Tag Archives: european snow report

Mar201011

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Snow News Updated, 11th March, 2010

INTRODUCTION
Winter has been very much in charge this week in Europe with temperatures below -20°C in many places.
Fresh snow fell on Thursday in Austria but wasn’t much more than a dusting in most places. Obergurgl has some fantastic skiing available and the snow is generally very powdery.

Over in France the temperature is very low, down to -23°C at some of the higher resorts like Tignes. There was some fresh snow earlier this week, particularly at Les Deux Alpes where 15cm of snow fell on Monday.
The Italian Milky Way resorts of Sauze d’Oulx and Sestriere have excellent conditions too, thanks to heavy snowfall earlier this week. Plenty of powder can be found off piste if you know where to look.
Zermatt in Switzerland received 15cm of fresh snow on Wednesday, greatly improving their skiing. All the steep terrain is now a lot better thanks to the new snow.
Both Andorra and Bulgaria received lots of snow earlier this week. Bansko now has much better skiing and some of the grass patches on the lower slopes are now completely covered. Cold weather is forecast to stay in both Andorra and Bulgaria so it should stay good.
Spring has sprung on the east coast of America. Mild and sunny weather is bad for the snow but with plenty of existing snow it should remain for a while. It is definitely the time for some t-shirt skiing.
Winter has returned to Canada, where it was unseasonably dry and mild since New Year. 25cm of fresh snow fell at Banff on Monday which vastly improved all three ski areas. Whistler is also forecast nearly a metre and a half of fresh snow next week.

Mar201004

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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.


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Feb201025

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Snow Report, 25th February, 2010

INTRODUCTION
More snow in France earlier this week means the skiing is excellent once again. Lots of areas received up to 40cm of fresh snow on their upper slopes but lower down the snow is wetter.

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 24th 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.


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Feb201018

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Snow Report, 18th February, 2010

INTRODUCTION

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.

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Dec200924

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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.
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Dec200907

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Snow News, 3rd December, 2009

Introduction

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.


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Nov200930

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Snow Report, 30th November, 2009

