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J2Ski Snow Report September 1st 2023
El Colorado, Chile getting some of that South American goodness... More big snows in South America, and more late-summer snow in the Alps. The Snow Headlines - September 1st - South American super snowstorm totals up to 4 metres of snowfall in five days. - Italy's Passo Stelvio suspends summer skiing due to high temperatures in the Alps. - Argentina's largest ski area Catedral first in world to post 100km+ open since May. - Temperatures drop and summer snow falls on glaciers in the Alps. - More Australian ski areas close slopes in warm weather. - Pyrenees also report summer snowfall. 
A freshen-up on the cards for Aussie ski areas, more powder for the Andes!
World Overview It's been a week of quite significant changes as springtime arrives in the southern hemisphere and autumn/fall in the northern, by the meteorological seasonal calendar at least! Most ski areas in the southern hemisphere are in their best shape of the season so far with Argentinian and Chilean ski areas now seeing the benefit of a massive multi-day snowstorm that ended last weekend after depositing, allegedly, up to 4 metres of snow on higher slopes. New Zealand may not have had quite such a big snowstorm but it has had weeks of mostly cool and sunny weather after a decent mid-August dump so here too most slopes are open and bases are also the best of the season to date. The only hiccup in the positive picture for the southern hemisphere is Australia where warm temperatures and rain have led to a second ski area calling it a day on the 2023 season. In the northern hemisphere, anticipation for the 23-24 season may be in its early stages but the good news is that cooler weather and even snowfall up high has arrived in the Alps and Pyrenees after record warm temperatures in recent weeks. Social media channels were busy in the first half of this week with images and videos of summer snowfalls. More glacier ski areas are due to start opening in just three weeks and snowmaking should be getting underway on the highest ski slopes in North America by late September too. Southern Hemisphere Australia Australia's ski areas continue to battle mixed conditions, the key issue is always overly warm weather. That, and associated rainfall rather than snowfall, has caused Selwyn ski area to shut its ski slopes once again after the respite of the snowfalls a fortnight ago. Mount Baw Baw has now joined them. Hotham says it is having to close a lot of terrain due to warm temperatures and rain. Conditions continue to be marginal with overnight lows sometimes allowing snowmaking to work, but then daytime highs causing an ongoing thaw. That said, most of the other main resorts – Falls Creek, Thredbo, Buller and Perisher, have enough snow lying from early season snow and the top-ups there have been – machine or natural – to have most of their terrain open still. New Zealand It's been one of the best weeks of the season in New Zealand with consistently cold and mostly sunny weather, with occasional snow flurries. Temperatures have dropped as low as -13C overnight and only got a few degrees above freezing in the daytime, keeping the snow in great shape. The only real negative has been strong to gale-force winds at times, occasionally closing centres. Turoa on the north Island is still posting the world's deepest snow at present at over 2.5 metres, while Coronet Peak on the south island has the most terrain open in the country, with 40km of slopes, as it is 100% open. Sunny weather continues to end the week but a front is expected to bring fresh snowfall imminently. Argentina The skies cleared after the almost week-long "snowstorm of the century" (we recall there have been a few called that) that hit the Andes and Patagonia. Official snow total stats were hard to find but we saw anything from 1 metre to an incredible 4 metres claimed for the five days. All the snowfall caused a lot of practical issues of course too though; access roads blocked, power lines down, lifts buried and high avalanche danger. So several centres closed until it was safe to open. Las Lenas saw the biggest reported snowfall (4 metres), although that seems to be an unofficial stat for the backcountry with official depths remaining more modest, but still the best they've been all season. The continent's largest resort, Catedral near Bariloche, has reported over 100km of slopes open for the first time this season, and the first time any ski area in the world has had over 100km of slopes open since May. Chile The huge snowstorm in the Andes last week impacted Chilean ski resorts as it did Argentinian, leading many of the country's ski areas to close temporarily due to high winds, avalanche danger, low visibility, blocked roads and buried lifts! At the end of the five-day storm last weekend reports of storm totals of up to 2.5 metres came in, with Portillo reporting the biggest dump and becoming the first area in South America to post a 2m+ base. Since the storm cleared ski areas have been digging out and re-opening terrain. El Colorado is posting the most open terrain in the country at present, with 40km – about 80% of its full area – open. Temperatures have remained cold and it's a mixture of sunshine and cloud with just the odd light snow shower forecast for the next few days. Europe Alps It's been an exciting week for snow fans in the Alps with a big change in conditions as storms moved in at the weekend after the record heat at altitude for much of the latter half of August. Up to 30cm (a foot) of snowfall was reported on high slopes across the region, extending as far north as Germany's Zugspitze and down to Grandvalira in the Pyrenees in the south. Skiers were even spotted on a webcam on the fresh snow at (closed) Les 2 Alpes. The snow fell to as low as 1500m in