World ski & snow report

This week’s headlines

• Soldeu and Arabba fight it out for highest fresh snowfall
• Fernie takes title for Canada’s deepest snow
• Colorado slopes finally looking healthy

Austria

Ideal conditions in Kitzbuhel

Austria has definitely been the snowiest part of the Alps over the past week and many resorts have seen between 15-30cm of fresh snow in the past 72 hours.

Some of the biggest accumulations have been reported by Kitzbühel (35cm), Neustift (30cm) and Zell am See (24cm).  The snowfall is easing down now and not much is predicted over the coming week, so expect plenty of bluebird days.

The country’s deepest snow is still on its highest slopes at the Pitztal Glacier (3.5m) but most big name resorts have healthy bases too, such as the 2.4m lying at St Anton or the 165cm at Kitzbühel.

France

There’s not a whole lot of fresh snow in France (mostly it’s been clear or an inch of snow has fallen). However, the pistes are in great shape and the snow cover is deep. Unless you’re wanting deep fresh powder – not many people are complaining.

Those that have posted fresh snow recently include Meribel with 20cm. Avoriaz and Courchevel each added 12cm at the weekend.

French resorts continue to boast some of the best snow depths anywhere. Flaine has a 4m base and many others are in the 3-4m base bracket including Alpe d’Huez (3.8m), Chamonix (3.5m), Val Thorens (3.35m) La Rosiere (3.3m) and La Clusaz (3.25m).

Italy

The Dolomites have seen some of the biggest snowfalls anywhere in the past week with Arabba reporting a 60cm accumulation.  Madonna di Campiglio also did well, adding 35cm of snow to their slopes. Many other resorts in the region have reported 15-25cm of new snow, much of it since the weekend.

There have been smaller snowfalls in the Alps but 10cm or so for Aosta Valley resorts has certainly helped keep cover fresh there.

Passo Tonale’s 3.5m base remains the deepest in Italy with most areas reporting 1-2.5m bases and great conditions on piste.

Switzerland

Like most Swiss resorts, Engelberg hasn’t had any snow in the past week but it retains the title of deepest base in the Alps with 5m (down just 10cm from last week).

However, some big name areas have each received around 20cm of fresh cover, including Grindelwald & Mürren in the Jungfrau, Saas Fee and St Moritz.

Swiss resort base depths remain the best in the Alps, and indeed the world, with typically 2.5-3.5m on upper slopes.

Pyrenees

The snow has returned to the Spanish side of the Pyrenees with up to a foot (30cm) of fresh stuff reported at Formigal on top of a 4.5m base.

It’s not quite so deep in Andorra (2.2-3.2m) but it’s still enjoying its best season for a decade. Soldeu has posted the joint biggest fresh snow accumulation of the past week with a reported 60cm of new cover.

Eastern Europe

Bansko has hit 2.5m on its upper slopes, after another four inches (12cm) of snow fell in the last few days. Other Bulgarian areas have healthy 1.5-1.8m bases.

Elsewhere in eastern Europe there have been heavy snowfalls and bases up to 1.54m in resorts like Kranjska Gora in Slovenia.

Scandinavia

There’s been little change in base depths in Scandinavia over the past week with not much new snow.  However, base depths are healthy, the snow is in good shape and most runs are open with lifts operating across the region.

It’s cold, unsurprisingly, with temperatures dipping to -20C at night in Lapland (although rising to freezing during the day) and bases around a metre.

Canada

There have been some larger snowfalls in Canada compared to last week, with powder times in BC.

Fernie, with more than a foot of fresh stuff, has moved to the top of the country’s snow depth table at 252cm. Whistler has also had one of the world’s biggest snow falls of the past seven days, adding 55cm. Most other BC resorts and Banff in Alberta have had 15-25cm of fresh snow.

There’s good news on the east of the country, in Quebec, with 10-20cm at Mont Ste Anne and Mont Tremblant.

USA

Vail, Colorado

Most US resorts have seen strong snowfalls over the past week and Colorado resorts finally have healthy powder depths and totals getting up close to Utah resorts.

Aspen reported more than 50cm in the past week. Breckenridge and Vail about a foot each -the latter moving past its 1m base depth for the first time this season.

Jackson Hole and Mammoth are among others to add at least 30cm too, the latter with the deepest snow of a major US resort now, at 475cm.