WORLD SNOW ROUNDUP #235
Issued: 13 April 2022
By Patrick “Snowhunter” Thorne
European Roundup
North American Roundup
Asia Roundup
WORLD OVERVIEW
The Alps saw their biggest snowfalls in over a month at the weekend, with stormy weather that also closed higher slopes (at resorts that are still open) due to gale force winds, and rain for many areas below about 1800m. Up above those ski areas “powder heaven” was reported with some seeing 60cm (2 feet) plus accumulations. The same was true for Scandinavia, where a 75cm (30”) accumulation was reported. But against that much of the snow has now gone below 1500m at most resorts and the majority of ski areas are now closed for the season.
A similar story in North America with some more decent snowfalls in many parts of the country, even in southerly states like California. But stormy weather too with gales at times and very warm temperatures between the cold front.
Around the world, about 90% of ski areas have closed but about 500, mostly high elevation or northerly latitude centres will make it through at least to Easter weekend coming up.
It’s still over two months away for most resorts in the region but the start of the southern hemisphere’s 2022 ski season is starting to build anticipation, aided by snowfall for Australia, New Zealand and the Andes (again) in the latter half of last week. There was a dusting too for Afriski in Lesotho, southern Africa, on Sunday.
EUROPE INTRODUCTION
The main snow news in Europe this past week was a major storm blowing through over the end of last week and through the weekend. Blown is accurate with gale-force winds impacting operations, but there was a lot of heavy snowfall up high, though also rain reported on lower slopes. The gales did blow in a lot of snowfall though, with some resorts reporting as much as 50cm (20”) more up high, while lower slopes are now green with grass in most areas. The sunshine returned at all elevations to start this week and we should be seeing +20C down in lower alpine valleys by Wednesday/Thursday. The mixture of snow, rain and strong winds was not, of course, conducive to a stable snowpack though and by the end of last week the avalanche danger level was close to its highest level in parts of the Alps and skiers were advised to stay off the fresh powder. A special mention to Scandinavia where there were some of the biggest snowfalls of 21-22 in parts of the region – up to 75cm (30”) in 24 hours reported.
AUSTRIA
AUSTRIA REPORT Fresh snow for many Austrian areas at the weekend, which was also the final one of the season for a chunk of them. About a quarter of Austrian centres remain open though, mostly the larger players. But it’s the glacier centres that are coming into their own for Easter until May. Year-round Hintertux (20/305cm / 8/122″) is one of several to hit the magic three-metre/10 feet base mark for the first time in 2022 as others cost. It has 50 of its 60 km of slopes open. Eight of the nine deepest bases in the country, all above 2.4m (8 feet), are on glaciers.
AUSTRIA FORECAST It’s getting very warm in valleys with midweek highs getting above 20C below 800m, so real season-ending stuff if not closed already. Closer to freezing up above 2000m so the country’s glacier areas, which may even see a little snowfall ahead of Easter weekend during a mostly sunny week ahead, should increasingly come into their own.
SWITZERLAND REPORT About a quarter of Swiss ski areas remain open for Easter weekend with the bigger, better-known areas mostly still operational. Meiringen is among the better-known resorts already closed while many big names like Adelboden, Davos and St Moritz have shut down sectors but will keep high lifts running into May. The Titlis glacier above Engelberg (0/300cm / 0/120”) has the deepest base and plans to stay open to the end of May. Strong winds impacted operations, particularly on higher slopes, at the weekend with Crans Montana (5/70cm / 2/28”) cancelling planned public access to its spectacular Nines terrain park, 2,800m up on the glacier on Saturday. Since Sunday though there has been some beautiful sunny weather with vast rising temperatures, particularly noticeable in the valleys.
SWITZERLAND FORECAST A sunny week ahead, on the whole, with a small chance of rain (snow up high) around Thursday/Friday. Valley temperatures heading towards +20C, up high between -5 and +5C for freeze-thaw conditions.