places but by Wednesday the snowline was at 2,000m and rising, as are the air temperatures although they remain much cooler than they have been. Currently, Saas fee and Zermatt are open for skiers in Switzerland, and Hintertux in Austria while Italy's Passo Stelvio, which decided on a 'temporary close' last Friday, is yet to reopen despite fresh snowfall there. Scandinavia Norway's Galdhopiggen summer ski areas look to have made it open through August. That's an achievement as more often than not in recent years it has been forced to close for a while by hot weather, but it's still reporting the snow over a metre deep and much cooler temperatures than further south have led to some fresh snowfalls in recent weeks. Overnight lows have also been below freezing. It's just over a month now until Finland's Ruka and Levi ski areas will use snow farming to open for their seven-month-long 23-24 seasons at the start of October. North America There's nowhere open in North America at present other than the indoor snow slope at Big SNOW in New Jersey, so it's really all about anticipation for the start of the 23-24 season, perhaps 6-8 weeks away. Snow has been spotted on high slopes in Utah and Idaho and temperatures have been dropping over a wide area. The first snowmaking cannons are expected to fire up on the highest slopes in Colorado in about a month at the end of September. |
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J2Ski Snow Report August 24th 2023
Portillo, Chile, reports 250cm (8 feet) of snow over the past 5 days... Big snow in South America, fresheners for Aussie ski areas, and a little summer snow in the Alps. The Snow Headlines - August 24th - Heavy snowfall on South American ski slopes; up to 3 feet in 24 hours. - Less than 50 days to 23-24 season opening day in Finnish Lapland. - Australian resorts post best conditions for a month after multiple snowfalls. - More snow for New Zealand - which posts world's deepest snowpack. - New record warm temperatures on Alpine glaciers, Passo Stelvio closes. 
Powder in South America, summer snow dustings in Europe.
World Overview Most ski areas in the southern hemisphere have seen fresh snowfall in the last week, some of them quite significant accumulations. In Australia, the return of snowfall after a warm month - which we started to report on as it arrived last week - continued through the weekend leading to big improvements there. In South America, the snow in the Andes and Patagonia arrived at the weekend and has continued through much of this week, increasing in intensity to become one of the biggest snowfalls (anywhere) of 2023. For New Zealand, fresh snow has further improved what were already the best conditions of the season so far. In the northern hemisphere, thoughts are increasingly turning to the first snowfalls up high and then the first areas opening for the 23-24 season in September and October. Five resorts are still officially open for summer skiing in Europe; four in the Alps (one temporarily closed), and one in Scandinavia. Those in the Alps have seen very high temperatures on their glaciers, getting above 10C, and seeing the freezing point reach a new record high, with a resulting drop in snow depth and open terrain. Southern Hemisphere Australia Australian ski areas saw repeated snowfall through last week, with several reporting total accumulations of 40cm from 3-4 separate snowstorms. It has been drier and sunnier since the weekend but stayed cool enough for overnight snowmaking to continue. All this has improved conditions a good deal going into the first month of spring. Thredbo has joined Perisher in posting a 1 metre plus upper slope base, Falls Creek remains 90% open (the most in the country) and Selwyn ski area has been able to reopen its slopes. New Zealand It's been a mostly good week in New Zealand with more fresh snowfall (Mt Hutt reported 15cm on Monday) and generally excellent conditions across the country's ski slopes. The only negative weather factor has been gales at times closing some areas temporarily. Mount Ruapehu continues to post the deepest snowpack in the world at over 2.5 metres at its Turoa ski area. The centre, which has financial issues and at one point feared it might not open this season, notes that it is having one of the best winters for snowfall in its history and is not yet halfway through its season, which is typically the last to end in the southern hemisphere in late October or even "Snowvember". South America Argentina It has been one of the snowiest weeks of the season so far in Argentina with up to 60cm (two feet) of fresh snowfall reported. Most of the country's ski areas did have below-average cover so this is a much-needed boost ahead of what is for most the final four weeks of the season. Catedral near Bariloche continues to post the most terrain open anywhere in the country (or the world) at present) with about 80km (50 miles of slopes available, while Las Lenas now has the deepest snowpack in the country and has reported further heavy snowfall over the last few days. Chile It was a very cold and very snowy start to the week for most Chilean ski areas, transforming conditions and closing several centres while the snowstorm was at its height. Portillo saw its base depth jump by over a third to 2.1 metres (seven feet), on Wednesday reporting 94cm (over 3 feet) of fresh snow in the previous 24 hours. It was a similar, if not quite so snowy, picture across the country's ski areas though with Valle Nevado also reaching the 1 metre base depth point at last and El Colorado posting the most terrain open in the country at present. Africa The 2023 season never really got going in southern Africa with Tiffindell in South Africa still not open, for the fourth successive winter, and Afriski in Lesotho only making limited amounts of snow and not running its main