Southern Hemisphere Weekly Roundup #256

Argentinian Ski Resorts Hold World’s Deepest Snow as Temperatures Rise

• Warm temperatures are causing snow to melt rapidly across Southern Hemisphere ski slopes, especially in Australia and southern Africa.
• New Zealand's ski resorts have faced wind and rain disruptions, but most remain nearly fully operational, with heavy snow forecasted to arrive soon.
• Argentina boasts the deepest snow base globally and the largest open ski area, despite a trend toward warmer spring-like conditions.

WORLD OVERVIEW

The weather has been starting to get a little more springlike in parts of the Southern Hemisphere, with the first centres closing, or about to close this coming week, as the snow melts away. Although the summer heat continues for much of the Northern Hemisphere, there was a brief reminder of winter with some snow-dusted peaks in North America. In Australia and New Zealand, ski centers have been battling warmer temperatures as meteorological springtime approaches, with Aussie areas feeling the heat the most, resulting in one center closing altogether. However, more snow is now forecast there. New Zealand has had additional issues with gales causing temporary closures. Southern Africa’s 2024 season is due to come to an end after three months this coming weekend. The snow is now melting fast, but Lesotho’s Afriski plans one final festival to see the season out. It has stayed rather more consistently wintry in Argentina and Chile, but even here, temperatures are rising higher during the day and not dropping so low overnight, with base depth stats starting to fall, although most centres remain close to fully open. In Europe, the glacier ski areas continue to battle the impact of very warm weather at high elevations, the summer norm of recent years, along with occasional extreme weather. Four glaciers in the Alps are officially open, but on most days, only 2-3 have been operational, with others closed due to weather/temperature issues. Up in Scandinavia, Norway’s Fonna glacier, which closed to the public last month but had remained open for team training, has now announced it is closed to all for the 2024 season. However, the region’s highest glacier slopes at Galdhopiggen say, although currently closed, they plan to re-open for a month or so in October-November when temperatures dip again. North America’s 23-24 season ended a week last Sunday, but anticipation is already building for the start of the 24-25 season, with ski areas in the Rockies, including around Banff in Canada, posting webcam images of the first dustings of snow up high over the past week. Some hope to open in less than two months’ time in mid-October if conditions allow, and Banff’s Mt. Norquay has announced the earliest target opening date: 1st November, to start its 99th season.

SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE

Southern Hemisphere Intro

The mercury has been climbing into double digits on low-lying ski slopes across most of the Southern Hemisphere this past week. Australian slopes and those of southern Africa have felt it the most, but South American and New Zealand ski areas have also seen the trend towards spring weather too. In Australia, warm weather has continued and, if anything, intensified, resulting in base depths dropping and the open terrain declining, with one centre back down below 20% of its slopes open, and another closing altogether until things improve—although it looks like they should later this week. New Zealand has had a windy week leading to some centres closing temporarily, and rain has returned too, but most centres remain close to fully open. In South America, snow levels have begun to drop a little with warmer daytime highs and fewer subzero nights, but there have been some snow showers, and snow depth remains the world's deepest, with Argentina remaining home to the largest ski area open in the world at present. It’s the final few days of the 2024 season in southern Africa, though. Unfortunately, South Africa’s Tiffindell did not open for the fourth successive season, but Lesotho’s Afriski did open after missing last winter and is now coming up to its final weekend of winter 2024 with warm temperatures and a fast-thawing snowpack. It was actually the first centre south of the equator to open on time at the start of June but was pipped to the title of the first to open in the Southern Hemisphere by early opening centres in South America.

Australia Report

It has not been a great week for Australia’s ski areas, with warm weather and reported rain showers leading to a rapid thaw of the snowpack. As a result, the amount of terrain open at each has been falling quite quickly, with Mt. Buller (14/65cm / 6/26") back down to only 20% of its terrain left open and Selwyn announcing on Sunday that it has been forced to close altogether until conditions improve. It's not quite such a grim picture in other areas; most still have 50-75% of their slopes open, and several still have snow lying more than a meter deep on their upper runs. Thredbo (50/120cm / 20/48”) is posting the healthiest stats and has about 75% (40km/25 miles) of slopes open. Perisher (45/110cm / 18/44”) isn’t far behind on snow depth and has a similar percentage of terrain open, but with a larger area, that means 50km (31 miles) of slopes open there, still the second most of any centre in the world at present. Falls Creek (30/60cm / 12/24”) still has 70% of its slopes open too, but Hotham (30/60cm / 12/24”) has dropped back to 55%.

