J2Ski Snow Report - May 22nd 2025
J2Ski Snow Report - May 22nd 2025
Published : 22-May-2025 05:55
Mount Hutt, New Zealand, ready to open (early) next weekend
The northern hemisphere's season continues to wind down whilst in the southern hemisphere excitement continues to build as more pre-season snowfalls, heaviest this week in the Andes, are recorded.
The Snow Headlines - May 22nd
- First pre-season snowfalls of autumn reported in Australia.
- Most of the dozen or so US areas still open will close after Monday's Memorial Day.
- Norway's Fonna Glacier summer ski area delays opening due to ownership issues.
- Beartooth Basin, only US summer ski area, aiming to open next week for first time in 2 years.
- More than 40cm of pre-season snowfall reported in the Andes.
Check the latest Snow Forecasts here.
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World Overview
Snow sports are winding down in the northern hemisphere, with most US and European ski areas closing by Memorial Day, leaving around 20 ski centres open globally. Meanwhile, excitement is building in the southern hemisphere with early-season snowfalls, including over 40cm in the Andes and the first snows of autumn in Australia.
There are just over 10 centres open in North America; all in USA as the last three Canadian centres ended their 24-25 seasons on Monday.
With more glaciers in the Alps also ending their seasons, and the last centre in Finland closing, there are even fewer ski areas still open in Europe.
So, with one area open in Japan, the worldwide total is about 20, with around half the still-open US areas planning their last day for 24-25 on the Memorial Day holiday on Monday.
The last area open in Sweden, Riksgransen, is also approaching its final weekend (if we exclude its planned brief midsummer re-opening in June).
Next weekend though, the first resorts are set to open for the 2025 southern hemisphere season, with New Zealand's Mount Hutt currently in pole position, targeting Saturday 31st May, a fortnight ahead of its previously planned date thanks to big snowfalls in the first half of this month (and more snow this week).
Australian centres posted a few centimetres of snowfall last weekend along with low enough temperatures for snowmaking, greatly raising anticipation ahead of the planned June 9th season start there.
Ski areas in the Andes have posted the largest snowfalls, up to 41cm in 24 hours, of the last seven days.
Among generally 'springlike conditions', there's also been fresh snowfall reported in the Rockies, high glacier slopes in the Alps and northerly latitude ski areas in Scandinavia over the last seven days.
Europe
Alps
With the Kaunertal and Kitzsteinhorn glaciers closing last weekend, we are down to four ski areas still open in the Alps.
Austria has the Hintertux and Molltal glaciers, there's the Cervinia-Zermatt high-altitude cross-border area below the Matterhorn and Les 2 Alpes is the only centre still open in France.
That's now set to be the situation for the next few weeks with no centres expected to close or summer ski areas open now until June.
Hintertux and Zermatt/Cervinia have the most terrain still open, both around 30km.
There's been a lot of sunshine over the past week, with the freezing point up at 2,000-3,000m. However, some snow showers have been reported up high, mostly 5-10cm accumulations giving the slopes a nice refresh.
Italy's Passo Stelvio has announced it plans to start its 2025 season on 31st May.
Scandinavia
It's all change in Scandinavia this week. The last ski centre still open in Finland, Levi, ended its long season on Sunday and the last open in Sweden, northerly Riksgransen, plans to end theirs this coming Sunday - after seeing temperatures drop and snowfall returns this week.
So that leaves Norway, where the Galdhopiggen glacier has opened, the region's highest area and the Stryn glacier which has been running weekend cat skiing but plans to start its lifts up this coming weekend.
The country's third area, Fonna, which often posts the biggest snow depths in the world each year, sadly hasn't opened yet due to management issues. They're hoping things will be going by June.
It's been around freezing, and down to -5C, with snow showers at Galdhopiggen and it's expected to stay cold but with sunshine returning through the weekend.
North America
Canada's ski season ended earlier this week with Whistler's Blackcomb, Sunshine near Banff and Summet-Saint-Sauveur in Quebec all having their final ski days of 24-25, with fresh snow and sunshine.
So, it's just US ski areas open now, about a dozen of them for the upcoming Memorial Day Holiday long weekend, but just a handful continuing for the final few days of May after next Monday.
Conditions are of course very 'springlike' with some seeing daytime highs up in the high teens but at areas still open, on their upper slopes where skiing continues, it's still just about getting down to freezing overnight most nights. The Rockies are also continuing to see fresh snow showers.
Opening this weekend for their final few days of the season are The Palisades in California, Mount Bachelor in Oregon, Snowbird and Solitude in Utah and Crystal Mountain in Washington State.
Opening into June (and after Tuesday next week, though some only at weekends) are the Arizona Snowbowl, Mammoth Mountain in California, Colorado's Arapahoe Basin and Timberline in Oregon.
In addition the Beartooth Basin summer ski area is currently planning to open for its 2025 season from this weekend, it's first operations for two years, all being well.
Southern Hemisphere
Australia
It's been a pretty good week for Australia's ski areas which are aiming to start their 2025 seasons in a fortnight. Temperatures have been dropping below freezing overnight to enable snowmaking systems to fire up and there's been some light snowfall.
"We had 50 snow guns firing overnight and there's a couple of good snowmaking nights coming up," said Michael Fearnside, Perisher's Operations Director. "It's good to see a change in the weather – it's starting to look and feel like winter now and we will make and stockpile snow at every opportunity."
New Zealand
There was fresh snowfall in New Zealand to start the week with accumulations of up to 15cm (6") reported, but it has been largely dry, sunny and warmer since.
That's the forecast into the weekend too, but things should turn more unsettled from Sunday with rain, sleet and snow showers expected to start next week.
Mount Hutt aims to open on the final Saturday of the month, a fortnight earlier than originally planned and its earliest opening for a decade, thanks to big snowfalls in the first half of May.
Argentina
Argentina has seen more snowfall this week with Cerro Castor in the far south posting a 15cm accumulation and there were typically 5-10cm falls further north.
Argentinian ski areas are expected to open from the latter half of next month so there's still some way to go until the first (probably Bariloche's Catedral) starts its 2025 season.
There have not yet been the big snowfalls leading to the early openings we saw last May. It's been dry over the past few days and that will continue for most areas through the weekend. However, it's looking more unsettled with snowfall due to return from early next week.
Chile
It's been a promising week in the Chilean Andes with snow showers reported moving up from the south since the weekend.
Southerly centres Nevados de Chillan and Antillanca posted the most initially with rain further north but by Tuesday Portillo was posting a 41cm accumulation.
As with Argentina, Chilean ski centres were opening early at this point last season after some huge snowfalls, things are looking fairly promising but it currently looks unlikely anywhere will open before the scheduled dates from mid-June.
Lesotho
A midweek front did see temperatures drop dramatically, as low as -10C in fact, for Lesotho's Afriski, where the 2025 season is expected to start. It has been seeing predominantly sunny weather, as usual, with temperatures in the +8 to -4C range, and that's set to continue through the weekend.
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