FRANCE REPORT French ski areas saw some of the biggest and best snowfalls above about 1800m at the weekend. There was rain lower down and strong winds too. It’s about a 50/50 split on open/closed ski areas in France although a sizable number plan to close after the Easter weekend leaving only a few dozen French areas still open for the latter half of this week. The big ski areas like Les 3 Vallées (173/233cm / 69/93”) and Tignes/Val d’Isère (120cm/230cm / 48/92″) are both reporting about 90% of their slopes still open, as are most of the others; those two are open the latest though, through to May 8th. The sunshine is now back out and temperatures are warming fast.
FRANCE FORECAST It’s expected to stay sunny through Easter weekend and into next week. Freeze-thaw on higher slopes with lower valley seeing temperatures pass +20cm, especially in the southern Alps.
ITALY REPORT Quite a few of Italy’s larger ski areas including Alta Badia, Val Gardena and even much of the Via Lattea (0/145cm / 0/58”) have now closed for the season. But about 50 Italian ski areas are open for Easter with Cervinia now reporting by far the most slopes (280km / 175 miles) open in the country, albeit shared with Switzerland. It has more than twice the next largest, another cross-border region, this time shared with France. La Rosière/La Thuile (122/260cm / 49/104”) is reporting the deepest snowpack and 120km (75 miles) of runs open. Like the rest of the Alps some snowfall over the weekend, warm and sunny the past few days.
ITALY FORECAST Largely sunny but with rain (lower down) snow (up high) showers possible in the central north to end the week. High teens in Italian alpine valleys, 10 degrees either side of freezing above 2000m.
GERMANY REPORT Almost all of Germany’s ski areas are now closed for the season but a few are still operating, including the highest, the Zugspitze Glacier (250/265cm / 100/106”), which is aiming to stay open to 1st May and has by far the deepest snow in the region. At the other extreme Winterberg (10/35cm / 4/14″), one of the few areas that opened at the end of the second lockdown at the end of last season is again managing to maintain a few kilometres of slopes against the elements. It was cold and snowy to quite low elevations at the weekend but has been warming up fast since.
GERMANY FORECAST Getting very warm mid-week but temperatures are set to dip again towards the weekend. There could then be some snow showers for Easter up high at Zugspitze but it looks more like rain at lower elevations.
SCANDINAVIA REPORT It’s been quite an exciting few days for skiers and boarders on Scandinavian slopes with some of the biggest snowfalls of the season so far reported at the weekend. Unlike most countries, the majority of centres remain open in Finland, Norway and Sweden so they were still open to enjoy it in most cases, although some smaller and more southerly resorts, including Oslo Ski Centre, have closed for the season. Norway’s Bjorli posted one of the biggest accumulations in the world for the last seven days, 75cm (30”) in the 24 hours to Sunday morning and there was deep powder skiing there to end the weekend.
SCANDINAVIA FORECAST Temperatures remaining close to freezing point, going about five degrees either side, over the coming week. A mixed bag of weather with sunny spells, plenty of cloud and probably the best chance of snowfall for most areas on Thursday/Friday.
SCOTLAND REPORT Another mixed week for Scottish ski centres. While the country’s PR machine was reporting on snowy weather across the north, which there was, the Cairngorm ski area was saying they couldn’t open at the end of last week as thawing had caused more cover loss than fresh snow had topped up. The situation had improved by the weekend enough for the centre to open more high terrain however, with a hike up and unsuitable for beginners. The Lecht, by contrast, continued to offer only beginner nursery slopes. Glenshee stayed closed and Nevis Range and Glencoe, in the west, continued to post the most terrain open. But temperatures have generally continued low with overnight freezing. There have been plenty of snow showers if not the type that really transforms conditions at this stage in the season. Strong winds have been an issue at times too as they so often are.
SCOTLAND FORECAST Warm and cold fronts have been doing battle over the highlands and the outcome has been switching by the hour. It has been cooler than hoped but currently it looks like warm weather will win out over Easter weekend, which is probably not good news for the remaining snowpack.
