Europe Weekly Roundup #268

Cold Snap Sparks Excitement Across Europe's Ski Scene

• Alps' Perfect Timing: Heavy snowfalls are forecast for the Alps later this week, coinciding with the opening of major ski resorts in France, Austria, and Italy.
• Scandinavian Progress: Scandinavian ski resorts prepare for weekend openings, bolstered by cold temperatures and light snow accumulations.
• Early Wins: Switzerland, Austria, and Italy lead Europe with several ski areas already open, offering extensive terrain as temperatures drop and snowmaking ramps up.

WORLD OVERVIEW

There are good signs in most areas of the skiing world as the 24-25 season continues to gather pace. More than 70 ski areas have now opened in over a dozen countries in Asia, Europe and North America. Snowfall-wise the Pacific Northwest of North America continues to top the tables with some BC resorts now reporting more than 2.5m (10 feet) of pre-season snowfall. It's here that most resorts opening are doing so a few days earlier than planned, including the continent’s biggest, Whistler Blackcomb, this Thursday instead of Friday.

In Europe, most centres have been opening in Austria, Italy and Switzerland and this weekend should see the first French resorts opening for 24-25. Big names in Scandinavia are also due to open. All eyes are on whether the huge snowfalls forecast, heaviest in the western Alps where up to a metre (40”) is expected through the rest of this week up high, deliver as hoped. After several dry, sunny weeks, the snow and accompanying low temperatures are exactly what’s needed.

In Asia, some Japanese ski areas have been posting their first decent dumps of the autumn on higher slopes with 20-40cm accumulations ahead of official opening dates.

EUROPE OVERVIEW

There's a lot of excitement in the Alps at present with a big snowfall forecast for the latter half of the week, hopefully perfectly timed for the season start in France and for more major areas due to open this weekend too. The past week has continued mostly sunny but with lower temperatures and snow showers starting to intensify since Tuesday. The heaviest falls are forecast in the west but are expected to continue across the Alps and further afield.

Elsewhere most regions have seen more snowfall and bigger resorts are expected to open in Scandinavia this weekend too. There have also been promising low temperatures and snowfall in Scotland. There’s nowhere open in the Pyrenees yet but one of the region’s largest ski areas, Spain’s Baqueiras Beret, is experiencing a big snowfall now and hopes to open this coming weekend.

AUSTRIA REPORT

It’s been much colder in Austria with some light snowfall but not so much as further west. Sunshine has continued to dominate, as it has for three weeks now, but temperatures have been much lower, typically in the -5C to +5C down to low altitudes, allowing snowmaking systems to fire up over wide areas. Obergurgl (2/30cm / 1/12") is the latest (and ninth) Austrian ski area to open for the 24-25 season there, keeping the country just ahead of Switzerland. It is due to stage the next round of the FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup, and there is already an FIS green light for that. The first to open reliant on natural snow cover but without a glacier, its base is not as deep as opening last year but nonetheless, it's one of the Austrian areas posting over 30km (19 miles) of slopes open already, about a third of its terrain. Others include its neighbour Solden (0/47cm / 019”) now up to 34km (21 miles) of runs available and Hintertux (0/85cm / 0/34”) on 32km (20 miles). Obertauern will be the 10th Austrian area to start its season, this coming Friday.

AUSTRIA FORECAST

Cold, cloudy weather continues for the next few days, with light to moderate snowfalls, potentially 20-50cm (8-20") accumulations over the next few days, but it looks like a return to sunshine and temperatures back above freezing for the weekend below 2000m.

FRANCE REPORT

French ski areas have been celebrating the end of the three weeks of dry, sunny weather with more snowfalls over the past week which currently look to intensify over the coming week. Temperatures have also dropped dramatically, with cold air finally breaking through the high-pressure system that had been blocking it bringing a big temperature dip. Nowhere is open yet but Val Thorens has confirmed it plans to start the French ski season this coming weekend with Tignes expected to join them.

“It's official, we're opening on November 23! Thanks to the commitment and work of all the teams, we are delighted to inform you that the opening of the ski area and the resort is confirmed, as planned, for Saturday, November 23. La Grande Première is an unmissable event for ski enthusiasts, offering the ideal opportunity to warm up, sharpen up and plan for the approaching winter,” a Val Thorens spokesperson said.

FRANCE FORECAST

There have been some big snowfall forecasts for the French Alps over the coming week, which will be great news even if they're only half true. The most optimistic have pointed to 7-day snowfall totals of over a metre (40"), most intense over the next few days. This will clearly be great news and perfect timing ahead of the season start. Indeed, the main concern if forecasts are correct is too much snow!

