WORLD SNOW ROUNDUP #203
Issued: 16th August 2023
By Patrick “Snowhunter” Thorne
World Overview
Conditions have continued to improve in New Zealand with some decent snowfalls reported through the last week taking the deepest snow cover above the 2.5 metres (100”) mark for the first time this winter, which is also now greater than the deepest snowpack reported at the remaining areas still open in the northern hemisphere. In Australia there has finally been some good news with a little fresh snowfall at the end of last week, subsequently cold overnight weather for snowmaking and now more snow forecast later this week.
Not so much dynamic weather to report from South America where bases remain very modest but all centres are open and seeing temperatures dropping well below freezing overnight, just not a lot of fresh snow. Catedral continues to post by far the largest ski area open in the world at present.
The number of ski areas open in the northern hemisphere continues to decrease with the last centre that had still been open in North America from last autumn/fall, Oregon’s Timberline, ending its season last Sunday. So we are down to five ski areas left open in four countries in Europe. This could be the low point, unless any of those five close down unexpectedly over the next month, as from mid-September more centres are due to start opening in Europe, then North America, for the start of their 23/24 ski seasons!
Southern Hemisphere
AUSTRALIA REPORT
Australian conditions are the best they’ve been for about a month after temperatures finally dropped and there was a 5-10cm (2-4″) snowfall to end last week, followed by low temperatures since, which has enabled plenty of snow-making. There’s been a few light snow flurries too. It’s not made a huge change to the stats for snow depths or open terrain but it has made the skiing much better again. Perisher (60/130cm / 24/52″) continues to post the deepest snow stats and the most open terrain with about 48km (30 miles) of slopes open, the second most in the world at present. Falls Creek (50/70cm / 20/28”) is not far behind with 45km (28 miles) of slopes skiable, which is over 90% of its potential terrain. The numbers are less good for Thredbo (40/75 cm / 16/30”), which only has half of its runs open still. Mt Baw Baw and Selwyn continue to struggle but Selwyn has at least been able to re-open its sledging slope thanks to the fresh snow, if not yet it’s skiing.
AUSTRALIA FORECAST
The cold weather should continue through the remainder of this week, along with light snow showers. There’s the potential for more significant snowfall to end the week and through the weekend.
NEW ZEALAND REPORT
Conditions have further improved overall in New Zealand with all centres now open and Mt Ruapehu’s Tūroa (125/255 cm / 50/1092”) now posting the deepest snow in the world, overtaking Switzerland’s Saas-Fee and the first time a southern hemisphere ski area has held the title this year. The latest base boost came at the end of last week when North Island ski areas saw a foot (30cm) or so more snow. But then the North Island has had a pretty good 2023 season from the start, Ruapehu’s problems were not so much lack of snow as lack of staff as it struggled to recruit enough people quickly enough after it got the go-ahead to operate out of administration just days before the season start. On the South Island lack of snow and warm weather was the problem but is less relevant now after several weeks of cold and snowy weather. Mt Hutt (100/193cm / 40/77″) has all 40km (25 miles) of its slopes now open for the first time this season as well as the country’s and southern hemisphere’s second deepest base. Coronet Peak (44/120cm / 17/48″) is also 100% open with 40km (25 miles) of slopes open for the first time this season too. Though the news is predominantly good weather is weather and several areas were closed at the start of this week by gales and/or low visibility.
NEW ZEALAND FORECAST
A few sunny but cold days are forecast for the remainder of this week with daytime highs around freezing and overnight lows down as far as -10C. The next snowfalls are expected at the weekend.
ARGENTINA REPORT
Argentina has had another largely dry week, with temperatures rather warm for lower slopes in the afternoons although dropping back below freezing overnight. So bases remain unimpressive but still all of the country’s main centres are open. Cerro Catedral (10/60cm / 4/24”), near Bariloche, continues to post the most terrain open in the country, South America, the entire southern hemisphere and actually the whole world with about 90km (55 miles) of its slopes open, despite its thin cover at its base level, representing about 75% of its full domain.
ARGENTINA FORECAST
It is looking more promising for something more wintery in the latter half of this week with temperatures set to drop further – as low as -15C for Cerro Castor (50/70cm / 20/28”), which is posting the country’s deepest snow, overnight. There’s more snow forecast, getting heavier into the weekend.
CHILE REPORT
Chile’s snow stats are looking a little better than Argentina’s but remain below average here too. The past week has not improved things much with some warm and sunny temperatures, although dropping back down below freezing overnight. Almost all centres are open though with around 50-90% of their terrain able to open. El Colorado (10/50 cm / 4/20”) reports the most terrain open, around 27km/23 miles of slopes. Powder centre Portillo (48/121cm / 19/48”) has the deepest snow in the country.
CHILE FORECAST
There’s not a lot of change expected but it looks like there’ll be at least some light snowfall to end the week with temperatures cool on the slopes. But probably only just a few centimetres (an inch or two), it is not a big dump expected, unfortunately.
SOUTHERN AFRICA REPORT
We are fast approaching the end of southern Africa’s ski season and sadly it’s the first this century when no ski lift is believed to have operated. Lesotho’s sole ski area Afriski has been making snow but only for a small area of “snow play” and not its main ski slope, saying there are powder supply guarantee problems. South Africa’s only ski area Tiffindell seems to have financial issues and hasn’t operated since the winter before the pandemic. It has natural snow reported on the 3,000m peaks above, but neither centre is offering skiing or boarding, although touring may be possible.
SOUTHERN AFRICA FORECAST
It’s a mostly sunny forecast, as usual. Overnight lows still getting down a degree or two below freezing overnight but daytime highs climbing up as high as +15C now.