SPAIN / ANDORRA REPORT We’re into the final few days of the season for the small number of ski areas still open in the Pyrenees. They include the largest, Grandvalira (50/120cm / 20/48”), which reports that most of its terrain will stay open through Easter Sunday before closing. The past few days have seen increasingly warm weather in the region, getting up to +15C in valleys and as high as +5C in the afternoon at the top of the slopes, speeding up the thaw under sunny skies. La Molina (30/120cm /12/52”) has announced it plans to stay open to May 1st.
SPAIN / ANDORRA FORECAST The run-up to Easter will see colder weather over the next few days with the possibility of a few midweek and end-of-week snowstorms divided by sunny spells. Temperatures heading back down towards freezing.
BULGARIA / ROMANIA REPORT The season end is nigh in southeastern Europe and after the unusually consistently cold and snowy weather for the majority of March things have definitely been warming up since the start of April. Most of the centres in the region are now closed but some like Borovets (140/180cm / 56/72”) are sticking through to the week past Easter. There were some snow showers up high at the weekend and temperatures in the mountains dropped to double digits below but it has been mostly sunny and climbing back up to well above freezing since Monday.
BULGARIA / ROMANIA FORECAST The dry and sunny weather is expected to continue for the rest of this week with temperatures as high as +15C in valleys for the Easter weekend and getting above freezing even at high altitudes. There’s a chance of light snow showers up high later in the weekend though.
CZECH REPUBLIC / SLOVAKIA REPORT The season is continuing to wind down in the Czech and Slovak republics with 90% of ski areas in the region now closed at the end of their seasons although larger centres remain open. Those that are open saw snowfall, above about 1500m, into the weekend and at the start of the week, there was rain at lower elevations. Jasna (30/70cm / 12/28″), the largest centre in the region, is open for another week past Easter; it reports about 60% of its terrain is still open.
CZECH REPUBLIC / SLOVAKIA FORECAST Sunny with highs at +5 on upper slopes and +15 Celcius down in the resort. But it is expected to get colder and drop below freezing again in the mountains for the weekend, with the possibility of snow showers and a white Easter.
NORTH AMERICA
NORTH AMERICA INTRO About three-quarters of Canadian and US ski areas are now closed for 21-22 but many of the bigger, better-known ski areas plan to stay open for Easter week, next week, and a chunk of them at least to the start of May. The weather has been teasing them a little, as it so often does in mid-spring, with cold spells bringing quite a lot of fresh snow, with most mountains across the continent seeing some, the Pacific North-west the most…but also some very warm weather fronts have moved through, the two extremes dragging in fast-moving gale-force winds, making it hard to get some consistency.
ROCKIES REPORT There’s been more snowfall in the Rockies as more ski areas in the region end their seasons. There was some quite stormy weather going into the weekend then, after a sunny few days, more snowfall midweek. Several dozen ski areas remain open with Alta (44/103″ / 110/257cm), in Utah, posting the deepest base and with around 95% of its slopes still open.
ROCKIES FORECAST It’s going to be sunny into the Easter weekend with temperatures climbing back up into the 50s at resort level following the recent cold and snowy weather, colder still in the mountains though.
USA WEST REPORT There’s been another weather rollercoaster in the Pacific Northwest with more gale-force winds, exceptionally warm weather for the time of year (into the 70s F) to end last week before temperatures plummeted and more snow fell at high elevations at the weekend. Most ski areas in California closed last weekend or will close next weekend after a dry season which, for most areas, saw two thirds or more of the total snowfall for the winter arrive before December 31st and much less since. Heavenly Mountain Resort is aiming to stay open to April 24th, with Kirkwood and Palisades Tahoe continuing to May 1st and Donner Ski Ranch and Mammoth later into the spring.
USA WEST FORECAST The run-up to Easter is actually looking colder than much of the past three months with temperatures in the mountains largely in the 30s and 40s and even light snow forecast in California around Thursday. Heavier snowfall is likely to continue further north in Oregon/Washington where storm totals are likely to be measured by feet, rather than inches, up high at least.
