WORLD SNOW ROUNDUP #216
Issued: 10 November 2021
By Patrick “Snowhunter” Thorne
European Roundup
North American Roundup
Asia Roundup
WORLD OVERVIEW
We’ve had some early powder skiing in the Alps and Rockies thanks to some good snowfalls for both over the past week. More glacier resorts have been opening in Europe and there are now more than 30 resorts already open there across seven countries. From now on though the number of resorts open on both sides of the Atlantic should be growing almost daily as we’re on the cusp of the start of the main season when the resorts that don’t have a glacier/very high altitude/very northerly latitude areas begin opening. It’s also worth noting that Swiss resort Saas-Fee reported 50km (31 miles) of slopes open at the weekend, the largest area at any one open resort since Perisher in Australia last August. Another piece of ‘best for several months’ news is that Austria is the first Northern Hemisphere nation to reach double figures for areas open, reaching 10 at the weekend, the most since New Zealand in September. Switzerland and the US are close behind.,
The next major ski nation to start its season is Canada with several ski areas in Alberta opening at the weekend. That good news was overshadowed a little by what for some is the controversial decision to only allow fully-vaccinated skiers on the slopes at a growing number of areas there. It appears that public health guidelines allow businesses to operate at capacity if everyone is fully vaccinated, but not if they aren’t. The first resort also opened for 21-22 on North America’s east coast with Vermont’s Killington taking advantage of low temperatures on its upper mountain to make snow to open one run.
EUROPE INTRODUCTION
We are creeping closer to the start of the main ski season in the Alps with nerves jangling at resorts like Garmisch in Germany, Obergurgl and Obertauern in Austria and Val Thorens in France, all due to open in just over a week after missing last season in one way or another due to the COVID crisis (the Austrian resorts could open but not have tourists, the French could have tourists but couldn’t run lifts and German areas couldn’t open at all). So far though it looks fairly promising and we are just about good to go for winter 21-22. There’s also been some fresh snowfall to kick off November after the warm/dry October with snow down to the valley floor last week and up to 60cm (24”) reported on glaciers giving powder conditions on the 20 or so centres that are already open. Their numbers grew by at least four at the weekend with more Swiss areas open, meaning it is up to nine areas open, one less than Austria. The snow news wasn’t 100% good though, some Swiss areas like Arosa and Verbier said they’d had less than expected and wouldn’t yet be opening as hoped. Up in Scandinavia, things appear to be gradually moving in the right direction with more snowfall reported and several of the region’s major resorts scheduled to open in less than a fortnight.
The only virus hiccup at present is coming from Austria and Germany which recently tightened restrictions as cases surge in both countries, so that only fully vaccinated skiers or those who have recovered from an infection can ski, having a negative test result only is not currently enough.
AUSTRIA
AUSTRIA REPORT| Austria continues to have the most ski areas open of any one country in the world and is the first to open 10 centres in the Northern Hemisphere this pre-winter with Kaltenbach (0/75cm / 0/30”) the latest to open at the weekend. This keeps it just ahead of the US and Switzerland for now although it looks like they too will both be getting into double figures next week. It is likely China is already there. The Dachstein glacier (0/30cm / 0/12”) also finally opened its downhill runs to the public at the weekend having previously only been open to race teams, with the public allowed on its cross-country trails. And Austria too will get into double figures in just over a week with the first of the country’s ‘winter season only’ resorts (Obergurgl and Obertauern) that rely on snowfall and snow-making rather than glaciers or snow farming, due to open. Back to the present though and Austrian glaciers reported some of their best conditions of the autumn once the snowstorms and accompanying gales, which closed several of them for a while, passed through. The sunshine then came out for the weekend and since, giving fairly sublime conditions with up to 60cm (two feet) of fresh snow lying. Hintertux (0/135cm / 0/63”), Kaunertal (80/150cm / 32/60”) and Solden (53/134cm / 22/62”) have all blasted through the metre (40”) upper slope base depth mark thanks to the new snow and Hintertux and Solden also have some of the largest areas of terrain currently open anywhere with about 40km (25 miles) of runs open. The Pitztal (10/70cm / 4/28”), Molltal (10/40cm / 4/16”) and Kitzsteinhorn (0/90cm / 0/376”) are also open with fresh snow too. Even Kitzbuhel (0/40cm / 0/16”), which had opened with a ribbon of white snow-farmed snow at the Resterkogel on the final weekend of October was transformed into a winter wonderland.
