Weather report: Where to find the best snow

Conditions in the Alps have been very mixed over the last few days.  The eastern half of the Austrian Alps has had lots of rain/snow – the snow mostly above 1000-1200m, with considerable accumulations in places. 

Lower down, however, the rain has led to a thaw, with some valley bottoms now looking a bit green.  Western Austria and the far east of Switzerland have been on the margins of this bad weather with a few showers but no significant precipitation. 

The rest of the Alps have been mostly mild and sunny, at least at altitude, with just a little nuisance-value low cloud plaguing the northern foothills.

The weather is set to change on Thursday with colder and (for some) snowy weather filtering down from the north. Next week could become exceptionally cold so stay tuned to daily updates on weathertoski.co.uk

Austria

 Conditions are very variable across Austrian resorts.  In the far west, resorts such as Lech (90/205cm) have not had much new snow recently, but on-piste at least the skiing is still excellent. 

Further east, there has been more in the way of rain/snow – the snow mostly above 1000-1200m, with considerable accumulations in resorts such as Obertauern (180/220cm).  Lower down, however, resorts such as Schladming (50/80cm) have seen rain at resort level.  

The good news for everyone is that it will turn much colder later this week and over the weekend with snow showers in many places.

France

Megeve, from Combloux

Generally speaking, conditions are still excellent in the French Alps, particularly at altitude in resorts such as Val d’Isère (120/250cm) and Les Arcs (85/220cm).  However, recent freeze-thaw cycles have taken their toll on the lower slopes of resorts such as Châtel (50/160cm), which are hard and icy in places.

 The good news is that it will turn colder later in the week with the prospect of fresh snow – particularly in the northern Alps.

Italy

 Italian resorts have seen very little in the way of new snow recently but, on the whole, snow depths are still good thanks to storms earlier in the season. This is particularly true in the west where La Thuile (50/200cm) and Sauze d’Oulx (80/150cm) both offer excellent on-piste conditions, particularly at altitude.

Further east, Selva (25-80cm) is also skiing well though some lower pistes are hard and icy. It will turn colder later this week, but it remains to be seen if there will be any significant snow.

Plenty of sunshine in Courmayeur

Switzerland

Like most of the Alps, there hasn’t been much new snow recently, but conditions remain good, especially in the west where snow depths are still way above par for the time of year. The best skiing is on the higher slopes of resorts such as Zermatt (60/195cm) and Verbier (70/205), though some lower slopes are getting a bit hard and icy.

Colder conditions are forecast for later this week with some snow in places, particularly across the northern half of the Swiss Alps.

Rest of Europe

 There hasn’t been any significant snow for some time in Andorra, but most pistes are holding up reasonably well.  It’s mild and sunny again in Soldeu (30/60cm) today, but a return to winter is expected this weekend.  Conditions are better in Bulgaria where Borovets (60/100cm) has had fresh snow and temperatures are well below freezing.

Scandinavian resorts also report good conditions, with 5cm of fresh snow for Sweden’s Åre (30/60cm) which is skiing superbly after a slightly sluggish start to the season. Norway has been mostly dry recently, but snow cover remains excellent in most resorts including Hemsedal (65/105cm).

Scottish ski resorts have suffered in the recent mild weather with only Cairngorm (5/35cm) now offering limited skiing. The good news, however, is that colder snowier weather is forecast for this weekend.

USA

Mammoth, California (246/488cm) is in great shape from top to bottom and boasts the most impressive stats in North America.  Jackson Hole, Wyoming (110/145cm) has also had an excellent start to the season with more snow expected on Thursday. 

This snow should then spread into Colorado where conditions are good but snow depths are still modest. Beaver Creek has 64cm mid-mountain, and Breckenridge has 74cm.

Canada

The excellent conditions continue in western Canada where Whistler has fresh snow and the mid-mountain base is nearly 2m deep. Further inland, Big White (pictured) is also living up to its reputation with over 40cm of new snow in the last week on a 180cm base.