J2Ski Snow Report - April 20th 2023
J2Ski Snow Report - April 20th 2023
Published : 20-Apr-2023 07:22
J2Ski Snow Report April 20th 2023
Tignes, France, open until 6th May (summer skiing from 17th June)...
Northern hemisphere season still not done...
The Snow Headlines - 20th April
- Up to a metre of snowfall reported on high slopes in the Alps up to last weekend.
- Less than 10% of ski areas still open for the final weeks of April.
- Crans Montana extends ski season to mid-May.
- Deepest snowpack in the Alps hits new 22-23 season high of 452cm
Nope, snow's not stopped falling yet...
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World Overview
The season continues to wind down in the northern hemisphere with more of the big-name resorts closing their 22-23 seasons. But many are still open and it keeps snowing, up high at least, with some resorts reporting over a metre of snowfall in the last 7 days, heaviest in the Alps up to the weekend.
As a result, Tignes has hit a new record snow depth in the Alps of 452cm for the 22-23 season.
Elsewhere, almost almost all ski areas are closed in the Balkans and Pyrenees, and Scotland's 22-23 season is over, but the majority of resorts remain open in Scandinavia, with fresh snowfall and fairly low temperatures still reported.
Across in North America, many ski areas have now ended their seasons, but dozens remain open into May and there's been more snowfall in the west, although temperatures are into the 80s (Fahrenheit) in the East.
Europe
Austria
Austrian ski areas reported some of the biggest snowfall totals in Europe in the final few days of last week.
Up on the country's glaciers, most of them open into May, snowfall totals of 60-110cm over the four days to Sunday were reported, giving great conditions up high. Since the weekend things have calmed down a little, with temperatures rising and just light snowfalls.
Most Austrian ski areas have now closed and some that are famed for their long seasons like Obertauern and Solden are into their final week or so of winter, but there's at least a month of the season left at some glaciers including Molltal and year-round Hintertux.
France
More than 80% of French ski areas have now closed for the season, but there are around 20 still open and planning to close on one of the next three weekends.
Tignes, still posting the deepest base in Europe up on its glacier at just over 4.5m (15 feet), and Val Thorens will be the last to do so on the 7th. However this summer the French season won't now end then as Les 2 Alpes has announced a re-thinking of its summer skiing; now closing for the final week in April and then re-opening for, hopefully, all of May and June for summer skiing, earlier than before by nearly two months.
As to current conditions, French resorts did not post quite so much snowfall into last weekend as resorts further east in Austria and Switzerland but still, there was up to half-a-metre on glaciers and base stats went back up. There was rain lower down and it's been drier and getting warmer since Sunday.
Italy
About a dozen Italian ski areas are still open into the final weeks of April.
There was snowfall here at the end of last week too, right down to the Dolomites where Cortina will keep a part of its terrain open to the start of May. Here too it has been a quieter few days after the snowfall at the end of last week.
Other Italian ski centres open to the start of May include Cevinia, Passo Tonale and Livigno.
Switzerland
Swiss centres also saw fresh snowfall up high in the latter half of last week with Engelberg among the areas eventually reporting more than 60cm (two feet) of fresh snow on its glacier.
It's one of around 20 Swiss resorts still open and of half-a-dozen aiming to stay open into May.
Since the weekend it has warmed up although with snow showers continuing up high.
Saas Fee has the deepest snow in the country, up again to nearly 4 metres after it too had a decent dump and a bit more up high in more recent days. Its final weekend of the season is just starting, but then it's only three months until the 23-24 season starts there in July!
Scandinavia
Although most of the big Scandinavian centres remain open to the first weekend in May (some like Ruka and Levi in Lapland another week after that too), about half of the region's mid-sized areas did close last weekend after the end of the Easter holidays.
Temperatures are finally rising with +5C or +6C measured in the afternoon at some more southerly centres, but most of those still open have reported some fresh snowfall too this week (30cm at Trysil) and that they're more or less fully open still when resorts in the alps may just be down to their highest terrain only.
Pyrenees
All of the Spanish ski centres in the Pyrenees are believed to have now closed, as has the largest in the region, Andorra's Grandvalira, last Sunday.
Only one area is thought to still have about 10km of its slopes open and lift-accessed; Cauterets on the French side of the border, which is closing this Sunday.
Scotland
Scotland's 2022-23 ski season, which unfortunately never really got going properly, finally ended last Sunday when Cairngorm, which had had a few runs still open, called it a day.
There had been some cold temperatures and fresh snowfall to low levels at the end of last week but it was too little, too late to reopen the closed slopes at the four other centres and since the weekend temperatures have warmed up a great deal.
Eastern Europe
The season is largely over in Eastern Europe with all the main centres in Bulgaria as well as other countries including Romania and the Czech Republic closed for the season.
The largest resort in the Northeast, Slovakia's Jasna, is hoping to stay open until May 1st and reported fresh snowfall for the weekend.
Down in Slovenia, Bovec, famed for its high-altitude spring skiing with views out to the Adriatic, is open into May too, with the snow still lying 2 metres deep up top.
North America
Canada
Western Canadian resorts have reported more snowfalls in the last week, but most have now closed or will do this coming weekend.
Sunshine, Lake Louise and Marmot Basin near Jasper will be open into May, as will Blackcomb Mountain at Whistler.
Most centres have now closed in Canada's east, where temperatures have been quite warm, but the biggest, Tremblant, will stay open to this coming weekend, its season extended after record snowfall amounts this winter.
USA
Ski areas are ending their seasons in the US too of course, but several dozen centres now have extended their seasons into May and the list keeps growing.
It also keeps snowing, with more snowfall reported for the Rockies, the Pacific Northwest and in the Sierra Mountains in California – if not perhaps quite so much as earlier in the spring.
There's been a more rapid season-end in the East, with some very warm temperatures topping 80F reported this week, but some centres including Killington and Sugarloaf still have some slopes open.
In the west Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge, Brighton, China Peak, Copper, Crystal Mountain, Heavenly, Jay Peak, Kirkwood, Loveland Mammoth, Mt Bachelor, Park City, Snowbird, Timberline, The Palisades and Winter Park are all open into May, although some only at weekends.
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