Things are looking much snowier than a week ago in the Alps with most resorts receiving at least a foot of new snow in the last week, some as much as 50cm – most of it in the past three days. The good news is that the snow is still falling, the bad that warm periods continue to plague snow conditions.
It has started snowing in the Dolomites too and some forecasters are predicting there’ll be up to 90cm of new snow by the end of the week.
Elsewhere there’s been still more snow in Scandinavia, Scottish slopes are also looking much snowier after a wild weather week and Eastern European slopes have had more snow too. Across the Atlantic most areas remain in good shape and there’s been a lot of fresh snow in Vermont in the East and Utah in the West of the USA.
Austria
Most of the snowfall this week was on Tuesday/Wednesday and ski areas received up to a foot of snow in 24 hours on that day. The Kitzsteinhorn above Kaprun has claimed the biggest snowfall with 50cm of new snow. Conditions remain less than ideal at most areas, although there is good top to bottom coverage at almost all resorts now. The country’s glacier resorts have the best snow depths, but St Anton has 2m now on upper slopes, 20cm at the bottom. Pitztal is pictured above, Zell am See, which reported 200cm of fresh snow on Thursday, below.
France
Steady snowfall in France this week, with higher slopes doing the best as usual but some snow down to lower elevations. The Chamonix Valley has reported te most snow – up to 50cm, but most resorts have had 20-40cm, Montgenevre, Risoul and Vars reporting 20cm in the last 24 hours alone. Cover is still quite thin (15cm) at resort levels at some resorts including Meribel and la Plagne but most resorts have a metre or more up top. Val d’Isere is pictured earlier this week.
Italy
Italian resorts saw some snow this week after a dry few weeks and they’re expecting a lot more over the next week or so. There’s been a foot of snow so far in the Dolomite in Arabba and on the west a foot at Bardonecchia and the Milky Way (Sestriere – pictured above, and Sauze d’Oulx) too, 20cm of it in the last 24 hours. It’s a similar story to the other big 4 Alpine nations with reasonable cover now up top but thin cover (45-10cm) at resort level at many areas.
Switzerland
Anyone watching the biggest event in Swiss ski racing, the Launberhorn (pictured) from Wengen, will see from the changed start times, shortened courses and green fields surrounding the cruddy looking snow slopes will see first hand that slopes below 2000m are not in great shape in Switzerland. And the Jungfrau region is claiming some of the biggest snow falls this week – 48cm at Murren across the valley and a foot at Wengen. Across the country it’s the same picture as across the Alps – good cover up top, less so at the bottom still and too warm.
Andorra
After a few weeks with no snow, there have been a few centimetres of snow in the Pyrenees today with more forecast. Snow depths remain good in any case so on piste the region’s slopes remain good. Vallnord is pictures as the snow starts.
Scotland
Scottish ski areas have been battered by gales all week but they also brought snow so all five areas are looking great – they’ve just been waiting for a week for the weather to be calm enough to open. Hopefully that’s this weekend. This picture is from Glencoe’s new dry slope.
Eastern Europe
Less fresh snow this week in Eastern Europe but still a few centimetres to freshen up slopes, with cover remaining around the metre mark in Bulgaria and Romania – above the average for the time of year.
Scandinavia
Scandinavia has continued to see some of the best snow in Europe for a yet another week with more than 70cm at Hemsedal (pictured above) and over a metre in Voss. Snow depths are in the 1-2 metre mark. In Sweden there was a foot of snow at Salen and ski areas in Lapland look good too.
Canada
Canada’s super snowy season has eased a little this week with no more than 10cm of fresh snow reported in the west of the country, but there’s so much snow there already from the past two months no one is too concerned. There’s been more fresh snow, 20-30cm on the East in Quebec and Ontario.
USA
In The US it was Utah’s turn to see huge snowfall, with most of the state’s resorts receiving 40-60cm of fresh snow in the middle of the week. Snowbird, which reports 60m of fresh snow, has overtaken Jackson Hole to take the deepest base in the US title at just over six feet. There was fresh snow in New England too, with resorts in Vermont doing particularly well.
