J2Ski Snow Report - November 2nd 2023
J2Ski Snow Report - November 2nd 2023
Published : 02-Nov-2023 07:17
Breckenridge, one of many US ski resorts to turn white this week...
Snow in the US and Canada, and falling lower in the European Alps, as more ski areas open.
The Snow Headlines - November 2nd
- The US 23-24 season gets started.
- More Swiss glaciers open (or plan to) this weekend as snow falls on higher slopes.
- Number of ski areas open in the Alps to hit double figures this coming weekend.
- Canada's 23-24 season gets underway early with east pipping west.
- World's deepest reported snow depth jumps to 2.2m at Saas Fee after fresh snow.
- 23-24 Alpine World Cup season starts at Solden in Austria.
More snow forecast for Europe, USA, Canada...
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World Overview
It's November, so skiers and boarders across the northern hemisphere are keeping a keen eye on developing snow conditions and early resort opening.
The good news is that after a warm spell for some mountain areas in mid-October it has stayed cold in the Alps over the last week, with plenty of snowfall too. Cold temperatures are also back in western North America, with snow falling on higher slopes on both sides of the Atlantic.
As a result, more glacier areas have opened in the Alps, those already open have added more terrain and snow depths have started to grow again for the first time in six months.
In North America, fears that the ski season might not start in October were laid to rest late on Friday when Colorado's Arapahoe Basin, one of the continent's and the world's highest altitude ski areas, announced it would open from Sunday.
Keystone has now joined it and more are expected to follow suit in the coming days and weeks.
North of the border, Banff's local ski hill brought its opening day forward a day to the Friday, only to be joined by Lake Louise bringing theirs forward a week to Friday as well, then both beaten by a Quebec area opening on Thursday!
Elsewhere in Europe it has been snowing again in the Scottish highlands with the access road to Cairngorm ski area closed by snowfall on Thursday morning. The first winter resort has opened in Norway for 23-24 too.
Europe
Austria
Austria continues to have more ski areas open than any other country at this early point in the season - with five glaciers open, all of them in the province of Tirol.
The ski world's eyes were on one of them, Solden, at the weekend as the 23-24 World Cup tour got underway on the glacier with seemingly perfect conditions, on the Saturday at least, with blue skies and sunshine after a 20cm snowfall over the last few days of last week followed by another 30-50cm fall on Monday this week up high. Unfortunately, strong winds developed on Sunday leading to the cancellation of the second run in the Men's Giant Slalom race. Stormy weather also closed centres on Thursday.
Along with fresh snow, the glaciers have been opening up more terrain with Solden and Hintertux now posting more than 20km of slopes open. You can also currently ski at the Kauntertal, Pitztal and Stubai glaciers with Salzburgerland's Kitzsteinhorn opening on Friday 3rd November and Carinthia's Molltal hoping to open for their season too thanks to the cold temperatures and fresh snowfall having delayed October openings.
France
French ski centres have posted increasingly wintery images with the snowline shown dropping down the brown mountainsides and reports of 20-40cm of fresh snowfall up high.
There remains nowhere open in France and nowhere planning to open until Chamonix, Tignes and Val Thorens
- among others - start their lifts at the end of the month.
Italy
We're rather between two seasons in Italy with the summer ski area Passo Stelvio ending its five-month 2023 opening this weekend, probably, and nowhere really open for winter 23-24 yet, other than Cervinia providing access to Zermatt's glacier.
The Sulden ski area in Trentino may open this weekend as, like other Italian areas, it has seen low temperatures and snowfall up high over the last week, with more forecast.
The usual autumn opening of the Schnalstal (Val Senales) glacier hasn't happened this year as the main cable car is being upgraded with a planned Christmas unveiling. It reported 40cm of fresh snowfall on Thursday though.
Switzerland
Switzerland should have at least five, possibly six, ski areas open from this coming weekend with the Diavolezza Glacier opening last weekend and at least two more – the Titlis Glacier above Engelberg and Glacier 3000 near Gstaad, which both delayed October opening plans – saying they'll open this weekend.
Murren also looks set to open, in its case partly thanks to a snow-farming operation to make an early base using last season's snow, stored through summer and spread back out on the slopes.
They'll join Saas Fee and Zermatt which have both been open all autumn and enjoying fresh snowfall over the last week.
Glacier 3000 says they've had more than half-a-metre of new snow in recent days.
Verbier has ruled out opening this weekend but says it will open soon (and say when early next week).
Zermatt is building up to hopefully hosting the FIS World Cup Tour opening speed skiing events of 23-24 with the first-ever cross-border race course over to Cervinia in Italy.
Scandinavia
Wintery weather continues in Scandinavia where temperatures have been dipping as low as -20C in Lapland and more snow has been falling on higher slopes, turning them ever whiter.
There are a limited number of centres open with no change on a week ago. They include Levi and Ruka in Lapland, Kabdalis in Sweden and the Galdhopiggen summer ski centre in Norway which is coming to the end of its 2023 season. However another Norwegian centre, Kvitfjell, will open for its 23-24 season on Friday, so there should be somewhere open in Norway through the coming week and month.
North America
Canada
It has been a snowy week in western Canada with some ski areas posting over half-a-metre of snowfall in the past seven days and images of current conditions in the Canadian Rockies showing full winter mode.
That's good news for Albertan ski areas that plan to open over the next few weekends.
Banff's local hill, Mount Norquay was set to be first in the country from this Saturday and moved opening day forward to Friday 3rd, but was then matched by Lake Louise bringing their planned opening date forward by a week to the 3rd too.
However both have been pipped by Sommet St Sauveur which has opened over in Quebec in the east after a dip in temperatures, a little natural snowfall and a lot of snowmaking there.
With Calgary's closest ski area Nakiska opening this weekend back west too, it looks like there's at least four Canadian areas open this weekend. Banff's third area, Sunshine, and Marmot Basin up in Jasper are expecting to open in a weeks' time. There's not a lot of snowfall in the forecast at present but it's staying cold and looking good.
USA
The ski season in the US got underway on Sunday with Arapahoe Basin, one of America and the world's highest ski areas, managing to open before the end of October (just). It reported 12" of fresh snowfall on the Saturday night before opening, bringing great conditions to its upper runs for the season start. Terrain open so far is best suited to intermediate and advanced-level skiers.
The snowfall at A-Basin followed widespread snowfalls across the western US, in some cases like Crested Butte down to resort level.
A number of resorts in Colorado as well as other states like Idaho reported more than a foot of snow up to last weekend when skies cleared although temperatures remain low.
Keystone joined A Basin on November 1st and it has also turned colder and snowy at last in the Eastern US too allowing a couple of small Midwestern ski areas (Wild Mountain and Trollhaugen in Minesota and Wisconsin respectively) to open too.
Some of the country's biggest resorts including Breckenridge, Mammoth and Vail plan to start opening from the end of next week.
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