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A reducing number of ski areas in Australia and New Zealand will be open through September, whilst those in Argentina and Chile are mostly in good (if not excellent) shape as they start the month.
Kids ski free in Portillo, Chile, in September so if you needed an excuse... there you go! Where to Ski in September 2024 We're into meteorological springtime in the southern hemisphere as September starts, and meteorological autumn/fall in the northern. Spring and autumn/fall by the astronomical season measure will be here soon too, three weeks into the month - so in other words it is all change. The first country/continent to close its skiing for 2024, Lesotho and southern Africa have already closed and most resorts in Australia, New Zealand and South America will join them by the end of this month, although a few will continue into early October. But September is definitely season wind down month for the south. In the northern hemisphere, snowfalls on the highest slopes at the end of August in western North America and in Europe remind us that, yes, winter is coming! Southern Hemisphere Australia It definitely feels like the final weeks of the season in Australia after a slightly lacklustre season was saved from being a bad one by metre snowfalls in mid-July. Since then there have been more light snowfalls but warm August temperatures have led to bases dropping and terrain available dramatically decreasing too. Several centres including Mount Baw Baw, Mount Buller and Selwyn, have closed altogether due to snow shortages. There is cold forecast for early September but it looks like it will be short lived and after that things are only moving in one direction. Some remaining centres will close three weeks into the month as planned, others like the largest Perisher, which has 25km of slopes open at the start of the month, the second most in the world, will hope to stay open until the start of October. New Zealand New Zealand hasn't had the best of seasons, with warmer temperatures than they'd like, and gales a frequent problem as well. That said as we start September for some of the bigger commercial centres like Mount Hutt and Cardrona conditions are about the best they've been with base depths above 2 metres on higher runs and everything open. Most ski areas will hopefully remain like that through September. Unfortunately, ski centres on Mount Ruapehu, particularly Whakapapa, which is often the last in the southern hemisphere to close each season in late October or even early November, have had a very poor season to date and very little is still open, so it is not looking great, without a big improvement over the coming month, for a late season end there. South America Ski areas in Argentina and Chile are into their final month of what has been one of the best seasons for many years. B Beginning early back in May after the biggest autumn snowfalls in 20+ years, it has stayed consistently cold and snowy for much of the past three months and resorts like Argentina's Las Lenas are posting the world's deepest snowpack at present, at over 3m, whilst Catedral to the north has the most terrain open of any centre on the planet, around 100km of slopes. Chilean areas like Valle Nevado and Portillo are also posting very healthy stats. Most South American ski areas will probably close (unless seasons are extended) about three weeks into September as is traditional, with just a few making it into October. Southern Africa Southern Africa's 2024 season at Afriski in Lesotho ended at the close of August so there's nowhere open there now until 2025. Europe Alps September begins with four glacier areas open, or intending to be; Austria's Hintertux – although it has been closed for much of August due to warm weather; Switzerland's Saas Fee and Zermatt (also accessible from Italy's Cervinia) and Passo Stelvio in Italy. All being well, all will remain open through the month and they'll be joined on the final weekend by Austria's Solden on the 27th and the Pitztal Glacier on the 28th. That does depend on conditions improving though and currently, there's not too much to get excited about with temperatures above freezing most days on the glaciers. There have though been some signs of winter creeping in at the highest altitudes so we just need them to creep lower and do so more consistently over the next few weeks! Scandinavia There's nowhere expected to be open in Scandinavia in September although Norway's Galdhopiggen summer ski area, with the region's highest lifts, is on a temporary closure through the hottest months and plans to reopen when cold enough, which could potentially be towards the end of this month. In Finland, Levi and Ruka ski areas plan to open at the start of October for their 7-month 24-25 seasons using snow saved ('farmed') in huge stockpiles from last winter spread back out on the slopes, that process will begin towards the end of September. North America September is the only month when there's nowhere expected to be open in North America. That may still be the case in October but several resorts including Colorado's Arapahoe Basin and Keystone hope to open before the end of that month. There were light snowfalls high in the Rockies and California's Sierras at the end of August but that doesn't always translate to continuing cold weather through the month. |
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August snow at Lake Louise, Canada, this week - although it didn't last long! Warm weather closes slopes in Austria and Australia, Spring and mixed conditions in South America and New Zealand. Oh, and some summer snow in Canada! The Snow Headlines - August 29th - Two Australian ski areas shut down as snow thaws away. - 4 glaciers officially "open" in the Alps, but several closed by warm weather. - 5 weeks to start of 24-25 season in Finland, thanks to snow farming. - Norway's Fonna summer ski area closes for 2024 (and won't reopen as hoped). - South Africa's 2024 season ending this week. - Nowhere currently open in North America but brief snowfall on high slopes in Western US. - Countdown to snowmaking appears on Colorado's Loveland's website. 
