WORLD SNOW ROUNDUP #212
Issued: 18th October 2023
By Patrick “Snowhunter” Thorne
World Overview
Conditions have got colder again in Western North America with snow falling and snowmaking systems back running at high altitude areas in Colorado that currently seem most likely to deliver the first open area on the continent, hopefully still before the end of this month.
Conditions in Europe continue to be much more promising after the weather changed to much cooler conditions a week or so ago. Snow keeps falling, temperatures remain subzero above about 2,500m and more glaciers have opened their ski slopes and other resorts turned their snowmaking systems on to help build bases for the coming season. We’re now into double figures for the number of ski areas open on the continent – half of them in Austria. It’s here, in Solden, that the FIS Alpine Skiing 23-24 World Cup tour is due to kick off at the weekend.
The most wintery conditions though are up in Scandinavia where the first centre has opened for the 23-24 season there, up in Lapland, taking the number of European nations with open centres up to six, half of them in Scandinavia.
All ski areas in the southern hemisphere are now closed for the 2023 season, with New Zealand’s Whakapapa and Turoa on Mt Ruapehu on the North Island, along with Catedral in Argentina which had extended its season several times, the last to end their seasons over the past few days.
With that being the case, the only other continent besides Europe where ski lifts are currently running is Asia, where one small centre has a run open in Japan, thanks to an all-weather snowmaking system.
Europe
EUROPE INTRO
We are back into double figures for the number of ski areas open in Europe with two more Austrian glaciers opening meaning we’re up to nine centres in the Alps alongside four in Scandinavia, including the first in Sweden opening for the 23-24 season there.
It appears more normal autumn conditions are taking hold at last with subzero temperatures and snow showers continuing on high slopes in the Alps and much cooler weather down to valley floors too. Besides more glaciers opening resorts known for long seasons and mid-late November openings (now only 3-5 weeks away) have also got confidence in the forecast enough to start snowmaking and base building to top up natural cover.
Snowfall has also been reported over a wide area of the continent with the first snow on high slopes in countries like Bulgaria and Croatia recorded. Further west ski areas in the Pyrenees also saw snowfall on their higher slopes. There was also fresh snowfall following stormy weather on high peaks in the Scottish Highlands with up to a foot (30cm) reported up high at Cairngorm at the weekend.
AUSTRIA REPORT
We are up to six ski areas open in Austria, which is about half the world total, after Solden (0/55cm / 0/22”) and the Molltal Glacier (the first not in Tirol) opened over the last week. Solden’s opening had been delayed multiple times but came as cold weather and snowfall continued on glaciers and high slopes in the Austrian Alps. The change in conditions after the warm first half of the autumn is clearly good news but it is bringing issues of its own including storm closures at the Stubai Glacier (0/10cm / 0/4”) and others at the end of last week. Solden will be hoping for settled weather for the weekend when it is due to host season-opening FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup races. The Hintertux Glacier (0/10cm / 0/4”) continues to post the most terrain open in the country despite its thin cover and continues to organise popular autumn events in its terrain park. The Kaunertal Glacier (0/50cm / 0/20”) and Austria’s highest slopes on Pitztal (0/15cm / 0/6″) are also open. With the Dachstein Glacier now closed for Alpine skiing and dismantling its lifts it means that only the Kitzsteinhorn is yet to open, targeting the final weekend of October, coming up, about a month later than it had originally hoped. Elsewhere ski areas like Obergurgl which is usually the first non-glacier resort to open in the country have begun snowmaking ahead of its target November opening in three weeks’ time.
AUSTRIA FORECAST
It continues colder than it has been, thankfully, with glaciers continuing subzero day and night and frequent snow showers expected. Temperatures in valleys are expected to stay in single figures above about 1500m altitude with overnight lows down to freezing.
SWITZERLAND REPORT
The hoped-for October openings of the Diavolezza (Engadin near St Moritz) and Titlis (Engelberg) glaciers have been delayed by the warm autumn but the good news is that it has remained cold with some light snow up high, if not yet big falls. Saas Fee (0/140cm / 0/48″) and Zermatt (0/200cm / 0/80″) are both still open though and their glacier slopes look a little more wintery than they had to date. Zermatt is very keyed up to host the opening FIS World Cup Alpine Skiing speed events over the first few weekends of November and has stockpiled snow to try to get around last autumn’s lack-of-fresh-cover issue that led to the cancellation of the planned inaugural races. Hopefully this year it will happen.
SWITZERLAND FORECAST
Temperatures getting gradually cooler, remaining below freezing on glaciers where temperatures range from -2 to -10C. There’s more light snowfall in the forecast up to the weekend when the skies will clear again. Valley temperatures (around 1500m) still peaking in single figures (around 8-9C) in the afternoons and dropping a degree or two below freezing overnight.
FRANCE REPORT
It’s looking more wintery on French ski slopes but it remains the one nation of the Alpine “big four” with no ski slopes open and looks set to remain so for another month yet. Les 2 Alps cancelled its plans to open its glacier ski slopes for the current fortnight following the warm first half of autumn, so the earliest announced French resort opening dates are now for the final weekend of November with Val Thorens staging its traditional “Grand Premiere” opening weekend celebrations and Tignes, no longer aiming to open in autumn, planning to open that weekend, along with other French areas, too. It has been more wintery over the past few days though, with the Iseran Pass above Val d’Isere closing at the weekend a sign of approaching winter, although locals note there’s very little snow on it and that it would be passable with care at this point.
