Summer Ski Season Ends
Summer Ski Season Ends
Published : 26-Aug-2011 03:04
Les 2 Alpes (doesn't look much like this at the moment...)
It's the last week of the summer ski season, for what it is, in the Alps. Only nine ski areas have been open through August – the lowest number ever and the first time northern hemisphere summer ski area numbers have been in single figures since summer skiing gained popularity 30 years ago. That total drops still further to 7 entering September.
Warm weather closed Norway's three glacier ski areas early, months ago, and with temperatures predicted to be back at 40C in valleys in parts of the Alps and Dolomites early next week, the handful of ski areas are only really scraping through, with glacial ice shining through snow patches thawed by the sun.
Chamonix probably made a wise decision earlier this summer by deciding to join German, Austrian and Swiss glaciers in putting a cover over part of its glacier to try to slow the melt. That's due to come off in October before the first big snowfalls (hopefully).
In France it's the last weekend of summer skiing at Les 2 Alps which says it has between zero and 1.2m (four feet) of snow cover. That's better than Tignes which says it has only 30cm of snow cover and is planning to stay open another week before closing for a fortnight. It was (snow permitting presumably) then re-open in late September and be the only French resort open for the best part of two months.
In Austria it's a similar snow cover story at the year-round Hintertux ski area and the re-opened Molltal glacier. They should both be staying open through September and the autumn, joined in late September by more Austrian glaciers for their Ski Opening festivals – with new season gear tests in the daytime and a beer tent in the evening – Pitztal, Stubai, Solden and Kaprun are usually all participants.
Switzerland's Saas Fee and Zermatt are due to stay open too but are also seeing rapidly diminishing snowpacks – last reported at 60 and 90cm respectively – both down a good six inches on the previous week.
In Italy the small summer ski areas of Passo Tonale and Val Senales will remain open after this weekend, the last one for Cervinia until it re-opens in the autumn.
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