(Above Niseko)
It has been another snowy week in many of the world’s ski regions – including the Western and Central Alps, Western North America (where resorts are already reporting more snow this season so far than all of last year), and there’s also been snow in the Pyrenees and even Bulgaria.
Things are due to get warmer over the week ahead in the alps and the snowfall to slow, but hopefully it’s not long term and many resorts now have deep bases too. A big snow storm is also hitting Eastern North America too at present – the first big one this season, and it’s forecast to ring a lot of snow.
Austria
Austria has had its best week of winter 2015-16 so far with big snowfalls across most of the country, including in lower elevation resorts which needed it. There’s lots of excitement about the powder snow conditions across most of the country.
France
French slopes are largely in great shape after all the heavy snow of the past few weeks. The snowfall slowed a little in the last seven days but most areas now have good bases of 1.5 – 2.5m and in the case of the Chamonix Valley it’s 3m up top. There was a good snowfall in the French Pyrenees this week too.
Italy
Italy continues to be something of a ski nation divided in terms of snow cover with great conditions continuing in the Alps on the West side but little or no fresh snow for another week in the Dolomites in the East – although most pistes are open there thanks primarily to snowmaking.
Switzerland
Swiss area have great conditions and more fresh snow, with Engelberg reporting the deepest base in Europe at over 3 metres on its upper runs. Conditions are better on the western side of the country still, with resorts in the far Eastern side like Samnaun and St Moritz still waiting a really big snowfall.
Pyrenees
It has been a snowy week across the Pyrenees with up to 50cm falling on the French (see France pic above) and Spanish sides and some healthy snowfall in Andorra (above) too.
Scotland
It has been a great week for Scottish ski areas with all five open and reporting bumper business with good snow and weather conditions. It is warming up now and there are windy spells forecast but hopefully the established snowbase will withstand any thaw.
Scandinavia
It’s been another wintry week in Scandinavia with most areas reporting another 5=15cm of snow, although Are in Sweden reports 25cm of new cover, the most in the area. Narvik up in the North of Norway is pictured above.
Eastern Europe
It’s a mixed picture across Eastern Europe. Bulgaria has had about six inches of fresh snow and is looking good, for example at Bansko above, but further north there’s a definite snow shortage still…until you get right up and round tho countries like the Czech Republic which have benefited from the big snow storms in Austria and Germany.
Canada
More fresh snow in the West, with Whistler doing especially well, adding a few feet more this week. The East is still in need of a good snowfall in Quebec, but that appears to be happening with 30-50cm of much needed snow forecast in the coming few days.
USA
Big snow on East and West coasts of the US this week with Mammoth passing its snowfall total last season this week and Alyeka up in Alaska touching the 400 inch/10m snowfall-to-date figure for the season, by far the most in the world. There’s been fresh big snowfalls right across the West though and Jackson Hole reports five feet/1.5m of snow in the last seven days. The East Coast is currently being bombarded by a super snowstorm too.
