World Snow Wrap – Universal Snow & A Game Change in California at Last
Aspen Highlands tree skiing 16 January. Image:: Jeremy Swanson
Weekly Snow Wrap
World Top 5 Snowfalls last 4 days: 1. Mt Hood Meadows, USA – 274cm 2. Stevens Pass, USA – 199cm 3. Summit at Snoqualmie-Alpental, USA – 188cm 4. Mt Barker, USA – 136cm and 5. Bluewood, USA – 123cm
World top 5 forecast snow this week: 1. Mt Ashland, USA – 165cm 2. Mt Hood Meadows, USA – 164cm, 3. Timberline, USA – 164cm 4. La Clusaz, France – 159cm and 5. Mt Shasta, USA – 158cm
If we could pick anywhere this week, we’d be:
Mt Hood of course!
North America
British Columbia
Status: Open 100% pretty much everywhere
Recent snow: Yep, heaps, in places. The beginning of the week saw widespread pow, from nearly a metre in Fernie and 66cm in Big White down to 7cm in red and 10cm in Revelstoke. A big spread, Kicking Horse, Silver Star and Sun Peaks were also nicely blessed while Mt Washington didn’t see anything.
Coming snow: It’s not over yet. Whistler will get a metre before the week is out, Fernie a tasty 35cm.
Conditions generally: This storm has kicked the season into high gear – we’re now entering the ‘epic’ stage of the winter… bases are loaded and growing.
Alberta
Status: Open 100% pretty much everywhere
Recent snow: Most of the Canadian snow gathered in BC this week, Castle Mountain scored a pleasant 45cm but only about 7cm fell in the Banff area.
Coming snow: Snow will continue to fall lightly throughout the week but if there’s 20cm in it the resorts will be lucky.
Conditions generally: Improving steadily without being amazing.
Dare we say it… too much snow? Sun Peaks 17 January. Image:: Sun Peaks
California
Status: Most resorts open with minimal trails operational, restricted to snowmaking areas.
Recent snow: We asked last week how long the dry spell could continue… the answer seems to be another week, because there ain’t been any snow in California in the last 7 days… but…
Coming snow: Yes, it’s coming. The sun will disappear on Wednesday and by next Monday more than half a metre should have fallen in Northern California. The first snowfall since November, that’s right since the 3rd day in November.
Conditions generally: It’s still ‘the worst start to the season in 100 years’ and half a metre onto exposed dirt isn’t going to turn things around straight away but it’s a start.
Colorado
Status: Resorts open and heading towards 100% operational.
Recent snow: Another 20cm – 40cm this week to add to last week’s 30cm or so. Aspen, Crested Butte, Vail, Wolf Creek – pretty much everywhere is doing well out of this extended storm!
Coming snow: Good and solid for the whole week – particularly Sunday and Monday which could hold half a metre for places like Aspen, a little less for the majority of the resorts though.
Conditions generally: It’d definitely moving into the ‘good’ zone. The extended snowfall is packing down the base.
Utah
Status: Open and steadily increasing the number of trails open.
Recent snow: Utah is yet to see the season-changing storms that hit Colorado at the beginning of the month but there have been small amounts of fresh snow. Along the lines of 7cm – 10cm on the weekend.
Coming snow: It’s going to snow steadily all through the week. Pretty much every resort is expecting around 60cm in the coming 7 days.
Conditions generally: The game changing storm hasn’t happened yet – conditions still only ‘ok’.
North West – Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Washington, Oregon
Status: Pretty much all open at nearly 100%
Recent snow: Hands down the snowiest place in the world right now. Between Stevens Pass in Washington and Mt Hood in Oregon it’s a wonder there’s any snow left over for the rest of the world at all… there’s been metres of snow at both places in the last week. Montana did well snow-wise over the weekend with 35cm at Whitefish and about 20cm at Bridger Bowl. Idaho was also blessed – around 30cm at Lookout Pass. Wyoming didn’t do so well – 5cm for JH.
Coming snow: Apart from Stevens Pass and Mt Hood, which are both expecting around 2m in the next week there’s anywhere from 66cm for Whitefish to 119cm for Lookout Pass. The west is going to be blessed this week.
Just a small part of the many metres at Mt Hood recently – 16 January. Image:: Mt Hood
Conditions generally: Are there words?
Europe
France
Status: Pretty much open and at full speed in France
Recent snow: Epic snowfall as the month began continued on and off all through the first weeks of January. In the past few days the skies have been clear though.
Coming snow: Beginning Thursday France should expect a nice 25cm or of snow before the weekend. Alpe d’Huez should see 35cm, Chamonix about the same, Morzine and Meribel a little less.
Conditions generally: The word excellent is being used. With a few days of sunshine the cover has hardened up a little but coming snow should fix that problem!
Peter Nilsson charging rooftops in Bruson verbier on 13 January. Image:: Fredrik Schenholm
Austria
Status: Just about every Austrian resort has just about every trail open.
Recent snow: Friday and Saturday of last week saw significant snowfalls right across the Austrian Alps – no where scored better than Stubaier Gletscher, where 1.5m fell!
Coming snow: In the next three days there should be 30cm or so at most of the major Austrian resorts. Lech is expecting 34cm, St Anton 34, Zell am Zee 18cm.
Conditions generally: Powder and packed powder all over!
Switzerland
Status: Open, open and open right across the alps.
Recent snow: It snowed good and solid in Switzerland at the beginning of January with daily accumulations of as much as 50cm in some places.
Coming snow: Yep there’s plenty more on the way – 25cm in the next few days at Andermatt, 29cm at Davos, 28cm at Verbier and similar measurements all around the place.
Conditions generally: Looking good and getting better with bases up around the 2m and even 3m mark!
Steamboat pow day 17 January. Image:: Steamboat
Italy
Status: Same story – open, open, open!
Recent snow: The snow certainly gave Italy some attention. San Domenico di Varzo scored 110cm on 16 January – most other resorts saw something a little more modest, but still in the vicinity of 40cm daily for Arabba early last week, 20cm for Livingo and Bormio.
Coming snow: Not as much snow in the immediate forecast for Italy as for other parts of Europe, the three day outlook suggests more like 10cm – 15cm for the weekend.
Conditions generally: Great, amazing, epic… choose your adjective.
