World Snow Wrap Up Vol. 3, 15 November – SNOW has arrived!
Steamboat on 9 November. Image:: Steamboat
Stormwatch:
The snowfall heros
Well if last week was dry, this week started to show the effects of the promised La Nina. Pretty much everywhere was snow-blessed but the standouts last week were:
- Breckenridge with around 50cm this week
- Around 30cm – 40cm for the British Columbia resorts in the last week
- 35cm for Vail this past week
The snow forecast heros:
Last Monday things looked promising, this Monday things look damn good! Here’s what’s coming in the next week:
- 30cm for much of the Italian alpine region by Wednesday
- 45cm for Big White and 44cm for Whistler over the week
- 41cm for Fernie
- British Columbia, Colorado, generally looking great!
Highlights this week:
- Whistler opening a week early on 19 November
- Heavenly, Park City , Sun Peaks and Snowbird opening on the weekend of the 19 – 20 November
- Winter Jam in Stockholm, including Snowboard World Cup Big Air and King of Style, 20 November
If we could pick anywhere this week, we’d be: Breckenridge. 50cm this week can’t have gone astray. Then Whistler on the weekend. It’s been smashed by snow for a month now and opening day on Friday 19 November should be epic!
Expected Opening: 25 November – Aspen Mountain and Snowmass. 11 December – Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk.
Recent Snowfalls: 22.86cm in the past 7 days
7 Day forecast: 16cm forecast in the next 7 days
Current snow depth: 55.8cm (top of Aspen Mountain)
A respectable 22cm last week and more to come today and tomorrow, add to this the snowmaking efforts that have been going on and Aspen is looking ready for winter. Don’t forget, Just two days after the lifts start turning Aspen Mountain will play host to the 2010 Winternational Audi FIS Alpine World Cup. It’s a girls’ only race weekend in the slalom and GS disciplines and it includes the Bud Light concert series at the base of Aspen Mountain.
The without pause it’ll be straight into a round of NorAm GS races (men and women), also on Aspen Mountain.
Snowmaking at Aspen last week. Image:: Aspen
OPEN
Recent Snowfalls: 50.8cm in the last 7 days
7 Day forecast: 14cm forecast in the next 7 days
Current snow depth: approximately 71cm on the upper slopes
Current Conditions: Early season packed powder
Breckenridge opened to knee-deep freshies on the weekend and the snow just keeps coming, another 10cm on Tuesday to top up the already good early season packed powder base. 12 per cent of the resort is open already and if fresh snow isn’t enough of a drawcard, things are sounding pretty exciting at Breck, with the launch of the EPICMIX ticketing system, the ticket with the super-chip that tracks your on-hill movements, updates your facebook status and makes you hot chocolates (well, maybe not the last one but…). Find out more here .
Expected Opening: 24 November
Recent Snowfalls: 22.86cm in the past 48 hours
7 Day forecast: about 26cm forecast in the next 7 days
Current snow depth: 60.96cm at mid mountain
With snow until Wednesday and cold days to follow it’s really winter in Steamboat now! Steamboat’s opening day is known as Scholarship Day as all ticket sale proceeds are donated to the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club Scholarship Fund.
Expected Opening: 19 November
Recent Snowfalls: 35.56cm in the last 7 days
7 Day forecast: about 14cm in the next week
Current snow depth: no measurements taken as yet
A sold 35cm in the past week means Vail is looking ready for winter. The resort will bring in the new season with a big breakfast feast of burritos, hot chocolates and giveaways, plus a concert at the base of the gondola.
Fresh Colorado snow at Winter Park. Image:: Colorado Ski Country
Expected Opening: 20 November.
Recent Snowfalls: about 16cm in the last week
7 Day forecast: 15cm in the next 7 days
Current snow depth: not yet measured
Cold temps have allowed Park City to fire up the snow guns this week and everything is on track for an epic opening day. The first people in line for the 6 pack PayDay, the double Three Kings and the First Time quad on opening day will receive one of only 12 First Chair t-shirts – special! Plus everyone will get donuts, hot chocolates and other goodies!
OPEN
Recent Snowfalls: 2.5cm in the last two days, and nearly 1.5m so far this year
7 Day forecast: 19cm in the next week
Current snow depth: 71.12cm at mid mountain
Current conditions: Early season, marginal
Fantastic early snow meant Snowbird opened a week early, with lifts spinning on November 13. As of Monday they have the Aerial Tram and Chickadee lifts open for the week, with Gadzoom lift expected to open again for the weekend. Conditions are still early season, but pretty good!
Snowmaking at Heavenly
Expected Opening: 19 November.
Recent Snowfalls: around 15cm in the last week
7 Day forecast: 22cm forecast
Current snow depth: not yet measured
Snow and now more snow for Heavenly, where the snow guns have been cranking to help out Mother Nature. The resort plans to open two lifts on opening day, there will be a few features set up on the CA Trail.
OPEN
Recent Snowfalls: 11.43cm in the last three days
7 Day forecast: 28cm forecast, mostly next weekend
Current snow depth: 30 – 76cm
Current conditions: Packed powder and machine groomed early season
The Big Winter Kick Off at Mammoth has begun! Lifts began turning 14 November and there was top to bottom riding and 6 lifts open. This Friday 19th the Hyde Lounge will host the new film from Matchstick productions – The Way I See It.
Expected Opening: 4 December.