lift. Afriski did offer a small snowboarding area but that's believed to have now closed, with 'Winterfest' bringing the season to a conclusion last weekend. Europe Alps It has been a challenging week for the four glacier ski areas still open in the Alps – the main issue being double-digit temperatures even at 3,500m, and overnight lows not getting back below freezing either. At one point the freezing point was reported by Swiss meteorologists to have hit a new record high of nearly 5,300m altitude, or about 500 vertical metres higher than Mont Blanc. The result, inevitably – rapid thawing of the remaining snowpack. The hardest hit is Austria's year-round Hintertux where the snow is now just 20cm deep and there's only about a mile of slopes open rather than the usual 20km. Passo Stelvio in Italy is the first to announce it is actually closing, temporarily they hope, from Friday 25th to at least next Tuesday 29th when they'll review their position. Switzerland's Saas Fee and Zermatt haven't reported too much of a hit on their reported 2m+ bases and still have about 12km of slopes open each, although that's down about 20%. The good news is that colder temperatures are expected through the weekend and there's likely to some snow on high slopes. Scandinavia Norway's Galdhopiggen glacier, located on Scandinavia's highest slope, is still open and continues to experience a full range of weather; some sunny spells but also periods of rain, sleet and snow, it being much cooler here than further north. The Finnish ski resorts of Levi and Ruka say there is less than 40 days to go until they both plan to open a few kilometres of slopes each, thanks to snow farming; recycling last season's stored snow and spreading it back out on the slopes as temperatures cool. North America With Mammoth and Timberline ending their 22-23 seasons earlier this month, there's nowhere currently open in North America, other than the indoor snow slope of Big SNOW in New Jersey. After the warm weather of recent months conditions have cooled, resorts have seen stormy and wet weather with one small centre, Pomerelle, spotting a brief snow covering in the middle of the night earlier this week when they reviewed the webcam recordings. It had gone again by the morning. Loveland in Colorado expects to start snowmaking in just over a month's time at the start of October with the first areas likely to open, conditions permitting, by mid-October. Many of the continent's big-name resorts have announced target opening dates now with Breckenridge, Lake Louise and Vail among the first on November 10th. Park City and Whistler Blackcomb, aim to follow a fortnight later. |
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J2Ski Snow Report August 18th 2023
Cardrona, New Zealand, now well covered and skiing well... Snow storm inbound for the Andes, and NZ gets refreshed. The Snow Headlines - August 18th - The last area still open in North America, from 22-23, closes its lifts until next season. - Catedral in Argentina has biggest ski area open in the world at present. - Australian ski areas see colder temperatures and more snowfall. - Mount Hutt and Coronet Peak open 100% of their terrain for the first time this winter. - Less than 7 weeks until Lapland's Levi and Ruka expect to open for 23/24 seasons. 
Snow storm incoming for South America
World Overview Fairly positive news from most southern hemisphere ski areas. For Australia, there has at least been some fresh snowfall at last, then good cold temperatures for overnight snowmaking. A little more snowfall is now imminent too. In New Zealand, it has been colder and snowier too with several areas now 100% open for the first time this season, and Mount Ruapehu posting the deepest snow in the world. Less to report from South America but all areas are open and the biggest Catedral continues to have by far the largest area open on the planet at present. There's snow in the forecast there. In the northern hemisphere, it's just Europe where ski areas are still open, as the last North American area closed on Sunday, following the last in Asia a month ago. Five glacier areas remain open in the Alps and Scandinavia despite warmer weather this week, while we're only two months away from the start of the 23-24 season in the US! Southern Hemisphere Australia After a month of predominantly dry weather, there's been a positive change in the weather in Australia, with snowfall returning as we published last week's report, followed by pretty good snowmaking conditions over the past week. Temperatures have been much cooler than the previous week, in the -5 to +5C range and there have been more snowfalls with more forecast. Perisher continues to post the deepest snow at over 1.3 metres and the most terrain open – nearly 50km, the second most in the world at present. But it's an improving picture too at Falls Creek (which is back to more than 90% of its slopes open), Mt Buller, Mt Hotham and Thredbo. New Zealand A positive week in most respects for New Zealand with cold weather and frequent snow showers allowing all of the country's ski areas to open. Turoa on Mount Ruapehu continues to post the world's deepest snow at over 2.5 metres and Mount Hutt and Coronet Peak have both been able to fully open for the first time this season. A Mt Ruapehu spokesperson said that this is "some of the best snow we have seen at Tūroa for years." The only blip really was gale force winds and low visibility closing a few centres at times this week as the long-awaited wintery weather continues. South America Argentina There's not been much fresh snowfall to report in Argentina over the last week and bases remain in the 10cm to 70cm bracket. Temperatures have been dipping well below freezing though and all the main centres are open, typically offering 60-80% of their potential terrain. Catedral ski