WORLD SNOW ROUNDUP #209
Issued: 4th October 2023
By Patrick “Snowhunter” Thorne
World Overview
There’s a definite change of seasons on both sides of the world as we start October with the number of open ski areas in the northern hemisphere set to get back into double figures from the coming weekend, but drop down into single figures in the southern hemisphere as of next Monday.
The weather signs are running pretty well as you’d expect with the most consistently cold and snowy weather on the northern slopes of Canada and Scandinavia in the northern hemisphere, as well as high slopes in the western US, where some ski areas are beginning snow-making this week, ahead of the 23-24 season start later this month, all being well.
In Europe, the Alps are once again, not in the best of autumnal shape, with thin cover on glaciers and several that had planned to open last weekend delaying to at least next weekend when it looks like it should be cooler. Further north though we should see Finland’s 23-24 season start on Friday with two centres due to open thanks to snow saved from last winter being recycled back onto the slopes.
Southern Hemisphere
All ski areas in Australia and southern Africa are now closed for the 2023 season.
NEW ZEALAND REPORT
New Zealand has seen more of its bigger commercial centres close at the end of their 2023 seasons with Treble Cone ending its operations on Sunday. However, more centres remain open here than any other southern hemisphere nation as we enter October. Some of these are likely to be among the last still operating in the southern hemisphere with Mt Hutt (93/144cm / 37/57”) and The Remarkables targeting October 15th then Mt Ruapehu’s Whakapapa aiming to keep going to the 22nd and Turoa, latest of all, to the 24th. This past week has once again seen rapidly changing conditions with gale force winds again a big factor, closing centres at times. Temperatures have had a bit of a rollercoaster too with some warm days and fast thaws but then some snow flurries too giving a nice refresh. Mt Hutt has the most terrain open, about 95% of its full area still.
NEW ZEALAND FORECAST
More settled weather is expected for the next few days with more sunshine. Overnight lows still getting down towards freezing, sometimes a degree or two below, but daytime highs climb up into the teens at times signalling the final weeks of the season are definitely here for those areas that are still soldiering on.
ARGENTINA REPORT
Temperatures continue to rise and most of Argentina’s ski areas have called it a day on the 2023 ski season after last weekend. However, several are planning to keep going for a week or two more, including the largest, Catedral (5/100cm / 2/40”), aiming to keep some runs open to the 15th and now offering free skiing and boarding in October to locals living in Bariloche. It still had around 50% of its slopes open at the last report and that’s still around 60km/37 miles of runs, the most of any currently open resort. Although temperatures have continued to get down to freezing on higher runs overnight things are warming up fast though with daytime highs getting above +120C even up high and touching +20C down in the valleys.
ARGENTINA FORECAST
It will continue to be ever more springlike with milder temperatures continuing to dominate and thaw the snowpack. There are signs of a potential dip in temperatures and even snowfall for higher slopes at the weekend though.
CHILE REPORT
As with Argentina, most of Chile’s ski centres have ended their 2023 seasons, but a small number are carrying on for a few final weeks, as temperatures rise a little in the Andes. Saying that, despite lots of sunshine, it has not been THAT warm with overnights still subzero and not getting much above freeing on higher slopes even if the afternoons. Getting up towards +6 to +8C at bases though. Among these staying open, Valle Nevado (70/130 cm / 28/52”) is posting its best base of the season and also its most terrain open, 95% of the slopes, so going out on a high! Corralco (30/60cm / 12/24”) is also staying open into early next week and is also posting more than 90% of its slopes open with some of the best conditions, in terms of snow depths at least, of the season to date. Antilanca (20/50cm / 8/20”) is aiming to open for the next two weekends but is now closed midweek. Of the centres that closed at the weekend, Portillo is the biggest name.
CHILE FORECAST
Not much change in the forecast, still cold in the mountains, but still predominantly clear skies. The exception, towards the weekend, is more southerly latitudes where a front could bring snowfall to the end of the week.
Europe
EUROPE INTRO
The switch to pre-winter mode stalled rather in the Alps this week with warm, sunny weather right up to 4,000m leading to the three Austrian glaciers that had planned to open on the final few days of September changing their minds and opting to delay a week or two instead. The belated good news is it does appear that the first week of October will see falling temperatures and the first hope of fresh snowfall on high slopes by the end of this week. Up in the north, it has been colder and there was fresh snow falling on skiers and boarders on the slopes of Norway’s Galdhopiggen glacier at the weekend. Two Finnish centres, Levi and Ruka, have also begun rolling out the huge 100,000 sqm+ sized piles of snow they stored through the summer and will open for their 23-24 seasons this coming Friday, creating slopes a few kilometres long at each with the recycled snow. With them opening and (hopefully) more glacier centres in the Alps at the weekend we should be back into double figures for the number of European areas with lifts spinning for the first time since early May.