Summer snow on the peaks in Europe, more forecast for New Zealand, and South America
World Overview We're just a few days away from the start of meteorological springtime in the southern hemisphere and warm weather has been an issue for some centres, particularly in Australia where one area closed this week as cover was no longer adequate, although it has started snowing again since. New Zealand has had a mix of gales, snowfalls and rain this week to keep resort operators there on their toes. In South America though resorts continue to post the world's deepest snows and largest areas of terrain open. In southern Africa they're on to the final weekend of winter in Lesotho. In the northern hemisphere, the start of autumn/fall is nearly here and there have been a few signs of the winter to come in North America with a dusting of snow on peaks along the West Coast following similar light coverings in the Canadian Rockies. In the European Alps, the few glaciers still open are struggling to remain so with warm temperatures at high altitudes continuing to be the issue. Southern Hemisphere Australia We're approaching the final 3-5 weeks of the season in Australia, with conditions to match. Temperatures have been getting into double figures on the slopes in the afternoons, rarely below freezing overnight, and as a result base depths are dropping - as is the amount of terrain open. Mount Buller has struggled to open all of its terrain all season and is now back below 20%. Selwyn announced on Monday it was forced to close as its snow cover had melted away, but says it hopes to reopen if adequate snowfall arrives. Mount Baw Baw announced on Thursday that its season would end on Sunday, September 1st due to the conditions. Most other Aussie centres still have 50-75% of their slopes open, with Perisher still posting an upper slope base of over a metre. Thredbo is the only other ski area in the country with similar depths - and has about 50km of slopes open. It also posted a 2cm dusting of fresh snowfall on Thursday morning. The weather has been improving in recent days with colder temperatures and snow showers slowing the thaw. New Zealand New Zealand has had a mixed run of conditions this past week with resorts initially celebrating and enjoying big snowfalls in the first half of last week, before warming temperatures, rain and wind forced a number of smaller centres to close. A major snowstorm is currently underway, just as the 24-25 World Cup Park & Pipe tour is due to get underway at Cardrona. The big picture is pretty good at most South Island resorts. Mount Hutt remains above 2m for its upper slope base depth, the best outside of South America and it is one of several posting its slopes 100% open with all lifts turning. Unfortunately not such good news still from the North Island with Whakapapa and Turoa both still needing fresh cover on Mount Ruapehu - unfortunately little is open there still as a result. Argentina It's starting to feel a little more springlike in Argentina too, particularly in the north of the country where it has been a mostly sunny week and base level temperatures have topped +10C in the afternoons. There have still been snow showers though and sub-zero overnight lows with colder and snowier conditions at more southerly centres. Catedral near Bariloche continues to post the most terrain open in the world at present with nearly 100km of slopes available whilst Chapelco has the deepest reported snow anywhere right now with 3.3m (11 feet) up top. Chile A similar situation in Chile to Argentina with a mostly dry week with some snow showers and more forecast. Slightly warmer daytime highs here, but overnight lows are still getting down to double digits (Centigrade) below zero at altitude. Base depths have actually been growing with resorts including Valle Nevado and Nevados de Chillan reporting close to 3m/10 feet up top. Most centres, including Portillo, have all or almost all of their slopes open still. Southern Africa It's the final weekend of the 2024 ski season coming up at Lesotho's Afriski. Temperatures have been getting up to double figures above freezing and not getting below freezing anymore at night so the main run has begun breaking up. The season ends with a 'Winterfest' final weekend celebration to see in the start of spring. Europe Four glacier ski areas remain open in Europe, officially, but continuing warm weather at altitude means that most have had closure days. In the case of 'year-round' Hintertux, the only Austrian centre open, that closure has continued for several weeks now. Saas-Fee in Switzerland, which has been posting the deepest snow at over 2.5 metres on its slopes, was closed due to wet snow but has now reopened. Zermatt, with Europe's highest glacier slopes also accessible from Cervinia in Italy, has remained open throughout. Passo Stelvio, the only area currently open on Italian soil, is the latest to temporarily close due to the conditions - with webcam images showing the snow gone from its glacial ice. In the north, Norway's Fonna glacier, only open to ski race teams for the last month, has announced it has closed for 2024 and won't re-open in autumn as hoped. Fellow Scandinavian centre Galdhopiggen, is also currently closed but will re-open, it hopes, in October. Temperatures remain warm for the start of September in the Alps although dropping a degree or two to give more freeze-thaw conditions up high. North America Less than a week after the final ski area still operating its 23-24 season (Oregon's Timberline) ended its run, snowfall was reported on high slopes in Canada and the US. The most recent falls were reported right along North America's Pacific Coast from Mammoth Mountain in the south via Lake Tahoe resorts including Mount Rose and Northstar to Oregon's Mt Bachelor in the north. Nowhere is currently open in North America but it will hopefully be cold enough for snowmaking to begin on high slopes by the end of next month and for resorts to start opening in the latter half of October. Colorado's Loveland ski area has started its "days-to-start-of-snowmaking" website countdown clock. |
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Blue Moon at sunset, Hotham, Australia (they have snow too!) Decent snowfall in New Zealand, lighter and warmer in Australia, with fresh snow again for some South American ski resorts. The Snow Headlines - August 22nd - New Zealand receives more weekend snowfall than expected, around 50cm. - Southern Africa's Lesotho enters final week of 2024 season from Sunday. - Mount Hutt first in Australia or New Zealand to pass 2 metres base depth in 2024. - North America's 23-24 Season ends but 24-25 likely less than 3 months away. - St. Anton, Austria damaged by flash floods. - First snowfall of 24-25 on Canadian slopes. - Two more glaciers in the Alps close due to snow conditions. 