SNOW NEWS UPDATED 30 November 2009
INTRODUCTION
The Espace Killy area in France, which includes Val d’Isere and Tignes, opened for the winter season this weekend. They enjoyed great snow conditions and with more snow falling this week the area is off to a great start to the season.
A big snowstorm over the Alps at the moment has dropped up to 50cm of snow in some places. Cervinia in Italy, Arosa in Switzerland and Les Deux Alpes in France all received around half a metre of fresh snow over the weekend. Of these three resorts it is only possible to ski at Cervinia and Les Deux Alpes this week and it should be fantastic with the fresh powder.
10cm of fresh snow fell on Trysil in Norway over the weekend. Conditions in Scandinavia are generally good, although the best riding can be found in Norway at the moment. It also snowed in Finland, with both Levi and Ruka receiving fresh snow over the weekend, helping keep the slopes in good condition.
Canada has some excellent skiing available. Silver Star opened on Saturday and it was a great opening weekend. Fresh snow and cold weather mean the pistes across the whole of British Columbia and Alberta are excellent.
Snow fell on the east coast of America over the weekend. 20cm of new snow was reported at Sunday River, and they were able to open two lifts over the weekend. These should be able to stay open during the week, with snow cannons keeping the snow in good condition.
AUSTRIA
It was snowing in Austria over the weekend and this continued into Monday.
Resorts in the west of the country have received the most snow, particularly Solden (0/100cm) where 20cm of fresh snow fell on the Rettenbach glacier on Sunday and into Monday morning. This greatly helped to improve the pistes at Solden as they were quite hard and icy prior to this snowfall. Unfortunately high winds forced the closure of all lifts on Monday. If the lifts are able to open on Tuesday morning the riding should be superb as more snow is expected to land before then.
The Stubai Glacier at Neustift (10/110cm) was also closed on Monday due to high winds. Light snow was reportedly falling on Monday morning on the glacier but not as much as at Solden.
Hintertux (0/170cm) was also affected by strong winds on Monday morning. Only six lifts were able to run but things were made better by light snow falling, although this did reduce the visibility.
FRANCE
Heavy snowfall was reported at most of our featured alpine French resorts on Monday morning. Many resorts received up to 20cm at resort level and more on the upper slopes.
It was a great opening weekend for the Espace Killy resorts of Tignes (20/70cm) and Val d’Isere (20/60cm). 36 lifts opened up in the whole area, although Tignes had the more lifts open that Val d’Isere. 15cm of fresh snow on Sunday made for some good skiing and more snowfall this week should ensure it remains that way. Visibility is poor due to the snowfall, so take care when out skiing.
Two more lifts opened at Val Thorens (40/70cm) over the weekend. Eight lifts were open on Monday morning in the immediate Val Thorens area but none of the links over to Meribel are open yet. Meribel and Courchevel are expected to open on Saturday 5th December, and it looks like the conditions will be great for the start of their season.
Another resort to open over the weekend was Les Deux Alpes (25/60cm). They received 20cm of fresh snow this weekend and more snow was falling on Monday morning. Only one lift as open in the area however, due to heavy snowfall and high winds affecting the region. When the weather clears it should be great.
SWITZERLAND
As with the rest of the Alps, lots of snow was falling at many of our featured Swiss resorts on Monday morning. High winds accompanied the snow, forcing lift closures too.
Saas Fee (25/69cm) closed all its lifts on Monday due to the poor weather. The good news is that it was snowing heavily on Monday morning and 21cm of fresh snow was measured on the pistes. More snow is expected during the week so when the lifts reopen it should be excellent.
Crans Montana (20/80cm) opened on Saturday. One lift was opened on the glacier but this is closed during the week. They should start daily skiing with more lifts running on Saturday 5th December and then have the full area open by Saturday 19th December.
The most snow so far has fallen at Andermatt (40/130cm). Their base depth nearly doubled over the weekend due to more than 50cm of new snow landing. Unfortunately they were closed for snowsports on Monday due to further snowfall but when they reopen there should be some excellent skiing on offer.
ITALY
Loads of fresh snow has fallen across most of Italy. Many resorts received over half a metre of snow on Sunday and most are expecting a lot more to fall during the first few days of this week.
40cm fell on the upper slopes at Cervinia (30/100cm). The accompanying high winds meant that only two lifts were able to run on Monday morning and it was only possible to ski using the Baby la Vieille drag lift, the other lift being the Breuil Plan Maison cable car to get you up to the glacier. A further 36cm of snow is expected to fall at the start of this week before a few days of sunshine. There should be excellent skiing once this storm has passed.
Passo Tonale (10/130cm) also received 40cm of fresh snow on Sunday. The Presena Glacier is where the most snow fell but there has been snow down to resort level as well. Only two lifts could operate on Monday due to the adverse weather but those who braved the snow were rewarded with some fantastic powder to ski.
ANDORRA
All our featured Andorran resorts are closed for snowsports this week. An opening for Arcalis (10/40cm) and Arinsal (10/25cm) was planned for Saturday 28th November but warm weather melted most of their snow so they had to postpone it to Saturday 5th December.
The good news is that 10cm of snow fell on Monday at all four resorts and it should snow more on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
NORWAY/SWEDEN
More snow has fallen over the weekend and into Monday at many of our featured Scandinavian resorts.
Trysil (30cm) reported the most snow falling in Norway on Monday morning, with 10cm covering the area. Lillehammer (5/37cm) is now open on weekdays, which is great news for skiers in Norway.
