs are expected to follow, opening their ski area this Friday 4^th December. Other resorts scheduled to open include those in the Ski Welt region. The area doesn’t have a lot of snow but there is enough to ski on up high.

Over in the States it is extremely cold and should stay that way over the weekend. Many resorts are open across the country and they offer some great skiing. A storm is heading for Colorado this weekend too, so it could be about to vastly improve there.

Revelstoke, Kicking Horse and Fernie in Canada are all opening for the winter season this weekend. It has been a very snowy month in Canada so skiing at all resorts is excellent. These three should be no exception.

Austria

Lots of snow fell in Austria at the beginning of the week, particularly in the west. Ischgl (10/70cm) received around 20cm of fresh snow on the upper slopes on Tuesday. The conditions were a bit icy and hard before this but the fresh snow transformed the skiing making it a lot better. 26 lifts are running in Ischgl’s Silvretta ski area so there is plenty of skiing available.

This snow also fell at St Anton (10/50cm). Following this snowfall, they managed to open some of their lifts and slopes on Thursday 3^rd December. Three lifts were opened on Thursday but more are expected to open on Friday 4^th. The snowfall on Tuesday means the open pistes are in good condition so enjoy the first days of their season if you are there.

Many more resorts plan to open on Friday 4^th and December 5^th. These resorts include Fiss/Serfaus, Soll, Ellmau, Westendorf and Lech/Zurs.

France

This coming weekend should see the opening of many more French resorts. Notably Meribel (20/45cm) and Courchevel (25/45cm) in the Three Valleys are opening this Saturday. Val Thorens (45/85cm) is already open and offers great skiing, so a link over into Meribel and Courchevel will expand the area hugely. The region received lots of snow at the beginning of the week and with cold temperatures the snow cannons have also been running.

Another resort planning to open this weekend is Alpe d’Huez (12/70cm). As with the Three Valleys, snow fell at the beginning of the week which means the pistes should be in good condition for when they open on Saturday. Snow cover on the lower slopes is a little thin, especially off piste, so it will be best to stick to the top where most of the snow is.

Over in the Espace Killy ski area, Val d’Isere (40/80cm) and Tignes (30/80cm) offer some great skiing. There is good snow cover everywhere but the higher you go the better. It is still advised to stick to the pistes as it isn’t deep enough to cover the off-piste hazards just yet. 37 lifts are open in the whole Espace Killy area and the link between Val d’Isere and Tignes is also open, providing easy ski access between the two.

Switzerland

Many Swiss resorts benefited from lots of snow that fell on Monday and Tuesday earlier this week.

The base depths at Saas Fee (75/153cm) more than doubled since Thursday last week, so as you might expect there is some great skiing available up there now. Some lifts took a while to open due to the avalanche control work but there are now six lifts open at the resort, offering good skiing on the fresh snow. Pockets of powder can still be found off piste too, but the base isn’t yet deep enough for great skiing everywhere away from the prepared slopes.

Arosa (40/70cm) recently opened. The resort was scheduled to open last weekend but was forced to postpone this due to a lack of snow. Then the snowstorm came and dumped over a metre of snow on the resort, allowing them to open on Wednesday. They have opened seven lifts in the area and the pistes are all in excellent condition.

Mürren (70/100cm), Grindelwald (50/109cm) and Wengen (55/80cm) are all scheduled to open this weekend. Snow cover on the slopes is generally excellent so they should be able to open a good amount of terrain on Saturday.

USA

It is still uncertain as to which resorts on the east coast will be able to make an opening this weekend. Stowe (40/76cm) was planning to open on Friday 4^th December but have now moved that to Saturday 5^th, conditions permitting. Unfortunately rain on Thursday could have affected their plans so it remains to be seen whether or not they will be able to open.

It has been snowing in Colorado recently. Between 2cm and 8cm fell on most resorts in the state on Wednesday and lots more is forecast this weekend. Vail (46cm) received 3cm of fresh snow on Wednesday which will have freshened up the pistes. Six lifts are running at the resort but this is expected to increase from this weekend. A snowstorm is heading for Colorado over the weekend so anyone lucky enough to be heading there could be in for a treat. It will be very cold however, around -20°C at the summit during the day, so wrap up warm.