Snow forecast for New Zealand, and South America
World Overview The 2024 season is entering its final month for most ski centres south of the equator and for one, Lesotho's Afriski, its final week. Conditions are good to great almost everywhere though with most centres in Argentina, Australia, Chile and New Zealand fully open, or nearly so. Conditions have been more springlike in Australia, but there's been fresh snow here too. New Zealand has posted the heaviest snowfall this last week, some areas reporting over half-a-metre of snowfall up high, although some had rain early on. Ski areas in the Andes continue to report the world's deepest snow cover and the most terrain open anywhere right now. North of the equator, we're down to only 4 ski areas aiming to be open to the public, and skiing is now possible on just one continent and in total less than 30km of slopes, all the lowest stats of 2024 to date. In fact, two of the four centres have been closed by warm, weather this week. More glacier areas are due to open, conditions permitting, in around one months time. Actually, numbers could increase slightly sooner, potentially, as the two small glacier areas still operating in Scandinavia - but currently only for race teams - Fonna and Galdhopiggen, could re-open to the general skiing public. Timberline in Oregon, USA, the last area that had been open still for the 23-24 season in North America ended its season last Sunday, but Wednesday evening saw what could be considered the first snowfall of 24-25 on high slopes in the Canadian Rockies at resorts including Sunshine near Banff. More snowfall is forecast on high slopes in California and Colorado this weekend too. Southern Hemisphere Australia There was some light snowfall for Australian slopes this week, although temperatures have also been climbing so we're getting warm, springlike conditions in the afternoons. Conditions remain excellent overall and at the highpoint of the season to date really with most centres posting 80-100% of slopes open, including most big-name resorts including Falls Creek, Hotham, Thredbo and Perisher, which has the most terrain open in the region, around 60km of slopes. Upper slope depths are healthy by Aussie norms too, most with over a metre lying up top. New Zealand Another week of yoyoing temperatures and everything from hill fog, gales, rain and, yes, snow hitting Kiwi slopes. The best news was a larger-than-forecast snowfall at the weekend with some centres posting 50-60cm accumulations and snow down to low levels, so the week started well for most with plenty of powder to enjoy once slopes were made safe and access roads clear. Mount Hutt passed the 2 metre base depth mark with their new snow too, the deepest in the southern hemisphere away from South America. It and most other NZ centres are currently fully open. Skies have cleared for much of this week but its looking like more snowfall, expected to be light, at the weekend. Argentina There's been more light to moderate snowfalls across Argentinian ski slopes and they're forecast to continue for more southerly resorts through the weekend, drier up north. Catedral ski area near Bariloche continues to post the largest ski area open at one resort in the world at present with about 100km of slopes available there. Las Lenas, to the south, has what's currently the world's deepest snowpack at 3.3 metres, Chile Chilean centres saw snowfall at more northerly resorts this past week, with Portillo one of those still posting its slopes 100% open and one of the country's deepest snow depths at more than 2.2 metres. The snow-bearing front is now moving south so resorts in the southern half of the country will see more snow into next week. Valle Nevado and its neighbours La Parva and El Colorado are posting the deepest snowpacks in the world at 2.5 metres, as is Nevados de Chillan to the south. The three linked areas in the Tre Valles near Santiago have about 100km of slopes open between them. Southern Africa We are nearly into the final week of the season at Lesotho's Afriski, the only operational centre in the region. Temperatures have been rising and are now generally above freezing, but webcam images show the main run still fully intact, along with beginners area and terrain park ahead of the season-ending WinterFest in a week's time. Europe We are down to just four centres officially open in the whole northern hemisphere, all in the Austrian, Italian and Swiss Alps with the season-end of North America's only still operating areas at the weekend. As has been the case for the past month, the Alpine glaciers are struggling with the heat even at their altitudes with temperatures generally above freezing even at night and daytime highs touching +10C at times so snow depths are falling fast and open terrain likewise. Rain has also been reported on the snow. Officially Saas Fee and Zermatt in Switzerland remain open (Zermatt's glacier also accessible from Cervinia in Italy), along with Hintertux in Austria and Passo Stelvio in Italy. The first three have approximately 10km of slopes open each, Stelvio about half that, best conditions first thing in the morning, of course. The impact of the warm temperatures varies with heavy, slushy snow the main result, but Hintertux warns that their slopes are extremely icy at times. Both they and Saas Fee have been closed most days over the past week although both say opening decisions are being made daily, Saas Fee reporting the snow has been too soft in the mornings due to the warm temperatures. The decision at Hintertux may have been due to torrential rain in Austria this week which led to flash flooding damaging cars and buildings in St Anton among other places. |
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Perisher, Australia, bashing pistes under the glow of the Aurora Australis! Snow falls almost everywhere in the southern hemisphere, with great skiing in Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and Chile. The Snow Headlines - August 15th - More snowfall in New Zealand - best conditions of season to date. - Most Australian centres fully open, or close to it. - Argentinian ski areas post most terrain open, and deepest snow, on planet. - US (and North American) 23-24 ski season finally ends this weekend. - High temps on Alpine glaciers leads to rapid thawing and diminishing cover. 