Sälen in Sweden (7/15cm) reported the greatest amount of fresh snow falling in Scandinavia on Monday. 15cm of new snow was measured at the Lindvallen area in the morning, which provided good riding from the seven open lifts and pistes across the Lindvallen and Tandådalen areas.
More wintry weather is expected at our featured Norwegian and Swedish resorts this week, with the greatest amount of snow expected in Norway.
GERMANY
The weather on Monday was not great at the German resort of Garmisch (0/110cm). Thick clouds brought rain to the area. The good news is that the precipitation fell as snow on the higher slopes up on the Zugspitze glacier ski area. The snow is forecast to continue falling into Tuesday then the skies should clear for Wednesday. The skiing should be great then with good visibility allowing visitors to take advantage of the fresh snow.
Our other featured German resorts are yet to open for snowsports.
BULGARIA
All of the Bulgarian resorts we report on are yet to open for the season.
SCOTLAND
Cairngorm (10/15cm) opened for the first time this season on Saturday 28th November. Snow and cold weather last week allowed them to open two drag lifts over the weekend. These were the Ptarmigan Tow and the Ciste Tow. The fences to hold the snow in place did a great job and gave decent cover on the opened runs. It was a great first weekend for skiing in Scotland.
All other Scottish resorts are yet to open for the season.
USA
In contrast to the last four weeks, the most snow recently has fallen on the east coast of America. Sunday River (15/30cm) managed to open some lifts on Sunday due to the fresh snow. Two were running and the fresh snow provided some fun skiing. More snow and cold weather is expected this week so they might be able to get their season properly underway.
Timberline (163cm) also received fresh snow. 20cm of powder snow fell on Saturday, giving some great skiing. Their deep base depth for this time of year ensures that they should not have to close even if it does get milder, which it is forecast to this week.
It is currently quite cold in Colorado. This allows the resorts to run their snow cannons a lot to keep the snow in good condition. Vail (46cm) had six lifts running this weekend and it should stay that way over the week. It could be fairly cold at the end of the week, with -18°C expected at the top of the mountain on Saturday.
CANADA
Silver Star (83/104cm) opened for the season on Friday 27th November. With an upper base depth of over a metre, there is plenty of great skiing to enjoy. Four lifts are running this week which are the Comet Express, Silver Woods Express, Alpine Meadows and Silver Queen Chair. Light snow is forecast for most of the week so the conditions should remain excellent.
More terrain opened up at Whistler (189cm) at the end of last week. Blackcomb Mountain opened for snowsports on 26th November and more lifts opened on Whistler Mountain over the weekend. 17 lifts are now running in the area and the upper slopes are all in fantastic condition. On Monday they had 5000 acres of skiable terrain, which is 61% of their total area.
Mont Sainte Anne and Tremblant on the east coast are yet to open. They have set an initial date of Friday 4th December to open based on current weather forecasts, which predict snow and cold weather later this week. This should allow them to start the snow cannons again and hopefully this combined with natural snow will be enough for them to open a few slopes.
EUROPEAN WEATHER OUTLOOK
The snowstorm over Europe last weekend is expected to continue. Switzerland and Italy should receive the most snow, with over 80cm forecast at some resorts.
In the French Alps, Chamonix and Argentiere are expecting 68cm of new snow to fall by the coming weekend. Most of this expected to fall over Monday but Thursday and Friday are looking very snowy as well, with 38cm falling over these two days. It should also turn a lot colder by the end of the week, after a brief warm spell on Wednesday.
83cm of snow is forecast at St Moritz in Switzerland. As with the French Alps it is expected to be heaviest on Monday but more snow should fall on Thursday and Friday. It should be a great week of skiing across the whole of the country, with all the fresh snow.
Livigno in Italy should receive over 80cm of snow through this week. Colder weather should move into the area by the end of the week, hopefully making the powder even better. Heavy snow is expected across the whole of the Italian Alps this week.
Lots of snow is expected in Western Austria but over in the east it will be fairly dry unfortunately. The east will benefit from the colder weather later in the week but only 6cm of snow is expected at Obertauern this week. 60cm of snow is expected in the Arlberg regions, giving them a great boost for their planned opening this coming weekend.
NORTH AMERICAN WEATHER OUTLOOK
In contrast to Europe, it should be a fairly dry week across the whole of America. The most snow expected in the country is at Big Sky in Montana, where 13cm should fall by Saturday.
Colorado should be dry, sunny and cold this week. The end of the week and weekend will be especially cold, with expected highs at resort level of -10°C at Vail. The cold weather means they can all run their snow cannons during the day and night, helping to keep the snow coverage in good condition.
The recent cold snap on the east coast should come to an end this week. A midweek rainstorm is expected at Smugglers’ Notch, potentially undoing all their hard work with the snow cannons. 11°C and heavy rain can be expected on Wednesday and Thursday. Fortunately some more cold weather is expected for next weekend.
Up in Canada it should be a generally snowy week. The temperature is also expected to drop considerably by the end of the week, bringing -22°C to most resorts at summit level the windchill making it feel nearer to -40°C. Jasper in Alberta is expecting the most snow in Canada, with 23cm expected by the end of this week. Whistler should receive a rather modest 6cm of snow this week, far less than the recent storms brought.

