Europe Weekly Roundup #238

Last Tracks: Ski Season Winds Down Across Europe, but Sierra Nevada and Jasna Hold the Line

• Significant snowfall in Europe: Ski areas in the Alps received 30-60cm accumulations, with some glaciers getting over double that, offering late-season powder opportunities despite visibility issues.
• Closure updates: Ski season is ending in most European regions outside the Alps and Scandinavia, with only a few areas like Sierra Nevada in Spain and Jasna in Slovakia still open.
• Extended season in Austria and Switzerland: Several Austrian and Swiss ski areas, including glaciers, plan to remain open into May or even June, with substantial snowfall reported and good conditions expected.

WORLD OVERVIEW

We're down to the last 200 or so ski areas still standing across the northern hemisphere now and that number will be about halved again after this coming weekend when a swathe more will end their 23-24 seasons, although a good few plan to keep going through to next Wednesday just to make it into May.
Whilst springtime temperatures continue rising overall, there have been some very low temperatures and significant snowfalls in the Alps and a couple of snowy periods for the Rockies too, with still open ski areas on both sides of the Atlantic posting a foot (30cm) or so of late-April snowfall, with some bonus powder days resulting, a few reporting significantly more.
In the southern hemisphere, we're now just five weeks away from the 2024 season kick off and the excitement is ever more palpable. The past week has seen overnight lows below freezing on most southern hemisphere ski slopes and more snowfall in South America, so things are continuing to move in the right direction.

EUROPE

EUROPE INTRO

It’s been a second week of colder, wintery weather on most still open slopes in Europe, with ski areas in the Alps widely posting 30-60cm accumulations over the last seven days and one glacier area posting more than double that. So some (very) late-season powder has been skied and ridden, although there have also been visibility issues from the resulting low cloud.
The ski season is now over in most regions of Europe outside of the Alps and Scandinavia. Only Jasna in Slovakia and Sierra Nevada down in southern Spain are still open outwith this region.
All ski areas in the Pyrenees are now believed to be closed, as are all centres in Scotland. Glencoe though, continues to run its Access chairlift for ski tourers to reach higher slopes above the ski area where snow is still lying and more fresh snow has been falling over the last seven days. This coming weekend will also see the last two areas in Germany that still have lifts turning, end their 23-24 seasons too.

AUSTRIA REPORT

Austria has seen much more wintery weather over the last week than it had seen for much of the past month, leading Kitzbuhel, which ended its ski season a few weeks ago, to delay its planned summer opening which should have happened last weekend, by a week, while still-open Solden (0/425cm / 0/170”) reported 60cm (two feet) of snowfall on its glacier over the weekend. About a dozen Austrian areas remain open for the final week of April, with most planning to remain so through to next Monday, May 1st, and five of the country’s glaciers planning to stay open later into next month, or in a few cases, into June. Fresh snowfalls of up to 20cm (8”) in 24 hours were reported on the country’s glaciers with the Kitzsteinhorn (0/280cm / 0/112”) above Kaprun posting one of the bigger accumulations. The Stubai glacier (15/565cm / 6/226”) though topped the tables overall this week, getting more than a metre of snowfall since last weekend and moving to post Europe’s deepest upper slope depth.

AUSTRIA FORECAST

For still open, higher altitude, Austrian ski areas the colder, showery weather is expected to continue for a few more days before likely warmer, drier weather at last as the weekend. Temperatures varying from about +10C at 1500m in the afternoons to -10C at 3,000m overnight with 5-10cm (2-4”) average snow showers most days for a few more days.

SWITZERLAND REPORT

Swiss centres had a cold and snowy latter half of last week and posted some of the world’s biggest snowfalls of the last 7 days. In fact, in an unofficial measurement, Glacier 3000 near Gstaad reported it had had 1.5 metres (five feet) of snowfall intro last weekend. There’s been snowfall most days this past week on high slopes, with terrain above 3,000m seeing -20C temperatures and snow and freezing temperatures right down to the valley floor at times. In terms of official numbers Grindelwald (0/104cm / 0/41") went for 28cm (11") in the same period. It closes this coming weekend, Verbier and the 4 Valleys, which ended their season at the end of last weekend, were similar. Engelberg though, posted the most snowfall through the past week, getting over a metre in the last 7 days. Saas Fee (32/480cm / 13/192”), which had been posting the country’s deepest base, was another weekend closure. So eight Swiss areas remain open for the final weekend of April and most of those stay open into May. Year-round Zermatt (5/210cm / 2/84”) has the most terrain open – over 250km (160 miles).

SWITZERLAND FORECAST

A mixture of sunny and snowy weather over the next few days with temperatures remaining below seasonal averages, -5 to +10C down at 1,000m altitudes, -5 to -15C at 2,500m. Snow showers will continue but be mostly light, with 2-7cm (1-3”) totals each day most likely, so really rather good conditions with fresh snow and cold temperatures considering it's late April. Things look like they'll start to warm up and dry out from the weekend.