ITALY REPORT

Trentino’s Sulden am Ortler (20/40cm / 8/16") is the latest Italian ski area to open, starting with 20km (13 miles) of slopes open, nearly half of its area and one of the largest ski areas open anywhere so far. It joins Val Senales (0/50cm / 0/20”) which has been open since September but only with a mile (1.5km) or so of slopes. That has though brought a second lift on stream now so the open terrain has tripled to around 5km (3 miles). You can also continue to ski Zermatt’s glacier with access from the Cervinia side and more terrain opening on the Italian side from Wednesday.

“In anticipation of the snowfall predicted in the next hours from 20th November, the Plan Maison, Fornet and Bontadini slopes will open to the public, with adjacent run too, joining the upper part of the snowy Ventina which has been available to skiers for a week already,” a Cervinia spokesperson said.

More Italian areas are currently planning to open for their 24-25 seasons this coming weekend. They include Madonna di Campiglio, Passo Tonale, the Presena Glacier and 3 Zinnen Dolomiti. Like the rest of the Alps, temperatures have been dropping and there have been some snow showers in Italy, heaviest in the south and west.

ITALY FORECAST

It's looking increasingly snowy for the rest of the week across Italian slopes. In the west of the country, accumulations may be more than half-a-metre (20") into the weekend. Significant snowfall is forecast further east too, if not quite so much.

SWITZERLAND REPORT 

Verbier (0/40cm / 0/16”) became the latest Swiss centre to open at the weekend after receiving 20cm (8”) of snowfall through the previous week, along with the low temperatures needed for snowmaking. “The Lac des Vaux slope is ready to welcome winter sports enthusiasts for the first turns of the season! Thanks to the sub-zero temperatures, our snow guns were able to produce quality snow, to offer optimal sliding conditions,” a spokesperson commented. It joined seven Swiss areas that had already opened: Adelboden (0/20cm / 0/8”), Engelberg (0/310cm / 0/124”), Gstaad (Glacier 3000)(0/50cm / 0/20”), Murren (0/30cm / 0/12”), Saas-Fee (0/95cm / 0/38”), St Moritz (Diavolezza Glacier)(0/40cm / 0/16”) and Zermatt (0/150cm / 0/60”) which has the most terrain open in the country so far – about 30km (19 miles) of slopes. Saas-Fee isn’t far behind with 25km (16 miles) available now. About half of the areas open so far, including Verbier, are just opening at weekends in November. Davos plans to be the ninth, due to open this Thursday 21st.

SWITZERLAND FORECAST

Cold and snowy across Switzerland through to the weekend, heaviest in the west where some higher slopes in the Valais region might see as much as a metre (40”) of snowfall by Sunday. Skies are then expected to clear and temperatures rise for a sunny start to next week.

SCANDINAVIA REPORT

Temperatures have continued to fluctuate either side of freezing in Scandinavia with those centres already open seeing a continuing mix of rain, sleet and snow. Levi (40/40cm / 16/16") hosted the second round of the 24-25 Alpine Skiing World Cup at the weekend and racers competed through this weather mix with some hill fog thrown in, although as there's now only a few hours of daylight at these northerly latitudes and slopes are floodlit all day anyway, that isn't really impacting skiing. It remains just a handful of smaller centres open so far with the region's bigger resorts including Are, Geilo, Hemsedal, Pyha, Tysil, Yllas and others set to open from the weekend if conditions allow. Norway’s Galdhopiggen summer ski area ended its extended 2024 run last weekend so there’s currently nowhere open, briefly, in that country.

SCANDINAVIA FORECAST

Remaining cold, typically in the freezing point down to -20C range, and cloudy in the north but with more sunny spells, particularly at the weekend, further south. Light to moderate snowfall at times for most areas, totalling 10-20cm (4-8”) by the weekend.

EASTERN EUROPE REPORT

There have been promising signs for the season ahead over the last week with first ski areas including Czechia’s Spindleruv Mlyn and Slovenia’s Kranjska Gora receiving fresh snowfall and then snowmaking systems firing up at Slovakia’s leading areas Jasna and at Bulgaria’s Bansko. It's stayed cold and kept snowing since. Most areas are due to begin opening on the final weekend of November or the first half of December.

EASTERN EUROPE FORECAST

Fairly promising pre-season conditions for much of Eastern Europe. There is a wide ark of temperatures forecast from overnight -10C lows up high to daytime +10Cs. Snowfall forecast is in the low centimetres rather than substantial accumulations, but it is looking increasingly wintry.

SCOTLAND REPORT

Scottish mountains have seen repeated snow showers on high slopes since the weekend and there's been a marked temperature drop down to freezing or below. Currently, Glencoe has said it will open from mid-December, but it and the other centres can open whatever terrain is possible earlier if they feel conditions allow and demand is there. Only Nevis Range has stressed ahead of the season that they don't plan to open until well into 2025 (February school holidays) unless there are great snow conditions in the early season.

SCOTLAND FORECAST

It’s currently expected to stay cold with more snow showers on Scottish mountains through the coming week.