Europe Weekly Roundup #245

Alpine Glaciers Offer Perfect Conditions for Summer Skiing

• Italy's Passo Stelvio and France's Val d'Isère have opened for the 2024 summer ski season, while Austria's Molltal glacier and Norway's Stryn glacier will be closing soon.
• The Alps continue to offer good summer skiing conditions with fresh snowfall and low temperatures, particularly in the mornings.
• Norway's glacier ski areas have received fresh snowfall, with Folgefonn reporting over a meter of snow in early June, although Stryn's season will end this weekend.

Europe Intro

We are back up to eight centres open in Europe as Italy’s Passo Stelvio managed its delayed 2024 opening in time for last weekend, and France’s Val d’Isère started its summer ski season too. We’re due to lose two more this coming weekend though, as Austria’s Molltal glacier will be ending its long season, as will Norway’s Stryn glacier, although in its case the season has been very short. For now, though, Norway’s three glacier ski areas remain open, the most choice of any country in the northern hemisphere right now, unless we count indoor snow centres, which puts the Netherlands in first place with seven centres! There was fresh snowfall reported on Alpine glaciers on Wednesday morning.

The Alps Report

The low temperatures and snow showers continue at altitude in the Alps, leading to continuing rather nice summer skiing and riding conditions, particularly in the mornings, of course. Val d'Isère (0/400cm / 0/160”) is the latest glacier resort to open, joining Les 2 Alpes (0/395cm / 0/158”) which has been open throughout May and June. Both will close in early July. Having delayed its 2024 season start by a week due to the road over the Stelvio Pass being impassable due to snow, Italy’s Passo Stelvio (120/230cm / 48/132”) has also started its operations for the year and reported more fresh snowfall. Due to lift closures, only 4km (2.5 miles) of slopes are open though. Austria’s Hintertux (0/500cm / 0/200”) continues its year-round operations, but the Molltal glacier (0/210cm / 0/84”) in Carinthia will end an eight-month season this coming weekend. Zermatt's glacier (0/150cm / 0/60"), also accessible from Cervinia in Italy via the Alpine Crossing series of gondola and cable car lifts, also remains open with one of the larger skiable areas in the Alps at present – around 20km (13 miles) of runs. Only Hintertux, with 23km (14 miles) of runs, has more.

The Alps Forecast

Temperatures in the -5 to +5°C range on glaciers with a mix of weather conditions including snow showers, with up to 12cm (5”) of fresh snowfall expected above 2,500m by the end of the weekend. Sunny spells in between the showers.

Scandinavia Report

The three Norwegian glacier ski centers of Stryn (500/600cm / 200/240”), Folgefonn (650/760cm / 260/304”), and Galdhopiggen (80/200cm / 32/80”) remain open and have had some fresh snowfall over the past week. Folgefonn (aka “Fonna”) in fact reported at the weekend that it has had “over a meter” of snowfall in the first week of June. Despite the cold temperatures and snow showers, though, the Stryn Glacier says it will be ending its season this coming weekend, after less than a month, following a pattern of recent years. It blames poor snowfall through the winter ahead of its opening.

Scandinavia Forecast

After the cold and changeable weather of recent weeks that brought a succession of snow, sleet, and rainy weather and some strong winds, the rest of this week is looking calmer, drier, sunnier, and warmer in most areas with daytime highs reaching up to double figures above freezing.