AUSTRIA FORECAST| The sunny weather that dominated over the weekend looks set to continue through this week. Temperatures staying close to freezing in the higher mountains, 0-10 above freezing in the valleys.
SWITZERLAND REPORT| After only one of four Swiss areas that had hoped to open for the last weekend of October was able to do so as the weather then was warm and dry, the snowy weather in the Alps has allowed four areas to open this past weekend, including more of the original ‘October four’ although not all, and some others. Laax (0/20cm / 0/8”) was one of those that missed October but opened on the 5th, joined by three that hadn’t targeted October, Glacier 3000 (5/140cm / 2/56”) above Gstaad and Les Diablerets, the Schilthorn above Murren (0/40cm / 0/16”) and the Parsenn ski area above Davos (20/65cm / 8/28”). With Zermatt (15/150cm / 6/60”), Saas-Fee (10/165cm / 4/66”), Engelberg (0/80cm / 0/32”), the Diavolezza glacier near St Moritz (50/120cm / 20/48”) and Andermatt (20/120cm / 8/48”) already open it means Switzerland now has nine areas open. Arosa and Verbier said they had considered opening but felt conditions for them were not yet good enough. All did see some snowfall though, for most down to resort level and accumulations of 20-40cm (8-16”) were reported. Saas-Fee announced it had 50km of slopes open for the weekend, the most terrain open in the world at present.
SWITZERLAND FORECAST| Largely dry and sunny for the remainder of the week. Staying sub-zero day and night on the upper mountain where the open terrain is, so snow cover should hold up well. Warmer, hitting 10 degrees above freezing down in the valleys in the afternoon.
FRANCE REPORT|There was snowfall across the French Alps as well as down in the French Pyrenees last week with several fronts moving across the country. The snow fell to low elevations, even down to resort bases below 1,000m altitude on Wednesday afternoon last week. Since then it has been drier but staying mostly cloudy and cool. Les 2 Alpes ended its two-week mid-autumn glacier opening at the weekend so we’re back to just Tignes (5/50cm / 2/20”) open in France at present with 15km (9 miles) of trails operating up on the Grande Motte glacier. The main French season begins to kick off at the end of next week though with Montgenevre announcing at the weekend it’s opening early and joining Chamonix and Val Thorens, opening from the 20th.
FRANCE FORECAST|The current dry and sunny weather looks set to continue until at least the weekend. Temperatures at or below freezing in the mountains, climbing 5-10 degrees above down in the valleys during the daytime.
ITALY REPORT|Ski areas across Italy reported big snowfalls last week. Livigno, due to open in a few weeks, one of the biggest storm totals claimed of 72cm (29”). However, like France, the resorts open here so far are few, and there’s an onus from those that are open on pandemic preparedness advising online ticket purchase, good mask-wearing and distancing. The latest ski areas to open in Italy are the Presena Glacier in Trentino which began turning its lifts at the weekend, and Cortina in the Dolomites, which opened its first chair on Sunday. They replace spring-autumn ski area Passo Stelvio which ended its 2021 season five days earlier, just before the latest big snowfall began. the Cervinia (15/150cm / 6/60”) opened lifts and runs on its side of the Swiss border, noting to skiers that it had stricter requirements on the pandemic than on Zermatt’s side. It was another area that reported a lot of snow this past week. Val Senales (0/80cm / 0/32”) is also open along with Sulden (20/30cm / 8/12”) in the south Tyrol.
ITALY FORECAST|The sunny weekend and start to the week will continue across Italy. It should remain cold in the mountains, rarely getting above freezing, a little warmer but still not getting much above freezing down in resort.
GERMANY REPORT| German skiers are tense at present waiting to see if the Zugspitze glacier will open next week as planned. This time last year its opening was prevented by what was initially billed as a short lockdown up to early December but which ended up closing it and almost all other German centres all winter. Things appear to have taken a step back with the news that lifts must close there this week due to the current level of the virus in the country. There has been more fresh snowfall over the past week and hope remains that the ski season will get underway there shortly.
GERMANY FORECAST| Mostly sunny weather for the run-up to opening next week. Rather warm too, but that shouldn’t impact the snow up high on the Zugspitze too much.
