J2Ski's Where to Ski in November 2024
J2Ski's Where to Ski in November 2024
Published : 01-Nov-2024 07:02
Over 20 ski areas now open in Europe and Scandinavia, with more starting their seasons in the coming weeks AND A-Basin and Keystone, Colorado in the USA joining already-open Wolf Creek tomorrow!
Keystone (pictured) and Arapahoe Basin will both open tomorrow!
Where to Ski in November 2024
November can make or break a ski season depending on which way mother nature plays its. Ideally snowy but most importantly a cold month is what we're hoping for.
Although there have yet to be any really significant, lasting, snowfalls for the northern hemisphere (outside Scandinavia) this autumn, about 20 centres are already open in six countries in the Alps and Scandinavia, thanks to their glaciers or snow farming efforts.
So far this autumn, Europe has seen cold temperatures and snowfall at times above 2500m but now we really need colder temperatures to lower elevations. Currently the forecast is warm and dry to start November, but it's early days.
In north America it has been cold in Canada but warmer than average in the US, but is now very cold and forecast to remain so to start November, so looking more promising at this stage, although only one centre has opened so far (with at least 2 more opening tomorrow).
Most of the big names hope to open by the end of November.
Europe
Austria
Although it may be overtaken by Switzerland and perhaps the USA within the first 10 days of the month, Austria starts November with more ski options than any other nation – seven glacier areas.
It also has the largest ski areas open so far 25-35km of slopes at Hintertux and Solden.
Kitzbuhel is scheduled to open a few kilometres of runs thanks to snow farming on the second weekend of the month then the high-altitude resorts of Obergurghl and Obertaurn will open just after mid-November, the first non-glacier areas that don't use snow farming.
As elsewhere in the northern hemisphere the final weekend of the month will mark that start of mass resort opening with Ischgl usually offering one of the largest areas available anywhere, often more than 100km of slopes, upon opening.
France
French ski areas have given up on opening in September, October or even early November (Les 2 Alpes and Tignes would have been open by now until a few years ago) so, barring a huge snowfall and resorts opening early (which can and has happened at least once in the last decade so we live in hope!), its Grand Montets in the Chamonix Valley, Tignes and Val Thorens set to open first in the country for the final week of November.
Italy
Italy has a few small glacier areas open as we start November, one of them, Passo Stelvio, a summer ski area which started its 2024 season back in May, plans to close until next spring on Sunday 3rd.
Other than access to Zermatt's glacier ski area from Cervinia, options are likely to be limited in Italy until late in the month when bigger resorts with high altitude skiing liker Bormio and Livigno tend to open.
Before that, smaller centres like Sulden and the Pragelato glacier above Passo Tonale should join already-open Val Senales.
Switzerland
Switzerland starts November with five ski areas open and unlike other nations these are big names – Adelboden, Engelberg, St Moritz (Diavolezza Glacier), Saas-Fee and Zermatt – and all have glacier skiing except Adelboden which has used snow farming, the same technique Murren will use to open on the 2nd.
Other big name Swiss resorts aiming to open in the first few weeks of November include Davos, Gstaad (Glacier 3000) and Verbier, snow permitting.
Then most Swiss areas begin opening from the 23rd or 30th towards the end of the month, or in early December. The Zermatt / Cervinia area often has one of the largest amounts of terrain open anywhere in November and early December, thanks in part to having Europe's highest lift-served slopes.
Scandinavia
Scandinavian centres have an advantage with their northerly latitude typically bringing colder, snowier weather earlier than further south and many of the region's centres will open in the latter half of the month.
As we start November a handful of ski areas are already open in Finland, Norway and Sweden, most using snow stockpiled through summer and spread back out on the slopes in October to create new runs. This year they've suffered unseasonably warm weather making maintaining them tricky, but its now colder and fresh snowmaking on the old snow is underway.
One of these centres, Finland's largest Levi, will host World Cup alpine ski races this month.
Pyrenees
Most Pyrenean ski centres in Andorra, France and Spain will open in the final week of November or the first week of December, all being well.
On the Spanish side there's a particular wish to be open by the start of December ahead of a week of public holidays that come in the build up to Christmas. The signs are fairly promising at this stage with some good October snowfalls reported.
Baqueira Beret currently plans to open on the 23rd November as does France's Porte Puymorens with the region's largest area, Androrra's Grandvalira, among those targeting November 30th.
Rest of Europe
Most ski areas elsewhere in Europe don't aim to open until early December but if we have a spectacular early snowfall most Scottish centres could open at short notice and have done in the past.
The same is true for Eastern European resorts, a few of which may open on the final weekend of November if conditions are good.
North America
Canada
Canada has had a snowy September and October in Alberta and eastern BC and the three Banff ski areas are expected to get the country's 24-25 season underway soon (which is due to be better than average in the west thanks to the La Nina impact).
Mount Norquay had hoped to open on the 2nd but has delayed and will now open the weekend of the 9th, the same as the other two Banff areas Lake Louise and Sunshine as well as Marmot Basin to the north near Jasper.
Sun Peaks should be the first in BC mid-month with the country and continent's biggest ski area Whistler Blackcomb opening for the final week of the month; it reported 80cm of snowfall in the final week of October.
Others will join from then on, into December. Snowmaking was underway in the east late October too so centres could start opening there early in November too.
USA
November is a big month in the US with most of the country's leading ski areas wanting and planning to open by the end of the month when there's the key Thanksgiving holiday long weekend.
Unfortunately, October hasn't really been one to remember with much of the month delivering above average temperatures although there have been some snowfalls, the heaviest about a week before the end of the month that allowed the first ski area to open, Colorado's Wolf Creek.
It then warmed up again so Wolf Creek has remained the sole open area, but the last few days of the month (and forecast for early November) has seen a big temperature drop, allowing snowmaking systems to fire up and in some cases operate 24 hours a day on both east and west coasts.
That should mean more centres will be opening early in the month. Usually the US has more ski centres open by far than any other country by the end of November.
Asia
Several small Japanese centres have already opened thanks to all-weather snowmaking machines and at least one centre in northern China also opened late last month crediting early natural snowfall.
But as in Europe most of the big-name Japanese ski areas don't aim to open until the very end of the month, or early December, depending on conditions. So far, they're autumnal and not very cold although Hokkaido's mountains have had at least one light dusting of snow already.
The La Nina forecast should mean above average precipitation and below average temperatures for Japan, hopefully meaning abundant powder.
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