Australia Forecast

The good news is that there are finally signs of improvement as we enter the final few days of August/meteorological winter. Temperatures are dropping, and snow is forecast through the latter half of this week, with 20-40cm (8-16”) accumulations expected by the weekend.

New Zealand Report

The latest storm to hit New Zealand over the weekend brought plenty of precipitation, but unfortunately, a lot of it was rain, particularly at lower levels. Although it turned to snow later, it was just a few centimeters/inches for most. Gale-force winds have also been an issue again, closing some lifts and, in some cases, entire centres on multiple days over the past week. All that being said, when not closed by the elements, most of the country’s South Island centres are fully open or close to it. Mt. Hutt (105/203cm / 42/81") is on course to be the last center open in the Southern Hemisphere in a few months' time with the deepest reported base outside of South America and everything open. Cardrona (72/90cm / 29/36”) is 95% open. Unfortunately, it remains a more difficult picture for North Island ski areas, with Ruapehu's Whakapapa (39/51cm / 16/20") and Turoa (35/85cm / 14/34") both still struggling to open much terrain.

New Zealand Forecast

There's a major front moving in that's set to bring heavy snowfall and give Kiwi ski areas a boost for the start of spring. Currently, centres are forecast to see totals of up to a meter (40") of snowfall by the end of the weekend. The 2024/25 FIS Snowboard Park & Pipe season gets underway in Cardrona from Friday with two days of qualifications ahead of finals for both the women and men slated for this Sunday, 01 September, so it will be interesting to see if the forecast weather impacts events at all.

Argentina Report

It’s been feeling a little more springlike at times in Argentina this week, with plenty of sunshine and temperatures a little warmer, although still in the -5 to +8°C range. There have been some more occasional snow showers, although mostly light, with 5-10cm (2-4”) accumulations. Las Leñas (120/280cm / 48/112”) reports 90% of its slopes open and still one of the deepest bases in the world, but it has dipped below 3m (10 feet) up top, so that leaves Chapelco (65/322cm / 24/129”) currently the only center in the world posting a 3m/10 feet upper slope base depth. Catedral (40/165cm / 16/66”) near Bariloche, meanwhile, continues to post the most terrain open anywhere in the world, with about 100km (63 miles) of runs available.

Argentina Forecast

The latter half of the week is looking sunny and warm for Northern Argentinian ski areas, with temperatures reaching double digits above freezing on low slopes in the afternoons. Higher runs should still dip below freezing overnight. Its colder and still snowy further south, though, with the most southerly centre, Cerro Castor, looking particularly promising with temperatures mostly subzero and light to moderate snowfall forecast daily.

Chile Report

It's been a sunny and mostly dry week for most Chilean ski areas, with overnight lows still dipping as low as -12°C under clear skies on high slopes, but conversely, daytime highs have hit +10°C at some areas by mid-afternoon as the sunshine intensifies with springtime drawing near. There have been some light snowfalls, though, mostly at more southerly centers, and base depths have been holding up. Most Chilean centers remain fully open or nearly so. In fact, base depths are actually up 40cm (16”), to amongst the deepest in the world, at Valle Nevado (165/290cm / 66/116”) and Nevados de Chillán (190/290cm / 76/116”). The Tres Valles ski area east of Santiago continues to post one of the largest ski areas open in the world, shared between three centers, with about 96km (60 miles) of runs available between Valle Nevado, La Parva (165/290cm / 66/116”), and El Colorado (60/135cm / 24/54”).

Chile Forecast

A front is forecast to bring light to moderate snowfall and 15-30cm (6-12”) snowfall totals across Chilean slopes over the latter half of this week before skies clear again for most by the weekend. Temperatures continue to range from -10°C overnight up high to +10°C at resort level in the afternoons.

Southern Africa Report

We’re definitely in meltdown mode at Afriski (10/10cm / 4/4”) ski slopes, which are thawing fast as the season's end nears with Winterfest this coming weekend. The snow is looking pretty grey and gets wet early in the day, with the upper part of the main run now closed. Sunday is believed to be the final day of the 2024 season in southern Africa.

Southern Africa Forecast

Temperatures will keep rising over the coming week, and the remaining snow is likely to go very quickly.