SCANDINAVIA REPORT| Mixed reports from Scandinavia with some areas reporting it has been too warm (although colder since the weekend) whilst centres already open are typically reporting good conditions with fresh snow. These include Norway’s Galdhopiggen glacier (20/60cm / 8/24”), which is actually due to end its two-week extended season that began last spring this coming weekend. Elsewhere, the same two areas are open in Finland, Levi (5/30cm / 2/12”) and Ruka (0/50cm / 0/20”), also reporting lots of fresh snow on top of the farmed snow they used from last season to open a month ago. The same two Swedish centres, Idre Fjall (0/70cm / 0/28”) and Kåbdalis (25/95cm / 10/38”) are open too. Most Scandinavian resorts are due to start opening for their season on one of the final two weekends of November.
SCANDINAVIA FORECAST| Mostly overcast and well below freezing, double-digits bellow in fact in the north. Snow showers at times and a definite wintery feel.
SCOTLAND REPORT|UK media reported that one of the longest surviving permanent snow patches in the Scottish Highland mountains melted away last week. Even though we are now well into November, sadly there’s been little snowfall on Scottish slopes, just a little up very high.
SCOTLAND FORECAST| Mostly overcast, with some rain showers over the coming week in the Scottish Highlands. Temperatures still looking unseasonably warm, as they have all autumn, and generally too warm for snow when precipitation does arrive, except perhaps up very high.
SPAIN / ANDORRA REPORT| The Pyrenees saw some of the snowfall that reached the Alps last week and so did other ski areas on the Iberian peninsula, including Portugal’s only ski area, Serra de Estrela, which posted images of its slopes turned white, as did Europe’s most southerly ski area, Sierra Nevada. Several areas, including Sierra Nevada, reported they had turned on snow-making systems. The season is due to start here around the end of the month.
SPAIN / ANDORRA FORECAST| A sunny week ahead with no snow forecast. Up in the mountains temperatures will hover around freezing, down at the base of the slopes it will be in the range of freezing to around 10 degrees above.
BULGARIA / ROMANIA REPORT| We’re still three weeks away from the likely start of the 21-22 season in south eastern Europe. The weather has been autumnal; cool and wet in recent days rather than looking wintery. But there’s still plenty of time for a change.
BULGARIA / ROMANIA FORECAST| The autumnal weather with more rain and temperatures 5-10 degrees above freezing looks to be set in for the coming week. That said, it appears a temperature dip at the weekend could turn the rain to snow on higher slopes.
CZECH REPUBLIC / SLOVAKIA REPORT| It has been a mixture of sunshine with either rain or snow showers in the Tatera and giant mountains over the past week. Higher slopes have seen snow again in the last few days after a sunny weekend. The season start is 2-3 weeks away at the end of November or early December for most.
CZECH REPUBLIC / SLOVAKIA FORECAST| The autumnal feel will continue with more rain/snow showers midweek and temperatures five degrees either side of freezing point in the mountains, a little warmer in resort. Largely dry and sunny again for the latter half of the week.
NORTH AMERICA
NORTH AMERICA INTRO| A mixed bag this week with a good deal more fresh snowfall in the US Rockies and the first resorts opening on the eastern side of the continent, and up in Canada. But against that a fast thaw of the big snow dump a fortnight ago in California and limited terrain open at those newly opened centres because, as yet, there’s very little snow.
Lake Louise and Mt Norquay, two of Banff’s three ski areas, were the first resorts to open in Canada over the weekend and Killington was the first on the east coast, but also with just one run and in its case entirely made from machine-made snow as the resort took advantage of low overnight temperatures.
ROCKIES REPORT| The Rocky Mountains have been reporting some of the heaviest snowfall in North America over the past seven days, with some centres in Utah reporting up to a foot (30cm) of new cover. But temperatures have been yo-yoing a bit with good snow-making weather one day, thawing warm temperatures at others. Colorado continues to have the most areas open in North America, and the only centres open in the US Rockies, with four resorts operating already and two more, Breckenridge and Vail, aiming to open this coming weekend. Keystone (4/18” / 12/45cm) has had top to bottom skiing available since the weekend and Arapahoe Basin (24/22” / 35/55cm) has also been opening more runs and has the deepest snow, marginally. Loveland (12/18” / 30/45cm) is the latest area to open and Wolf Creek (11/11″/ 28/28cm) is open at weekends.
ROCKIES FORECAST| After a warm and sunny start to the week, a front should bring lower temperatures and midweek snowfall before a return of sunshine into the weekend, however, with cooler temperatures than before.