Resorts in Utah are still awaiting more snow. Most are open but a lot of their snow cover is manmade, even at Alta (51cm) and Snowbird (61cm), which are usually famed for their huge amounts of powder. As with Colorado, expect some very cold weather over the weekend and into next week.

Canada

Kicking Horse (50/150cm) and Fernie (102cm) are both planning to open daily this weekend, Saturday 5^th December. Fernie opened for last weekend due to the excellent pre-season snowfall but remains closed during the week. Pre-season skiing at both resorts was awesome so it should be a great opening weekend.

It is very cold in many Canadian resorts however, especially those inland in the west of the country. The temperature at the base of Sun Peaks (94/115cm) was -18°C on Wednesday so wrap up warm when skiing. Nine of 11 lifts are running at Sun Peaks and a vast majority of their terrain is open. There is excellent skiing on offer for this early in the season.

The Rockies resort of Banff (78/112cm) received some good snowfall over the week. There is great snow cover at Sunshine Village and at Lake Louise there was over 20cm of snow this week. Most of the terrain is now open and Delirium Dive at Sunshine Village could also open this weekend. Cold weather is on the way so make sure to wrap up very warm if you are heading out there.

European Weather outlook

Weather in Europe this weekend and next will tend to vary as time goes on. The French Alps are expecting snow on and off in the next five days with temperatures varying from mild to cold. Avoriaz in the Portes du Soleil ski area should see 18cm of new snow fall on the higher slopes by Tuesday. Unfortunately a warm spell of weather on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday could bring rain to anywhere below about 2000m. The freezing level will rise to nearly 3000m on Monday.

The same weather can be expected in Austria. It shouldn’t be quite as warm as further west, but it could bring rain to the lower resorts on Monday and Tuesday. St Anton, Lech and Zurs should receive around 20cm of snow by Tuesday. Lech and Zurs should both open over the weekend so the fresh snow will make for some great early season skiing. Sunday and Monday will bring light rain to resort level but above 1600m it should fall as snow.

21cm of snow was expected for Bardonecchia in Italy on Thursday, followed by 6cm on Friday. The resort opens on Saturday, along with most of the Milky Way ski area, so the fresh snow should give a great weekends skiing.

Scandinavia is the best place to go in Europe for fresh snow at the moment. Hemsedal in Norway should see around 20cm of snow fall by Tuesday and low temperatures mean the snow should be great powder. Expect near constant light snow for the next five days and a temperature of -7°C at the summit.

North American Weather Outlook

Another winter storm is heading for Colorado this weekend. It is currently very cold there at the moment and this snowstorm should make it even colder. Temperatures of -29°C at night can be expected. All resorts should see around 25cm of powder fall over the weekend and the very low temperatures mean it should be fantastic powder.

Up in Oregon, where Timberline is situated, it should be sunny but extremely cold. No new snow is expected but it should be sunny until next week. The cold weather will keep the snow in great condition.

Over on the east coast the weather outlook is a mixed bag. Heavy rain on Thursday and temperatures of 13°C could impact the chances of the resorts opening, which is long overdue now. Thankfully this mild spell of weather isn’t expected to last past Friday when colder weather should take over. This cold weather could allow them to run the snow cannons on the upper slopes so it might not be such a bad weekend afterall.

The cold weather in America is coming down from the north, so you can expect it to be equally as cold this weekend in Canada. Jasper in Alberta could see temperatures as low as -35°C and a windchill nearer -50°C. This is likely to affect lift operations for the resort if it does get that cold. It should also snow lightly, which combined with the cold weather will keep their pistes in excellent condition. Eastern Canada should receive a massive snow boost at the end of this week. Mont Sainte Anne, which plans to open on Saturday, could receive around 20cm of fresh snow. Then the weather there will turn colder.

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