J2Ski Snow Report - January 25th 2024
J2Ski Snow Report - January 25th 2024
Published : 25-Jan-2024 06:28
Kicking Horse, BC, Canada, where they're readying for 'Community Weekend' with lift passes from $20!
Snow at altitude, and in the East for the European Alps. Heavy snows for various north American ski resorts.
The Snow Headlines - January 25th
- Alpe d'Huez first in world to post 5m base in 2024 before reducing its claim.
- Oregon's Timberline jumps to deepest base in North America after 100" in 7 days.
- Glacier 3000 near Gstaad reports 1m snowfall accumulation in 48 hours.
- Rain again on low-lying slopes and valley resorts in the Alps, heavy snowfall up high.
- Scotland's ski season stalls after launch as storms blow through.
Decent snow forecast for Austria and Japan
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World Overview
It's been a week of mixed weather in the Alps; with some big snowfalls, most of them above 1800m, and rain to lower ski areas. Some ski areas report their base depths have jumped more than 60cm in the past week up at 3,000m, especially in the Western Swiss and French Alps.
But there's also been more heavy rain on lower valley slopes and resorts as the freezing point went way up above 2,000mn at times. In between we've had some cold and sunny days and most other weather (fog, gales...) thrown into the mix.
Elsewhere, Scottish centres that were all partially open a week ago are a bit battered after a week of storms with reduced terrain again, the Pyrenees are also battling the elements, in their case just ongoing sunshine and warm weather.
Scandinavian centres are reporting powder and everything open.
In America, there have been more significant snows and conditions continue to improve. Ski resorts are, at last, all fully open, or nearly so, for the first time this season, with decent snow depths too.
Europe
Austria
Austria has had a mixed week, which began with beautiful blue skies and cold, crisp conditions for the Hahnenkamm race weekend.
By Wednesday it had warmed up and the Schladming night slalom, attracting another 50,000 fans, took place in torrential rain.
Conditions are set to remain rather warm, reaching +10C in valleys through the weekend, with the freezing point up above mountain tops for much of the 24-hour cycle, but at least it is expected to be mostly dry.
Despite the unwelcome warm weather news, most Austrian centres, at least the major ones most skiers visit, report they are still 85-95% open and snow depths on glaciers and high slopes above the 3m/10 feet mark.
France
Some real weather extremes over the past week in the French Alps began last week when we saw high slopes above 3,000m report up to a metre of fresh snowfall, while some lower slopes saw rain for more than 24 hours straight. This was followed by a widely cold and sunny weekend, since when the sunshine has continued but the freezing point has crept up as high as 3,000m in places, although thankfully without the rain so far.
Several resorts including Chamonix, Flaine and Les Arcs are posting bases of more than 4 metres while Alpe d'Huez briefly reported its snow depth has reached 5 metres on its highest runs but has since reduced its claim back down to 3.5m. The four deepest posted bases anywhere in the world at present are all in France.
Italy
The latter half of January did see some periods of warm weather and even rain on low slopes in Italy and bases here, particularly in the eastern and southern Dolomites and more southerly mountain ranges, are well below those to the north in the Alps BUT most of the country's best-known ski regions are fully open with the deepest snow (Over 3 metres at La Thuile on the French border) up in the northwest.
There are some exceptions if you go a little further south; of the big regions the Via Lattea (Milky Way) around Sauze d'Oulx and Sestriere has battled to build much of a base all winter but is still 60% open. Most others, including those with thin bases in the Dolomites are nearer 90%.
Switzerland
Swiss centres reported rain at low levels this week, and heavy snowfall above 1800m – so very like the rest of the Alps.
The planned Inferno cross-country ski race in the Jungfrau had to be shifted to a new course up the mountain for the second successive year due to torrential rain on the snow after not enough snow a year ago.
Most ski areas across Switzerland, the major resorts at least, are fully open or almost so; 80-95% of the 4 Valleys around Verbier, 90% at Zermatt for example, and some centres report upper slope bases up 50cm on a week ago. It's just the valley runs not looking so great.
Scandinavia
While much of Europe has been facing warmer January temperatures than usual, that's not been the case for most Scandinavian destinations where temperatures have remained predominantly sub-zero.
Almost all of the region's leading ski areas are 95-100% open and there were reports of powder conditions as far north as Levi in Lapland this week.
Norway, Finland and Sweden seem the best bets for fresh snowfall in Europe right now.
Pyrenees
Hopes of things improving in the Pyrenees have taken a hit with some of the warmest temperatures of the winter so far and lots of sunshine this week – not great news with already thin cover in many areas.
The battle to keep runs open continues at Andorra's Grandvalira and Spain's Baqueira Beret (which had to pull out of hosting the opening round of the Freeride World Tour due to the conditions). Both still have over 100km of slopes open representing about two-thirds of Baqueira's terrain, around half that of Andorra's.
Scotland
Scottish ski centres all managed to open simultaneously at the end of last week but the good news didn't last long as gale-force winds and thawing warm temperatures on lower slopes caused issues as successive storms hit the Highlands.
In better news, the storms did bring heavy snowfall to higher slopes so higher terrain should remain in good shape.
Eastern Europe
It's a mixed picture across Eastern Europe with conditions probably close to average for the time of year.
Bulgarian resorts have struggled for much fresh snowfall in January and to keep lower slopes open, but do report base depths around the metre mark on upper mountains as we start February.
Further north, the big resorts like Jasna in Slovakia have good top-to-bottom coverage but smaller, lower-lying centres in the area are hardly open (or completely closed) with snow cover much more problematic (and in some cases currently non-existent) at lower elevations.
North America
Canada
Canadian resorts are posting some of their best conditions of the season so far after consistent cold temperatures and more snowfall has allowed most of the country's resorts to open most of their terrain – in some cases for the first time this winter.
Whistler Blackcomb is up to 90% open and ski areas like Red Mountain that had delayed opening to late December and only had a small fraction of their runs open are also now nearly fully open.
It's cold – freezing down to -20C, but not as cold (touching -40C) as it was earlier in the month.
The east coast had been particularly hard hit by warm and dry/wet weather in November and December but here most areas are finally mostly open too.
USA
The Northwestern corner of the US has been posting the biggest snowfalls in North America for several weeks now after the final months of 2023 when there was a bit of a washout.
It seems that when a strong El Nino meets cold January air, even warmer-than-average temperatures are cold enough for snowfall.
Timberline, the Oregon ski area which stays open into August if it can, has leapt to the top of the country's snow depth league thanks to a claimed 100 inches of snowfall in 7 days on its higher slopes.
There has been snow falling across the country. The Northeast, which had been suffering warm, wet weather too is now looking much more like a normal January and there's lots of powder reported in the Rockies.
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