J2Ski Snow Report - November 7th 2024
J2Ski Snow Report - November 7th 2024
Published : 07-Nov-2024 08:02
Breckenridge, Colorado, have had 2 feet of snow this week... and open tomorrow, Friday 8th November!
North American ski areas starting to open, with heavy snow for the West Coast. Temperatures forecast to drop in Europe.
The Snow Headlines - November 7th
- More US resorts open after colder weather and snowfall.
- Kitzbuhel opening for the season this weekend thanks to snow farming.
- Canada's delayed season start is now underway with lake Louise opening.
- Scandinavia gets much-needed temperature drop and some snowfall.
- 8 Areas due to open in Colorado this weekend.
- Cooler temperatures starting to appear in European forecasts.
Incoming! Snow Forecast for the West Coast, and a little for Europe?.
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World Overview
With sunny weather dominating in the Alps over the past week, much of the activity related to ski areas opening has been in North America where the number of resorts open jumped from 1 to 6 last weekend. With a plethora of resorts announcing opening this weekend, it looks set to triple again and give the US the most areas open of any country in the world, with North America also drawing equal with Europe for areas open.
There have been some good snowfalls, with up to 2 feet (60cm) reported in Colorado and, more crucially, some very cold temperatures for snowmaking to keep things moving along.
It wasn't quite enough for Banff's Norquay to hit its target opening date, with the resort initially announcing a one-week delay (now two weeks) but Lake Louise opened Wednesday to start the Canadian 24-25 season anyway.
In the Alps it's been a fairly mild, mostly sunny and largely dry week so there's been little change on a week ago. Things can change quickly though and, in a positive sign, forecast updates over the last 24 hours show temperatures dropping and snow forecast to move in from the west at the weekend.
Bookmark the J2Ski forecasts! We've completely revamped our forecasts for this winter, using the best of current forecasting models and now looking 16 days ahead (of course, no forecast is reliable at that timeframe, but we'll see major pattern changes show up earlier).
Europe
Austria
Austria continues to have the most ski areas open for the time being at least with seven glaciers to choose from. They've been posting webcam images of gorgeous blue sky conditions each day of the past week, the only problem being with the freezing point up towards 4,000m altitudes it's very warm for early November so lower areas can't start snowmaking ahead of their seasons.
Be that as it may, Solden has the most terrain open anywhere in the world at present with over 30km of runs. Hintertux has almost as much, the Stubai about 20km.
The Kaunertal, Kitzsteinhorn, Molltal and Pitztal glaciers are also open.
Kitzbühel is due to become the 8th Austrian ski area to open for the 24-25 season, this Saturday, using snow farming to create a few kilometres of runs at its Resterkogel sector.
The good news is that temperatures are now dipping and there's some cloud (and a little snow) forecast so the zero (freezing) line should be down to 2000m by the weekend - with more changeable conditions.
France
There remains nowhere open in France and with a week of predominantly warm and sunny weather behind them and not a particularly exciting forecast for the week ahead in terms of imminent cold and heavy snow, there's no current likelihood of anywhere opening early.
That said temperatures are now dropping and there is light-moderate snow forecast up high in a few places.
Currently, Chamonix, Tignes and Val Thorens are set to be the first in the country to open in just over a fortnight.
Italy
Italy's summer ski centre Passo Stelvio ended its six-month 2024 opening at the weekend leaving Val Senales, with just 2.5km of slopes available, the only centre currently open on Italian soil.
With the recent warm, dry, sunny weather there haven't been any other areas rushing to join it but Sulden, which sits at 1900m and has slopes up to 3250m is expected to open this weekend.
You can also access Zermatt's glacier ski slopes, just over the Swiss border, from Cervinia now the connection has re-opened.
It is getting cooler and back down to seasonal norms in Italy but there's not much snowfall in the forecast as yet.
Switzerland
Switzerland is just about holding its own in second place for number of ski areas open, although it might be overtaken by the US at the weekend, whilst drawing equal with Austria.
Like the rest of the Alps, the past week has been predominantly dry, sunny and mild, with temperatures getting a few degrees above freezing on glaciers.
Zermatt is posting the most open terrain in the country with 24km of slopes available. This is about when they would have hosted the planned cross-border FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup Downhill season opener had the race not been (seemingly) permanently cancelled. Ironically this year it looks like it might have been good to go.
The Titlis glacier above Engelberg is posting the world's deepest base at this very early point in proceedings – just over three metres lying up top they claim.
Murren is the latest ski area to open, last Saturday, thanks to snowfarming, like Adelboden the week before. You can also ski at Saas-Fee and St Moritz (Diavolezza Glacier).
The forecast is looking more changeable now – cooler and cloudier to start with.
Glacier 3000 near Gstaad is expected to start its season this weekend.
Scandinavia
Colder weather has finally arrived in northern Scandinavia to the delight of Finland's Levi and Ruka as well as Kabdalis in Sweden which had been struggling to maintain slopes made from snow saved from last season.
Now there is fresh natural snow and snow-making systems can work.
More smaller northern Norwegian and Swedish centres are planning to open over the next few weekends, and the bigger players later this month.
It's looking fairly dry into the weekend but colder, and remaining cold enough for snowmaking up north.
North America
Canada
There is snow on the ground at Mount Norquay near Banff but it ultimately opted not to start the lifts on its self-declared tentative season start date last Saturday, as there wasn't enough. It initially said it planned to open this coming weekend but has now announced a further weeks' delay blaming sunny weather.
Fellow Banff resort Lake Louise did open earlier this week to claim first in Canada. The third Banff area of Sunshine opens on Friday.
Albertan ski areas Marmot Basin near Jasper, as well as Nakiska, are also targeting this weekend to start their seasons and we may also see the first East Coast area opening; most likely Quebec's Sommet St Sauveur.
The heaviest snowfall this week - several feet (60cm) in some cases - has been reported in British Columbia resorts like Apex, Big White, Red Mountain, Silver Star and Fernie - which aren't planning to open quite yet.
It's been drier the past few days but there are colder temperatures and more snowfall in the forecast now.
USA
The US has had an exciting week.
Ski areas in the Pacific Northwest posted some of the world's first heavy snowfall pics of the 24-25 pre-season, while more resorts opened in Colorado (some reporting two feet/60cm of snowfall this week).
There was a big drop in temperatures, with overnight lows down as far as -20C in the Colorado Rockies, leading to snowmaking systems firing up in states across the country – including (initially) New England and the Midwest although its unfortunately now back to very warm there.
At the time of writing, 13 ski areas plan to be open in six states in the western US this weekend including 8 in Colorado and the first for 24-25 in Arizona (Arizona Snowbowl), California (Mt Rose), Idaho (Lookout Pass) and Utah (Brian Head).
Nevada's Lee Canyon which opened last weekend will also re-open.
In Colorado, centres opening last weekend were Arapahoe Basin and Keystone which joined already open Wolf Creek; they were joined by Eldora, opening more than a week early on Thursday.
Two more centres – Breckenridge and Copper – had already said they planned to open this weekend but they're now being joined by Loveland and Winter Park too.
It has turned a little drier the past few days but stayed sub-zero Celcius for snowmakers and there's more snow forecast to end the week.
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