J2Ski Snow Report - August 21st 2025
J2Ski Snow Report - August 21st 2025
Published : 21-Aug-2025 07:29
Perisher, NSW, Australia, had a good weekend...
Winter continues in the southern hemisphere with fresh snow and cold in the Andes, Australia, and New Zealand, while the northern hemisphere's summer season has nearly ended, with only three Alpine centres still operating and most other regions closing.
The Snow Headlines - August 21st
- Australia's ski resorts enjoy fresh snowfall, and peak terrain openings.
- Ski areas are opening more terrain on New Zealand's North Island.
- Lesotho's Afriski, the only centre open in Africa, enters the final week of the 2025 season on Sunday.
- The last ski area that had been open in North America has ended its 24-25 season.
- Only three ski areas are open in the northern hemisphere, all in Europe's Alps.
- The only area operating in Scandinavia has announced a month-long summer closure is underway.
See where the snow is forecast.
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World Overview
With spring just around the corner, winter is still holding firm across the Andes, Australia, and New Zealand, with fresh snow and sub-zero temperatures.
New Zealand saw lows near -10°C/14°F, and ski areas in Argentina, Chile, and Australia reported light to moderate snowfall alongside sunny spells.
Lesotho, nearing the end of its 2025 season, is the only southern ski nation showing signs of warming.
In the northern hemisphere, autumn is approaching, especially by the meteorological measure, with just three outdoor lift-served ski areas currently open - all in Europe's Alps.
With North America's last centre closing Sunday and the last centre open in Scandinavia announcing a month-long shutdown, summer heat now dominates, shifting the focus to preserving alpine snowpacks rather than chasing fresh flakes.
Southern Hemisphere
Australia
Australia's ski fields saw a welcome return of snowfall over the weekend, with 10–20 cm/4–8 inches of fresh cover across resorts, followed by more snowfall midweek. Despite some low cloud and reduced visibility, conditions have since remained mostly sunny, with overnight lows dipping to single digits and daytime highs climbing modestly.
The new snow arrived just in time for weekend powder turns, and base depths remain solid nationwide.
Perisher leads with a 160 cm/63 inch deep upper snowpack, its biggest numbers for several seasons, and 95% of terrain open — currently the most of any single ski area worldwide. Thredbo follows with a 125 cm/49 inch base and 90% open, while Hotham and Falls Creek are both skiing at 95% open or more.
Looking ahead, more cold weather and snowfall are possible to low levels over the coming days.
New Zealand
New Zealand's ski fields kicked off the week with cold temperatures and fresh snowfall, with snowlines dropping to 200 m/656 feet on the South Island and around 700 m/2,297 feet on the North.
At slope level, conditions have remained wintery — overnight lows down to -10°C/14°F and daytime highs barely above freezing.
Mount Hutt continues to lead with the deepest snowpack (in the southern hemisphere) at 163 cm/64 inches up top and over 95% of its terrain open.
Most South Island resorts are 80–90% open, while Treble Cone and Mount Dobson are among the few ski areas globally reporting 100% open terrain.
On the North Island, snowfall has been more limited all season, but Mount Ruapehu's Whakapapa has made progress — opening its Valley T Bar and expanding terrain from under 10% to nearly 40%. Neighbouring Turoa is also about a third open, marking a season high.
The forecast calls for drier conditions into the weekend, but temperatures should stay low.
Argentina
Sunny skies have dominated the weather in Argentina for much of the past week, limiting much-needed snow cover improvements. That said, a front that moved in on Wednesday has improved conditions somewhat.
The far south remains best, with Cerro Castor boasting the deepest cover (a metre/39 inches up top) and over 80% terrain open. In contrast, the continent's largest resort by uplift, Cerro Catedral near Bariloche, still has under 10% open.
The fresh front has brought new snow, but its impact is uncertain; some centres are hoping for as much as 50 cm/20 inches in total by the weekend.
Currently, Las Leñas is nearing 50% open, while Cerro Bayo reports 75% despite thin cover. More snowfall is forecast into the weekend, especially for Las Leñas and Cerro Catedral, thanks in part to a cold air mass over Patagonia.
Chile
Ski areas in Northern Chile have had a mostly dry, sunny week, with only light flurries, but since Tuesday, more southerly locations have seen significant 20–40 cm/8–16 inches accumulations, with snow falling further north too and much more in the forecast.
Most of the country's resorts continue to report good terrain coverage but could benefit from a freshen up.
Portillo leads South America for snow depth at 160 cm/63 inches (top 3 worldwide this week) and has over 90% of its slopes open. It reported 30 cm/12 inches of fresh snowfall in 24 hours to Wednesday.
The linked Tres Valles area is also 90% open, with Valle Nevado, La Parva, and El Colorado offering more than 100 km/62 miles of slopes between them, the most in the world at present, and base depths of over 1 m/39 inches at altitude.
Cold conditions have dominated this week and should persist into the weekend with summit temperatures from -12°C/10°F to -4°C/25°F.
Lesotho
It's the last week of the 2025 season coming up at Lesotho, concluding with their signature Winterfest season closer party. For now, from webcam images, the main mile-long ski run remains intact, despite no fresh snowfall for weeks and daytime highs climbing into the high teens above freezing.
Northern Hemisphere
The Alps
Only three outdoor lift-served ski centres remain open in the northern hemisphere this week — all in Europe, with the last North American centres closing on Sunday.
The Alpine trio of Zermatt, Saas-Fee, and Italy's Passo Stelvio continue unchanged, offering 7–14 km/4–9 miles of terrain and snow depths from 80–200 cm/31–79 inches.
Hintertux remains closed, marking Austria's first August without summer skiing in many years.
Conditions are shaped more by heat than snowfall, with freezing levels rising to 3,500 m/11,483 feet to 4,500 m/14,763 feet. Light rain replaced snow last week, but cooler, unsettled weather may bring 5–10 cm/2–4 inches of fresh glacier snow, especially toward the weekend — though rain and sleet remain more likely even at higher elevations.
Scandinavia
The last remaining summer ski area operating in Scandinavia this year has announced that its normal late summer closure begins this week. Galdhøpiggen had seen high temperatures and rain this week, and its base had shrunk to 40 cm/16 inches. It says it will reopen on 19th September for a final few months of 2025 operations.
USA
The last US ski area that had still been operating since late 2024, Timberline on Mount Hood in Oregon, ended its 24-25 season last Sunday.
Unless you count weekend access to the hike-to terrain park at Copper Mountain or the indoor ski centre in New Jersey, there is currently nowhere open in North America for skiers.
The new season is probably only two months away, with high areas in Colorado hoping to open by late October. Some resorts, including Mammoth and Utah's Brian Head and Solitude, have already announced target opening dates in early November too.
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