WORLD SNOW ROUNDUP #299
Issued: 12th July 2023
By Patrick “Snowhunter” Thorne
World Overview
Australia is once again the country/continent posting some of the best snowfalls of the past week, with ski centres there seeing weekend blizzards and up to half a metre (20 inches) of snowfall reported. Things are continuing to improve in the Andes and Patagonia too though with more snowfalls there and some big dumps expected over the next few days. All of the region’s larger areas are now open, albeit with limited terrain available so far and the best snow on higher slopes. For New Zealand, it is still marginal conditions with most snow gains thanks to snow-making, although Ruapehu on the North Island says its early season snowfall has been one of the best of recent years. In southern Africa, where sadly no ski lifts seem to be running this winter for the first time this century, there’s been unusually widespread natural snowfall in the last few days too.
Things are definitely hotting up now in the northern hemisphere with temperatures getting into double figures Celsius even on glaciers in the Alps and Scandinavia and the 70s Fahrenheit on the few still open snow slopes of North America. The last centre still open in Asia, Japan’s Gassan, has closed as the last snow has gone there and Scandinavia will have only one glacier area still open next week with Fonna saying it’ll close this weekend too. In the Alps though we should gain an open area with Saas Fee due to start its 8 month 23-24 season with glacier snowsports opening this coming weekend. Last year it only offered snowsports to race teams for the first few months due to the very hot spring meaning little terrain could open, this summer things look a little better at present.
Southern Hemisphere
AUSTRALIA REPORT
Australia had a great weekend of heavy snowfall taking snow depth totals past the metre mark for the first time this season at several resorts and allowing centres to open still more terrain. Accumulations of up to 48cm (19″) were reported over three days before skies cleared so that skiers and boarders could enjoy it all from Monday. Perisher (55/109cm / 22/44″) is posting the most terrain open in the country at present (and the second most in the world) with around 50km (31 miles) of runs open and 90% of its nearly 50 lifts spinning. It’s also one of only two in the southern hemisphere to pass the metre base depth mark. Thredbo (40/75cm / 16/30”) was one of the big snowfall winners posting 48cm (19”) of snowfall in 48 hours.
AUSTRALIA FORECAST
After all the snowfall it’s a largely sunny picture for the week ahead with temperatures in the range -5C overnight, cold enough for further snow-making some evenings, to +5C in the daytime.
NEW ZEALAND REPORT
It’s been a week of mostly small gains at New Zealand’s ski areas with the commercial centres making snow when they can and the club fields without this facility mostly still doing their snow dances hoping for a belated decent delivery after the rather meagre amounts most have seen so far this season. That said, on the North Island, Mt Ruapehu reported that they had an incredible amount of snow over the last week. “This early-season snowfall is something we have not witnessed in years,” a resort spokesperson said, excited to have good snow news after a year of concerns about the financial viability of the centre. However, the snow was accompanied by strong winds and lifts were iced up requiring a lot of de-icing work. Whakapapa’s (27/34cm / 11/14”) Happy Valley area is fully open, (a rarity for this early in the season) and the Rangatira Chair and the Rockgarden Trail have opened. Tūroa (60/100cm / 24/40”) is the first ski area in New Zealand to post a metre base depth this season and has the Alpine Meadow beginners area up and running, along with the Parklane and Movenpick lifts. Over on the South Island, despite still having a thin base, Coronet Peak (5/35cm / 2/14″) has managed to open the most terrain in the country so far, about two-thirds of its full area, some 26.5 km (16 miles) of slopes. It also has all of its lifts running. The Remarkables (15/72cm / 6/29”) has the deepest snowpack on the island.
NEW ZEALAND FORECAST
A fairly promising forecast which will hopefully deliver further improvements. Plenty of cloud and light to moderate snowfall are expected most days for much of the coming week. Temperatures drop to -10C overnight, with daytime highs in low single figures Celcius.
ARGENTINA REPORT
All of Argentina’s main ski areas are now open and the big news is that the southern hemisphere’s largest ski area Cerro Catedral (20/70cm / 8/28”) near Bariloche now has 75km (48 miles) of slopes open, about two-thirds of its full area and the most in the world at present. Las Leñas (5/30cm / 2/12”) has also opened for the season although continuing to battle poor snow cover on its lower slopes. The powder in the mountains above is reported to be up to 4 metres deep, but the lifts to access it aren’t open yet, just a couple of kilometres of lower-lying runs.
