J2Ski's Where to Ski in August 2023
J2Ski's Where to Ski in August 2023
Published : 01-Aug-2023 07:38
J2Ski's Where to Ski in August 2023
We're not sure if this picture is current, but conditions are good in Portillo, Chile!
August is a peak month in the southern hemisphere's ski season when all resorts aim to be fully open after snow depths have built through the first half of the season before things wind down in September, the start of spring.
Many Australian areas have enjoyed a month or so of cold and snow (and sunshine), but there's not been quite so much winter for ski areas in South America and New Zealand, where the best are running around 70-80% open. But it's a constantly improving picture.
In the northern hemisphere the heat has been building through July but thankfully August starts with glaciers in better shape than a year ago in the Alps, thanks to colder, snowier weather in the spring than was the case in 2022. There was even snowfall on high slopes to end July and there is more forecast for early August.
Five glaciers in Europe aim to stay open through August if the heat allows. Two centres are also open in the USA, but one will close on August 6th and it's as yet unknown whether the other will stay open through to September.
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Southern Hemisphere
Australia
Australia has had the best first half of the 2023 season of any of the main four southern hemisphere ski nations.
After a shaky start in the first half of June, regular snowfalls and periods of cold weather meant most of the country's ski areas were fully open, or nearly so, through most of July.
It's therefore currently looking good across the nation's ski slopes with the largest area, Perisher, reporting the most terrain open – around 50km of slopes – as we start the month and with a 1m+ upper slope base depth, a healthy start for Australian skiing.
Falls Creek and Mount Hotham both reported they were 100% open in recent weeks but Mount Buller and Thredbo are not far behind. The news isn't all good though, unfortunately, with warmer, dryer weather dominating in recent weeks and Selwyn currently temporarily closed for lack of snow cover.
New Zealand
New Zealand has had one of its worst starts to a season in recent years with little snowfall and warm temperatures meaning ski areas either couldn't open as planned in June and early July or could only open limited terrain with thin cover. Temperatures in July were reported to be 2 degrees above the average.
Thankfully the final week or so of July did see some improvement with a decent dump the weekend of 22nd-24th last month delivering up to a metre of snowfall to high slopes meaning almost all centres could open at last.
The bigger commercial centres also finally have all or most of their terrain open, so August should be the best month of the season so far.
Argentina
A bit of an up-and-down season in Argentina so far too with some delayed openings due to similar issues to New Zealand, too little snowfall, particularly at lower elevations, and warmer weather than they'd like too (or cold but dry).
That said, the southern hemisphere's largest resort of Catedral has had up to 95km (59 miles) of slopes open in recent weeks, the most of any area in the world in July.
Las Lenas, which is one of those that's suffered from the early season conditions, has had more promising snowfalls at its base in the past week and is reported to have powder lying metres deep in the abundant freeriding terrain above.
Chile
Chile has also had a mixed first half to its 2023 season with few big snowfalls as yet and nowhere reporting all terrain open as we start August.
It has been an improving picture through July with most areas opening more terrain and big names like Valle Nevado and Portillo reporting they're up to 70-80% open.
Portillo, famed for its powder, is reporting one of the deepest bases in the world as we start the month, at over 1.3 metres.
Southern Africa
Unfortunately, there's not expected to be anywhere open for skiing and boarding in Southern Africa in August. That's more down to financial and political issues than a lack of snowmaking possibilities though.
Lesotho's Afriski says that although they've had natural snowfall at times in July and have been making snow for a tubing run, they won't run their ski lifts this winter. South Africa's Tiffindell has not operated since the winter of 2019.
Northern Hemisphere
The Alps
Southern Europe saw record-high temperatures in July and that heat impacted glaciers in the Alps where we saw +10C and above at 3,000m and higher through the daytime. That has inevitably led to a fast thaw of snowpacks, but August 2023 is starting in a much more positive position than August 2022.
For now, four alpine centres are open and aiming to remain so through the month.
Zermatt, linked to Cervinia, will be keen to show its slopes have good cover after closure last August and September ultimately led to the planned first running of World Cup races on the new downhill cross-border ski course had to be cancelled, but they're currently back on the calendar for Autumn 2023.
Neighbouring Saas Fee has snow still 2 metres deep, Austria's Hintertux is open and Stelvio in Italy is the fourth option.
Scandinavia
Norway's Galdhopiggen ski area in Norway, with the region's highest lifts up around 2,000m, is the only ski centre still open in the region. It's hoping to remain so through to late autumn.
The latter half of July did see its base diminish but equally some fresh snow flurries were reported overnight some mornings as temperatures hovered around freezing. Its base is still above a metre as we enter August so whether it'll make it through the month remains to be seen.
By the end though we'll only be just over 5 weeks away from the first centres opening in Finnish Lapland for their 23-23 seasons, thanks to snow farming at Levi and Ruka.
North America
Mammoth Mountain announced on July 22nd that it would be staying open into August following the huge snowfalls there last winter. After a nearly 9-month 22-23 ski season it has finally named a closing date – August 6th.
The resort received 715 inches of snow – over 18 metres - through the season.
It's only the third time in Mammoth's 69-year history that it has managed to open for skiing and boarding into August. The previous times were 1995 and 2017.
Timberline on Mt Hood in Oregon is also still open for skiing and boarding. Timberline's base has been dropping fast through the hot weather of July so it's unclear if skiing and boarding on its Palmer Snowfield will survive through August - but no closing date has been announced here as yet.
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