FRANCE REPORT

French ski slopes saw up to 41cm (16”) of fresh snowfall in the latter half of last week, bringing fresh cover for the latter half of April to ski areas still open in the country. That’s now down to eight ski regions continuing to the final weekend of the month. But Avoriaz, in the Porte du Soleil, one of those that ended their seasons last weekend, was among the resorts posting the biggest accumulations. Val Thorens (170/240cm / 68/96”) where there’s still nearly another fortnight of the season left to run, posted 28cm (11”) and other still open areas similar totals. Eight French ski regions remain open with Tignes/​Val d'Isère (67/420cm / 27/168") now posting about the most open terrain of any area in the world (270km/169 miles) and the other area, along with Val Thorens, aiming to stay open to May 5th, the last winter season closers in the country. However, Les 2 Alpes is expected to stay open for glacier skiing through May and June.

FRANCE FORECAST

The cold weather with frequent snow showers looks set to continue for the remainder of the week and into the weekend. Temperatures on high slopes remain well below freezing day and night above 2,000m and only getting a few degrees above freezing in the afternoons down in valleys. Light to moderate snow showers of anything between 2 and 20cm (1-8") are possible pretty much daily.

ITALY REPORT

With the two Italy-France ski regions, La Thuile – La Rosière and the Via Lattea (Milky Way) including Sauze d’Oulx and Sestriere, as well as Araba in the Dolomites closing for the season last weekend there are now five Italian areas left open for the final week of April. As with the rest of central Europe most have seen colder temperatures this week and some snowfall, although not so much as its northern and Western alpine neighbours. The Presena Glacier (100/40cm / 40/160”) is posting the country’s deepest snowpack, Cervinia’s area shared with Zermatt the most open terrain – more than 250km (160 miles) and it reported 40cm (16”) of snowfall over the weekend.

ITALY FORECAST

Remaining cold at altitude with snow showers continuing through the remainder of the week, most of them light and separated by sunny spells. Lows of -15C on higher slopes, highs of +5C in valleys. Temperatures are expected to start climbing at last towards the end of the week with valley highs of +10C by the weekend.

GERMANY REPORT

The two German ski areas that remain open have seen a week of predominantly cold temperatures into the +2 to -12C range with frequent snow showers, in fact much more wintery conditions that most German ski centres saw for much of the inter. The Zugpitze Glacier (100/265cm / 40/106”) and Nebelhorn ski slopes by Oberstdorf (0/190cm / 0/76”) are the two areas that will remain open through the coming weekend with a planned May 1st closing date. The Zugspitze reported powder snow conditions at the weekend.

GERMANY FORECAST

Still cold for late April (and ironically colder than it was for much of the winter) but with temperatures climbing back up towards freezing and snowfall easing through the latter half of the week.

SCANDINAVIA REPORT

Scandinavia continues to stand out as the one region of the ski world where more than half of the region's main ski areas remain open. It was at about two-thirds open when some of the big names including Geilo, World Cup racing centre Kvitfjell and Trysil closed at the end of Sunday’s skiing. Up to then Norway’s Trysil (72/128cm / 31/51”) has the most terrain open in the region, still nearly 90% of its slopes which equates to about 80km (50 miles) of trails. Now we’re back to the usual candidate, Sweden’s Åre (50/85cm / 20/34") even though it's down to 65% of its slopes open, that's still about 64km (40 miles) and it's staying open another week to the 1st. It’s been a week of mixed weather across the region with some fresh snowfalls and plenty of subzeroes recorded, down to -15C overnight in fact, with daytime highs around +5C or cooler, so still quite wintery to the end for many areas.

SCANDINAVIA FORECAST

Temperatures are forecast to be a little warmer than down in the Alps for the remainder of the week. Valley highs reaching +10C at more southerly Scandi resorts, Snow showers continuing, though sometimes sleet or rain too, with some dry and sunny spells. Higher slopes still seeing -10C overnight, up to zero in the daytime.

SPAIN / ANDORRA REPORT

With all ski areas in the Pyrenees now closed, Europe’s most southerly ski area, Spain’s Sierra Nevada (20/130cm / 8/52”) is the last in the region still open, although it’s currently expecting this coming Sunday to be closure day for 23-24 there too. It reported cold temperatures and fresh snowfall at the weekend. Currently, a little under half of its terrain remains open, essentially higher runs, with the weather increasingly sunny after snow showers at the end of last week. Temperatures have been in the -5 to +10C range.

SPAIN / ANDORRA FORECAST

Sunshine returned a day or so ago as the dominating weather and that’s set to continue for most of the final week at Sierra Nevada. We’ll see highs of +10C and overnight subzero temps so freeze-thaw continuing, the outside chance of a light snow shower.

CZECH REPUBLIC / SLOVAKIA REPORT

The one ski centre still open in the region, Jasna (20/45cm / 8/18”), has had a cold and snowy week with temperatures generally in the -2 to -8C range, just getting a few degrees above freezing at the valley floor in the afternoons. Jasna’s currently re-opening higher terrain at weekends (it was a powder one last Saturday/Sunday) and plans to re-open next weekend and potentially for the 4/5th May weekend too.

CZECH REPUBLIC / SLOVAKIA FORECAST

Staying cold and within the -5 to +5C range, with further snow showers, however, warmer weather is expected towards the weekend when valley temperatures should climb back up to double figures.