J2Ski Snow Report - February 6th 2025
J2Ski Snow Report - February 6th 2025
Published : 06-Feb-2025 08:31
Our friends at Snoworks (Ski Courses) appear to be enjoying themselves in British Columbia...
Clearer weather in the Alps, with good snow in most areas. Powder in Japan and BC, and very low temperatures in Canada.
The Snow Headlines - February 6th
- Sunny weather dominates western Europe following last week's big snowfalls.
- Huge snowfalls forecast for California don't really materialise, or fall as rain.
- More very low temperatures in Canada lead to some ski areas closing for safety reasons.
- Snowiest week of the year to date in the Pyrenees.
Snow forecasts worldwide.
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World Overview
Sunshine has dominated the weather in the Alps after last week's huge snowfalls. Avalanche danger levels have dropped slightly and those on the slopes this week have seen excellent conditions. Most centres are fully open and posting their deepest bases of the season so far.
The Pyrenees, which didn't get their forecast snow at the start of last week have instead seen some light to moderate falls over the past seven days, refreshing cover. Elsewhere everything is open in the Dolomites with similar sunny weather to the Alps after last week's snowfall. Bulgaria has been dry for weeks now but temperatures have dropped again after it got rather warm last week.
Across in North America a massive storm hitting the West Coast unfortunately delivered a lot of rain and violent gales rather than the metres of snowfall forecast, but there was a few feet and its still coming. There was more snow in the northern Rockies region in Idaho and Wyoming, whilst Canada remained very cold.
Japan is the place that's seem the most snowfall, taking some centres past a 5m snow depth.
Europe
Austria
It's been a great week for most Austrian ski areas and those lucky enough to be on their slopes.
After last week's 30-60cm accumulations across the country, skies cleared at the weekend and it has been pretty much non-stop sunshine since.
Snow depths, although not huge, are the best they've been all season and most of the country's ski areas are now 95%, or more, open. That includes one of the largest, Saalbach Hinterglemm, where the 2025 FIS Alpine Skiing World Championships, the biggest event in ski racing besides the Winter Olympics, are just getting underway.
It's a similar story at The Skiwelt, Arlberg and indeed most other Austrian resorts.
France
Great conditions in the French Alps too after the huge snowfalls last week.
Although base depths have dropped a little after last week's huge gains, three of the country's ski areas - Avoriaz, Flaine and Chamonix - are the only ones in Europe and among five outside Japan that have reached a 3m (10 feet) plus base on their upper slopes this season.
Being home to most of the world's largest ski areas, including Paradiski, the 3 Valleys and The Portes du Soleil, each of which is close to 100% open, it is no surprise that the biggest areas currently available to ski are all in France too.
French Alps - N90 Road Update
The only problem has been getting to some of them, not from snow on the roads but giant boulders from a widely publicised landslip that caused travel chaos to and from the Tarentaise Valley last weekend. Latest news, as of this evening (Thursday), is that the authorities hope to have both lanes open in both directions following a 2 hour total closure scheduled for tomorrow afternoon (2pm to 4pm) to re-route the temporary lanes. This is subject to change, but that's the plan!
The weather is turning cloudier with snowfall expected for Sunday, but currently forecast to be light.
Italy
Italy is also back to sunny weather following last week's snowfall.
Here too bases have settled back down slightly, especially on lower slopes more impacted by plus-temperatures in the valleys in the afternoons – but overall the amount of terrain open has actually increased slightly, with most Italian areas at 90-100% open.
Some famous names like Val Gardena have everything open, although others like Cortina d'Ampezzo still report bases of less than 25cm and have about two-thirds of runs open.
The deepest snow continues to be in Trentino and further west and north. Here too more cloud and some snowfall is expected from the weekend into next week.
Switzerland
Swiss centres have had a week of predominantly sunny weather too, although skies are now starting to cloud over and there's some light snowfall forecast through the weekend.
It has been quite warm at times, particularly at base levels and as a result depth stats have dropped back, particularly on lower slopes, after last week's big jumps with the heavy snowfalls.
On the upside avalanche danger is widely down from considerable/high (Risk Levels 3 and 4) last week to 2 this week, on the scale to 5. The more stable conditions have also allowed centres to open more terrain after last week's snow with Zermatt, Verbier and the 4 Valleys and the Portes du Soleil each posting the most open.
Scandinavia
After last week's big snowfalls in Scandinavia, things have calmed down a little. It has kept snowing but totals have been more in the 5-10cm range rather the 20-40cm. Temperatures have remained mostly on the low side though, so snow conditions have remained good and most centres have been opening more terrain, also helped by rapidly increasing daylight hours, currently adding around half an hour of daylight a week.
The biggest falls reported continue to be in the west of the region, on the Norwegian Coast, with Swedish ski areas Are and Salen reporting the largest areas of open terrain. Northerly Bjorkdalen, up in the Arctic Circle, begins its 2025 season this weekend.
Pyrenees
It's been one of the best weeks of the season, certainly of 2025, in the Pyrenees. The snowfall forecast last week arrived late, but there have been some good 5-15cm falls and cumulative totals of 20-40cm reported, the most for more than a month. As a result, bases have finally started increasing as has open terrain with the biggest resort in the region, Andorra's Grandvalira, hitting more than 75% open for the first time this season.
Baqueira Beret over the Spanish border, known for its freeriding, warned the avalanche danger level is elevated there, alongside base depths, to level 3 on a scale to 5, also described as "considerable."
Scotland
After last week's increasingly positive news of ever more natural terrain opening (we peaked with about a third of the runs at Cairngorm, Glenshee and Glencoe open, the majority at the latter), warm temperatures since Sunday and rain at all levels on Monday have set things back a good deal.
It's a fast-changing situation but it's now predominantly the all-weather machine-made snow slopes open, which are learning slopes at Cairngorm and The Lecht, longer runs at Glenshee and a sledging slope at Glencoe (which also has a dry slope for beginners).
Temperatures are dropping again now and the process of base building has begun again.
Eastern Europe
It's been mostly sunny across Eastern Europe as well but temperatures have dropped in Bulgaria after base depths there took a small hit in last week's warm weather. Pretty much all slopes remain open though.
There was some light snowfall midweek in Czechia and Slovakia for resorts including Jasna, but it just added an inch (3cm) or so of refresh and we're back to largely sunny conditions now.
North America
Canada
The news is mostly positive this week from Canada.
Whilst ski areas further south on the West coast reported a lot of rain, British Columbia and Albertan ski areas got snow, up to half a metre of it in the last seven days, exceeding the forecast predictions this time a week ago.
Conditions also remain good on the east coast where centres have had some light snowfall.
The only major issue has been cold as it got even colder, impacting ski areas in Alberta and inland BC especially, several of which were partially or fully closed by the low temperatures for several days at the start of this week. They included Nakiska, closest to Calgary and Jasper's Marmot Basin.
USA
The huge storms forecast to hit the West Coast and dump metres of snowfall arrived on cue but unfortunately, warm temperatures meant ski centres tended to see torrential rain and gales but not a lot of snow. Things have improved a little through the week and some centres have now posted several feet, cumulatively, since last Friday, if not the 10 feet plus that was forecast at one point.
There's actually been heavier snowfall a little inland with Jackson Hole posting 80cm of snowfall in 72 hours, and Sun Valley 60cm in the same period.
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