INTRODUCTION

The Espace Killy area in France, which includes Val d’Isere and Tignes, opened for the winter season this weekend. They enjoyed great snow conditions and with more snow falling this week the area is off to a great start to the season.

A big snowstorm over the Alps at the moment has dropped up to 50cm of snow in some places. Cervinia in Italy, Arosa in Switzerland and Les Deux Alpes in France all received around half a metre of fresh snow over the weekend. Of these three resorts it is only possible to ski at Cervinia and Les Deux Alpes this week and it should be fantastic with the fresh powder.

Canada has some excellent skiing available. Silver Star opened on Saturday and it was a great opening weekend. Fresh snow and cold weather mean the pistes across the whole of British Columbia and Alberta are excellent.

Snow fell on the east coast of America over the weekend. 20cm of new snow was reported at Sunday River, and they were able to open two lifts over the weekend. These should be able to stay open during the week, with snow cannons keeping the snow in good condition.
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Nov200919

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Snow Update (19 November 2009)

INTRODUCTION

Many more resorts in Europe and North America are opening this weekend.

Obertauern in Austria opened for the winter season on Thursday 19th November. Despite the current mild weather the snow is holding up well and has allowed them to open a number of lifts and runs.

Several resorts in Switzerland are also opening this weekend. Flims/Laax has already opened for skiing and offers a good variety of terrain. Sunny weather this week will make for some good skiing.

Over in Canada, Whistler’s massive snowstorm continues and 221cm of snow has fallen since Thursday last week. They are rapidly heading towards their all time record for fresh snow in November, which was set in 2006. Incredibly deep powder can be found all over the upper half of the mountain.

Most of the available skiing at the moment in the USA is in Colorado. Vail opens its ski area on Friday 20th November and with plenty of manmade snow it should be good fun skiing at the resort. Resorts on the east coast of America are trying to open but warm weather is hindering their snow making progress.

AUSTRIA

Despite the warm weather over Austria at the moment the snow is holding up well and this week more resorts are opening.

Thursday 19th November was the first day of the season for Obertauern (25/45cm). Five lifts were opened and these are the Grünwaldkopf, Panoramabahn, Seekarspitzbahn, Kringsalmbahn and Hochalmbahn. Skiers are advised to stick to the marked open runs as snow cover is thin elsewhere.

Obergurgl (25/61cm) is also open. An upper base depth of over half a metre ensures good snow conditions on marked runs. An impressive 17 lifts are running at Obergurgl at the end of this week which is excellent for this time of year and there is plenty of skiing available.

Parts of the winter ski area at Solden (0/81cm) are now open. Nine lifts are open on the Rettenbach glacier and a further seven are open elsewhere in the Solden area. 3cm of fresh snow fell on the glacier on Wednesday night, further improving the ski conditions.

FRANCE

Six lifts and seven pistes are open at the Val Thorens (40/70cm) and due to the altitude the snow conditions are good, despite the mild weather elsewhere. It is advisable to stick to the marked runs as the cover off piste is very thin.

11 lifts are open at Tignes (15/50cm) this week, with most of these being on the glacier. It is still possible to ski down into Val Claret on the Double M piste. As with Val Thorens it is best to stick to the marked runs as there are uncovered rocks off piste. Light snow and colder weather is forecast for Monday which should help further improve the snow.

SWITZERLAND

An updated depth measurement from Saas Fee (19/155cm) now shows there is over a metre and a half of snow on the glacier. Their measurement on Monday showed the depth to be less than half a metre. 8cm of snow fell on Wednesday night on the upper slopes so there is a nice layer of fresh on top of the groomed snow. This combined with the sunny weather provides enjoyable skiing at the end of this week.