Snow forecast for New Zealand, and South America
World Overview Conditions are some of the best of the season to date across the southern hemisphere's ski slopes, most of which are fully open, with at least some fresh snowfall reported in almost all areas, heaviest in the Andes and New Zealand. It is, at last, the final week of the 23-24 ski season in North America where the only centre still open from autumn last year says it will end its long season this Sunday. Across the Atlantic the hottest weeks of summer so far in the Alps have further impacted what's open at the few glacier centres currently open. Southern Hemisphere Australia Australian ski areas continue to report some of the best conditions of the season so far with most of the country's resorts now 90-100% open - and several posting 1m+ bases. There has not been much fresh snowfall this week but the resorts continue to reap the rewards of late July and early-August falls with overnight lows cold enough for snowmaking. The southern hemisphere's largest ski area outside South America, Perisher, is virtually fully open with more than 60km of slopes available. It's a similar scenario at Hotham, Falls Creek and Thredbo. Mount Buller, which only had 5% of its runs open this time last month, is now at nearly 70%. The weather looks like it will remain dry into the weekend with plenty of sunshine, and temperatures in the -3C to +9C range. New Zealand New Zealand has got into a nice pattern of snow dumps every few days with blue sky days in between. Some of the snow has been a little wet and heavy but the upside of that, ski areas say, is that it's good for run foundation. Snowfalls have been delivering lighter, fluffier snow towards the end of each dump, giving powder conditions the next day. The only downsides in the past week have been strong winds closing some slopes at times and (when the wind drops), hill fog impacting visibility. Mount Hutt has now got a 1.6m+ base, the deepest in the region and is one of half-a-dozen NZ resorts that are now fully open. Vhangeable weather will continue into the weekend with a mix of sunny spells and cloud with some showers possible. Temperatures pretty cold, in the -5C to +4C range. Argentina It has been a good week in Argentina with some good snowfalls in the north of the country, clear skies further south although temperatures here have been lower – mostly below freezing and getting as low as -12C, for some lovely crisp ski days. Most centres are 80-100% open. The snowfall has boosted bases once again and the only centres worldwide with snow lying more than 3 metres deep are to be found here with Las Leñas posting the world's deepest at 3.3m (11 feet). The southern hemisphere's largest ski area, Catedral, is posting 100km of slopes open, the most in the world at present. Chile It's been another mostly dry and frequently sunny week in Chile. Although the nights are still cold we are starting to see temperatures just edge up a degree or two. Base depths remain good and are indeed just a little behind those of Argentinian centres just a few kilometres away over the border. Similarly most Chilean areas are also 80-100% open with big names like Portillo and Valle Nevado fully open. The coming week looks like more of the same weather but with a chance of some light-moderate fresh snowfalls on southerly ski centre slopes like those of Nevados de Chillan, already posting the joint deepest base in the country at just under 3m (along with La Parva and Valle Nevado). Southern Africa Lesotho's Afriski remains fully open although temperatures have continued to rise a little and are now typically in the 0C to +10C range, limiting further snowmaking opportunities. However, the snowpack remains complete and the main run fully open. Another sunny week is forecast for the coming seven days. Europe Four glacier areas remain open to all in Austria, Italy and Switzerland. There are two more centres open, but currently only to race teams for training, up in Norway at Folgefonn and Galdhopiggen. It has been a very warm week in the Alps with temperatures getting well into double figures above freezing Celsius even at glacier level in the afternoon, with the result that open terrain continues to drop, and snow thickness on the glacial ice is diminishing fast. It has been mostly sunny but there have been rain showers on the snow too. Hintertux, Saas Fee, Zermatt (also accessible from Cervinia) and Passo Stelvio are each publishing between 4km and 10km of slopes open each. North America This coming Sunday 18th marks the end of North America's 23-34 season with the last area open, the Palmer snowfield on Mount Hood, above Timberline in Oregon, calling it a day on the continent's longest opening run – over nine months since last November. The past few weeks have seen temperatures in the 80s Fahrenheit and the open terrain there shrink to little more than a mile. Looking ahead, it's less than three months until the 24-25 season is expected to be underway on high slopes in Colorado and northerly slopes in Alberta, Canada. |
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Hotham, Victoria, Australia earlier today. Heavy snow in Argentina (again), as well as New Zealand, with top-ups for Chile and improving conditions in Australia. The Snow Headlines - August 8th - Perisher reports all lifts running for the first time in two years. - Heavy snow, and elevated avalanche risk, in Argentina. - Warm temperatures on Alpine glaciers see fast thawing of summer snow cover. - Best conditions of season so far in New Zealand. 
