J2Ski Snow Report - October 10th 2013
J2Ski Snow Report - October 10th 2013
Published : 10-Oct-2013 10:19
The J2Ski Snow Report *Week Ending October 11th, 2013
* Free to re-publish in whole or part so long as clearly credited to www.J2ski.com with the words "J2Ski Snow Report - October 10th 2013" linked to this page or http://www.j2ski.com/snow_forecast/
For our second weekly round-up of the new season, we have - yes - a (slightly) snowy forecast!
Temperatures are falling across The Alps today, ending the recent warm spell, and will be well below the seasonal average in parts of the Northern Alps for a few days. Precipitation is expected this afternoon and overnight and may fall as snow right down to 1,000 metres or so in parts; although the snow line will be around 1,500 metres generally.
Of course, it's far too early to draw any conclusions but please don't let that stop you from getting excited... there will be some nice white webcam scenes tomorrow...
This Week's Headlines
* Ski areas in Finland, France, Italy, Switzerland and USA opening in next seven days.
* Resorts in Washington State, USA open briefly after up to 60cm of fresh snow falls.
* French 2013-14 season about to start with Tignes due to open this weekend.
* Timberline in Oregon plans to open for season this Friday 11th October.
* Only a few areas still operating for 2013 in the southern hemisphere.
In North America, heavy snow has swept across the west of the country bringing accumulations of 15-60cm (up to two feet) in Colorado, Utah and particularly Washington state where resorts have been briefly opening so the locals could enjoy it.
South of the equator the southern hemisphere's 201 season is largely over with just a few resorts still running their lifts in Chile and New Zealand.
The Alps
Austria
Austria continues to dominate in terms of open ski areas, with around half the small number of glacier areas open located within its borders, most of them in the province of Tirol.
A dozen lifts, 28km of piste and a terrain park are open at year-round Hintertux with the snow 105cm deep on the glacier, although the centre honestly reports that its 'old snow' and is looking forward to a top up. Temperatures are hovering around zero at glacier level. The snow is a little deeper on the Molltal glacier at 1.4m but there's less terrain open and again fresh snow required. Temperatures there are reported as being above freezing.
Also open are the Kitzsteinhorn (100cm), Kaunertal, Pitztal (35cm), Stubai (15cm described as "perfect") and Solden glaciers (25cm), with The Dachstein also open but still without enough snow for downhill skiing. Solden was the only area to report fresh snow – with 3cm overnight.
France
In France, the Grande Motte Glacier in Tignes is scheduled to open this Saturday, October 12th.
Italy
In Italy Val Senales and Passo Stelvio are both open and in just over a week Cervinia will once again open up its cross border ski area to Zermatt, open the weekends of 19th-20th and 26th-27th October and then every day for six months from the 1st November to the 4th May next year.
Switzerland
Switzerland should be in second places for number of ski areas open by the weekend with the Diavolezza Glacier in the Engadin, close to St Moritz scheduled to open this Friday 11th taking the total to four. There's currently also skiing on the glaciers of Engelberg, Saas Fee and Zermatt.
Scandinavia
Ruka in Finnish Lapland reports temperatures close to freezing and that, as usual, it intends to be the first non-glacier ski area in Europe and possibly the world to open for 2013-14, with a target date of 17th October and a season length expected to last around seven months/200+ days. In fact some US ski areas have already opened (see below) but they have closed again whereas Ruka will try to remain open thanks to its snowmaking. Levi, Finland's largest resort, is also hoping to open soon.
The Galdhøpiggen glacier in Norway is also open.
North America
Snow has been falling heavily in North America and it looks certain that one of the resorts already snowmaking and benefitting from fresh natural snowfall in Colorado will open for the season imminently – the prime candidates are Arapahoe Basin, Copper or Loveland in Colorado.
The near-year-round ski area of Timberline in Oregon, which had planned to open after a five week closure last weekend, now says it intends to open this Friday, October 11th.
They have all been beaten to it, kind of, however by several ski areas in Washington State in the north west corner of the country which already opened, if only for a day, after up to two feet (60cm) of fresh snow fell in the first few days of October. Crystal Mountain and Steven's Pass area there have both run their lifts and had skiers on their slopes, but both expect the snow to melt again before returning for the 'real' season start in a month or so.
Southern Hemisphere
Perisher was the last ski area in Australia to close, last weekend, shortly after receiving a final 15cm snowfall. All ski areas in Africa and Argentina are also now closed.
In Chile, Portillo is in to its last few days of operation for 2013 and still has a metre of snow depth at hotel left, 1.3m on upper slopes, although no fresh snow reported recently.
In New Zealand Mt Ruapehu is likely to stay open for another month, at least at Turoa which has a 1.4m base, neighbouring Whakapapa has a metre still lying.
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