Flims/Laax (0/80cm) has opened for the winter season. Six lifts were running on Thursday, mostly from Crap Sogn Goin upwards. 5cm of snow fell on Monday which is still providing good slope conditions. More lifts could open on the Vorab Glacier this weekend.

The little resort of Zinal (5/60cm) near Zermatt (4/70cm) is open at weekends. The resort opens five of its lifts every Saturday and Sunday until

Saturday 12th December when they should open daily.

USA

More resorts in America have opened this week. Solitude (56cm) in Utah and Winter Park (46cm) in Colorado are now both open. Winter Park has the most skiing available of the two, with seven lifts running this week. Two are running at Solitude and the base depth of more than half a metre provides some good skiing.

Elsewhere in Colorado, Vail (46cm) plans to open on Friday 20th November. A largely manmade base depth is typical of Colorado in the early season but this means on piste conditions will be good for opening day. There isn’t a lot of snow off piste so stay on the marked runs.

It has gone warm on the east coast again. A temperature of 12°C is expected at Mount Snow this weekend bringing rain to both the upper and lower slopes. This isn’t good news as many of the east coast resorts should be opening around the end of November.

CANADA

Western Canada, particularly Whistler (189cm), continues to receive truly huge amounts of snow. The resort has seen 221cm of fresh snow fall on its upper slopes since last Thursday and another 211cm is forecast to fall before next Tuesday. This brings their total for the season so far to nearly four metres and this is before their original scheduled opening date of 26th November. If the snow in the forecast is correct, they should break their all time record for fresh snow in November. Due to all the snow the powder skiing is phenomenal but do take extreme care as the avalanche danger is high to extreme.

It has also snowed a lot at Jasper (94/110cm) in Alberta. The resort has received 85cm of fresh snow since Thursday last week so there is plenty of great powder skiing at Jasper. Six out of a possible nine lifts are running giving great access to the powder snow.

Some of this snow also fell at Banff (66/94cm), where Sunshine Village and Lake Louise are currently open. Most recently, 11cm of snow fell at Sunshine Village on Tuesday night. Light snow is forecast over the weekend which should help keep their snow conditions excellent.

EUROPEAN WEATHER OUTLOOK

The mild weather in Europe at the moment is forecast to continue for the rest of this week. However the general trend is for colder and snowier weather to move in by Monday next week. It won’t bring large amounts of snow but it will be welcomed by all the resorts.

This weather trend is true for Austria. Hintertux is expecting the most of the snow when it arrives on Monday. 13cm alone should fall on Monday which will give a great boost to their skiing. The freezing level will also drop from around 3600m on Saturday to 1400m on Tuesday.

Les Deux Alpes in France is also expecting light snow on Sunday and Monday, amounting to around 13cm over both days. The snow should come coupled with a noticeable drop in temperatures, from 12°C at base level on Friday to 0°C by Tuesday.

NORTH AMERICAN WEATHER OUTLOOK

Apart from Timberline in Oregon and Jackson Hole in Wyoming, it should be fairly dry across the whole of America.

78cm of snow is forecast to fall at Timberline, predominantly over Friday and Saturday when 55cm will land. The snow will bring lower temperatures with it but once the snow has passed away, warmer weather will follow.

Jackson Hole should see 31cm of snow fall by Tuesday next week. Sunday and Monday is when the snow should be heaviest, and it will come as a welcome relief before the resorts planned opening day. You can expect temperatures of -16°C at the summit of Jackson Hole over the weekend and a more modest -9°C at the bottom.

No new snow is expected for resorts in Colorado over the weekend but it should remain cold. Night time temperatures in Vail will down to around -15°C which is plenty cold enough for the snow cannons to run.

The east coast of America is unseasonably warm still. Heavy rain is forecast for many of the resorts in that area, both on the upper and lower slopes. They desperately need colder temperatures to be able to resume their snow making as their opening dates are fast approaching.

Loads of snow continues to fall on the west coast of Canada. Whistler has received phenomenal amounts of snow already this season and the snowstorm is still going strong. A further 211cm of snow is expected to fall on the upper slopes by Tuesday next week which should mean the resort breaks its record for the snowiest November ever. The record currently stands at 416cm which was set in 2006 and they are currently on 362cm so far this month.

