SKI FRIDAY: Dreaming of a White Christmas

Cloud and snow has arrived in France and most resorts have been gradually opening more lifts. Lots of snow is on its way to the Northern and Southern Alps, although resorts around Geneva and those in Austria are still missing out on big snow falls.

Canada has been enjoying a superb spell of snowfall recently and temperatures are set to warm up for some resorts. It is still bitterly cold in some places, however, especially in Quebec.

Most resorts in America have almost doubled their snow bases. Conditions have shifted to very cold with sunny skies, but more snow is just around the corner. Sensational skiing abounds in the USA right now. 

AUSTRIA
Small amounts of fresh snow fell on the upper slopes in Austria over the weekend, and brought some welcome relief to what has been a fairly prolonged dry spell for the country. Fresh snow left resorts such as Ellmau, Hopfgarten and Soll all looking fresh. However, runs around resort level could still do with a top up, and are largely reliant on artificial snow making. There is good skiing in the Salzburg area.

Boxing Day is currently predicted to bring the next set of clouds, which could deposit small amounts of snow in time for New Year.

FRANCE
Snow is falling and more lift and resort openings have been announced, including Chamrousse, with limited skiing on offer – only the Lacs Robert slope is groomed and accessible. A couple of additional lifts have been opened in Font Romeu, Foux d’Allos and La Rosiere. Isola 2000 now has 18 of 19 lifts operating and conditions there are some of the best in the country. La Grave is now open for the season. Skiers are warned that the snow is hard and falling can be particularly dangerous at the moment.

SWITZERLAND
The Matterhorn resorts are the only resorts with any reportable snowfalls. Zermatt and Saas Fee expected a metre of windblown snow by Wednesday morning. Elsewhere Engelberg was unable to open due to strong winds halting lift operations. Most resorts are in pretty sad shape snow wise at the moment and unfortunately the forecast isn’t indicating this trend is going to buck any time soon. Now new snow is forecast before December 25.

ITALY
Many resorts have received fresh snow, with the biggest recorded snowfall of 25cm was in Val Senales. Right across the board from the Sella Ronda in the East to the Aosta Valley in the West visibility was poor due to dense cloud and on-going snow falls.

ANDORRA
There is currently good skiing on well-groomed pistes available across our featured resorts, with the best conditions to be found on the upper slopes. The pick of the resorts at the moment may well be Arcalis, where seven out of 14 lifts were spinning on Monday.

NORWAY/SWEDEN
Monday was a good day for skiing in Scandinavia. In Norway Lillehammer was the pick of the bunch: it now has a huge 27 lifts open covering an extensive ski area around the city.  Over in Sweden, Are is now running at close to full capacity, with 35 out of 42 lifts spinning. Conditions there are good. Over in Salen a whopping 53 lifts are in action.

GERMANY
There were limited ski options in Germany earlier this week. Oberstdorf was open for some limited piste skiing on a mostly artificial base. The snow is good but the ski area is completely bare off piste. Feldburg awaits more snow.

BULGARIA
The sun is set to shine across Bulgaria up until Christmas, after which we may see more clouds and the chance of snow for the ski resorts.

SCOTLAND
Temperatures are set to drop over the coming days, and snow is in the forecast. In the East, Glencoe is predicted to receive upwards of 50cms before Boxing Day. At the Nevis Range, around 16cm is expected to fall this week.

CANADA
Temperatures have been bitterly cold and are expected to reach as low as -12C in Alberta this week, so wrap up warm. British Columbia expectS steady snowfall throughout the week.

USA
Temperatures are similarly cold, so again, put on an extra layer to avoid freezing on the chair lifts. In California the weather should stay largely sunny this week until Friday, at which point a whopping 42cm is expected to fall at Squaw Valley. In Wyoming, Jackson Hole continues to get dumped on, and conditions there are arguably some of the best in the world. In Utah, Deer Valley and Park City are predicted to receive a late Christmas gift of around 20cm on Boxing Day.

The snow report is provided by The Ski Club of Great Britain. For more detailed information and weather forecasts, visit skiclub.co.uk.