J2Ski Snow Report - September 12th 2024
J2Ski Snow Report - September 12th 2024
Published : 12-Sep-2024 04:24
Early snow for the Kitzsteinhorn, Austria, opening 12th October!
Heavy snow (and rain) forecast for the eastern Alps, though it may not last, while the southern hemisphere winds down into spring.
The Snow Headlines - September 12th
- 30cm accumulation reported on Zermatt's summer ski slopes.
- Fresh snow in New Zealand, along with more gale-force winds.
- First fresh snowfall of autumn Scottish and Scandinavian slopes.
- All but one of remaining Australian resorts to close by Sunday.
- Scottish ski instructor killed in avalanche in Argentina.
- More snowfall on high slopes in the Alps, reaching Dolomites too.
- First flakes reported in Eastern North America.
Heavy early snow forecast for the Alps
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World Overview
The change in seasons is becoming more apparent in both the northern and southern hemispheres as we move further into September and are now just a week away from the start of astronomical spring or autumn, depending on where you are. The change in the meteorological measure of the seasons already happened a fortnight back!
In the northern hemisphere the prolonged heat is finally beginning to lose its grip, with cooler temperatures and snowfall on high slopes in the Alps and the Colorado Rockies.
There has also been snow on high peaks in Scandinavia, Scotland, North-eastern North America and the Dolomites over the past few days.
In the southern hemisphere it is ever warmer afternoon temperatures that are hitting snow cover. Australia hardest, where only one area looks set to remain open next week. To a lesser extent New Zealand where the first centres have announced they're shutting down snow operations until 2025 too.
The most terrain and deepest snow remains in South America but daytime highs are getting warmer in the Andes as well and though everywhere remains open for now, there's a definite end-of-season feeling.
Southern Hemisphere
Australia
Australia's 2024 season meltdown has continued with three more centres – Charlotte Pass, Falls Creek and Thredbo all announcing an early season end, either this coming Friday (13th) or Sunday 15th of September.
With other centres having already ended their seasons, from Monday only Perisher will still be operating, and it reports that about 90% of its slopes are closed due to the warm sunny temperatures.
It's been almost relentlessly sunny with overnight lows still dipping 4C to 8C degrees below freezing but daytime highs topping +10C continuing to thaw the remaining snow fast.
New Zealand
New Zealand ski areas have had yet another roller-coaster week of gales, rain, warm spells but also snowfall at times.
At the time of writing things are on a high as there's been 10-20cm of fresh snowfall in the past 48 hours and Thursday was a blue sky day with sub-zero temperatures and only a small problem with the gales, so most centres reported superb conditions.
Wet and windy weather on other days has led to one centre, Temple Basin, saying they can't keep going and are ending their 2024 season.
On the North Island Whakapapa and Turoa continue to struggle with their season-long issue of not enough snow and they have only very limited terrain open. However, on the South Island Mount Hutt is still 95% open with the snow over 2m deep.
Argentina
It has been a largely dry week in Argentina with fairly typical spring freeze-thaw conditions as temperatures yoyo between -10C up high under clear skies overnight to +10Cs at resort bases.
There's a definite 'end of the season' feeling from that, but at the same time base depths are holding up, particularly at Corralco (with the world's deepest base of 3.3m up high).
Most centres have 70-100% of their slopes open with the 95km at Catedral near Bariloche remaining the most in the world for a single resort of currently open areas.
Chile
Daytime temperatures are starting to regularly hit double figures above freezing at the mountain bases in Chile, although overnight lows are well below freezing up high, so that's freeze-thaw conditions and very much spring underway, with some centres likely to announce season ends over the next few weeks.
Base depths are reported to be holding up though and bigger resorts like Portillo and Valle Nevado remain fully open.
Europe
There's been a definite shift in the seasons this week in Europe with an Arctic front moving down from the north bringing snowfall to mountain peaks in Norway, Finland, Sweden and Scotland.
Colder weather in the Alps has also brought substantial snowfalls to glaciers and high slopes in the Alps, and that's extended further south and East into the Dolomites too.
There has also been snowfall down to lower levels, with ski areas like Kitzbuhel reporting a covering of snow.
Three of the four glacier areas that are trying to stay open are currently reported to be operating although one of them, Saas-Fee, was cut off by a landslip for much of the past week and the only access in and out was an expensive helicopter taxi. The road has now re-opened however.
In nearby Zermatt, the plan to have year-round access from Cervinia also appears to have been quietly shelved with the link currently closed until late October. Skiers on the Swiss side can still access about 11km of slopes open there with fresh snow cover.
Skiers in Italy can still ski Passo Stelvio which reports more slopes open.
The glacier at Val Senales, which was closed last autumn as a cable car was renewed, reports it will open from next weekend, although possibly only for race team training.
Austria's formerly year-round Hintertux glacier has now been closed for more than a month but is reviewing its closure daily and will re-open whenever conditions are good enough.
That's a similar position to Norway's Galdhopiggen glacier centre and it's now only three weeks until Levi and Ruka in Finland are due to open for their 7-month 24-25 seasons, using snow stored through last summer and spread back out on their slopes.
North America
The first snow – kind of – was reported on east coast mountains in New York State at the weekend, an almost unnoticeable dusting, but skiers noticed!
That followed the more significant whitening of higher mountains in the Colorado Rockies. Here, temperatures are regularly dipping a degree or two below freezing each night, although the weather is back to predominantly sunny.
High resorts hoping to open next month like Arapahoe Basin and Keystone have been busy testing their snow-making equipment. Nowhere is currently open in North America however.
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