ARGENTINA FORECAST
Quite a varied forecast with ski areas in the north expecting snowfall over the next few days then a sunny weekend and about the reverse for southerly centres where snowfall and temperatures as low as -15C are expected by the end of the week and through the weekend after a dry few days. The big picture is largely positive though with cold temperatures expected, and highs around freezing.
CHILE REPORT
Almost all of Chile’s ski areas are now open after quite a dramatic week, which saw heavy rainfall damage some resorts and the surrounding access roads while dumping snow on high slopes. Nevados de Chillan was the last to open, on Sunday, after rain midweek last week brought mudslides and the damage around the rest base and lower ski slopes. It was the last of the country’s major resorts to open for 2023. Further north, already-open Portillo (50/75cm / 20/30″) is reported to have had issues getting skiers in and out with the only access road partially washed away by the storm. It has about 16km (10 miles) of slopes open and the deepest reported base in the country so far. Valle Nevado (20/60cm / 8/24”), now entering its third week of the season and having been the first to open is reporting the most terrain open in Chile, unchanged on last week, with 20km (13 miles) of slopes, about half of its full area. Since the storm it has been largely dry across the country with periods of sunshine and cloud, temperatures in the range -10C on high slopes overnight to +5C in the day at bases.
CHILE FORECAST
There’s heavy snowfall expected in northern Chilean mountains over the next few days, after which fairly similar conditions to the past week, cold and mostly dry, are expected for the coming week. Temperatures dropping well below freezing on ski slopes overnight, and light snowfall is possible midweek.
SOUTHERN AFRICA REPORT
Snowfall across southern Africa, including sleet in Johannesburg, raised excitement across the region and made mainstream news in South Africa at the start of this week. On top of this Afriski in Lesotho reports it continues snow-making overnight while the days remain predominantly sunny. Temperatures swing between -10C overnight and +8C in the daytime. It is not running its ski lifts so the snow made is for ‘snow play’ with toboggans and tubing, not skiing or boarding this winter. South Africa’s Tiffindell last operated in 2019 and currently appears closed for good.
SOUTHERN AFRICA FORECAST
Sunny days and cold nights continuing, temperatures as low as -9C overnight this week and as warm as +8C in the afternoons.
Europe
EUROPE INTRO
We’re back down to just one ski centre open in each of the main four alpine nations this week, with France dropping from three to one centre open for summer snow sport after Les 2 Alpes and Val d’Isere were reported to have closed their slopes at the weekend. However, Switzerland is due to go back up to two centres open with Saas-Fee set to open for its nine-month-long ski season at the weekend. This is arguably the start of the 2023-24 season as it’s the first ski area that closed at the end of last season to re-open and plans to stay open from now through to 2024. A few others have re-opened but have or will close between the end of their summer skiing and the start of their winter 23-24 seasons, while a couple, Hintertux and Zermatt, aim to stay open year-round. So it’s hard to say when one-year ends and the next begins. It was about this time, in mid-July 2022, that most summer centres were forced to close by the heat last year, with just Hintertux managing to keep a small area open to the public and Saas-Fee had an equally limited amount of terrain for team training only. So far summer 2023 is looking more promising thanks to a cool and snowy spring, fingers crossed.
AUSTRIA REPORT
Year-round Hintertux (0/185cm / 0/74”) remains the only centre open in Austria with 20km (13 miles) of slopes available, one of the biggest areas in Europe currently operational. It’s been warm and sunny with temperatures well above freezing, including overnight. So the freeze-thaw pattern has been disrupted and the snow depth is dropping with snow reported to be heavy and wet, although still best early in the morning.
AUSTRIA FORECAST
Temperatures remain very warm, as high as +13C above 3,000m meaning light precipitation forecast is expected to be rain rather than snow. Overnight lows on the glacier of +2C so round-the-clock thawing of the snowpack is likely, unfortunately.
SWITZERLAND REPORT
Europe’s highest slopes at Zermatt (0/200cm / 0/80”) remain open, weather permitting, although even at nearly 3,900m altitude, afternoon temperatures are now getting up above freezing. It’s been a mostly sunny week and piste conditions are reported to remain excellent, so long as you’re up early to make the best of the overnight lows still down around freezing. A second Swiss centre, Saas-Fee, is due to open for summer skiing this coming weekend. The season then lasts eight months through to spring next year, it’s ‘kind of’ the first centre to open for the 23-24 season therefore.
SWITZERLAND FORECAST
A mostly sunny forecast with some light showers expected. Afternoon temperatures may still reach +5C even at 3,500m. So the showers could be sleet or rain unless they fall overnight when we’ll be back below freezing.
