J2Ski Snow Report - June 20th 2024
J2Ski Snow Report - June 20th 2024
Published : 20-Jun-2024 04:34
The Remarkables, New Zealand, is now open...
Still more snow in South America, giving the snowiest start for 30 years in places, with more in the forecast. Summer snow in North America too.
The Snow Headlines - June 20th
- 2024 Season underway in New Zealand a day later than planned due to rain.
- Austria's Molltal glacier ends 8-month 23-24 season but France's Tignes opens next weekend.
- Snowfall down to resort base level across northwestern North America.
- Another huge snowfall buries South American ski centres, snowiest season start for 30 years.
- One centre still operating in North America after Colorado's Arapahoe Basin ends season.
- More Australian resorts open ski runs as conditions improve.
Another big snowfall forecast for South America
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World Overview
Today being the Summer Solstice means that winter has arrived in the southern hemisphere by both the astronomical and meteorological measures... and all the southern ski nations now have ski slopes open.
New Zealand was the latest and last major southern hemisphere ski nation to get its 2024 season started last weekend, joining Australia, where colder snowier conditions have allowed more areas to open new slopes and those already open to add more.
The real snow action continues to be in South America though where more huge snowfalls were recorded, meaning some centres have now had more than three metres (10 feet) of snow before the season was due to start this coming weekend. Most centres in the Andes already opened early, several weeks ago.
In the northern hemisphere the good news is that the nights are drawing in (!) and we're just passing midsummer - so we're on our way to the start of the 24-25 season, just 5-6 months away for most resorts, although starting at Switzerland's Saas Fee next month, kind of (it's summer ski season normally runs into autumn, then winter seasons).
For now though, we're down to single figures for ski areas open in the north – eight in Europe and one survivor in North America.
Southern Hemisphere
Australia
Australia's lower temperatures and snowfall allowed more ski areas to open additional terrain.
Among those now offering snowsports, that weren't a week ago, are Falls Creek (beginner runs opened initially then more terrain), Hotham (nursery slopes initially too, but now some longer runs and a mini terrain park) and Selwyn (just sledging so far).
The centres opening more terrain included Perisher which reported all 167 snow guns firing overnight and their V8 Chairlift starting up for the first time this season.
The weather has turned drier again with sunny days, temperatures dropping to -6C overnight so snowmaking continues but hits a rather warm +8C in the daytime which sets things back a bit again.
New Zealand
New Zealand's season stuttered into live at the end of last week although the two centres that had planned to open first, last Friday, had to postpone, in Coronet Peak's case because they didn't quite have enough snow lying yet, and in Mount Hutt's case because it rained on opening day. It though, along with Cardrona and The Remarkables did open on Friday.
Conditions are far from perfect after a warm autumn, but last week saw colder temperatures arrive for snowmaking and a little natural snow. Mount Hutt and Cardrona both have some full length runs on offer, not just beginner terrain.
More NZ resorts are set to open over the coming weekends.
Most of the past week has been drier with temperatures in the -8 to +8C range, overnight lows allowing for more snowmaking.
Argentina
Argentina's season proper is due to get started this weekend although after the huge snowfalls on the country's ski slopes over the past two months, several resorts, including the largest, Catedral, have already opened early for the season.
Another of the country's best-known areas, Las Leñas, is due to open for its season this weekend. It reports that it has had more than five metres of pre-season snowfall on its higher slopes, about 2.5 metres at resort level.
There's much more snowfall forecast across Argentina's ski areas over the week ahead.
Chile
It just keeps dumping on the mountains of Chile, so much so that Portillo, which has already had 4 metres of pre-season snowfall, has decided to delay its full opening (scheduled for this weekend) by a week, as another 2.5 metres of snow is forecast over the coming 7 days, likely to continue to block the roads in and out. It says its the snowiest start to its season in 30 years.
The snow has been dumping on all Chilean ski areas, most of which have already opened for the season well ahead of this weekend's official season start date.
Southern Africa
Lesotho's Afriski is the only outdoor centre open in Africa at present, with its main run, about a kilometre long, still complete.
The past week has not been ideal with daytime highs of +10C and overnight lows only getting down a degree or two below freezing, sunshine dominating, but so far they're managing to remain open.
Europe
Last week's cold and snowy weather on alpine glaciers continued into the weekend, but it has finally turned much warmer and drier up above 2,500m and snowpack thicknesses are starting to drop. So we're into normal summer freeze-thaw conditions at present.
The Hintertux and Zermatt glaciers (the latter also accessible from Cervinia) have the most open terrain, about 20km each.
There are smaller areas open at Val d'Isere, Les 2 Alpes in France and Italy's Passo Stelvio.
Austria is down to one area still open now after the Molltal glacier closed on Sunday after an eight-month season – the last non-year-round centre to close at the end of 23-24 in Europe.
However we'll be back to six centres open by next weekend as Tignes is due to reopen.
Two small glacier areas are open in Norway too, the Galdhopiggen and Folgefonn (Fonna) resorts, the latter posting the world's deepest snow still at about 7 metres.
For this weekend only Riksgransen in Sweden's Arctic has also re-opened for some Midsummer skiing including skiing and riding under the midnight sun. The past week there has seen temperatures largely in the 0-5C range with a mix of rain, sleet and snow showers, sunny spells in between.
North America
Colorado's Arapahoe Basin ended a nearly eight-month long ski season at the weekend leaving just the Palmer snowfield above Timberline ski centre on Mount Hood in Oregon, still open in North America.
That's unless you include the hike-to summer terrain park at Copper Mountain in Colorado, open to the skiing and riding public from Friday to Sunday each weekend.
There are about three miles of slopes open and a terrain park at Timberline where the snow is still lying nearly 10 feet (3m) deep. It's had a mostly sunny week with overnight lows close to freezing but daytime highs into the 50s Fahrenheit.
A little further north and east though there was an unusual "winter weather" warning in summer and resorts saw a dusting of snow and in some cases, particularly across Montana, rather more with snow briefly covering slopes right down to base level.
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