It has been another remarkable week in the Alps with snowfall on higher slopes reaching 1.5m (five feet) deep in places, and a metre down in some valleys, and this all before we reached the half-way point in November. More and more ski resorts are opening early with Cortina, Grindelwald, La Clusaz, Val Thorens and Wengen amongst those on the list this weekend, joining the 30 or so already open.
Although the Alps are looking remarkably good, particularly for mid November, other areas of Europe are in fine fettle too, the Pyrenees have a good covering, most major resorts in Scandinavia are now open and areas have been opening early in the Dolomites too. Scotland had enough snow for one area to open last weekend, then a major thaw and now it’s snowing again.
It’s looking ‘less good’ across the Pond with more delayed openings due to warm autumn conditions but some are opening including Breckenridge this weekend.
Austria
Austria was the first country to get in to double figures for open ski areas with Obergurgl and Obertauern (with a video posted above made this week) opening with great conditions this week. They join eight glacier areas, Kitzbuhel, Schladming and a number of smaller resorts all enjoying amazingly good conditions for mid-November after a foot of fresh snow for most earlier this week.
France
It’s one of the best starts to the ski season in France, a great surprise as only Tignes was supposed to be open most of this month. Instead Alpe d’Huez is opening weekends, Courchevel had a one-off-pre-season-free-day a week last Friday and Chamonix, La Clusaz and Val Thorens are all opening early for the season this weekend. Chamonix has had over 1.5m of snow (pictured top and above).
Italy
Italy is looking nice and white too and the base is up near 2m at Cervinia. A number of resorts are opening early in the Italian Alps and Dolomites this weekend because of the great conditions including Cortina, Kronplatz and Madonna di Campiglio. Val Gardena is also opening but to ski clubs only.
Switzerland
Verbier opened early last weekend joining a growing list of top name Swiss areas already open – Arosa, Crans Montana, Engelberg, Gstaad, Saas Fee, St Moritz and Zermatt all on the list. The later, with 40km of runs now open, has one of the biggest areas in the world currently skiable. Big snow is forecast to fall here over the next week.
Scotland
It has been snowing again in Scotland after a thaw earlier in the week. The Lecht opened last weekend before the thaw but has since closed again, no news yet on when the next area will open but it’s looking promising for soon. Fresh snow in Glencoe pictured above thanks to the WinterHighland webcam.
Pyrenees
Ski areas in the Pyrenees also have good pre-season snow cover and expect to start opening next weekend in Andorra and Spain. The picture above is Grandvalira earlier this week.
Scandinavia
Scandinavia too has great conditions, especially considering its only mid-November, and the region’s largest ski area operator now has all five of its destination resorts ion Norway and Sweden open. So that’s Hemsedal, Are (pictured above this week) and Trysil among those operating for the Skistar group and there are several dozen more areas now open too.
Canada
Mixed news from Canada. Sunshine near Banff, which had its earliest opening in three decades at the start of the month still looks good with a three foot (90cm) base and nearly everything open, and other resorts yet to open are posting deep snow numbers waiting for when they do. Whistler, for example, pictured above this week, looks very good up top. …but the FIS has cancelled the planned World Cup races at Lake Louise due to have taken place later this month saying is too warm and the forecast isn’t great. Nonetheless Lake Louise has opened this weekend.
USA
A similar situation in the US to north of the border. A lot of hot air in the country has prevented some ski areas opening over recent weekends as hoped although Breckenridge (pictured above this week) opens this weekend joining Killington, Mammoth and a few others. There has been some fresh snow and periods of cold for snow making, just perhaps not as much as they would like with the Thanksgiving holiday getting close.