If you are planning a skiing holiday, let us advise you of the best locations and properties for your holiday. You can call us on +1865 398130 to talk to a travel consultant.

SkiClub_Logo-lowBrought to you by The Ski Club of Great Britain
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Snow Reports
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Nov200909

0

Snow Update (9th Nov 2009)

INTRODUCTION
It has been another good weekend for skiing in Europe. More snow and cold weather has done wonders for the open glacier resorts and has brought many others even closer to opening for the winter. Obergurgl in Austria opens this Friday then many more resorts open next week.

The open French glaciers received a good amount of snow over the weekend. Conditions on the Tignes glacier are excellent and it is possible to ski down to Val Claret now.

Switzerland and Italy both have great skiing to offer as well. The Presena glacier at Passo Tonale in Italy has now opened for the winter. Their massive base depth last season meant it didn’t all melt over the summer so they have nearly a metre and a half of snow on the glacier ski area already.

Keystone and Copper Mountain in Colorado, America, both opened this weekend and currently offer top to bottom skiing. Timberline in Oregon received a lot of snow over the weekend which has allowed them to open for the winter season.

FRANCE
Snow is still falling in the French Pyrenees, at resorts like Cauterets. There is no measured depth for the amount of snow that has fallen yet, but the webcam suggests there is a massive amount of new snow. Cauterets was forecast around a metre over the weekend, and there looks to have been about this much snow fall.

In the French Alps it has also been snowing, but not as much as in the Pyrenees.

Tignes (15/50cm) received fresh snow and the webcams show a good covering right down to base station level. Seven lifts and five pistes are open at Tignes, with one run down to Val Claret. Up on the Grande Motte glacier the snow is superb, with cold temperatures and fresh snow providing great riding conditions.

SWITZERLAND
Zinal (0/60cm) has now opened for weekend skiing. A 60cm base on the upper slopes provides nice early season turns. Six kilometres of pistes are open and it is possible to ski back down to the village at 1650m, which is excellent for early November. They plan to open daily from 14th December.

Elsewhere in Switzerland, the Titlis glacier at Engelberg (0/45cm) has closed for lift maintenance. They are closed until 20th November and then they should open daily for the winter season from 21st November. A break in operations will allow the snow to build up without being skied on, and conditions should be very good for their opening in two weeks time.

Saas Fee (27/124cm) and Zermatt (12/100cm) both received a good dump of fresh snow over the weekend. Up to 15cm fell on both resorts and around 10cm of this fell to base level at Zermatt. It is only possible to ski on the glaciers at each resort at the moment but it is excellent up there thanks to the new snow.

AUSTRIA
More snow fell at our featured Austrian resorts over the weekend. Many of the glaciers received more than 15cm of snow on Sunday so there is plenty of fantastic skiing to be enjoyed on Monday. The Hintertux glacier (10/170cm) has the most terrain available, with 18 lifts running and more than 60kms of piste available.

Elsewhere resorts like Obergurgl and Obertauern, which are both expected to open within the next ten days, received a good amount of fresh snow. They have also been using the snow cannons in the cold temperatures so the slopes are looking very good for when the resorts open. Obergurgl should be the first of the major Austrian resorts to open, with Friday 13th November their planned season start date.

USA
Timberline (79cm) has finally received a massive dump of snow, which has allowed them to open for snowsports for the winter season. 71cm of fresh snow fell over the weekend and they have managed to groom some of the snow and open two lifts. As you might expect the conditions have gone from terrible to brilliant with all the fresh snow. Off-piste skiing will be good but stick to the upper slopes for that, where the snow base is deepest.

Last weekend also saw the opening of Copper Mountain (46cm) in Colorado. A manmade snow base ensures good cover on the open runs down to the village level at 2800m. Three lifts are running and four trails are available to ski on.

In the east of America, Sunday River (15/30cm) managed another weekend of skiing but the temperature is very warm which is damaging the snow base considerably. They will need a return to cold weather to be able to make snow again.