Find out where there is snow forecast
World Overview The main snow news this week has been the heavy snowfall in New Zealand sending more resorts there through the 1m base depth mark and allowing them to open more terrain, with most commercial centres on the South Island now fully open - or nearly so - ...but some smaller club fields without snowmaking still not open at all. In Australia, cold weather for more snowmaking has allowed centres to consolidate their terrain opening after the big snowfalls of late July and a growing number of resorts are now fully open, or almost. Heavy snowfall in the Andes too has led to temporary closures while slopes are made safe and lifts dug out but the overall picture remains very positive. In the northern hemisphere, the ongoing battle is against warm summer temperatures impacting the remaining summer snow cover at the five centres currently open in Europe and North America. Despite that, the change in the seasons is getting nearer with another five glacier and northern latitude ski centres announcing that they plan to open for their 24-25 seasons in less than two months time. Southern Hemisphere Australia Australia's ski resorts are reporting some of the best conditions of the season thanks to more fresh snowfall and cold temperatures for snowmaking after the big snowfalls a fortnight ago. Perisher reported on Saturday that it had opened the 46th of its 46 lifts, The Olympic T Bar, for the first time since 2022 meaning all its lifts are running for the first time in two years. There's not been much snowfall but there has been more snow-making on Aussie slopes this week. Base depths are now through the metre mark with Thredbo and Perisher reaching around 125cm on their upper slopes. The mostly sunny skies and dry conditions continue to be forecast for the weekend too. Highs well into the high single figures in the afternoons but dipping to -7C overnight. New Zealand New Zealand's ski areas have enjoyed some fabulous conditions following big snowfalls last week, delivering the best conditions of the season to date. Most centres have been able to open more terrain and the majority of the commercial centres are now fully open (or close). There are exceptions to the good news though with several of the smaller club fields that are 100% reliant on natural snowfall saying they still don't have enough and on the North Island, Whakapapa on Mount Ruapehu continues to suffer with only a fraction of its terrain open. After sunshine last weekend, more clouds have rolled in with temperatures staying low and it looks like there'll be more snowfall over the next few days. Several areas posted 10-20cm accumulations as snow returned on Thursday and expected powder days through the weekend. Argentina Argentinian ski areas reported some more heavy snowfall in the past week, heaviest around last weekend before skies started to clear midweek. The snowfall, the most in a month or so following the very snowy May-June period, brought fresh powder but also increased avalanche risk, limiting open terrain for a while. The country continues to post the world's deepest snow, with over three metres lying on higher slopes at Chapelco and Las Leñas - and it seems likely the southern hemisphere's largest single ski area, Catedral near Bariloche, will return to having the most terrain open in the world once slopes are made safe to open again. Chile All of Chile's ski centres are 85-100% open thanks to the big snowfalls at the start of the season. There has been some snowfall this last week too, although it does not appear to have been so heavy as further east in Argentina, and conditions have turned clear and sunny again, although still cold, with lows below -10C and highs hardly reaching freezing. Nevados de Chillan has the country's deepest snow at 2.5m and the Tre Valles inter-connected area of Valle Nevado, La Parva and El Colorado is almost fully open delivering the largest ski area currently open in the world with over 100km of slopes. Southern Africa Lesotho's Afriski has had its usual sunny week, with temperatures in a wide range between -8 and +10C through the 24-hour cycle. Its main mile-long piste remains fully open with snowmaking used to top up cover overnight as required. The season ends here at the end of the month. Europe We're on four glacier ski areas still open in the Alps but temperatures have remained above freezing day and night, between around +2 and +10C at glacier level, so snowpack depths continue to fall and open terrain is diminishing too. There's no real sign of a temperature drop at present and the light showers there have been have fallen as rain rather than snow in most cases. Austrias's Hintertux and Switzerland's Saas Fee and Zermatt (also accessible from Cervinia), have about 10km of slopes open each. Italy's Passo Stelvio is also open with about 4km of runs there. Up in Norway the Fonna and Galdhopiggen glaciers have closed to the public for now but have race teams training and have been reporting great conditions for them. North America It's really just the Palmer Snowfield above Timberline on Mount Hood in Oregon that's still open in North America ...unless you count the Big Snow indoor snow hall in New Jersey or the hike-to terrain park at Colorado's Copper Mountain which is on its final weekend of summer 2024 this week. Temperatures at Timberline too have been very warm and well above freezing day and night so the snowpark and few miles of runs are best tackled in the early morning light. There's a fortnight left of the season to run there. |
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South America has led the way with snow so far this season, and heavy snow is falling there now. Australia has seen conditions improve recently, and New Zealand has new snow arriving.