MIDWEST REPORT We’re down to just a handful of resorts still open in the Midwest but several of those are planning to continue through to the start of May, and have had some decent fresh snowfall over the weekend to improve conditions and temperatures down in the 20s-30s. Most are located in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Indianhead Mountain (13/13” / 33/33cm) is one of them, reporting all trails open and 42 (10cm) of new snow moving into the weekend. The base is deeper at Lutsen Mountains (36/48″ / 105/145cm), which is 98% open still and also targeting May 1st for closing day.
MIDWEST FORECAST Things seem to be heading up towards seasonal norms in the Midwest with no real snow forecast over the next seven days, with the possibility that that’s it for this winter. That said, precipitation expected over the next few days might just fall as snow on a few higher spots, but it will be raining for most.
USA EAST REPORT Not too bad a week in the Northeast for mid-April with temperatures staying fairly cool, indeed getting below freezing overnight with snow showers at the weekend. Lots of ski areas in the region have closed but Sunday River (50/100cm / 20/40”), up in Maine, is aiming to make it at least to the end of the week after Easter. It’s posting the deepest base of the still open larger ski areas but is down to about a third of its terrain open. Killington (40/61cm / 16/24”), in Vermont, has the most terrain still open in the region and is aiming to stay open the longest, to the latter half of next month.
USA EAST FORECAST It’s not looking great, unfortunately, for the next few days on the run-up to Easter. Temperatures are heading well up into the 40s and 50s and there’s rain forecast at most elevations to end the week.
CANADA
CANADA WEST REPORT There’s been plenty of snow falling across western Canada just as most of the resorts in the region close for the season. Big White, in BC, was one of those reporting “incredible powder conditions” over the latter half of last week before rounding off its 21-22 winter at the weekend. But half-a-dozen or so ski areas are continuing on into the latter half of April with a number aiming to make it into May. Of these, Grouse Mountain (320/430cm / 128/172″) is posting the deepest base; it’s aiming to stay open until May 1st. Whistler (20/290cm / 8/116″) continues to post the largest amount of terrain open in North America and still has six weeks of its season to run.
CANADA WEST FORECAST It’s looking fairly grey, fairly cool and fairly dry over the coming week on Canadian ski slopes. Temperatures stay at or below freezing most of the time in the mountains, climbing five or ten degrees above in the valleys. Not much snowfall forecast really, just a dusting possible at the weekend.
CANADA EAST REPORT Spring weather with temperatures ranging from freezing to +10 degrees. It was colder at the weekend when some light snow showers were reported, warmer and sunnier since the start of the week. Some ski areas in eastern Canada closed last weekend and most of the remainder are due to close this Easter weekend. Mont Tremblant (30/305cm / 12/122”) still has both the deepest snow and most terrain open in the region by some distance. Sommet Saint-Sauveur (35/45cm / 14/18”) is one of the ski areas in the region staying open after Easter, targeting May 1st.
CANADA EAST FORECAST Warmer weather is expected through the latter half of the week with temperatures into double figures. Overcast skies will be the norm with rain expected to end the week in many areas.
ASIA
JAPAN REPORT Temperatures have been warming fast across Japan over the past week. In the lowlands, temperatures are up in the 20s and in the ski resorts it’s been into double figures. Snow depths are therefore continuing to drop at most ski areas in Japan and the majority of centres have now closed. However, bigger resorts remain open, some into May. Kiroro Snow World (390/390cm / 156/156”) is one of those still open but has dropped 30cm (a foot) in the past week but still has a great base to see it through the final weeks. Gassan’s famous summer ski centre opened at the weekend and is scheduled to stay open into July.
JAPAN FORECAST Temperatures should be dropping again through the latter half of this week and may even get back below freezing in the mountains. Some precipitation is forecast, likely to be rain at lower elevations, possibly snow showers higher up. Warm and sunnier again at the weekend.