FRANCE REPORT
As mentioned in our Europe introduction we’re down to just Tignes open for skiing and boarding in the French Alps. Tignes (0/215cm / 0/86”) has 20km (13 miles) of slopes open for another few weeks, all being well. The resort is, however, seeing high temperatures on its glacier, reaching +15C in the afternoons up at 3,500m, causing rapid thawing of the snowpack, although it is dropping back down close to freezing overnight. The weather is mostly sunny and hitting 30C down in the valley below, with just light rain/sleet/snow storms bubbling up overnight.
FRANCE FORECAST
Continuing very warm with temperatures reaching double-digits on the glacier in the afternoons all this week and plenty more sunshine. So the best conditions are definitely first thing in the morning.
ITALY REPORT
The choice continues to be between Passo Stelvio (0/90cm / 0/36”) and the slopes of the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise (0/200cm / 0/80”) above Zermatt, accessed from the Italian side. The great Italian downhiller, Sofia Goggia, is currently reported to be training at the latter. There’s not been much change in the reported base depths over the past week although Stelvio’s upper depth has dropped below the metre mark now and it is down to about 70% of its runs open from 100% a month ago. It’s been mostly sunny and temperatures have been climbing well above freezing even at 3,000m glacier height.
ITALY FORECAST
Sunshine and showers but with temperatures reaching double figures in the afternoons on glaciers. Unfortunately, these showers could be rain rather than snow, even 3,500m up. But it will get back down to around freezing at night.
SCANDINAVIA REPORT
There remain two Norwegian glacier ski areas open this week, but one of these, Fonna (100/80cm / 40/32″) announced it will end its 2023 run this coming Sunday “for safety reasons”, as its snow cover continues to thaw. That means only the area’s highest slopes at Galdhopiggen (50/240cm / 20/96”) will remain open. It aims to stay open through to early November although can be forced to close by warm weather in summer. So far though its snow depth seems to be seeing it through, if dropping too. The past week has seen the full range of weather from rain, sleet and light snow showers to gales and then sunny periods.
SCANDINAVIA FORECAST
There’s the potential for some heavy snowfall, as much as 25cm/10” at Galdhopiggen over the next few days. But it’s a real mix with wind, rain and sun also in the mix and temperatures fluctuating, so it may not amount to much white stuff. That’s the picture for the week ahead with temperatures generally in the -2C to +2C range although afternoon spikes up to +10C at the base are likely at times.
USA REPORT
With The Palisades now closed, there are just two ski areas open to the public in North America. Mammoth Mountain (28/96″ / 70/240cm) says it will stay open for at least another 2-3 weeks through the remainder of July but has not yet announced if it plans to remain open into August. It has though curtailed its opening hours a little further, now closing at noon after a 7:30 am start each day, and another lift, High Five, is now closed for the season. But seven lifts remained open to offer skiing and riding at the weekend. They were Broadway (1), Stump Alley (2), Face Lift (3) Unbound (6), Discovery (11), Chair 23 and the Panorama Gondola. “This shred party isn’t over yet as we continue to ride through the end of July!” a spokesperson said. At the start of this week though the centre announced a few further lift closures saying operations would now be out of Main Lodge. Timberline (2/56″ / 5/140cm), in Oregon, is also open although its base stats seem to drop a lot each week, so it’s not certain how long they’ll continue. You can also ski and ride on terrain parks at the Blackcomb Glacier above Whistler in BC, Canada and at Copper Mountain in Colorado, although access is normally restricted to those signed up for private summer ski and board camps. As to the weather, it has been pretty much wall-to-wall sunshine across the west, with overnight lows on high slopes where the snow remains and temperatures are getting down to quite cool high- 30s to low 40s Fahrenheit, but daytime highs in the 70s.
USA FORECAST
It’s more of the same with non-stop sunshine expected and temperatures really in the high 60s and 70s in the afternoons, even at altitude. So the best ski and board conditions exist as soon as the lifts open around 7-8 in the morning. Getting very slushy by lunchtime.
Asia
JAPAN REPORT
The news from Japan is that Gassan has called it a day on its 2023 season following the rapid thaw of most remaining snow on the upper mountain, certainly what was needed to maintain a safe skiable surface. The depth had dropped to less than 35cm (10”) with just a kilometre or so of runs open this time last week and with temperature consistently +20C it was no surprise that the season end was declared last weekend. The centre had managed a three-month season from opening in early April.
JAPAN FORECAST
A fairly sunny week ahead with lows around +15C, and highs of +25C. Occasional rain showers are likely.