Antillanca, Chile; great snow and more arriving... Where to Ski in August 2024 Early August is the mid-point in the Southern Hemisphere's ski season, when we expect every centre to be open. By the end of the month, the season will be starting to wind down and although some centres will make it to late October, we'll see the first season endings in countries like Lesotho. The Andes continue to post the deepest snow and most terrain open as we start August, despite not getting much July snowfall. That's thanks to the huge accumulations they saw in May and June. Australia has caught up a lot after big mid-July snowfalls there, whilst New Zealand is somewhere between the two. In the Northern Hemisphere, there are just a handful of areas still open, with glaciers in the Alps hoping the snow cover will hold through the hottest weeks of the year and allow them to stay open through the month. All glaciers in Scandinavia have now closed to the public but four remain open in the Alps. Only one resort is still open in North America, also battling the impact of warm temperatures on its snow cover - but planning to stay open into the latter half of August. Southern Hemisphere Australia Australia's season saw a dramatic improvement in mid-July when a big snowfall of nearly a metre in 7 days allowed ski areas to open most of their terrain. August marks the last full month of the season for some Aussie areas although some such as the largest, Perisher, which starts August with the most terrain open, aim to remain open into early October making September a full month too. New Zealand New Zealand has not had an epic season as yet with no massive dumps and a few centres still struggling to open at all, but the picture is "middling" because there have been some moderate snowfalls and snowmaking windows meaning the majority of centres start August with their slopes 50-75% open and a few have managed 100%. Things have improved in the final few days of July, with the biggest storm of the season delivering over 50cm of snowfall to several ski areas. Treble Cone is the first in the country to reach the 1m base mark on its upper slopes on July 30th. The North Island's ski areas particularly need snow, but it is falling there as we start the new month. All of New Zealand's ski areas should stay open through August with the first planning to close in late September and several aiming to keep operating to the end of October, snow permitting, when they'll be the last in the southern hemisphere to end their seasons. South America Although July was a largely dry month across the Andes, the huge snowfalls of May and June that saw most ski areas in Chile and Argentina start their seasons early - and some claim they'd had more snowfall before their season even began than they usually have in an entire season - mean that all are in good shape for the start of August. Famous names like Portillo continue to report great conditions and everything open whilst the Tres Valles (3 Valleys) of Chile have more terrain open between the Valle Nevado, La Palva and El Colorado Valleys (About 120km/75 miles) than anywhere else in the world at present. Over the Argentinian border Catedral near ski town Bariloche has about 100km of runs available, the second most and biggest area of any single resort. Southern Africa Lesotho's Afriski re-opened in June after missing last season and has had its main run fully open for the past few months. As usual, there's been little natural snowfall but overnight sub-zero temperatures and snow-making mean the run is maintained. August is traditionally the final full month of the three-month southern African ski season and things will culminate with 'Winterfest' on the final weekend of the month at Afriski. The region's other ski area, Tiffindell in South Africa, has not operated since winter 2019 and is currently up for sale. Europe Alps There are four ski areas in the Alps planning to stay open through August, all being well. Recent summers have seen all or most glacier ski areas forced to close, temporarily, due to snow melt from the glacial ice, but although July has seen base depth stats drop a lot, the cold snowy spring, as last year, has left conditions fairly good as we start the month. The four open areas include Hintertux in Austria, which has been posting the largest area open in the Northern Hemisphere through July - about 20km, and its snow is still several metres thick. Saas Fee and Zermatt are open in Switzerland as is Passo Stelvio in Italy, with Cervinia also having access to Zermatt's summer ski slopes. None of the current four are expected to close, unless forced to, in August and no other areas are expected to open until September. With Les 2 Alpes, Tignes and Val d'Isere all ending their summer ski seasons in July, there's currently nowhere open in France. Scandinavia Scandinavia's two small still-open ski areas, Folgefonn ("Fonna") and Galdhopiggen were open through July but Fonna announced close to the end of last month they'd close on the 29th leaving just Galdhopiggen, but then they too announced they'd close on August 1st (although they hope to reopen in October). Both centres are still open to teams for training, just not private individual recreational skiers and boarders. North America Last year three US centres managed to stay open into August, this year it's only really Timberline on Mount Hood in Oregon, where there are a few miles of slopes and a terrain park up on their Palmer snowfield. In years gone by this would normally stay open to a public holiday weekend in early September, but in recent years seasonal closure of the longest ski season in North America have been announced in mid-August, usually with just a few day's notice. This year though they have given a target end of season date - 22nd August, so fingers crossed they make it despite the warm temperatures. As with ski centres in Europe, the US resort has seen its snowpack thaw increasingly quickly with almost wall-to-wall sunshine and warm temperatures through July. |
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Perisher, Australia, taunting us on Monday this week... Fresh snow for many southern hemisphere ski areas, with much more snow forecast for South America in the coming week. The Snow Headlines - August 1st - Snowfall returns to South America after a mostly dry July. - New Zealand ski areas see up to 60cm of fresh snowfall this week. - Norway's glacier summer ski areas both suspend public skiing, remain open to race teams. - Two months to start of 24-25 winter season in Finland. - America's Timberline, the only centre still open in North America, names 18th August closing day. 
A lot of snow forecast for Argentina and Chile!
