J2Ski Snow Report - December 17th 2015
J2Ski Snow Report - December 17th 2015
Published : 17-Dec-2015 04:40
J2Ski Snow Report - December 17th 2015Re-publication :- our Snow Report Summary, being the text up to "The Alps", is free to re-publish, but must be clearly credited to www.J2ski.com with text including "J2Ski Snow Report" linked to this page - thank you.
The skiing world is once again divided into extremes.
This Week's Snow Headlines
- Some fresh snow in the Alps – up to 15cm reported on Wednesday/Thursday.
- Still more huge snowfalls in Western North America.
- Scottish slopes seem unlikely to be able to open for Christmas.
- Three feet of snow in past week at Whistler.
- Snowfall in Scandinavia
- Challenging times in Eastern North America – parts too warm for snowmaking.
Les Arcs today - thin snow cover off-piste but pistes well covered.
A few areas are too warm even for snowmaking and facing a bleak Christmas and New Year for business at what should be peak season, whilst others have abundant snowfalls continuing.
The Alps, thankfully, fall somewhere between these two extremes with decent on-piste cover at most areas; some had up to six inches of new snow on Wednesday/Thursday, although once again this was up high with only a dusting reported by most.
It's not great but it is much better than this time last year, in all but the lowest ski areas. What you won't find though is any off piste powder. Good piste skiing (generally at altitudes above 1800m) has been reported from all the major French ski regions this week, which should be maintained into the Christmas week.
For big snowfalls Western North America remains the place to be, with resorts in California reporting up to a metre of snow in three days, or a foot in 24 hours in Colorado. In contrast the East coast continues to suffer warm temperatures with some resorts unable to run their snowmaking, although in Vermont and further north systems have been able to make enough to open.
Things are looking increasingly bleak in Scotland for the Christmas holidays too, sadly, with rising temperatures thawing the so far inadequate snowpack.
In The Forecast
The current European weather pattern, with generally clear skies and temperatures a few degrees above average, looks set to continue for the next week. There does appear to be the likelihood of widespread occasional light to moderate snow at altitude which should keep slopes above 2000m reasonably fresh and topped up.
Similarly, the weather on the West Coast of America looks set to bring more major snowfall over the next 10 days.
The Alps
Austria
There's little or no natural snow left at resort level in most Austrian resorts but they're snowmaking when they can to at least keep a run open back to the village. Higher up it's less of an issue with depths remaining from the November snowfalls still 30-60cm (1-2 feet) at most areas – a bit less at Mayrhofen (15cm) and Bad Kleinkirchheim (12cm). It has turned more unsettled but most fresh snow that falls will be on the higher slopes, and indeed most of the glacier areas still report at least a metre up top. Stubai and Obergurgl got the biggest snowfall 14cm and 15cm respectively, so far reported in the latest snowstorms and say things are looking great for the coming Christmas week at both.
France
It's a very mixed picture across France really although there's the same common problem – the need for fresh snow. At altitude however, on piste conditions are pretty good really and most areas over 1800m have had at least a dusting of snow in the last 24 hours or so, it would just be nice to get a lot more. If you take a higher resort like Tignes though you have 30cm in resort, 78cm at the top of the slopes still; not great but adequate. At lower altitudes in more traditional village resorts though its similar to Austria – nothing in resort, perhaps 20-40cm on higher runs.
Italy
Italian slopes have suffered the most from the lack of December snow in Europe, with the East of the country having missed out on the decent snowfalls in November too. But that's not stopped most areas opening and resorts including Livigno and Madonna di Campiglio have been celebrating a few centimetres of fresh snow in the past few days on top of their gargantuan snowmaking efforts. Snow depths across the country are generally low with machine made snow bases of 0-20cm at resort level, 20-50cm higher up. The big exception remains Cervinia which still has 1.2m (4 feet) on its glacier upper slopes, 25cm down in resort.
Switzerland
It's the same but slightly different in Switzerland where upper slope depths are mostly fairly healthy at 2-3 feet or better, like France, but on lower slopes its pretty thin, more like Austria. The good news is a swathe of the country's leading areas including Verbier, Zermatt and St Moritz have reported 5-10cm of snow in the past 24 hours, refreshing at least on-piste conditions after nearly three weeks with no new snow. Andermatt, Saas Fee, Zermatt and Engelberg all report more than 1m upper slope bases. Saas Fee says it has top to bottom skiing over its big vertical and Engelberg has one of the deepest bases in the alps at 1.5m (five feet).
Scandinavia
Scandinavia has reported the biggest snowfalls of the last seven days with 24cm (8 inches) at Hemsedal in Norway. Are in Sweden and Geilo in Norway also added six inches to their bases. Conditions are not yet vintage but things are gradually moving in the right direction across the region with centres able to open more slopes as the snow depths build.
Pyrenees
There's been no natural snowfall since the end of November in Andorra and no fresh snow is expected until after Christmas now. Snow depths are starting to drop a little now with the two Andorra resorts claiming lower slopes have 20cm of cover, higher slopes 40-60cm, but on piste conditions remain good, they say.
Eastern Europe
Limited cover but not a totally bad start to 2015-16 in most Eastern European centres. Bosnian centres that got world fame at the Sarajevo Olympics more than 30 years ago were amongst many in the region opening last weekend with limited snow cover, and most or all of that machine made, but still some pistes open. In Bulgaria it's a similar picture with 20cm at the bases, 40-50cm on higher slopes, mostly thanks to snowmaking. Pamporovo is scheduled to open this weekend joining already open Bansko and Borovets.
Scotland
Temperatures in Scotland are yo-yoing between well below freezing last weekend to double digits above freezing this weekend, causing a thaw of the current snowpack, which is not yet deep enough for skiing, according to the five highland centres. With the forecast over the next 10 days not showing any signs of a significant dip, pre-Christmas opening is looking increasingly unlikely.
North America
Canada
Canada's winter continues as it has been for the past two months – heavy snow in the west, little or no snow and warm temperatures in the East. Among the headline figures this week has been 90cm of snow accumulating at Whistler, but all other Alberta and BC areas have had big falls too and base depths are now in the 5-6 feet bracket. Sadly they're still struggling to open much in Quebec and Ontaria in the East with warm temperatures and just 10cm of machine made snow at resorts like Monte St Anne and Tremblant.
USA
As with Canada, a big East-West divide continues and its getting increasingly serious south of New Hampshire in the East as its too warm even for snowmaking so centres just can't open with Christmas week nigh. Fortunately bigger name resorts in Vermont and Maine including Stowe have been able to machine-make snow. In a reversal of the previous four winters, snow in the west continues to be epic however with ongoing powder falls right across the region. Snowbird in Utah has had almost four feet of snow in the past week and there's been almost a metre at steamboat, Colorado. Most other resorts have had 2-3 feet. The only worry now is access and avalanche danger.
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