J2Ski Snow Report - November 21st 2024
J2Ski Snow Report - November 21st 2024
Published : 21-Nov-2024 08:23
Kicking Horse, BC, Canada, looking good with fresh!
Heavy snow in much of the Alps, and in North America, as more early-opening ski areas get their seasons underway.
The Snow Headlines - November 21st
- Huge snowfalls in the Western Alps with some areas expecting over a metre in total.
- BC ski areas report up to 2.5m (8 feet) of pre-season snow, several open early.
- French ski season starts Saturday with Tignes and Val Thorens due to open.
- Cold and snowy weather in the UK, including in Scottish ski areas.
Snow is forecast!.
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World Overview
The big news this week is heavy snowfall in the Alps which is still dumping as we complete this week's report. So far, several feet of snowfall has been reported on high slopes and it is expected that several ski areas will have more than a metre accumulated by the time skies clear at the weekend.
Although the focus is on the Alps there's been snowfall for most European mountains, including the Scottish peaks and Scandinavia, where several of the bigger resorts are due to open this weekend.
It's been dumping in many parts of North America, too, and some resorts in the Pacific Northwest say that they've now had over 2.5m (100") of snowfall ahead of the season's start!
More big-name resorts, including the continent's biggest, Whistler Blackcomb, have opened, and several are starting their seasons early because of the good conditions on the western side of the continent.
Europe
Austria
Austria is the first European country to reach 10 ski areas open with Obertauern the third non-glacier ski area opening, joining Obergurgl - which opened last week and now has one of the largest areas of terrain open in the world so far, with almost 50km of slopes.
There is also Kitzbuhel which did so with snow farming the week before.
The country's seven glacier ski areas have seen the best of the fresh snowfall in recent days though. The weather quickly turned fairly sunny again for much of the country though temperatures are low allowing snowmaking to continue in most areas.
France
France has seen the best of the recent snowfalls in the west and that's expected to continue until sunshine returns at the weekend.
Half-metre accumulations at 2,000m have been widely reported so far after 20-30cm accumulations on Wednesday.
So the timing looks perfect for Tignes and Val Thorens kicking the French season off on Saturday. Both have confirmed they plan to open although it's unclear if a cable car accident on Cime Caron at Val Thorens on Tuesday will impact operations at all.
More snowfall is forecast for next week.
Italy
Italy has had some fresh snowfall too, with more forecast through to the weekend.
Four centres are currently open with two more – San Martino and Madonna di Campiglio, currently expected to join them this weekend.
Cervinia's areas shared with Zermatt having just about the most terrain accessible in Europe at present, more than 40km of slopes with the Plan Maison, Fornet and Bontadini slopes opening on Wednesday to increase the area open on the Italian side of the border. It reported 50cm of snowfall on its high slopes in the 24 hours to Wednesday.
Drier weather is ahead for most Italian areas but staying cold up high.
Switzerland
Switzerland should hit double-figures for centres open this weekend too with Andermatt and Davos-Klosters expected to be amongst the next to open this coming weekend, joining Verbier (which opened, for the weekend, last weekend and will also reopen this).
Swiss ski slopes have seen plenty of snowfall too over the past few days, heaviest in the west and expected to continue through to the weekend.
Already open are Adelboden, Engelberg Gstaad (Glacier 3000), St Moritz (Diavolezza), Saas-Fee and Zermatt – some of these only open at weekends in November.
Scandinavia
All eyes were on Scandinavia at the weekend as the Alpine Skiing World Cup tour came to Finland's leading resort Levi.
The weather at the weekend was typical of recent weeks – hill fog, sleet and snow.
So far not many areas have opened but currently, some big names including Sweden's Are and Norway's Trysil are expected to open this weekend.
There's light snowfall in the forecast, temperatures down to as low as -20C overnight, and staying sub-zero in the daytime.
Pyrenees
The 24-25 season is yet to start in the Pyrenees but things are coming together with a good snowfall earlier this week giving 15-30cm for many areas.
Low overnight temperatures have also allowed snowmaking systems to fire up.
Baqueira Beret has previously said it would start its season this weekend but most resorts in the region are waiting to the 30th or later.
The coming week is looking sunny with temperatures ranging from -10 to +10C.
Scotland
After the warm and sunny first half of November, temperatures have plummeted and there's been light snowfall across Scottish mountains and down to low elevations with temperatures down to -8C.
It's unclear how fast centres will be able to open any terrain but Glencoe has started its all-weather-snowmaking and temperatures are forecast to stay low.
Eastern Europe
There's nowhere open in Eastern Europe this year, or expected to open for at least another week, but the snowfall in the Alps has been continuing east and south with resorts like Bansko in Bulgaria and Jasna in Slovakia posting images of natural snowfall and snow cannons firing up to build bases.
North America
Canada
It's been a cold and snowy week in Western Canada, where BC's season is getting underway with Sun Peaks opening and now being joined by Big White and Whistler Blackcomb, both opening earlier than expected.
Their decision comes as cold and snowy weather continues.
Yet to open Revelstoke says it has had 2.5m (100") of pre-season snowfall already.
Centres already open in Alberta now include all three Banff resorts.
Canada's East Coast has also seen the season get started with Summit-St-Sauveur opening limited terrain as temperatures dropped to allow snowmaking. But the largest centre Tremblant has put its opening back from this weekend to next week as they catch up after a mostly warmer-than-average autumn.
Conditions continue to look quite marginal for the coming week in the east unfortunately but much colder and snowier still in the west.
USA
A mixed picture on both sides of the US right now with ski centres in the West continuing to see heavy snowfall, particularly in the north, whilst it's a battle to open much terrain, if anything can open at all, in the East.
In the west, centres like Aspen and Heavenly have opened earlier than planned whilst in the East, resorts including Vermont's Sugarbush have announced delays to their expected opening dates.
All in all, however, more than 50 US ski areas will be open this weekend, more than 90% of them in the west, although some East Coast areas including Killington and Sunday River have managed to open high altitude terrain, most of it suited to advanced skiers only.
Things look set to change for the better on both sides of the country though with a 'weather bomb' set to hopefully bring plenty of snow at last to the East (albeit with rain at lower levels and violent winds), whilst an 'atmospheric river' is due to deliver a similar scenario on the west.
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