area near Bariloche has the most – around 90km of slopes open. Potentially heavy snow is now in the forecast for parts of Argentina. Chile It has not been the most dynamic season for snowfall so far in Chile and recent weeks have seen temperatures climbing too and few snow storms to report. Daytime highs at resort level reaching +10C and plenty of sunshine. Despite this most centres are open, albeit with fairly thin bases for this part of the season – the majority with just 30-60cm (1-2 feet) of snow lying. Portillo, with about 60% of its terrain open, continues to post the country's deepest snow at 1.2 metres. El Colorado has only 10cm at its base and 50cm up top but posts the most terrain open in the country, about 40km of runs. Europe Alps The same four glacier ski areas remain open in the Alps as has been the case through August and will hopefully continue to be so at the start of September. They're Austria's Hintertux, Italy's Passo Stelvio and Switzerland's Sass Fee and Zermatt, the latter also accessible from Cervinia. The past week has seen temperatures rise to +5C even 3,500m up at glacier level, and not often drop back below freezing overnight, so it's challenging to maintain snow cover. About four glaciers are lined up to open in Austria next month, conditions permitting, but Italy's Val Senales which usually opens in early September won't be doing so this year due to lift upgrade works and there's nowhere known to be opening in France until late November. Scandinavia Scandinavia's highest ski slopes at the Galdhopiggen glacier in Norway remain the only area still open in the region. There's about a mile of runs here and temperatures have been a little warmer this week, but the snow is still reported to be five feet deep. All being well it will remain open through the autumn and still be operational in seven weeks time when Levi and Ruka in Finland are due to begin their 23-24 seven-month-long ski seasons. North America After Mammoth Mountain ended its nine-month season a week last Sunday, the one remaining open area, Oregon's Timberline, said it was following suit and closed last Sunday 13th. So all eyes are on the start of winter 23-24 with Loveland in Colorado's "countdown to the start of snowmaking" web page clock down to less than 6 weeks to go! |
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J2Ski Snow Report August 11th 2023
Perisher, Australia, just got a top-up... Snow in New Zealand, and more coming, and Australia got a bit. The Snow Headlines - August 11th - Deepest base in southern hemisphere overtakes deepest in northern. - More light fresh snowfall for high slopes in the Alps. - Mammoth Mountain concludes 9 month 22-23 season with 3 months to 23-24 start. - More snowfall and cold temperatures in New Zealand bring improving conditions. - Tignes announces it will open for the 23-24 season in late November. - Loveland sets countdown clock to start of 23-24 season snowmaking. 
More forecast snow inbound for New Zealand
World Overview New Zealand has seen some of the best of the weather in terms of cold and snow over the past week with most centres there almost fully open open and the two deepest reported snowpacks in the southern hemisphere, including the only one over 2 metres. In fact Mount Ruapehu is now posting the deepest base in the world. Fairly cold with some snowfall in South America too but Australian areas are still battling warmer-than-average temperatures and little fresh snow, although there was 5-10cm reported on Thursday and more's now forecast for next week. In any case most of the larger centres are surviving on snowpacks built up earlier in the winter. In the northern hemisphere, there's been more high-altitude snowfall in the Alps dusting high peaks. It's also just over a month until more glacier ski areas start to open in the Alps to join the four that already are. In a month and a half, snowmaking will get underway in Colorado and in less than two months the season will start, thanks to snow farming, at several ski areas in Finland. Southern Hemisphere Australia Australia's winter has stalled rather in recent weeks after the cold and snowy end to June and start to July. Fortunately, snow built up in the cold spell and continuing overnight lows cold enough for snowmaking means that most areas still have most of their slopes open, but a couple – Selwyn and Mt Baw Baw have little (in Mt Baw Baw's) or nothing (in Selwyn's) still open. Of the big players though, Perisher still has about 50km of slopes open and snow more than 1.2m (4 feet) deep up top. Others like Hotham, Falls Creek, Thredbo and Mt Buller have less snow cover left but still have 50-80% of their slopes open. The good news is there was some snowfall in the past 24 hours, if only a few inches, and the forecast is looking snowier, at last, for next week. New Zealand Conditions continue to improve in New Zealand where temperatures have been mostly sub-zero and there have been several more snowfalls, albeit largely lighter than last week's. Tūroa on Mt. Ruapehu on the north island is the standout, the only ski area in the southern hemisphere to have passed the 2m base mark. In fact on Thursday more fresh snowfall took it past 2.5m overtaking Saas-Fee to take the deepest snow stat in the world from the northern to southern hemisphere. The real good news though is that it now has about 80% of its slopes open, getting around earlier staffing issues that had stopped it from opening more. The picture is much improved right across the country, with Mount Hutt now having 90% of their terrain open and the snow lying six feet deep up top. The 37km of open slopes is the most in the country but others like Cardrona, Coronet Peak and Whakapapa are not far behind. South America Argentina The season is ticking along at Argentina's ski areas without any big snow accumulations to