AUSTRIA REPORT
It was a weekend of delayed starts in Austria as three centres that had all planned to open in the final days of September, the Kaunertal, Kitzsteinhorn and Solden glaciers, all announced delays due to warmer temperatures and/or too little snow cover. Kitzsteinhorn had made the call some weeks ago, but Solden and Kaunertal, only did so a few days before their original dates, both saying it’ll be this coming weekend instead. The Kitzsteinhorn had already rescheduled to the 14th. The delays were unsurprising given a week of mostly warm, dry and sunny weather with plus temps on glaciers even at night again. But Austria does still have the Hintertux (0/10cm/ 0/4”) and Pitzal (0/15cm / 0/6”) glaciers open. Hintertux has managed to open more terrain, despite its very thin cover, now reporting 11km (7 miles) of slopes, for Pitztal its 3.3km (2 miles)
AUSTRIA FORECAST
There’s not a huge amount of change forecast for the week ahead, with plenty of sunshine and temperatures remaining above freezing on glaciers. So it seems there could be more delays to openings announced.
SWITZERLAND REPORT
Swiss centres continue to post by far the best conditions in the Alps with Saas Fee (0/160cm / 0/64”) and Zermatt (0/200cm / 0/80”), but having about 12km (8 miles) of slopes open, little changed on a week ago despite the warmer temperatures. At one point Engelberg had been due to join them this coming weekend but their opening date has been put back a fortnight to the 21st, the same as Diavolezza near St Moritz in the east. It has been a predominantly sunny week with temperatures warmer than ideal for early autumn, daytime highs on Europe’s highest glacier slopes reaching +6C and overnight lows remaining above freezing on some days again too.
SWITZERLAND FORECAST
An improving picture for the latter half of this week with temperatures due to dip back down below freezing in the daytime as well as overnight, afternoon highs only 3C or cooler and more unsettled weather, potentially bringing snow up high by the weekend.
FRANCE REPORT
There remains nowhere open in France and with warm temperatures on glaciers it continues to look like nowhere could really open at this point even if they wanted to. It is just over a fortnight until Les 2 Alpes intends to open for a 16-day period, including glacier skiing, if conditions improve before then. After that, it’s the last weekend of November for areas like Tignes and Val d’Isere to start their seasons.
FRANCE FORECAST
Continuing sunny and warm for early October with temperatures getting up to +8C on glaciers and overnight lows only down at +2C.
ITALY REPORT
Passo Stelvio (0/30cm / 0/12”) continues to stay open despite the daytime warmth which has twice led it to close over the past few months. It’s base remains thin so another closure can’t be ruled out before its normal, season-end in early November, but hopefully not. Recent days have been mostly sunny with daytime highs of +5 to +7C, but it is getting a degree or two below freezing at night to help stop the thaw. There are about 4km (2.5 miles) of slopes open. Cervinia is due to re-open in a few weeks’ time to begin its newly ‘unending’ ski season with year-round access to the glacier skiing above Zermatt.
ITALY FORECAST
Continuing largely dry and mostly sunny with temperatures dropping to around -7C overnight by the weekend. Daytime highs getting lower too just a few degrees above zero Celsius and more unsettled weather on the way so things could be starting to improve.
SCANDINAVIA REPORT
Finland’s largest ski resort of Levi began the task of spreading 130,000 m³ of stored snow out on its front slopes last Friday 29th September, describing the job of moving the snow as “a monumental task”. The resort, along with fellow Finnish ski centre, Ruka, plan to open for their 23-24 seasons next Friday 6th October. Both say they stockpiled record amounts of snow last spring using snow farming techniques. They have also improved storage techniques year after year to minimise loss due to thawing through the summer. Both resorts plan to create several runs with a combined length of over 2km from Friday, along with terrain park features and run new season gear test centres. As temperatures drop the slopes are topped up by snow-making, and the two areas also saw natural snowfall next week. Norway’s Galdhøpiggen (0/100cm / 0/40”) summer ski centre has reopened after a temporary closure for a month or so. Its season, which began last spring, normally runs to the start of November. Skiers and boarders enjoyed sliding in fresh snowfall on the last day of September.
SCANDINAVIA FORECAST
Temperatures on the early-opening ski slopes are looking good for the first week of October, with daytime highs only a degree or two above zero and overnight lows down at -5C. Snow showers and sunny spells are expected on the highest and most northerly slopes.
CANADA REPORT
The build-up to the start of the 23-24 Canadian ski season, probably 5-6 weeks away, continues to look promising at this early point with more snowfall in the west of the country. Silver Star, in BC, were among the areas posting their first covering, but for some like Sunshine near Banff, expected to be one of the first to open with a tentative date of 10th November, it was the third or fourth. Here the snow was more than a dusting but hit 10m (4”) deep with several days of snowfall.
CANADA FORECAST
Cool with plenty of sunshine for the week ahead with temperatures getting below freezing overnight in the mountains around Banff, daytime highs 10-12C.
USA REPORT
A promising picture with cold weather, snowfall and snow-making getting underway on the highest slopes in Colorado, plus snowfall on high slopes across mountains of the west, with some of the first reported in the Sierra of California this fall as a moisture-laden front hit at the weekend, bringing heavy rain to lower elevations. Currently, the only centre open is the Big Snow indoor slopes of New Jersey but the race is now on to be the first outdoor centre open. Trollhaugen ski area, in Wisconsin, will be running a rail jam with a small amount of snow this coming weekend.
USA FORECAST
Looking good for the first week of October with overnight lows in the 20sF and some snow showers too, although mostly clear skies. Daytime highs at base levels are around the mid-high 40s.
