J2Ski Snow Report - June 13th 2024
J2Ski Snow Report - June 13th 2024
Published : 13-Jun-2024 06:19
Perisher, Australia, just got fresh and will be opening more lifts...
Some more big snow in South America, and enough to get started in Australia now - with more coming.
The Snow Headlines - June 13th
- Australia's season starts but only a few runs able to open; colder and snowier now though.
- Passo Stelvio and Val d'Isere open for 2024 summer ski seasons in the Alps.
- More big snowfalls in the Andes where more centres open early for 2024 season.
- New Zealand's 2024 season proper starting this weekend.
- One of Norway's glacier areas reports 1m of fresh snow in June, another will close soon.
- Arapahoe Basin closing after this weekend leaving one North American area still open.
More big snow forecast for South America
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World Overview
The southern hemisphere's season is now underway in all five countries with ski areas south of the equator, but it's quite a varied picture so far.
South American resorts, which have opened weeks early, are being buried again by another huge system off the Pacific, while in Australia, where the season started last weekend, they've struggled to open much at all; although it has been colder and snowier this week. New Zealand's season starts this coming weekend and it looks like it'll be a mixed picture on opening day there too.
In the northern hemisphere, two more glacier areas opened last weekend, but three centres plan to close this coming weekend. That'll leave only one centre still open in North America, and about eight in Europe. Snow has kept falling on high slopes in the Alps though and one glacier in Scandinavia says it had more than a metre of snowfall in the first week of June.
Southern Hemisphere
Australia
Only a few centres (Mount Baw Baw, Mount Buller, Perisher and Thredbo) were able to offer any snowsports on their opening last weekend, and in each case just small beginner areas. There's been too little snowfall and temperatures mostly too warm for snowmaking over the previous few weeks.
It's not that unusual a scenario for the start of the Australian ski season which always begins on the King's birthday holiday weekend whether there's snow or not.
The good news is that it's been colder with some snowfalls since the start of this week, with most resorts reporting 20-30cm accumulations so far and snowmaking systems now working at max. So it is an improving picture.
Temperatures have been as low as -8C overnight and up to 20cm of snowfall has been reported over the last few days.
New Zealand
New Zealand's ski season is expected to get underway this weekend with four of the commercial centres (Mount Hutt, Coronet Peak, Cardrona and The Remarkables) due to open. As with Australia a week ago it's not quite clear how much will be able to open. It doesn't look that promising but some posted pictures and webcams are looking snowier than Aussie centres did and the past few days have brought some colder, snowier weather.
There is actually one small snow area already open at Whakapapa Ski Centre at Mt Ruapehu on the North Island but its full opening is a few weeks away yet.
Argentina
Argentina's largest ski area by uplift, Catedral Alta Patagonia near Bariloche, opened a fortnight early for its 2024 season at the weekend thanks to great conditions following the big May snowfalls. It has initially opened about 10% of its ski area, 12km of slopes.
Two more centres, Cerro Bayo and Chapelco, have announced they'll open a week early this coming weekend.
Argentina is back in the snow globe with cold temperatures and heavy snowfall across most of the country's ski region - which is expected to continue into next weekend giving some areas more than a metre of snowfall on higher slopes over the 7 days.
Chile
It's really the dream start to the season for Chile, already several weeks in at most of the country's resorts when it hadn't been supposed to start until the weekend after next.
Another storm system brought some snowfall at the start of this week and that's now building with big accumulations expected through the weekend.
The new La Parva – Valle Nevado pass has opened up the biggest lift-served ski area in South America (once everything is open) they are claiming. However, El Colorado is reporting the most terrain open so far – 40km of slopes, about 80% of its full area.
Southern Africa
Lesotho's Afriski remains open with its main run now complete, a small terrain park, tubing area and nursery slopes. After the snowfall last week it has been mostly sunny, as usual, but much colder overnight for top-up snowmaking and during the day to slow thawing.
Europe
The Alps
Val d'Isere opened for a month of summer skiing on Saturday, posting a 4-metre base and about 4km of slopes open. Like other ski areas open for summer skiing its slopes have continued to experience snowstorms over the past week.
It joins Les 2 Alpes as a second French option with Hintertux and Molltal still open in Austria and Zermatt in Switzerland, also accessible from the Italian side at Cervinia. Zermatt and Hintertux have the most terrain open – about 23km of slopes each.
Italy's Passo Stelvio is also now open reporting about 5km of runs there.
There's been more snowfall this week with Hintertux reporting 20cm in 24 hours above 2500m, on Monday.
Scandinavia
Sunny spells, rain, sleet and snow showers in Scandinavia this week with Fonna and Stryn continuing to post the world's deepest bases at around 6 and 5 metres, respectively.
Fonna reported at the weekend that it has had over a metre of snowfall in the first week or so of June.
Despite the snow lying and fresh snowfall, Stryn says poor winter conditions ahead of the season are leading it to close after a four-week 2024 season (similar to previous recent years) this coming weekend.
The other open ski area in Norway is Scandinavia's highest at Galdhopiggen.
North America
There are two centres still open since last autumn in North America, but one of them, Colorado's Arapahoe Basin says this Friday to Sunday weekend opening will be its final one of a nearly 8 month ski season.
That will leave just Timberline on Mount Hood in Oregon which has skiing on its Palmer permanent snowfield and terrain park features.
The weather in the west has been mostly sunny with temperatures climbing up into the 60s Fahrenheit.
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