(Pictured above: Pic du la Midi in the French Pyrenees this week)
After a warm fortnight in the Alps, the temperatures have been dropping in perfect timing for the start of most ski holidays in a week’s time.
Snow is forecast across the continent and has already been falling in Austria and Italy over the past few days.
It’s rather late for some resorts that had planned to open this weekend – Meribel, Courchevel and the Skiwelt in Austria are among areas that have delayed opening to next Wednesday, and the FIS has cancelled planned ski racing at Val d’Isere.
But conditions on the glaciers in the alps, which received big snowfalls in November, remain excellent and the rest of the continent should now soon pick up.
Elsewhere in Europe conditions are still great in much of Scandinavia, there’s first snow in Scotland and areas in the Pyrenees that delayed opening last weekend are opening this.
Across the Atlantic it’s a different picture with ongoing huge snowfalls bringing superb early conditions in the Rockies and most other parts of North America.
Austria
Glacier resorts have been boasting of another week of superb conditions above the fog that has hung about in the valleys during the recent warm spell. Now it is cold again most areas reported a few inches of snow yesterday and another foot is expected in the next week or so, with snow guns also now working flat out. The Hintertix glacier is pictured above and the Stubai glacier is pictured below.
France
With the lower temperatures conditions are improving in the French Alps and Pyrenees. As mentioned some areas have had to delay opening and the best conditions remain at higher altitudes but conditions are expected to continue to pick up over the next seven days with 20-40cm of fresh snow expected at all elevations before big areas such as Paradiski are scheduled to open next weekend. Pictured is Piau Engaly in the French Pyrenees scheduled to open shortly.
Italy
Italy has seen some of the most snow in Europe in the past week with resorts from West to East reporting up to 20cm of fresh cover earlier in the week. Cortina, which opened last weekend, saw some of the biggest falls. Italian resorts also have some of the best snowbases in the world with up to 3m/10 feet lying on the glaciers (at Passo Tonale)
Switzerland
Swiss resorts’ high altitude ski areas give them something of an advantage when conditions are warmer, and again the glaciers have been the place to be with over 2m snow depth up high at Andermatt and Saas Fee, nearer a metre for St Moritz and Zermatt (pictured). Again areas have had a few inches of snow in recent days and a foot are so is expected in the coming week.
Pyrenees
It’s a much improved picture on a week ago and resorts in Andorra are expecting to open tomorrow with fresh snow cover. Vallnord is pictured above. On each site of the French/Spanish border conditions are also much improved and areas are opening there too.
Scotland
There have been warm days and cold days in Scotland over the past week but the tendency is to get colder and there have been some small snowfalls and cairngorm has cranked up the snowmaking guns.
Scandinavia
Norway has the best of the snow conditions in Scandinavia, but there’s also reasonably good covert in Sweden and Finland too (typically 20-40cm). All the region’s major resorts are now open with some of the best conditions for this early in the season for some years at many of them. Hafjell in Norway is pictured.
Eastern Europe
Few areas are yet open although Bansko has runs created thanks to snowmaking which the determined may enjoy.
Canada
Ski areas are open across the country and enjoying excellent conditions, particularly in the Rockies where the snow is waist deep for opening day at Fernie and Kicking Horse (the latter, pictured above, opening earlier than planned due to all the snow). Marmot Basin has had over a metre of snow in the last week.
USA
Squaw Valley
One of the best starts to the season in years continues in the US with coast-to-coast openings. Colorado and Utah still have the best conditions but there’s been a foot in 24 hours mid-week at Jackson Hole and big falls too at Lake Tahoe (Squaw Valley pictured above) and Mammoth in California.