report in recent weeks. By contrast, most areas have seen plenty of sunshine, but temperatures have remained cool and below freezing on higher slopes/overnight so centres are still 60-80% open. The largest, Catedral near Bariloche, has by far the largest area open on the planet at present, with nearly 100km of slopes accessible. Chile It has been a snowy few days in Chile, where resorts are posting deeper snow stats than Argentinian ski areas further east. 20-40cm accumulations have been reported with the snow still falling and temperatures getting down as low as -10C overnight. Portillo has the deepest snow in South America at over 1.2 metres (4 feet) but El Colorado and Valle Nevado are each posting the largest ski areas open to date – with around 32km/20 miles of slopes open at each. Africa There was more natural snowfall reported on high slopes in Lesotho and South Africa this week but unfortunately, neither the former's Tiffindell resort nor the latter's Afriski are offering skiing or boarding this winter. Europe Alps There was more fresh snowfall reported for high slopes in the Alps earlier this week with ski areas including Avoriaz posting pictures of a light dusting on their higher slopes on social media channels, quickly gaining thousands of likes in an (extremely) early bit of excitement for the 23-24 season. However, it seems there'll be a bit of a wait before we can ski French slopes again as Tignes appears to have given up on opening in Autumn, saying its 23-24 season will start at the end of November alongside resorts like Val Thorens and still over three months away. In the meantime, four glacier ski areas remain open in Austria, Italy and Switzerland with another half-dozen areas in those three countries expected to join them next month. You can currently ski at Hintertux in Austria, Passo Stelvio in Italy and Saas-Fee or Zermatt in Switzerland, the latter is also accessible from Cervinia. However, the changeable conditions that brought the summer snowfall have caused some operating issues at times as it has also brought hill fog, gales and rain between sunny periods. The weather is looking a little more settled and sunny going into the weekend. Saas Fee has the most terrain open, about 14km of slopes, and is posting some of the world's deepest snow at 2.5 metres on the glacier. Scandinavia Norway's Galdhopiggen glacier, home to Scandinavia's highest slopes, is the only centre currently open in the region, with about a mile of runs skiable. At this northerly latitude and high altitude, temperatures have been hovering close to freezing and more fresh snowfall has been reported, along with most other kinds of weather through the last week. The week ahead looks similar with more snowfall expected along with rain, sleet, gales and low cloud, plus some sun. North America We are down to one ski area still open in North America after Mammoth Mountain concluded it's 275 days long 22-23 ski season last Sunday. The only slopes open to the public now are above Timberline Resort on Mount Hood in Oregon. However cover there is wearing thin after months of warm weather, reported to be down below a metre now with about two miles of runs still open. There's no closing date announced but, usually, the latest opening is a holiday weekend at the start of September. Next month should see snowmaking start on high slopes at resorts like Loveland in Colorado which aims to open for the season as early as it can in October. |
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J2Ski Snow Report August 4th 2023
Mammoth Mountain, California, will finally end a mammoth season on Sunday... More snow coming for NZ (and wind too) The Snow Headlines - August 4th - Gales and more snowfall for New Zealand as winter finally picks up pace. - Mammoth Mountain ending a 275 day 22-23 ski season on Sunday. - More fresh snowfall expected on high slopes in the Alps. - Australia's Selwyn resort closes temporarily while awaiting snowfall. - Lake Louise plans November 10th 23-24 season date, less than 100 days away. - Cervinia to commence year-round skiing from October. 
Some high summer snow in the Alps, and more inbound for New Zealand
World Overview The past week has seen continuing wintery conditions in New Zealand, improving conditions there, while ski areas in Australia and South America have reported some snowfalls, but nothing major. Most have 60-90% of their terrain open now, and a few 100%. In the northern hemisphere, although it remains hot in Alpine Valleys and the south of the continent, there has been more mixed, sometimes stormy and occasionally cold weather at high elevations in the Alps, as well as in Scandinavia, leading to occasional fresh snow flurries. In North America, one of the two US ski centres still open, Mammoth Mountain, is due to end its 9 month+ season on Sunday. Resorts that aim to open early for the season in the autumn/fall have been announcing 23-24 season start target dates, some just a few months away now. Southern Hemisphere Australia Australian ski slopes saw a little fresh snowfall earlier this week and most are reporting little change in the amount of terrain they have open and their snow depth stats on a week ago. For most of the big names that means the depth stats hovering in the 50-100cm bracket and terrain open at 70-90%. Falls Creek though continues to report it is 100% open while Perisher has the deepest snow at 1.3m on its upper runs. The news isn't all good though as warmer weather and some rain at the end of last week have depleted snow cover so much at the recently re-opened Selwyn resort that it has had to temporarily shut down its skiing until it gets colder and snowier. Currently, there's no real sign of that with a mostly dry forecast. Overnight lows should get down below freezing but daytime highs will be up at +10C. New Zealand The