J2Ski Snow Report - October 24th 2024
J2Ski Snow Report - October 24th 2024
Published : 24-Oct-2024 07:37
It's white but not (yet) deep; a cold covering for Vail, Colorado, USA.
First US ski area opens, with several additions in The Alps from last week. Snow has fallen on yet-to-open resorts in The Rockies and The Pyrenees. The southern hemisphere season finally ends this weekend.
The Snow Headlines - October 24th
- The US and North America's 24-25 ski season is underway.
- 7th Austrian glacier opens for 24-25 season.
- Japan and Sweden latest countries to see 24-25 get underway.
- Access to Zermatt's glacier ski area due to resume for those based in Cervinia.
- Heavy snowfall reported in the Pyrenees, although nowhere open there yet.
- Alpine Skiing World Cup 24-25 tour set to start at Solden this coming weekend.
- Last area open in the Andes, Chile's Valle Nevado, ends extended 2024 season.
- Southern Hemisphere's 2024 season ends this weekend.
See where the snow is forecast.
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World Overview
There's lots happening in the ski world as the 24-25 season starts to build momentum. Perhaps the biggest news of the last seven days is the start of North America's 24-25 season following colder, snowier weather there.
In Europe, more centres have opened and we should hit the 20 mark, for ski areas already operating, at the weekend. Sweden is the latest European country to see a resort open.
In Asia, the first centre to open, as usual, is expected to be Japan's Yeti centre, which uses an all-weather snowmaking system to create its run.
In the southern hemisphere, the 2024 season is just about over. The last centre still open in South America, Chile's Valle Nevado, closed on Sunday.
Two centres on New Zealand's Mount Ruapehu were open, with just a few kilometres of slopes left each, and had hoped to last for one final weekend. However Whakapapa announced that Thursday (today) had to be its final day due to fast thawing so the season is over there now. Turoa still hoped to open this Friday-to-Sunday as we publish this week's report.
Europe
Austria
Austria has the most centres open in the world at present, more than half of all centres open in the Alps and over a third of the global total – low as it currently is with less than 20 areas open in the northern hemisphere ahead of the main season start and only two left in the southern hemisphere with the 2024 season almost over there.
It also has the only area posting more than 30km of slopes currently open, Solden, which hosts the opening races of the FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup this weekend. Conditions look fairly promising with mostly dry, cold conditions expected, although with some light snowfall quite likely.
The Hintertux and Stubai glaciers have about 20km of slopes open each and you can also ski at the Kitzsteinhorn, Kaunertal and Pitztal glaciers with Carinthia's Molltal the latest to join them, last weekend.
France
There remains nowhere open in the French Alps with Les 2 Alpes and Tignes, both having given up on glacier skiing at this time of year after several years of inadequate early snowfall.
Ironically Les 2 Alpes has been posting images of a snowy-looking glacier though! The French season should kick off on 23rd November in Tignes and Val Thorens unless there are any early openers.
Italy
Italy should be up to four or five centres open this weekend (depending on how you measure it) with the Presena Glacier above Passo Tonale and the high slopes of Sulden expected to open, whilst access from Cervinia to Zermatt's glacier ski slopes is also expected to recommence after a few months closed.
They'll join already-open Passo Stelvio and Val Senales, which have been reporting excellent conditions, despite little fresh snow this past week, but thanks to earlier October falls and cold conditions up high.
Switzerland
Switzerland plans to have a fourth, and also a fifth centre open this weekend.
Adelboden has used snow-farming to create a run for race training which opened on Thursday for teams and will open to all from this Saturday.
Engelberg's Titlis glacier hopes to start its season this weekend, all being well, and will join already open Saas Fee, Zermatt and St Moritz's Diavolezza glacier which has a kilometre of runs open.
Saas Fee and Zermatt both have 12-15km of slopes open but are hinting at opening much more over the next few weekends as they officially switch to winter mode.
Conditions have been fairly benign this last week in the Swiss Alps with milder, drier weather and just the occasional light snowfall above 2,000m; colder and more unsettled for the week ahead.
Scandinavia
Sweden has joined the Scandinavian nations that have started their 24-25 season.
The northerly centre of Kåbdalis opened with a run created from snow stockpiled from last season through the summer and spread back out on the slopes last weekend. A second Swedish centre, Tarnaby, is expected to open this weekend, but temperatures have been a little mild.
Finland's Levi and Yllas are both in the third weeks of their 24-25 seasons now and hoping for colder temperatures after getting rain earlier this week. It is indeed getting colder now, thankfully, as Ruka said they were struggling to maintain their snow due to a lack of overnight freezing there.
In Norway, they are still going with their 2024 summer ski season with Galdhøpiggen still open for a few more weeks. They have been enjoying fairly good conditions there with temperatures a few degrees on either side of freezing and regular light snow showers reported.
North America
Canada
We're only a week away now, all being well, from the start of Canada's 24-25 season - with Banff's Mount Norquay ski area expected to open on November 2nd.
The weather continues to look promising with snowfall reported on slopes from coast-to-coast including about 8 inches (20cm) up high at Whistler Blackcomb at the weekend.
With more wintry conditions expected things are looking promising at present.
USA
The Western US enjoyed a wintery weekend with some centres posting more than 20 inches of snowfall on Friday and Monday last.
As a result, Colorado's Wolf Creek ski area became the first in the country, and indeed the entire North American continent, to open for the 24-25 season, at 9 am on Tuesday. It reported a 21" snowfall and about s third of its terrain open initially.
Other Colorado ski areas like Arapahoe Basin, Copper, Keystone and Loveland have all got snowmaking underway and benefitted from snowfalls too, if not getting so much as Wolf Creek.
Silverton also has ski tourers on its slopes, with a reported 7" of fresh snowfall, at the weekend. Since the snow things have warmed up a little and turned sunny again throughout this week and that's expected to continue into next week.
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