Europe
EUROPE INTRO
Temperatures have been warming up again in the Alps and we’ve seen valley temperatures in the high 20s Celsius whilst even up at 3,500m on some of the continent’s highest glacier slopes, it has not really been getting down to freezing overnight, hanging a degree or two above. There has also been some light rain and sleet at times rather than the snow showers of recent weeks. But four centres remain open in Austria, Italy and Switzerland, as well as one up in Scandinavia, better than a year ago when there was only one at this point in August.
AUSTRIA REPORT
The year-round Hintertux Glacier (0/45 cm / 0/18″), the only ski area that managed to stay open in Europe from early August to mid-September last year, but this year with four others still going alongside it, continues to offer about a dozen kilometres (7.5 miles) of runs, despite a diminishing snowpack. Unfortunately, temperatures have risen from earlier this month and have mostly been above freezing, even overnight and even at glacier level, with plenty of sunshine. Austria will be the place to ski next month with Solden, Kaunertal, the Pitztal and Kitzsteinhorn glaciers all targeting opening dates in just over a month’s time in the latter half of September, conditions permitting.
AUSTRIA FORECAST
The warmer-than-we’d-like temperatures are set to continue over the coming week with plus 4-degree lows overnight at 3,000m and daytime highs reaching double figures. Staying mostly sunny with the danger of any showers bubbling up being rain rather than snow.
SWITZERLAND REPORT
Switzerland continues to have more centres open for summer skiing than any other, even if that is only two when the three other nations where skiing is still possible are down to one a piece. Saas Fee (0/250cm / 0/100″) may have been overtaken for the world’s deepest snow base by Mt Ruapehu in New Zealand but it is still holding the top spot for snowpack depth north of the Equator and also one of the largest open ski areas at 14km (9 miles). That’s a few kilometres more than neighbouring Zermatt (0/200m / 0/80″), where the Italian women’s speed team has been training this past week alongside regular skiers and boarders. Both centres have had mostly warm, sunny weather with temperatures in the low single figures Celsius but hardly dipping below freezing even on Europe’s highest slopes.
SWITZERLAND FORECAST
More sunny weather is forecast for the rest of the week with temperatures remaining quite warm. There is a chance of some light snow showers on the highest peaks later in the day most days, however.
FRANCE REPORT
There’s currently nowhere open for skiing in France, other than the indoor facility at Amneville, and with Tignes announcing it does not plan to open for the season until late November, it currently appears that there may not be anywhere open in France for another three months. That will be a first for the past 50 years or so if it happens.
FRANCE FORECAST
It’s been very warm on high mountain peaks in France over the past week and looks set to remain so, with temperatures in the +5 to +10C range even at 3,500m. Mostly sunny weather but with some showers and potentially stormy weather too.
ITALY REPORT
Italy’s Passo Stelvio (0/65cm / 0/26”) remains open with limited terrain and the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise area above Zermatt remains accessible from Cervinia, as it will be year-round, after a brief break, from October. Passo Stelvio has seen plenty of sunshine over the last week and some rain showers. Temperatures have been in the -2 to +12C range. Val Senales, which is usually one of the first in the country to open for the ski season in the first half of September, has announced that it won’t be opening until December this year due to cable car construction work.
ITALY FORECAST
Sunny weather is expected to continue with occasional rain showers. Temperatures are expected to peak at around +12C with lows around freezing.
SCANDINAVIA REPORT
Norway’s Galdhøpiggen summer ski area (0/150 cm / 0/60”) remains the only ski area still open to the public in Scandinavia, with about a mile (1.5km) of slopes skiable, the region’s highest lift-served terrain, accessible. Temperatures have been close to freezing overnight but reaching high single figures Celsius in the daytime, so the best conditions are in the early morning as usual in summer. The Fonna glacier is also open for bookings by teams training (not to the public) and it’s now only 7 weeks until the 23-24 ski season is due to begin, thanks to snow farming, at Levi and Ruka in northern Finland.
SCANDINAVIA FORECAST
Temperatures are expected to continue to be in the 0-10C range over the week ahead with mixed conditions: sun, rain, sleet and cloud all in the forecast most days of the coming week.
USA REPORT
Less than a week after Mammoth Mountain finally ended its 275-day season, its second longest ever, the Sunday before last (6th August), the last area left still open from autumn 2022, Timberline ski area in Oregon, announced that it too was closing on Sunday 13th August. Up to Sunday, it had been offering skiing and boarding on its Palmer permanent snowfield on Mt Hood, but the over 700 inches (over 58 feet/nearly 18 metres) of snowfall it had received earlier this season had all but melted away in recent months having seen temperatures in the 70s/80s Fahrenheit, leaving only a few miles of slopes open until noon each morning and its base greatly diminished with no official measure posted. In years past Timberline stayed open for skiing for around 11 months, closing after the US Labor Day holiday at the start of September and then opening for the next season the following month, but it’s a few years now since the resort last stayed open into autumn/fall. The one centre that had kept a terrain park open for private access by campers at the Woodward Facility above Copper Mountain in Colorado is reported to have also ended its 2023 season.
So now the focus is increasingly on the start of the 23-24 North American ski season, potentially less than two months away. A number of ski areas including Lake Louise and Mammoth have named November 10th, now less than three months away, as their target opening dates. Several high-altitude resorts in Colorado as well as snow-makers in the Midwest will aim to open up to a month before then though, in October. Loveland ski area reports it is now only 50 days away from its target snow-making start date at the end of September, so long as it’s cold enough. If you can’t wait there’s always the Big Snow indoor centre in New Jersey.
USA FORECAST
Mostly sunny weather for the week ahead with daytime highs in resorts getting up into the 70s and 80s. However, on high slopes in Colorado, we are heading down towards freezing now with overnight lows down to the high 30s or low 40s Fahrenheit for some, raising the anticipation!
