Mirror mirror on the wall, which are the snowiest ski resorts of them all? …so far this season.
It’s the eternal question asked by skiers and boarders hoping for powder on their holidays, or at least decent cover on the piste.
So far this season the Western Coast of North America has led the way, after four lacklustre seasons, with the return of El Nino being credited for big snowfalls – and also blamed for too warm temperatures across much of the rest of the Northern Hemisphere.
They’ve been dumped on since November and the snowiest resort has now had nearly 10 metres of snowfall. But the season was slow to get started in much of Asia and Europe, as well as the rest of North America.
(A crazy winter sports freak in Fieberbrunn, Tirol, Austria, which has had huge snowfalls in the past few days)
That has changed somewhat since the start of the year with big snowfalls in the Western Alps, and for Japan.
Here’s a picture of the glacier at the top of the slopes in La Plagne, France, which they’re trying to open at present.
And this was Tignes last week when they opened the door on a lift station:
Of course having a snowy winter so far doesn’t guarantee a snowy “rest of the winter” BUT, having an established base of around three metres/ten feet in late January should, hopefully see you through to the spring.
So here’s the list of ten of the snowiest resorts right now – note that it’s not a top 10, there are other resorts near to those in the list that obviously have similar snowfall totals, it’s more the snowiest resorts in the snowiest regions at the moment…
Oh and with the spate of sad deaths in avalanches and other accidents following heavy snow, I should stress this piece is about deep bases, not so much deep powder, although the two often go together, and it’s important to stay on open pistes when the avalanche risk is high and to ski with a local guide when you venture off piste even when it isn’t.
All images in this piece (well, except that one from last week above) are from the last few days. Oh and the numbers quoted keep changing every few minutes…
Alyeska, Alaska, USA, North America
Claim To Fame: Most snowfall in the world so far this season
Snowfall Season to Date: 947cm (373 inches)
Current Upper Slopes Base: 274cm (108 inches)
The ski area that has posted the most snowfall in the world this season is, on average, one of the world’s snowiest resorts every season. Alyeska in Alaska looks set to be the first resort to reach a 10 metre tally of snowfall since the start of the season, probably by the end of January, possibly by the end of this week. That’s more snow than 99.9% of ski areas around the world get all season, any season.
Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan, Asia
Claim To Fame: Deepest Base on Asia and For a Destination Resort in The World At Present
Snowfall Season to Date: 535cm (212 inches)
Current Upper Slopes Base: 340cm (134 inches)
Niseko is traditionally one of the three snowiest ski areas in the world, famed for the vast volumes of light fluffy snow that arrives each winter. This season got off to a slow start in that regard but since Christmas, it is reported to have been dumping as usual.
Engelberg, Switzerland, Europe
Claim To Fame: Deepest Base in Europe At Present
Snowfall Season to Date: Unknown
Current Upper Slopes Base: 310cm (122 inches)
One of the big winners from the recent snowy deluge in the Alps, Engelberg is currently posting the biggest snowfall numbers in the Alps. It will be open well in to spring thanks to its glacier skiing too so is certainly a safe bet for the rest of the 2016 ski season.
Mammoth, California, USA, North America
Claim To Fame: Deepest Base in North America of a Mainstream International Destination Resort.
Snowfall Season to Date: 447cm (176 inches)
Current Upper Slopes Base: 292cm (115 inches)
Mammoth has suffered from four rather poor winters for snowfall, especially last season, and has already matched totals for 14-15. This season looks much more ‘normal’ at last thanks to that ‘El Nino Effect’ and hopefully we’re heading for a repeat of the last epic winter, five years ago, when Mammoth was still open on American Independence Day – July 4th.
Chamonix, France, Europe
Claim To Fame: Deepest Base in France, Second Deepest in Europe
Snowfall Season to Date: Unknown but we think at least 4m in January alone up top, 1m in past week)
Current Upper Slopes Base: 300cm (118 Inches)
Chamonix has the biggest lift served vertical in the world but earlier in the season there had been moans from locals that there’s been vast volumes of snow up top – so much snow its unsafe and closed – but little snow and some rain down at the bottom. That may have been the case but now things have balanced out somewhat as the picture above illustrates. In the second week of January when the snow was really dumping down, Chamonix was reported to have had 3m/10 feet of snow in total during the previous week for several successive days. according to snow reporting websites.
Revelstoke, BC, Canada, North America
(Photo Credit: Agathe Bernard || Skier: Leah Evans)
Claim To Fame: Deepest Base in Canada
Snowfall Season to Date: Approaching 6m (20 feet)
Current Upper Slopes Base: 172cm (68 Inches)
Another of the areas that’s a perennial in any world average annual snowfall top 20, Revelstoke has North America’s biggest lift served vertical and also some of the continent’s best powder, surrounded as it is by heliskiing areas. There’s a nice graph on their site which show snow depths season by season and the little line for 15-16 is one of the highest on the table it’s been, and nearly touching the 6m/20 feet mark now.
Kaunertal, Tirol, Austria, Europe
Claim To Fame: Deepest Base in Austria
Snowfall Season to Date: Unknown
Current Upper Slopes Base: 250cm (99 Inches)
Austria is the most recent country to get big snowfalls with several areas, including the Kaunertal Glacier getting 60cm/2 feet of snow in recent days. Being a glacier area, all that snow on top of perennial ice makes this a fairly safe bet all season long, and indeed well in to spring and then again next autumn when Austria offers as much glacier skiing as the rest of Europe put together – eight areas to choose from, five of them in Tirol.
Mt Baker, Washington State, USA, North America
Claim To Fame: Deepest Base in The World and second most Snowafll Season-to-Date in North America
Snowfall Season to Date: 730cm (287 inches)
Current Upper Slopes Base: 411cm (162 inches)
Famously the ski area that is home to the world’s greatest recorded snowfall in one season – 39 metres in 1998–99 (that’s 1,140 inches or 95 feet!) and also believed to have the highest average annual snowfall of any ski resort in the world (there’s no official stat), with 16.3 metre (641 inches), Mt Baker took a bad hit last season when it had to close for lack of snow in March. This year is back to normal though (and it has already passed its total snowfall last winter) with a huge snowfall so far this season – and another foot (30cm) arriving just yesterday (17-18 Jan).
Zugspitze, Garmisch Partenkirchen, Germany, Europe
Claim To Fame: Third deepest snowbase in Europe At Present
Snowfall Season to Date: Unknown
Current Upper Slopes Base: 260cm (102 inches)
It’s not every day that a German ski area posts the third deepest snowbase of the leading ski resorts in Europe, and as with Chamonix there’s quite a difference between snow depths up on the Zugspitze glacier, and that down in town, but it’s certainly looking good high up above the leading German resort at present.
Crans Montana, Switzerland, Europe
Claim To Fame: Second Deepest Base in Switzerland, Joint Fourth Deepest Base in Europe
Snowfall Season to Date: Unknown
Current Upper Slopes Base: 250cm (99 Inches)
Crans Montana’s current deep snowbase is interesting as the centre was struggling to open much terrain less than three weeks ago – but what a difference an epic fortnight of snow makes! Again glacier skiing up top makes Crans Montana a safe bet well in to spring.