switch to much more wintery weather than was present for the first half of the season continues in New Zealand with a snowy week leading to a continuing improvement in conditions overall. The Manganui snowfield which had been the first in the southern hemisphere to open for the 2023 season in mid-May but then struggled to open at all for the next two-and-a-half months has managed to finally re-open some runs as a result. Elsewhere, Tuesday was the main powder day after many areas were closed Monday by blizzard conditions and galeforce winds; it's been snowing again since then and there's more snowfall forecast, the only complaint from some is that it's wet stuff at lower elevations. Turoa on Mt. Ruapehu is the first southern hemisphere ski area to post a 2-metre base this winter, with Mount Hutt not far behind on 1.7m. Argentina All of Argentina's ski areas remain open and posting good conditions, although there has not been much fresh snowfall this week to report and snow depths remain fairly modest with Cerro Catedral near Bariloche posting both the largest amount of terrain open in the southern hemisphere (nearly 100km of slopes at the weekend) and the country's deepest snow at just 80cm up top. Las Lenas is looking a little better than it did with a 20-50cm base and about half of its runs open. The forecast points towards colder weather at more southerly latitudes with the best chance of snowfall here too. Chile It's been a mostly dry and often sunny week in Chile's mountains, with wintery temperatures ranging between -10C on the slopes overnight up to +8C in the resort in the afternoons. That's a pattern that looks set to stay over the coming week too with not much snow in the forecast, more southerly parts of the country looking most likely to see any snowfall into the weekend. Most ski areas have about 60-80% of their slopes open with El Colorado now posting the most, overtaking Valle Nevado while powder Mecca Portillo has the deepest reported snow – hitting four feet (1.2m) up top. Africa South Africa's Tiffindell appears permanently closed having not operated for skiing since winter 2019. Lesotho's Afriski is open for "snow fun" (tubing) but isn't running its ski lifts. Europe Alps The Alps have seen more weather extremes over the last seven days with gale force winds closing lifts earlier in the week. Currently, there's a chance of more snowfall over the next few days on high slopes with a fresh front moving through. There's no change in the four centres open but there has been a continuing marked drop in the published snow depth at year-round Hintertux and at Italy's Passo Stelvio, which now has less than half its slopes open. It's unclear therefore if we are heading to a temporary shutdown of summer skiing at any centre, as happened at most through August and September last year, or if the cold and snowy weather forecast will be enough to see them all through. The two open Swiss areas, Saas Fee and Zermatt, are both sticking with published 2m+ snow depths and around 12-14km of open slopes so from the numbers appear to be in a stronger position. Cervinia, from which you can also access the glacier skiing above Zermatt until early September, announced on Thursday that from this autumn it will begin offering skiing year round, either on its own slopes or by lift access to neighbouring Zermatt's glacier. Scandinavia Norway's Galdhøpiggen summer ski area remains the only area open in Scandinavia. It's reporting a 1.5m base, about a mile of runs, the highest in the region, as open and quite wintery weather with temperatures hovering a few degrees on either side of freezing and more snow flurries reported. North America It's the final weekend of a very long 22-23 ski season at Mammoth Mountain, which plans festivities to celebrate its 275th and final day of operations for its 22-23 season, this coming Sunday. Having operated for over nine months and making it into August for only the third time in its 69-year history. There are just a couple of runs still open, suited to intermediate or advanced level skiers and boarders only, and temperatures are hot by the afternoon so conditions are best first thing. Mammoth's closure means that from Monday the one centre still open (in North America) will be Timberline in Oregon where the traditional North American summer ski area and race training facilities on the Palmer snowfield on Mount Hood continue to operate. Meanwhile, there's increased focus on the start of the 23-24 season Lake Louise plans November 10th 23-24 season date, less than 100 days away and Mammoth has already announced it's aiming to re-open on November 10th too. |
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J2Ski's Where to Ski in August 2023
We're not sure if this picture is current, but conditions are good in Portillo, Chile! August is a peak month in the southern hemisphere's ski season when all resorts aim to be fully open after snow depths have built through the first half of the season before things wind down in September, the start of spring. Many Australian areas have enjoyed a month or so of cold and snow (and sunshine), but there's not been quite so much winter for ski areas in South America and New Zealand, where the best are running around 70-80% open. But it's a constantly improving picture. In the northern hemisphere the heat has been building through July but thankfully August starts with glaciers in better shape than a year ago in the Alps, thanks to colder, snowier weather in the spring than was the case in 2022. There was even snowfall on high slopes to end July and there is more forecast for early August. Five glaciers in Europe aim to stay open through August if the heat allows. Two centres are also open in the USA, but one will close on August 6th and it's as yet unknown whether the other will stay open through to September.