FRANCE FORECAST
It’s a much better forecast for French slopes and much more wintry than we’ve seen with subzero temperatures day and night above about 2500m and regular snow showers of varying intensity. Above about 1400m daytime temperatures will peak at about +9C and get down close to freezing with the potential of snow to some higher valley level.
ITALY REPORT
It’s been turning wintery on higher slopes in Italy too. The Presena Glacier above Passo Tonale posted images of a winter wonderland at the weekend and it is an improving picture at the Passo Stelvio (0/30cm / 0/12”) summer ski area – the only centre currently open in the country, and at Cervinia where lifts are running up to the Klein Matterhorn glacier (0/200cm / 0/80”) above Zermatt just over the border. We are probably into the final fortnight of the 2023 season at Stelvio where there are about 4km (2.5 miles) of slopes still open.
ITALY FORECAST
Staying subzero day and night above around 2,000m on Italian slopes and cool in valleys too. Snowfall down to as low as 1500m over the next few days but probably continue to be mostly light accumulations.
SCANDINAVIA REPORT
The 23-24 season has gotten underway in Sweden with Kåbdalis (25/70cm / 10/28”) the first in the country to open there. Conditions were great for opening weekend with sunshine after snowfall and there’s a good snow depth on the kilometre or so of slopes that are open so far. Finland’s Levi (10/30cm / 4/12”) and Ruka (20/30cm / 8/12”) are in full winter mode with lots of fresh snowfall now on top of the pistes created from last season’s recycled snow. Snowmaking systems have also been fired up to extend the couple of kilometres (1.5 miles) of runs bott have opened so far. Elsewhere things continue to look good across Scandinavia. The Galdhopiggen Glacier (30/100cm / 12/40″) in Norway also looks full winter now and has had to clear kits access road of fresh snow. It’s open to 3 pm daily. The Stryn glacier has also re-opened to teams looking for training facilities although the lifts aren’t operating at present.
SCANDINAVIA FORECAST
Temperatures remain subzero in Lapland and northern Scandinavia, day and night, right down to the valley floor, so overall another promising week. Overnight lows on fell tops getting down to double-digits below so perfect snowmaking conditions. Quite a lot of sunshine, not much snowfall forecast, just the odd light dusting.
CANADA REPORT
After a week of warmer, drier weather the snowfall returned to high slopes in Western Canada at the end of last week with ski areas including Lake Louise and Sunshine posting images of their slopes turning white. It then noted that snowmaking had gotten underway at the weekend. That’s all good news with the season start, hopefully, now less than a fortnight away for those Banff resorts, expected to be the first in Canada to open for the 23-24 season on 10th November, conditions permitting.
CANADA FORECAST
Remaining fairly cold and fairly cloudy for the coming week in the west with sunny spells and daytime highs at Alberta ski areas around +5C. Overnight low on high slopes dropping as low as -10C. Not much more snow forecast at present alas but temperature will allow for more snowmaking and further light flurries are possible.
USA REPORT
It has been a predominantly dry and sunny week for much of the Western US. Temperatures have allowed some snowmaking up high but it feels like the build-up to the season start has stalled a little and the remains nowhere you can currently ride a lift up a slope to ski or board down in North America – other than the indoor run at Big Snow in New Jersey! We are still not that far off though with webcams showing high slopes with snowmaking building bases in Colorado. In the East, things have been a little more autumnal and even wintery with the highest peaks seeing sleet and snow as temperatures dropped a few degrees below freezing overnight at the weekend. The Midwest, which delivered the first ski areas to open for the 22-23 season a year ago, has been rather warm this October with centres there saying it is now looking more like November before they’re able to open.
USA FORECAST
It’s really touch and go to see whether we’ll get a ski area opening in the next week – or to put it another way, before the end of October. Usually somewhere manages it before Halloween! …But there’s very little snowfall in the forecast for the Rockies for the coming week, and while overnight lows on some of the world’s highest ski slopes in Colorado will be down to the teens Fahrenheit, so looking good for full snowmaking, daytime highs in the mid-40s are less good news for that freshly made snow surviving. But one or more areas might just do it. Arapahoe Basin and Loveland have both said they’re passed halfway in terms of the amount of snow they need on the ground to consider opening a run or two.
Asia
JAPAN REPORT
Japan has seen more snowfall and down to lower elevations this week with the snowline on Mt Yotei at Niseko and other Hokkaido ski areas dropping lower. Elsewhere many Japanese areas including Appi and Hakuba have been posting images of snow-covered upper slopes. The only lift-accessed snow skiing possible at present though is on the small Yeti ski area (0/50cm / 0/20”) on the lower slopes of Mt Fuji which uses all-weather snowmaking to open a run early each fall and was the first in the country to open earlier this month for the 27th straight year.
JAPAN FORECAST
After the snowfall of last week and over the weekend, temperatures have climbed back a few degrees above freezing and sunny conditions are dominating. They currently look set to continue to do so for most of the week ahead.
