J2Ski Snow Report - March 7th 2013
J2Ski Snow Report - March 7th 2013
Published : 07-Mar-2013 01:40
Week Ending March 9th, 2013* Free to re-publish in whole or part so long as clearly credited to www.J2ski.com with the words "J2Ski Snow Report" linked to
http://www.j2ski.com/snow_forecast/
Don't look now, but...
...talk of Spring in Europe, with clear mild weather for much of the past week, does appear to be rather premature.
The Week Ahead
The weather changes we hinted at last week are now creeping into the reliable timeframe of the forecast models and we're expecting winter to return next week.
Temperatures will fall gradually as we move into the weekend, with snow expected in some areas at altitude (and light rain below mid-levels). Much colder weather follows and most of the Alpine area will be 10C to 15C degrees cooler by Tuesday!
Most locations will see snow, down to low levels, during the next week; quantities are unclear at present but there is a chance of significant localized accumulations depending on the exact track of the weather systems expected.
If you are heading out this weekend, then pack for all weathers; although it's mild now, you'll be needing thermals on Monday...
This Week's Headlines
- The driest week in the Alps so far this winter.
- Heavy snow in North America - more big falls in Colorado.
- Serious snow in Scandinavia.
- A metre of new snow at Whistler.
Europe
Austria
It has been a dry and sunny week in most of Europe with little snow reported across the continent, including in Austria. Conditions on the pistes are generally excellent, if anything perhaps slightly too springlike as temperatures peaked but generally just glorious sunny days on the deep bases built up over the past few months.
The next few days are seeing a change in the weather in Austria with some significant new snowfall expected across the country, but otherwise there's no new snow to report. Snow depths are still good and remain above 2.4m (6 feet) on upper slopes at many major areas including Lech, Obergurgl, Hintertux, St Anton...
France
France has also seen almost no new snow in the past week, but instead skiers have been enjoying sunny open pistes, if not great off-piste powder. On that latter point, warm temperatures and a deep snowpack means the avalanche risk is generally high to very-high off the piste, should you be desperate to battle the crud. As with Austria, an end to the snow drought is imminent and plenty of fresh expected in the next seven days. Deep snow bases built up over the last three months mean there's no real problem with cover on the runs either. Most areas have at least 2m lying on upper slopes, Flaine and Alpe d'Huez are up at 3.7m upper slope depths.
Italy
Virtually no new snow reported in the past week for Italy either! Only Madesimo says it got 5cm yesterday, otherwise it's zero accumulations across the board and the same great-on-piste, cruddy-and-high-avalanche-risk off piste scenario as per the rest of Western Europe. Base depths are largely healthy if not quite so good as further north, but perfectly adequate at the larger resorts.
The deepest is in the western Alps where resorts like Cervinia and la Thuile have 2.5m base depths, but in the Dolomites too conditions are good with Arabba on 235cm.
Switzerland
Once again it's a no-new-snow story for another of the big four alpine ski nations, Switzerland. There's been almost no fresh snow across the country but sunny early-spring like conditions last week made for an excellent on-piste experience. Swiss resorts have the deepest snow bases in the alps led by Andermatt, Engelberg and Saas Fee, each with over 4.5m lying on upper slopes, but depths are good throughout the country so warmer conditions are not an issue as yet.
Scotland
Scotland's run of good conditions after the unsettled December/January continues, and it's turning out to be the best season for a few years with ticket sales already well past the total for all of 2011-12. Indeed this time last March all Scottish ski areas were closed due to warm temperatures. Currently however there's top to bottom skiing at all five ski areas.
Pyrenees
Not much fresh snow in the Pyrenees either but Cauterets (which says it's had another 5cm) has retained its world number one snow depth position with 590cm as Mt Baker, Niseko and Engelberg are all stall around the 5m mark. Baqueira Beret, which is calling this winter's snowfall "historic" has just announced an extended ski season to May 5th. It's one of three Spanish resorts with a 4m base. In Andorra it's generally 2.5-3m – all very healthy.
Eastern Europe
Once again there's been little or no fresh snow reported in Eastern Europe, but most areas have good base depths built up and pistes are fully open and all lifts running. Bansko, with a 2m base, has the deepest snow in the region, but most other areas have at least a 1m base on upper slopes and generally much more.
Scandinavia
There have been significant snowfalls in Norway and Swede, most notable perhaps at Are, the region's largest ski resort, which had a 20cm fall over Monday/Tuesday this week, the largest it has reported all winter. It now has a 1.3m base and for the first time that's the deepest of most major ski areas in Scandinavia – lagging behind only Voss. But some smaller Norwegian areas reported up to 60cm of new snow in the last seven days, the best known of which was Oppdal, with 50cm. Generally bases across the region are around the metre mark.
North America
Canada
Western Canada has had the best of the week's snow with Whistler accumulating around a metre of fresh stuff and over in Alberta, Marmot Basin claiming the biggest snow storm for nearly 325 years deposited 70cm, of snow in 72 hours from 2nd to =4th March. Those were the two headline figures of a snowy week across the region which saw most areas add 20-40cm of fresh powder and bases reach their deepest this season to date – with Fernie the first to pass to 2.5m mark (now also reached by Big White and Whistler), with 2.75m. There have been smaller 5-10cm falls on the east too with Mont Ste Anne and Tremblant both with more than a metre of base.
USA
The good snowfall of the past few weeks in Colorado has continued with some resorts in the famous ski state adding as much as 60cm (two feet) of new snow in the past week and almost all reporting "powder" conditions. Vail, Steamboat and copper mountain all reported at least a foot of fresh snow, Arapahoe basin 50cm.
It's not just Colorado getting the snow though, Jackson Hole has had another foot in the past week and there have been similar accumulations in Utah at resorts like Canyons and Snowbird. In California the base depth is creeping up at Mammoth again – now nearly at 5m. Less snow on the east in the past week but depths are still OK at around 1 to 1.5m and there have been a few inches of new snow at least at most centres.
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