J2Ski Snow Report - February 9th 2023
J2Ski Snow Report - February 9th 2023
Published : 09-Feb-2023 08:40
J2Ski Snow Report February 9th 2023
Tremblant, Canada; cold, snowy and now 100% open!
Very cold, very snowy, but easing off now
The Snow Headlines - 9th February
- A week of snowfall and gales in Austria leads to high avalanche danger.
- Ultra-low temperatures in North-eastern North America close slopes.
- Up to a metre more snowfall in Japan where deepest base now over 5 metres (200").
- Ski areas in Bulgaria near full operations for first time this winter thanks to cold temperatures.
- Unusual midsummer snowfall on Australian ski slopes.
Snow for Scandinavia, America and (more) for Japan
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World Overview
Conditions on ski slopes around the world are the best they've been so far this season. It perhaps speaks volumes that some resorts are only just reporting they've reached 100% operations, while others are still not quite there yet, as we get into February.
The big weather events of the past week have included heavy snowfall and gales in Austria and neighbouring areas up to the weekend. These have boosted snow depth a lot but unfortunately also brought high avalanche danger and weekend fatalities for some skiing off-piste.
Across the Atlantic, the big weather event was exceptionally cold weather at the end of last week in the north-eastern corner of North America, one area in New Hampshire setting a world record wind-chill low of more than -100F (-75C). Many resorts closed for a period during the coldest weather.
Elsewhere mostly cold, but sunny, in the western Alps and Pyrenees, snowy in Bulgaria and Scandinavia and across much of North America.
Europe
Austria
Austrian ski centres received up to a metre of snowfall up to last weekend, meaning snow conditions are now excellent. The heavy snowfall, fluctuating temperatures and gale-force winds unfortunately led to extremely high avalanche danger, however, and there were multiple off-piste avalanche fatalities as the Avalanche Risk Level hit 4 (on the scale to 5). That risk has now subsided, although it is still Level 3 (Considerable) in many areas.
In terms of groomed slopes though conditions are the best they've been all season and most centres are finally now fully open having hovered at 70-90% before. Base depths at several centres including Solden and Zell and See / Kaprun are up beyond 2 metres and among the deepest in Europe – a table dominated by French areas until now.
France
While the Eastern Alps saw big snowfalls last week, French ski slopes stayed dry, in many cases for a third successive week, although southern areas had snowfall a fortnight ago (and also got a bit of a dusting on Monday/Tuesday this week). So there's not much off-piste left un-skied and runs are groomed getting icy and hard-packed first thing, although temperatures are now warming a little.
There's no real snowfall in the forecast for the coming week either, but most French resorts do remain fully open, or nearly so.
Italy
Italy had a bit of a national divide over the last seven days, with the northwest remaining mostly dry, but the northeast getting the edge of the windy, snowy weather that moved in from the arctic down through Poland, the Czech and Slovak republics to Austria.
Bormio reported it was closed on Friday by the gales but then had fresh powder for the weekend. The Dolomites also got light snowfalls.
The country's deepest reported snow is now on each side of the north of the country with La Thuile in the west previously deepest with that snow two weeks ago but now overtaken by Sella Nevea on the Slovenian border in the northeast following last weekend's snow.
Switzerland
Switzerland marked the dividing line between the snowy and windy eastern side of the Alps and the mostly sunny western side up to the weekend. As a result, some centres in the centre and the east of the country saw bases boosted, Engelberg one of the last to post a decent dump – 25cm – on Monday this week.
Since then the country has, like most of the rest of the Alps, been predominantly sunny.
There's been a change at the top of the Swiss snow depths table with Saas Fee, posting the deepest since last summer, overtaken at last by Lotschenal and Gstaad's Glacier 300, although the numbers are still less than 2 metres.
Scandinavia
Good conditions reported across Scandinavia with snow falling, cold temperatures and more daylight hours. The heaviest snowfall has been in western and northern Norway where several areas have had more than half a metre of snowfall in the last 7 days.
Northerly Bjorkliden in Sweden opens for its 2023 season this weekend, a fortnight before its neighbour Riksgransen opens for its own three-month run.
Pyrenees
A mostly dry week for the Pyrenees, but not entirely so, with snowfall at the start of the week adding 10cm to the base at Grandvalira (the region's biggest area, in Andorra, encompassing Soldeu-El Tarter and Pas de la Casa among other areas).
Conditions remain generally good, despite rising temperatures, with most areas 80-90% open following late January snowfall.
Scotland
Yet another week of mixed fortunes in the Scottish Highlands with some days very mild, some snowy and a common factor, as it almost always is here, strong winds, also causing operational issues. Basically, things aren't great but Cairngorm and Glencoe do have "spring skiing" on higher slopes and other centres have nursery-type terrain closer to the base thanks to all-weather snowmaking systems. It's currently colder and snowier.
Eastern Europe
A good week for eastern European ski areas, on the whole, with heavy snowfall in the north, the same system that Austria got, but with strong winds too. Colder with snow showers in Bulgaria but more terrain has opened as a result including the long slope down to Bansko's base.
There have been reports of very strong winds too though. Jasna in the Slovak Republic is another area to report this week that it is now fully open for the first time this season.
North America
Canada
Good conditions from coast to coast in Canada with Tremblant, the biggest area in Quebec, announcing it was finally fully open for the season earlier this week. It joins Whistler in the west which made its own fully-open announcement just a few weeks ago.
Quebec saw incredibly cold weather at the end of last week, with some areas reporting wind-chill of -50C and most closing for a few days for safety reasons. Things are a bit warmer and there's been fresh snowfall since.
Heavier snowfall over in Alberta and BC for powder conditions there.
USA
The Northeastern corner of the USA suffered the same super cold weather as further north from Thursday to Sunday with Mount Washington in New Hampshire posting a new record wind chill of more than -100F (-73C) on Saturday.
Most resorts in the region were closed for a day or two. The ultra-lows come after an often unseasonably warm and wet winter so with recent snow the Northeast now has its best conditions of the season. Further west things continue to be good with several feet more snow in the Rockies and Mammoth still posting the world's deepest snow at 6.3m (21 feet).
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