J2Ski's Where to Ski in July 2023
J2Ski's Where to Ski in July 2023
Published : 01-Jul-2023 08:52
J2Ski's Where to Ski in July 2023
Perisher, Australia, has all four ski areas interlinked as of today...
July is traditionally when the southern hemisphere's main ski season really starts to take off. Those resorts that have not yet opened for 2023 should do so in the first days of the month, while many that opened in June will be aiming to reach 100% of slopes open (if they're not there already).
This year, warming ocean temperatures in the Pacific seem to be having a mixed impact with some nations (notably Australia in recent weeks) doing well, and others (Argentina, Chile and New Zealand) less so, in the early weeks of the 2023 season.
For those in the northern hemisphere, it's more a battle against the summer heat to stay open for the dozen or so centres in North America, Europe and Asia that still are – half of them still going from autumn 2022, the other half being 'summer only' destinations...
For July 2023 things are looking much better than a year ago when you could count the number of areas open on one hand, as spring and early summer heat last year caused most in Europe and North America to close or suspend operations.
It is getting warm again but so far it's a brighter picture for summer skiing in 2023.
Three North American ski areas are set to stay open until at least Independence Day on 4th July (two beyond) and there are more than half a dozen areas open in five countries in Europe as we start the month.
The next major ski area to open, Saas-Fee, in mid-July, could be said to mark the start of the 23-23 ski season in that once open it stays open through to spring next year!
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Southern Hemisphere
Australia
Australian ski areas had a bumpy start to the 2023 season in the first few weeks of June with some centres delaying opening runs, but successive snow storms and cold weather since the middle of the month have greatly improved things.
The last fortnight of June was cold, and snowy, with even blizzards at times and Aussie areas are in increasingly good shape for July with deepening bases and more and more terrain open.
The largest resort, Perisher, has all four of its mountains open, and Mt Buller, Hotham and Thredbo are also opening more and more runs and reporting powder days already too. Falls Creek reported 90cm (three feet) of snowfall in 7 days at the end of June.
Selwyn Resort, which last operated in 2019 before being destroyed by bushfires in January 2020 and then rebuilt through the pandemic, has finally reopened for snow sports too.
New Zealand
Alas, the 2023 ski season did not get off to the best of starts in New Zealand last month with several resorts having to delay their planned openings and two of the first four that did manage to open some limited terrain forced to close again by mild weather and rain on lower slopes.
On top of this the country's largest ski resort, Mount Ruapehu, was declared bankrupt after creditors couldn't agree on a rescue package. The final few days of June did bring some respite with snow on higher slopes, cooler temperatures and a $5m season rescue plan for Ruapehu from the NZ government, but much more cold and snowy weather will be needed in early July to get the season back on track.
Mount Hutt hopes to re-open shortly and Treble Cone which had planned to be open for the last week of June but has so far had to delay say they'll hopefully open from Monday, July 3rd.
Argentina
There are mixed signals coming from Argentina after big snowfalls of over a metre were reported in May, but then ski areas failed to open on schedule in June. It seems that the snowfall was down in Patagonia rather than in the Andes proper and even here warm temperatures last month thawed much of it away.
Las Lenas hoped to open for its 40th season in mid-June but has had to delay while awaiting better conditions on low slopes where there's been rain, although anecdotal reports are of the snow lying 4metres thick up high there already.
Several smaller centres including Cerro Bayo and the world's most southerly resort, Cerro Castor down in the Tierra del Fuego region at South America's southern tip have opened some terrain. The last few days of June though saw resorts opening mostly limited terrain including the continent's largest ski area, Catedral near Bariloche, which has a few kilometres of slopes open for the start of July and aims to open much more with snowfall forecast.
Chile
It's a similar story in Chile to Argentina with most of the country's ski areas due to open but currently 'on hold' for their season starts.
Portillo posted a good half-metre accumulation towards the end of last month but this was not enough for it to open for the final week of June as hoped, although it aims to open very soon.
It has been cold but rather dry in most of the country's mountainous areas for much of the latter half of June, unfortunately. But ski areas have started opening, Valle Nevado first with 20km (about half its domain) open for July 1st.
Southern Africa
Alas, there's currently no sign that either Afriski in Lesotho or Tiffindell in South Africa will run their ski lifts at all in winter 2023.
Northern Hemisphere
The Alps
We're starting July with five glacier ski areas open in four countries in the Alps (depending on how you measure it), with two of these due to close during the month, but another due to open in July, so if all goes smoothly, we should end the month with five still operating into August in three countries.
Last July the heat of spring 2022 and low snowfall of winter 21-22 took its toll and most areas were forced to close early or suspend operations until the air cooled in the autumn, but this year things are looking more promising although it is currently warming up.
France has been the only country with more than a single area open the last month, but the first of its three centres open, Les 2 Alpes, closed at the end of June. This leaves neighbouring Val d'Isere (closing on the first weekend of the month though) and Tignes (closing on the 23rd). Tignes currently has one of the deepest snowpacks and the largest amounts of terrain open in the Alps – around 20km.
In Switzerland, year-round Zermatt is joined by Saas-Fee opening 20km of slopes from the 15th of July, the start of its 23-24 season through to April next year, although not promoted as such, there's just no plan to close between that mid-July opening and closure in spring 2024.
Also open is Italy's Passo Stelvio with Cervinia providing access to Zermatt's glacier ski area and the year-round skiing at the Hintertux glacier, the only areas that stayed open right through the hot summer of 2022, is open as well.
Scandinavia
Two small Scandinavian glacier areas are currently open with both planning to stay open through July and to later in the year. Warm weather has melted snow cover and thwarted that plan some years but it's looking fairly promising in 2023 with some of the deepest reported snow bases surviving from a snowy winter 22-23.
Folgefonn ("Fonna") and Galdhopiggen are your choices, both in Norway, the latter boasting the highest slopes in Scandinavia.
North America
Three ski areas are expecting to offer skiing at the start of July for the 4th of July weekend. Others may open at short notice – that has happened in some previous years when there was above-average winter snowfall - and a lot lying still by late spring and early summer.
The two resorts that have been saying for months that they'd be open to July are Mammoth Mountain and The Palisades in California. For the latter, a big festival for Independence Day is planned but that's also likely to be the last few days of snowsports with the resort planning to end after a nearly 8-month ski season once the celebrations are done.
Mammoth expects to stay open through to the end of July.
That will hopefully also be the case for Timberline in Oregon which is home to the Palmer Snowfield where there is training terrain for ski teams as well as terrain parks for fun and freestyle training.
If you want to sign up for a private camp you can also access small areas of surviving snow at Copper Mountain in Colorado, Whistler Blackcomb or Mont Saint Sauveur in Quebec.
Japan
Japan's Gassan Glacier, which opened for the season in April and aims to stay open as long as the snow lasts - is hoping to make it through July, with less than a metre of snow still lying at present. July is usually its final month of its season.
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