Some great conditions have been reported on the Grande Motte Glacier in Tignes, where the sun was shining on Friday. Fresh snow has really improved the surface conditions and race teams and freestyle athletes have been busy up there preparing for the winter ahead.
Sadly the planned opening at Les Deux Alpes did not got ahead as planned in late-October, so we’re now waiting for resorts to open up towards the end of November. The forecast is looking good next week, with snow in the outlook for every French resort.
Switzerland
Four glaciers are open for skiing in Switzerland, with Zermatt and Saas Fee continuing to offer up the most terrain and the best conditions. The groomed trails were improved by a little fresh snow during the week and with a good deal of fresh powder in the forecast next week, expect the situation to improve further.
Decent, albeit more limited skiing is available on the glacier slopes above Engelberg and Pontresina, however Andermatt and Laax have had to delay opening pending further snowfall – hopefully this week delivers.
Italy
Access to the glacier slopes below the Matterhorn has recently opened up from Cervinia, giving more variety to the skiing on offer in Italy at present. Val Senales is the other resort open, with three lifts spinning on the glacier to access some decent downhill and cross country skiing.
Unsettled, cooler and snowier weather is forecast for the week ahead, with the potential for some decent snowfall from Tuesday onwards. Hopefully this will further improve the conditions at the open resorts and begin to build a base for the season ahead elsewhere.
North America
It has been a bumper start to the ski season in Colorado, with resorts reporting record October snowfall (up to 1.5m in places) and bitterly cold temperatures (down to -20 Celsius). This is the perfect combination and as a result, Arapahoe Basin, Loveland, Keystone, Eldora, Monarch and Winter Park will have lifts spinning by Saturday 2nd November. At the latter this represents their earliest ever opening! Beautiful sunny weather and temperatures just below freezing are expected this weekend and into next week.
Elsewhere in the USA you can ski at Mount Rose in Nevada, Sipapu in New Mexico and Wildcat in Minnesota. Across on the East Coast however, mild temperatures have curtailed snowmaking activity and we’re still waiting for the likes of Killington to open up – some cooler nights are forecast however, so we might not be far away from opening day.
Up in Canada, both Lake Louise and Mount Norquay near Banff are scheduled to open this weekend, with Sunshine Village set to join them soon thanks to excellent early-season snowfall. Cool weather and some light snow is forecast for the coming week.
Australia
The Australian ski season has now finished.
New Zealand
The New Zealand season is clinging on, with Whakapapa now the only resort still open following the closure of its Mount Ruapehu neighbour Turoa. The snowpack is still up to 3m thick towards the summit, giving great spring conditions when the lifts open up each weekend – weather permitting.
South America
The South American ski season is over at all of our featured resorts.