World Overview Snowy conditions have returned to most ski centres in the southern hemisphere after a rather dry week or two for most. Australia saw weekend snowfall, then New Zealand's slopes were dumped on at the start of this week with one of their biggest snowfalls of the year to date. Snow has also returned to the Andes and Patagonia this week after a predominantly dry July. There's somewhat warmer weather in the northern hemisphere and we've dropped from 7 to 5 centres left open this week with Scandinavia's two remaining glacier areas – Fonna and Gladhopiggen – both announcing they were ending public skiing and snowboarding in the last four days. Both are still open to teams for private training though and whilst that appears to be it for Fonna in 2024, Galdhopiggen says it will re-open to all in October when it expects conditions to improve. Southern Hemisphere Australia There was more fresh snowfall in Australia over the weekend, a fortnight after the big falls that transformed the season for the better (after a dry first six weeks to the season). There was about 20cm (8 inches) of fresh that further improved conditions overall allowing more terrain and lifts to open as well as providing some powder ski days at the start of this week. Since then it has been mostly dry and sunny and that's the forecast for the next few days too. Falls Creek is reporting some of the best conditions, it's upper slope base now more than 90cm (3 feet) deep and more than 90% of its terrain open. Larger area, Perisher, has a similar amount of terrain open – around 45km of slopes – although that represents 70% of its terrain. New Zealand New Zealand saw 2-3 days of snowfall to start this week, with some centres seeing over 60cm of fresh accumulations in total in what was the biggest snowfall of the winter so far. Treble Cone was one of those seeing the biggest falls and was the first in the country to post that it had reached a one metre base on its upper slopes on Tuesday. Mount Hutt and Mount Dobson have also passed the metre mark now. As skies have cleared, more centres have re-opened and more are now 100% open, or nearly so, than there have been all season to date. With blue skies and fresh pow, conditions are currently superb. It now looks like it should be increasingly sunny through the weekend but cold with lows of -10C, daytime highs around +3C in the mountains. Argentina A multi-day snowstorm is currently underway in Argentina which could dump over a metre of snow over three-four days on some of the country's slopes by the weekend. It's the biggest snowfall for over a month since the big dumps of May and June led to the most snow in Argentinian slopes to start the season in 30 years. The snowfall is closing terrain at present for safety and logistic reasons. Even before the snow arrived Catedral, South America's largest area, had about 100km of slopes open, the most of a single ski area on earth at present. Chapelco and Las Leñas are the only two centres worldwide reporting bases over 3 metres. Chile Chilean ski slopes have been in great shape all season after the huge autumn snowfalls and its resorts have a higher percentage of their slopes open than any other country. They include 100% open Portillo and the three resorts that make up the Tre Valles region east of Santiago, cumulatively offering the largest area open anywhere in the world with about 95% open and offering 115km of slopes between them (La Parva, El Colorado and Valle Nevado). After a sunny weekend and start to the week temperatures have dropped down towards -10C overnight, clouds have rolled in and snowfall is forecast over the next few days, if not so much as for Argentina. Heaviest will most likely be at more southerly centres like Nevados de Chillan. Southern Africa No real change in southern Africa this week with predominantly clear skies and lots of sunshine. Lesotho's Afriski continues to have its main run fully open, about a mile of machine-made snow. Overnight lows have been down below -5C and daytime highs not much above _+5C so not much thawing. August is the last month of the season here. Europe With Tignes closed in France at the end of last week we're down to four centres open in the Alps and, in terms of slopes open to the public, in the whole of Europe now. But it has been warm, with the freezing point moving above 4,000m and the highest glacier lifts even overnight, and daytime highs on glaciers going up towards double positive figures Celcius - seeing snowpacks on the glacial ice melting away pretty fast. So far those that want to be open remain so but open terrain has dropped at each of them and so have snow depth stats. Neighbours Saas Fee and Zermatt (also accessible from Cervinia) are posting around 10-12km of slopes open each and Saas Fee still reports the snow lying 3m/10 feet deep up top. Hintertux has dropped 20% of its open terrain compared to a week ago but is posting the most of the five centres open in the Northern hemisphere with 16km (10 miles) of slopes. Italy's Passo Stelvio is also open with about 4km of slopes to enjoy. Daytime temperatures have been reaching +8C on glaciers and will continue to do so, so the thaw will carry on too. In Scandinavia both of the remaining glacier areas that had been open to the public, Fonna and Galdhopiggen, have suspended operations for the public. Fonna did so a day earlier than previously announced, last Saturday, Galdhopiggen from Thursday, August 1st. The latter plans to reopen to the public in October when it expects to have fresh autumn snowfall but for Fonna that appears to be it for 2024. In the meantime, Sunday marks only two months until the 24-25 season is due to start at Levi and Ruka in Finland. Conditions have not been great on Scandinavia's glaciers this week with temperatures reaching +10C in the afternoons and rain showers reported. Next week looks much the same. North America Another largely sunny week in western North America with forest fires around ski areas more of a concern than snow levels. Canada's Kicking Horse was evacuated at the end of last week due to forest fire proximity whilst the ski town of Jasper to the north has had many properties destroyed by another inferno there. One ski centre, Oregon's Timberline on Mt Hood is still open though with a terrain park and a couple of miles of slopes up on the Palmer snowfield still open. They have now named a probable season end date of August 22nd, so there's three weeks left until the end of a nine-month 23-24 season. It's the only centre still open since last year that isn't a year-round resort. Temperatures have been up in the 60s and low 70s Fahrenheit in the daytime and the snowpack is thawing but should survive to the 22nd. |
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Yeah, this was Hotham Alpine Resort, Australia, earlier this week... Great snow in Australia giving great skiing, with the best conditions in the southern hemisphere still in Argentina and Chile. The Snow Headlines - July 25th - Over half a metre of snowfall for Australian resorts. - Tignes, last glacier open for skiing in France for summer 2024, ending its brief season. - Largest ski area open on the planet - in Chile - reaches 120km/75 miles. - Norway's Fonna glacier announces 2024 summer ski season end this Sunday. - Australia's largest resort overtakes New Zealand's for most terrain open. - Number of ski areas open in northern hemisphere drops to just 7. 