Southern Hemisphere Australia Australia has had the best first half of the 2023 season of any of the main four southern hemisphere ski nations. After a shaky start in the first half of June, regular snowfalls and periods of cold weather meant most of the country's ski areas were fully open, or nearly so, through most of July. It's therefore currently looking good across the nation's ski slopes with the largest area, Perisher, reporting the most terrain open – around 50km of slopes – as we start the month and with a 1m+ upper slope base depth, a healthy start for Australian skiing. Falls Creek and Mount Hotham both reported they were 100% open in recent weeks but Mount Buller and Thredbo are not far behind. The news isn't all good though, unfortunately, with warmer, dryer weather dominating in recent weeks and Selwyn currently temporarily closed for lack of snow cover. New Zealand New Zealand has had one of its worst starts to a season in recent years with little snowfall and warm temperatures meaning ski areas either couldn't open as planned in June and early July or could only open limited terrain with thin cover. Temperatures in July were reported to be 2 degrees above the average. Thankfully the final week or so of July did see some improvement with a decent dump the weekend of 22nd-24th last month delivering up to a metre of snowfall to high slopes meaning almost all centres could open at last. The bigger commercial centres also finally have all or most of their terrain open, so August should be the best month of the season so far. Argentina A bit of an up-and-down season in Argentina so far too with some delayed openings due to similar issues to New Zealand, too little snowfall, particularly at lower elevations, and warmer weather than they'd like too (or cold but dry). That said, the southern hemisphere's largest resort of Catedral has had up to 95km (59 miles) of slopes open in recent weeks, the most of any area in the world in July. Las Lenas, which is one of those that's suffered from the early season conditions, has had more promising snowfalls at its base in the past week and is reported to have powder lying metres deep in the abundant freeriding terrain above. Chile Chile has also had a mixed first half to its 2023 season with few big snowfalls as yet and nowhere reporting all terrain open as we start August. It has been an improving picture through July with most areas opening more terrain and big names like Valle Nevado and Portillo reporting they're up to 70-80% open. Portillo, famed for its powder, is reporting one of the deepest bases in the world as we start the month, at over 1.3 metres. Southern Africa Unfortunately, there's not expected to be anywhere open for skiing and boarding in Southern Africa in August. That's more down to financial and political issues than a lack of snowmaking possibilities though. Lesotho's Afriski says that although they've had natural snowfall at times in July and have been making snow for a tubing run, they won't run their ski lifts this winter. South Africa's Tiffindell has not operated since the winter of 2019. Northern Hemisphere The Alps Southern Europe saw record-high temperatures in July and that heat impacted glaciers in the Alps where we saw +10C and above at 3,000m and higher through the daytime. That has inevitably led to a fast thaw of snowpacks, but August 2023 is starting in a much more positive position than August 2022. For now, four alpine centres are open and aiming to remain so through the month. Zermatt, linked to Cervinia, will be keen to show its slopes have good cover after closure last August and September ultimately led to the planned first running of World Cup races on the new downhill cross-border ski course had to be cancelled, but they're currently back on the calendar for Autumn 2023. Neighbouring Saas Fee has snow still 2 metres deep, Austria's Hintertux is open and Stelvio in Italy is the fourth option. Scandinavia Norway's Galdhopiggen ski area in Norway, with the region's highest lifts up around 2,000m, is the only ski centre still open in the region. It's hoping to remain so through to late autumn. The latter half of July did see its base diminish but equally some fresh snow flurries were reported overnight some mornings as temperatures hovered around freezing. Its base is still above a metre as we enter August so whether it'll make it through the month remains to be seen. By the end though we'll only be just over 5 weeks away from the first centres opening in Finnish Lapland for their 23-23 seasons, thanks to snow farming at Levi and Ruka. North America Mammoth Mountain announced on July 22nd that it would be staying open into August following the huge snowfalls there last winter. After a nearly 9-month 22-23 ski season it has finally named a closing date – August 6th. The resort received 715 inches of snow – over 18 metres - through the season. It's only the third time in Mammoth's 69-year history that it has managed to open for skiing and boarding into August. The previous times were 1995 and 2017. Timberline on Mt Hood in Oregon is also still open for skiing and boarding. Timberline's base has been dropping fast through the hot weather of July so it's unclear if skiing and boarding on its Palmer Snowfield will survive through August - but no closing date has been announced here as yet. |
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J2Ski Snow Report July 27th 2023
Mount Hutt, New Zealand, where winter has arrived... New Zealand gets snow, more in the forecast too. The Snow Headlines - July 27th - Snowfall on high slopes in the Alps despite record heat by the Med. - Mammoth Mountain announces its season will continue into August for third time ever. - Snowfall in New Zealand allows more resorts to open for the season. - Final French summer ski area closes at the end of 2023 run. - Chile's Lagunillas ski centre re-opens after fresh snowfall in South America. 