CANADA
A lot of snow fell in parts of Canada over the weekend, especially at Banff (43cm). More than 35cm of fresh powder blanketed Sunshine Village on Sunday morning, while 15cm fell on both Lake Louise and Mt Norquay. Lake Louise opened for the first time this season on Saturday 7th November and they have three runs open along with some rails in the park open. Sunshine Village is expected to open on Wednesday 11th November, and the snow conditions are excellent.

Sun Peaks (48/65cm) and Mont Saint Anne are opening soon as well, both on Saturday 14th November. This is an earlier than scheduled opening for Sun Peaks thanks to the great pre-season snowfall this year.

EUROPEAN WEATHER OUTLOOK
Heavy snow is expected across most of the Alps this week, especially in the west. It is expected to be quite warm though with the freezing level staying around 2300m, so this could bring rain to many resorts at base level. Snow will fall possibly to lower levels at night though. Above 2300m the snow cannons will be working and with the fresh natural snow the base depth will build up quickly. Saas Fee and Zermatt in Switzerland are expecting the most snow in Switzerland. 45cm should fall between now and the coming weekend. Most of this will fall above around 2000m but it will snow down to the resorts’ base level at night. The majority of this snow, 22cm, is expected next Saturday night from the current forecast. In Austria to the east, it is expected to be a drier week. A maximum of 16cm of new snow is expected at Zurs in the Arlberg region. It should be a cool week but by the time the weekend arrives abnormally warm weather is expected, with the freezing level briefly rising to 3150m on Friday at Zurs.

NORTH AMERICAN WEATHER OUTLOOK
Resorts in the state of Colorado in America are looking forward to the 20cm of snow that is forecast at the end of this week. It is expected to be very mild until Friday though then a storm will move through, bringing with it cold weather and around 20cm of snow. Breckenridge and Copper Mountain are expected to benefit from it the most, but all resorts will get some snow. In the east of America a brief dip to cooler temperatures midweek will be surpassed by a return to warm weather again. No new snow is expected at Sunday River. It could be cold enough in the middle of the week for them to make some snow. It does look like winter has finally started in the Pacific North West though as Timberline is expecting snow to fall all week. 46cm is expected by the weekend which is great news for their visitors.

Winter is well and truly established in Canada. Whistler is expecting by far the most snow this week of our reported Canadian resorts with 111cm expected to fall by the weekend. Around 30cm is expected each day this week and some of this should fall right down to base level too. Their opening date is only a few weeks away and it is shaping up to be a great start to their Olympic season. Elsewhere in Canada it should also be very snowy, particularly at Revelstoke and Kicking Horse who are expecting 60cm of new snow to fall by the weekend.

If you are planning a skiing holiday, let us advise you of the best locations and properties for your holiday. You can call us on +1865 398130 to talk to a travel consultant.

SkiClub_Logo-low Brought to you by The Ski Club of Great Britain
Ski Club Website
Snow Reports
Ski resort guide

Nov200902

0

Snow News Is Good News.

According to today’s report from the experts at the Ski Club Great Britain, many European resorts are already enjoying a healthy serving of snow and predictions are there is more to come. Read on to find out where the earlier snowfalls are settling:

Val d’Isère and Tignes:

It has been snowing intermittently in the Espace Killy for a couple of weeks now. The Grand Motte at 3,456m received 10cm of snow over the weekend and even a covering in the town centre of, Tignes Le Lac last Monday. Forecasters expect another smattering to add to the 3 centimetres already seen this week at resort level. Three lifts are already operating in the ski area and more and more pistes are being classified open.

Gstaad:

Gstaad’s glacier 3,000 is one of four Swiss ski areas that are closed due to bad weather. Expect plenty of fresh powder when the clouds finally part.

Zermatt and Saas Fee:

Both these two resorts have opened early for skiing at the beginning of last week. Many of the elements of the Saas Fee snowpark have also already opened as well as five of the resort’s lifts.

For more information on current forecasts or to read through historical snow-reports, the Ski Club Great Britain’s website is a vital research tool. If you are planning an earlier season trip, let us advise you of the best locations for your holiday. You can call us on +1865 398130 to talk to a travel consultant or visit www.oxfordski.com for all our chalet listings.

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