Useful snow forecast for Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and Chile!
World Overview Australia's great week is the big news of the last seven days, with successive snowfalls, heaviest at the weekend, finally getting the season there properly underway with resorts able to get past the 50% mark for open terrain and some great powder conditions to boot. Not such exciting news for New Zealand as yet but here most of the bigger areas had 60-100% of their slopes open already. In South America, almost everywhere is fully open, after the huge autumn snowfalls there, but there's been little fresh snowfall in July. Not a big problem so far though with still the world's deepest snow and largest skiable areas currently open in Argentina and Chile. North of the equator we're down to the smallest number of outdoor centres open this year so far with just 7 remaining in five countries, set to drop to six from Monday. France no longer has an open area with Tignes last to close at the weekend. Snow packs are diminishing too with the warm summer temperatures but those now open hope to stay open through August if they can. Most are in Europe with just one remaining open in North America. Southern Hemisphere Australia Australia has had a bonzer week for snowfall with many areas posting nearly a metre in total from multiple storms, the heaviest by far at the weekend when some areas got half a metre in 36 hours. It was the biggest fall of the season to date, almost as much in fact as the rest of the season so far, allowing some excellent powder skiing this week once the storm cleared through. The main result has been centres able to open much more terrain, with the most dramatic change at Mount Buller which went from less than 5% of its terrain and just a few lifts open, to opening half-a-dozen lifts through this week. Other resorts like Thredbo are now 75% open (this time last week the largest percentage open was 45%) and the largest area Perisher has jumped to more than 90% open with nearly 60km (37 miles) of slopes open now, the most in the country and overtaking the most open at any resort in New Zealand for the first time in 2024. Falls Creek is also 90% open with its base just a few centimetres off the one-metre mark. New Zealand A fairly quiet week in New Zealand with ski areas there trying to hang on to the terrain they've managed to open; and in the best cases open more. The problem is that there hasn't been a whole lot of snowfall, just a few flurries, and rain was reported for a time on North Island ski slopes. Cardrona and Mount Hutt have the most runs open, each at 70-80% of their terrain, but Whakapapa on Mount Ruapehu, still looking for a new owner, continues to struggle with just a fraction of its terrain open so far. It's been a mostly dry week weather-wise, with temperatures in the -5 to +5C range on the whole, and there's currently not much change in the forecast unfortunately either. Argentina In contrast to Australia, Argentina has had a fairly quiet week with just light snow showers and plenty of sunshine, much the same as it has been all July after the very snowy May and June there. Most areas remain 75-100% open thanks to all that pre-season snowfall, with Catedral posting the largest area open in the world on a single pass – about 100km of slopes - available. Another Argentinian resort, Chapelco, is reporting the world's deepest accumulated snowpack at 3.3m (11 feet) up top. Chile It's been another predominantly sunny week in the Chilean Andes, a familiar pattern through July with most of the fresh snow that has fallen at more southerly centres like Nevados de Chillan. The snow that fell in May and June, leading most of the country's ski areas to open early, is still there so conditions remain excellent, with most centres fully open. Portillo is 100% open and has the deepest base in the country at about 2 metres. The linked Tres Valles area of Valle Nevado – La Parva and El Colorado equates to the largest area open anywhere on the planet at present with about 120km (75 miles) of slopes from the three centres combined, although you'll need separate passes to ski it all. Southern Africa Lesotho's Afriski continues to maintain its full mile-long main run as well as a nursery slope area and small terrain park. The normal sunny weather has dominated but overnight lows have been dropping well below freezing enabling snowmaking top-ups as required. South Africa's Tiffindell remains closed and is reported to be up for sale. Europe Tignes ended its 2024 summer ski season at the weekend, the last of the three summer ski areas still operating there to close this year, meaning there's no lift-served skiing in the French Alps now until late Autumn. That leaves four ski areas left open in the Alps, with Austria's Hintertux reporting the largest open area, with about 20km of slopes. Switzerland's Saas Fee and Zermatt have a few kilometres less and you can also ski at Passo Stelvio in Italy (Zermatt's glacier is also accessible from Cervinia in Italy). Summer temperatures have been climbing and we have seen base depths drop quite substantially on glaciers, but it is still lying several metres thick on most so we don't appear to be in imminent danger of any temporary slope closures. As always the best conditions are to be found in the 3-5 hours after dawn. In Scandinavia the Fonna glacier area says it will end its 2024 season on Sunday, at least for the skiing public (race teams can still train there after the weekend), which leaves only Scandinavia's highest slopes at Galdhopiggen open. North America It's been a mostly sunny week, again, in the Western US with temperatures getting into the 80s Fahrenheit in the valleys below the still snow-covered slopes of Oregon where North America's last operating ski centre for winter 23-24 still reports a few miles of slopes open on the Palmer snowfield that lies above Timberline on Mt Hood. It's cooler up high though still reaching the 60sF in the afternoons so best conditions are from 5 am to 11 am when you'll find race teams training alongside you. |
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