USA WEST REPORT| After the great excitement of the big snowfalls at the end of October, which led to three Californian ski areas opening early, there has been some backtracking with Mammoth (30/91cm / 12/26″) announcing it was being forced to close some of its previously open terrain and Palisades Tahoe, which had been planning to open weekends, explained it couldn’t as, “Mother Nature has other plans. Due to warm temps, some rain, and melting snowpack, we will be closed for skiing and riding this weekend. Daily operations are scheduled to kick off on November 24th, but we will continue to assess snowpack and open sooner if conditions permit.” Boreal, the other early-opening area, has also closed. That said, the start of this week has seen a return to colder weather and some further light snowfall.
USA WEST FORECAST| The current snowy weather should clear and the latter half of the week looks sunny, temperatures hovering around freezing in the mountains, going a few degrees either side.
MIDWEST REPORT| Cold weather and up to seven inches (18cm) of snowfall was reported in the Midwest in the middle of last week, finally turning moods there to winter. But there’s still no centres able to open as the temperatures remain just too high for snow-making and the snowy spells have been limited and short-lived. Resorts are reporting they’re ready to go as soon as Mother Nature plays ball.
MIDWEST FORECAST| The warm dry weather of recent days should begin to change midweek with first rain then (potentially) snow from around Friday as temperatures are due to drop down below freezing.
USA EAST REPORT| As forecast last week there’s been a little fresh snowfall on higher slopes in the eastern US with New York State’s Whiteface among the resorts posting images of fresh snowfall last week. Also as forecast, cold overnight temperatures were great for snow-making and as a result Killington (10/30cm / 4/12″) was able to open its first run, Superstar, the run which piles high with snow in winter and stays open through May at the other end of the season, saw a grassy background on its high slopes from Friday. Day one was a ‘pass-holders only’ day but the slope was open to all over the weekend.
USA EAST FORECAST| It’s a clear and sunny week ahead in the east. But with overnight lows well below freezing, which is good news for further snow-making. A front is in the forecast as we head into the weekend, which unfortunately currently looks warmer and wetter, but things may get more wintery as we get closer.
CANADA
CANADA WEST REPORT| Canada’s 2021-22 season is underway with Lake Louise (20/20cm / 8/8”) and Mt Norquay (15/25cm / 6/10”) near Banff, in Alberta, opening on Friday last week. Nakiska, the closest centre to Calgary, had planned to open on Saturday (6th) but decided to delay to this week due to warm weather. Two more Albertan ski areas, Marmot Basin, up near Jasper, and third Banff area, Sunshine (on Thursday 11th), said they’ll be open for this coming weekend. However, Marmot Basin has now set its opening back a week to the 19th. It has continued to be fairly cold and snowy in the region with resorts in Alberta and BC reporting further accumulations. But there’s not yet huge amounts of snow and warm spells have melted some snow that has fallen at times. As a result Lake Louise, which is due to host the first world cup downhills of the 21-22 Olympic season at the end of this month, opened with just one trail, Wiwaxy, open. It was a similar story at Norquay, both using snow-making to get their seasons started.
CANADA WEST FORECAST| A fairly promising week ahead in the west, especially inland, with temperatures staying at or below freezing most days in the mountains and snow forecast almost daily too, albeit most likely fairly light stuff for now.
CANADA EAST REPORT| There’s been the first significant snowfall of the pre-season so far in Quebec with the region’s biggest resort, Tremblant, posting images of a few centimetres of snow lying on its upper mountain last week. Mont St Sauveur did likewise and showed images of snow cannons working too. It’s hoping to be first in the east to open, next weekend. The big news from Quebec though is that the province’s association of 75 ski areas has agreed that all will require skiers and boarders to show a vaccine pass to prove they are fully vaccinated to be allowed to use the slopes. This enables them to operate at full capacity under Canada’s operational rules during the pandemic.
CANADA EAST FORECAST| Colder, drier weather over the coming week. Although some periods of light precipitation, which could be snow again, particularly at altitude. Temperatures are not expected to drop much below freezing which may impact snow-making efforts, more likely hovering a degree or two above most nights.
ASIA
JAPAN REPORT| A second Japanese ski area, Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Area, opened last week joining Fujiyama Snow Resort YETI. It has used snow-farming to create a slope of about a kilometre in length against a green autumnal background. Meanwhile, across the Sea of Japan, more small centres are reported to have opened in China, using snow-making, as the country continues to build up to the 2022 Beijing Olympics, now less than three months away. Talking of China, the country had its first big snowfall of the season to start this week. Leading to more centres opening.
JAPAN FORECAST| The rather warm, sometimes wet weather in Japan’s mountains over recent days should turn more wintery for the latter half of this week, with light snow forecast on higher slopes from around Thursday.
