Snow Overview

Conditions in Austria are now excellent after heavy snowfall at the beginning of March. After a light snowfall over the weekend, the snow is set to continue falling during the middle of this week. The heaviest snowfalls will be found on Tuesday in the Tirol resorts such as Galtur and the always snowsure Kuhtai. However, snow will fall in almost all Austrian resorts, meaning that the fantastic powder conditions that are currently on offer will remain. The snowfall will last for most of the week with a slight lull on Wednesday.

After a few months of uncharacteristically light snow in the French Alps, the snow is now suddenly almost at record levels on the upper pistes for early March. Some great skiing can be found in many high-altitude French resorts, in particular La Plagne which has a base depth of almost 5m!

After the heavy snowfall last week, particularly in southern French resorts, there was snowfall on Monday in many French resorts and most resorts are due to receive further snow throughout the week. Tuesday will see the majority of the snow, with 29cm forecast to fall in Meribel. This will be followed by sun on Wednesday, making for perfect skiing conditions.

If you’re thinking of booking a late season trip to France it is advisable to book a trip to a high-altitude area as snow conditions on the lower pistes still remain patchy.

Switzerland also received significant amounts of snow last week. It wasn’t all good news as Andermatt was forced to shut much of its terrain at the height of the snowstorm. Fortunately for most of this week conditions will be calmer. As with Austria and France, the snow will be heaviest on Tuesday with a huge 40cm falling in Crans Montana and around 30cm falling in some resorts in the eastern Swiss Alps.

Base depths in Switzerland are not quite as deep as in France and therefore for the best skiing you should select your destination carefully. Engelberg is a very safe bet, as are Nendaz, Saas Fee, Verbier, Murren and Zermatt.

The heavy snow last week also reached Italy. The snow subsided over the weekend and less snow is forecast for this week than in other parts of Europe. Light snow will fall in most Italian resorts on Tuesday before the sun moves in later on in the week. Conditions are excellent in the resorts in the Aosta Valley in north-west Italy. Unfortunately Italian ski resorts are shutting down due to the Coronavirus but fingers crossed the snow outlasts the Italian quarantine and people can take advantage of the conditions later on in the season.

The Pyrenees also saw heavy snowfalls last week, resulting in some excellent skiing conditions in Andorra for this week. There was further light snowfall on Monday and moderate amounts of new snow are forecast for the rest of this week. Snowfall was below average prior to March and the heavy March snow has still not managed to ensure that snow conditions are reliable on the lower parts of the mountain. Head to the upper parts of the mountain for reliable conditions where base depths of snow are just under two metres in Vallnord and Grandvalira.

The snow is hard packed across Scandinavia. There was not as much snow as in other parts of Europe but there was just enough to leave the snow in good condition. Most Norweigan resorts will see moderate amounts of fresh snow on each of the next three days – Geilo will see the heaviest snowfall of all the resorts with 30cm expected to fall on Wednesday. Voss is offering the best conditions in Norway with a base depth of snow of 280cm on upper pistes.

Fresh snow fell in Finland on Monday. Just under 20cm of further snow will fall over the next few days. It is a similar picture in Sweden with the snow over the next few days. Conditions are generally good in both countries for this time of the year.

Germany has received some much needed snow during the early parts of March. It has finally enabled the season to fully get going. Garmisch will receive the most snowfall in Germany over the next few days, in particular on Tuesday where almost 30cm of snow will fall. It will result in conditions on the Zugspitze Glacier being excellent for the rest of the week. Oberstdorf is currently offering some great powder and further snow this week will improve snow conditions yet further.

The conditions are now the best they have been all season in Eastern Europe following heavy snowfall last week. Bansko in Bulgaria received 90cm of snow on Thursday and Friday last week, leading to some excellent conditions over the weekend. Bansko will receive a smattering of fresh snow on Tuesday, further improving conditions. Borovets will also see fresh snow on Tuesday, followed by some sun on Wednesday and Thursday, making it a great time to ski in the resort.

Other parts of Eastern Europe, such as Slovakia and Slovenia, did not receive as much snow as Bulgaria last week and as a result conditions are not quite as good. Jasna in Slovakia is still reliant on artificial snow.

Some fantastic skiing conditions can be found in Scotland this week after a fantastic start to March in terms of snowfall. Glencoe and Nevis Range are set to receive significant amounts of snow over the next few days, further boosting the conditions. Most of the snow will fall on Wednesday. It should be a fantastic weekend to head to the Highlands.

US resorts have not seen the levels of snowfall that European resorts have at the beginning of March but this is not a big issue as the snowfall was excellent during January and February. There has still been fresh snow across most parts.

A storm brought a few inches of snow to parts of Colorado and Utah. Conditions are therefore excellent this week with some great powder skiing on offer. No fresh snow is forecast in most parts of Colorado and Utah over the next few days. There should be plenty of sun, particularly on Thursday and Friday, meaning it is a good time to book a trip to the area.

California has had the most fresh snow in the US during the past week. There was around 50cm of fresh snow in the latter part of last week in Squaw. The middle part of this week will bring mild temperatures and no new snow but a storm could move into the area over the weekend bringing further fresh snow.

A sunny Wednesday and Thursday is forecast for Jackson Hole in Wyoming and Big Sky in Montana, giving perfect conditions in which to enjoy the excellent spring skiing. The weekend is forecast to bring snow to Jackson Hole.

Across on the East Coast, fresh snow fell on Friday. This week will bring some further light snow which is forecast to get heavier on Friday before clearing over the weekend.

Canada received plenty of fresh snow last week, particularly Banff which received over 60cm. This took the base depth of snow on upper pistes in Banff back over 2m. Banff will receive a minimal amount of fresh snow this week but there will be plenty of sun making for some excellent conditions.

Snowfall will be heaviest this week over on the East Coast, with Mont Sainte Anne set to receive 20cm of snow on Tuesday. Further west, Whistler will receive new snow on Tuesday and Wednesday and with conditions set to be cold but sunny on Thursday, it is the perfect time to ski in the resort.

It has been an unusually snow light season for Japan but base depths continue to get deeper – Niseko now has a base depth of over 3m. Niseko, Rusutsu and Hakuba will all receive a moderate amount of fresh snow over the next few days.