Recent Snowfalls: nothing of note
7 Day forecast: about 8cm forecast for the next 7 days
Current snow depth: nothing significant as yet
While it is getting colder, Hakuba is yet to see a decent winter snowfall and rain mixed in with this week’s snow won’t help things. However Mother Nature has until December to get her act together!
Expected Opening: 28 November.
Recent Snowfalls: 5 – 10cm in the past day or so
7 Day forecast: 15cm in the next 7 days
Current snow depth: approximately 25cm above mid mountain
Snow through the beginning of the week may be dampened by rain on Tuesday and Wednesday. All in all the forecast is fairly mixed for Niseko and rumours the lifts may start running in the next week seem a bit optimistic.
Expected Opening: 4 December
Recent Snowfalls: 16cm this week
7 Day forecast: 32cm in the next 7 days
Current snow depth: 22cm
Good snow and more to follow. With nearly a month until opening to work on that snow base Big White should live up to its powder-mecca reputation. In that first week of the season Big White will celebrate the holiday season with the Big White Light Up on 10 December – Christmas lights galore – and then get festive with the Big Reds at Big White wine festival on 11 December.
Expected Opening: 4 December.
Recent Snowfalls: 58cm so far this pre-season
7 Day forecast: 41cm for the week
Current snow depth: 10cm
Big snowfalls on the horizon for British Columbia’s powder secret resort.
Expected Opening: 26 November
Recent Snowfalls: 10cm in the past week
7 Day forecast: 33cm in the coming week
Current snow depth: 23cm
It’s a snowy week ahead for Silver Star, with between 1cm and 10cm expected every day. The Nordic trails are expected to open 18 November and with the forecast the way it is there should be plenty of cross country action for the home of Canada’s Nordic ski team.
Expected Opening: 20 November.
Recent Snowfalls: 33.6cm last week
7 Day forecast: about 28cm forecast for the next 7 days
Current snow depth: 28.9cm at mid mountain
Snow, snow and more snow for Sun Peaks this week, if you’re looking for sunshine, don’t head to Sun Peaks because there’ll be snow clouds over the mountain every day.
Expected Opening: 19 November – A WEEK EARLY!
Recent Snowfalls: around 37cm
7 Day forecast: 44cm forecast for the next 7 days
Current snow depth: over 1m on the upper slopes
Will it ever stop snowing at Whistler, the resort can’t have seen the sun for a month! Not that anyone is complaining because Whistler is opening a week early, on Friday 19 November!
Whistler will put its Olympic bobsleigh track to good use on Opening Day when the first stop of the FIBT Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Cup comes to town. Of course, with this year a La Nina year, the Opening Day freshies may make it difficult to leave the slopes to go trackside at the Bobsleigh centre. Either way, a good week is promised.
OPEN
Recent Snowfalls: 2cm in the last week
7 Day forecast: about 33cm for the coming week
Current snow depth: 23cm at mid mountain
Current Conditions: Early season and man made snow
Four runs, two lifts a box and a rail are keeping early season visitors entertained at Lake Louise. Snowmaking accounts for most of the coverage at the moment as the resort has only received small amounts of natural snow but with snow clouds looming for the next seven days that should all change soon.
Going Global
France
Recent snowfalls: About 5cm has fallen across the French Alps in the past few days
Forecast snowfalls: small amounts of snow, up to 8cm in Chaminox in the next three days
Snow conditions: Tignes is one of the few resorts now open, with a small cover of fresh snow
Top pick: Tignes. 5cm of fresh
Switzerland
Recent snowfalls: 15cm or thereabouts at many of the major Swiss resorts on Friday 12 November
Forecast snowfalls: Up to 11cm (Verbier) around the Alps in the next day or so, clouds hanging around for the week but little snow falling after Wednesday.
Snow conditions: Saas-Fee, Zermatt and Verbier are now open and have bases over 1m, with 15cm of fresh on top
Top pick: Saas-Fee
Austria
Recent snowfalls: 10cm – 20cm for the Austrian resorts at the end of last week, meaning some of the alpine resorts are starting to open, though the glaciers are still the pick
Forecast snowfalls: The Alberg region – Lech, Zurs and St Anton, look to be receiving about 10cm of snow in the coming week, the Tyrol region won’t be so lucky
Snow conditions: Fresh powder at the glacier resorts
Top pick: The Stubai Glacier – the glaciers are still the best option
Italy
Recent snowfalls: 15cm around the Italian resorts early last week
Forecast snowfalls: Italy is the big news on the forecast this week with around 30cm expected by Wednesday
Snow conditions: Some of the smaller resorts are open with early season conditions
Top pick: Breuil-Cervinia, 135cm snow depth
Hakuba forecasts,
snow reports and
live snow cams.
Lake Louise forecasts,
snow reports and
live snow cams.
Heavenly forecasts,
snow reports and
live snow cams.
Big White forecasts,
snow reports and
live snow cams.
Whistler forecasts,
snow reports and
live snow cams.
Vail forecasts,
snow reports and
live snow cams.
Steamboat forecasts,
snow reports and
live snow cams.
Fernie forecasts,
snow reports and
live snow cams.
Snowbird forecasts,
snow reports and
live snow cams.
Niseko forecasts,
snow reports and
live snow cams.
Aspen Mountain forecasts,
snow reports and
live snow cams.
Sun Peaks forecasts,
snow reports and
live snow cams.
Park City forecasts,
snow reports and
live snow cams.
Breckenridge forecasts,
snow reports and
live snow cams.
Silver Star forecasts,
snow reports and
live snow cams.
Mammoth forecasts,
snow reports and
live snow cams.