More Snow in the forecast for New Zealand
World Overview For the first time this winter we're able to report that ski areas in New Zealand have seen the most snowfall in the past week, with up to 80cm accumulations. The much-needed snowfall allowed some centres that had not yet been able to open for winter 2023 to finally do so, although inevitably the news wasn't all good with the snowstorm ending with rain at lower elevations causing saturation of existing snowpacks at some centres. Aussie, Argentinian, Chilean and Southern African ski areas all reported periods of snowfall too in the last seven days, just not so much as New Zealand. North of the equator the heat continues to be the main factor, but seven centres look like they'll remain open into August in Europe and North America. Mammoth, announcing an August (6th) closing date after a nine-month 22-23 season, is doing so for only the third time in its 69 year history. There was even snowfall reported on glaciers and high slopes in the Alps mid-week as temperatures fluctuated wildly in southern Europe. Southern Hemisphere Australia Australian ski areas are still in very good shape following the cold and snowy past six weeks. Perisher has about 50km of slopes open, around 70% of its terrain and the second most in the world. It's also one of the few areas posting a metre-plus upper slope base, boosted, as all Aussie areas were, by fresh snowfall at the end of last week. Falls Creek has almost as much terrain open and other areas like Hotham, Mt Buller and Thredbo all report great conditions and almost everything open for each of them. Other than the snow showers it's been mostly sunny with temperatures fluctuating between around -6 and +6C. New Zealand The long-awaited snowstorm hit New Zealand last week and continued through to Monday with some resorts seeing up to a metre of snowfall. It meant that some of the country's areas that had not managed to open like Porters and Mt Lyford were able to open for their 2023 seasons at last. Mount Hutt and Coronet Peak are each reporting the most terrain open in the country, about 30km of runs a piece, which also represents around three-quarters of their skiable terrain. That said, Mt Hutt was forced to close on Monday with the big weekend snowstorm trailing off to rain at lower levels which again saturated its snowpack – an issue that caused it to close for a few weeks in the latter half of June. Turoa on Mt. Ruapehu on the North Island reports the deepest snowpack in the country so far at nearly 1.5 metres (five feet) but only has about a third of its terrain open. They say that's due to issues recruiting staff though and they'll open more terrain as fast as they can get lift staff. South America Argentina It has been quite a snowy week in Argentina with Las Lenas, which had been particularly suffering from low snowfall totals, excitedly posting social media images of heavy snowfall down to resort level. There had been huge accumulations up high, apparently, but until recently it has been more rain and sleet at the base, limiting what could open. Reports of 50-100cm falls this week and pictures of waist-deep powder so it looks like the official depth stats have not caught up yet. It has though gone from 5 to 20km of slopes open, although that's still only about half the groomed total. South America's largest resort Catedral dropped its amount of terrain reported open to about 65km (40 miles) from a high near 100km, but that's still the most in the world at present. Chile Some fresh snowfall in Chile, heaviest on more southerly mountain slopes, allowed the remainder of the country's centres that had not yet opened to do so for the first time in 2023. Valle Nevado has the most terrain open, about three-quarters of its full area and totalling about 30km. Portillo is posting the deepest base in the country at about 1.2 metres (four feet). The past few days have seen a return to sunshine and some rather warm temperatures at low elevations although still dropping well below freezing overnight and up high in the day too. Africa There's been fresh snowfall and cold temperatures reported by the Afriski resort in Lesotho, but the centre is still not believed to be running its ski lifts this winter, just offering sledging. The region's other centre, Tiffindell in the Western Cape area of South Africa, has not operated since 2019 and shows no sign of reopening, for business rather than snowfall reasons. Europe Alps There have been some extremes of weather in southern Europe this week; Wednesday saw reports of fresh snowfall on glaciers and high slopes in the alps while temperatures remained in the +40s around the Mediterranean. The last of the three French ski areas that were open from early May to last weekend for late spring and summer skiing has now closed so that's it for France until winter 23-24 kicks off in October or November, depending on autumn snowfall. Tignes made it to its planned summer closing date although snow cover on the glacier had dropped from 5 metres in March to 30cm now. So we are down to four glaciers open in August, despite, so far, the intense summer heat – although snow cover stats are noticeably dropping fast at several and are now below a metre at Austria's Hintertux and Italy's Passo Stelvio. Switzerland's Saas Fee and Zermatt say their glacier snow depths are still up at around the two-metre mark though. The hot sunny weather has eased slightly and there have even been snow flurries reported overnight above 3,500m, but temperatures are still climbing to high single figures Celsius above freezing above 3,000m by the afternoons, back below zero overnight though. Scandinavia Norway's Galdhopiggen ski area remains the only centre still open in Scandinavia, up on the region's highest slopes, although the Fonna Glacier, which closed to the public earlier this month, still seems to be operating for team training. Galdhopiggen aims to stay open through summer to the end of August but last year had to close for around two months as it was too hot. This year it has been cooler (some more fresh snow flurries this week) and there's still a fairly good base of around 6 feet (Neatly 2 metres) so hopefully, it won't have to. North America It currently looks like we'll have two ski areas open in the USA in the first week of August. The day after last week's report was published, Mammoth Mountain announced it would stay open until August 6th, just the third time into August in its nearly seven decades of history. There are just a couple of lifts still open, operating out of Main Lodge daily, weather permitting and serving about three miles of runs, only now suitable to intermediate to advanced level skiers. The base at Timberline ski area in Oregon had been dropping fairly fast in recent weeks but here too it currently looks like operations will continue for at least the next week, with no closure date yet given for the resort's Palmer Snowfield on Mt Hood in its case. |
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Depends where it was found I guess... :lol: but we need more info! Doesn't everyone carry a fire hydrant in their backpacks? You never know when you're going to need one of those... |
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