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Worldwide Snow Reports from the Ski Club of Great Britain. Check out the snow conditions and find out where it snowed last plus use our comprehensive webcams to find out where the best snow is.
(Resort snow reports updated daily (approx 2pm), the country overviews are updated twice weekly on Monday and Thursday afternoons)
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| Country Overview - Thursday 8 January 2009
| | Introduction | | |
The sun is shining across the whole of Austria on Thursday but it is very cold with some resorts below -20ºC.
The cold weather across Europe at the moment is making its presence felt in the French Alps as well. Temperatures below -15ºC mean the snow is in great condition and with empty slopes the skiing is fantastic.
The skiing conditions in Switzerland couldn't be much better. Very cold weather and sunny skies ensure everybody is happy, as the pistes are in excellent condition.
The Milky Way resorts in Italy received 30cm of fresh snow on Wednesday. Powder can be found all over the mountain. Lots of other places received up to 20cm.
Light snow is falling across Andorra. Most resorts have received 3cm of new snow which has freshened up their conditions nicely. Soldeu has all 63 of its lifts running on Thursday.
Fresh snow has fallen at Oppdal, Voss and Trysil in Norway this week, as well as at Åre and Sälen in Sweden. More snowfall is expected to fall this weekend.
Good skiing is on offer in Germany and the current cold and sunny weather further enhances the experience.
The snow that fell last weekend has packed down in Bulgaria providing lovely on-piste conditions.
Skiing is possible at the Lecht and Glenshee on Thursday in Scotland and there is a chance that some fresh snow could fall this weekend.
The resorts in Utah and Colorado in America have received up to 70cm of snow since Tuesday and as you might expect, the skiing and riding is amazing.
Lots of new snow has been falling across Western Canada. Silver Star received 50cm on Monday night and Red Mountain received 48cm over the same period. Warmer weather has moved in with the snow.
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 Austria | | |
The great weather across Austria over the past week should continue through the end of the week and into the weekend. Tuesday and Wednesday were a little cloudy, but no new snow fell. Low temperatures mean that the snow is in excellent condition and it certainly isn't melting.
Bad Gastein (30/160cm) is the coldest of the Austrian resorts we report on. The temperature at mid-mountain is -22ºC on Thursday morning. Frost bite is a possibility at this temperature so wrap up very warm and cover exposed skin. 24 of the area's 26 lifts are open
In comparison Obergurgl (61/239cm) is mild. A temperature of -9ºC makes the skiing very enjoyable and keeps the snow in fantastic condition. The whole area is open and the slopes are very quiet so take advantage of this and the great weather and snow conditions.
No new snow is forecast for Austria in the next five days and it should remain very sunny. The temperatures are also expected to remain low so the snow shouldn't suffer as a result of the sunny weather.
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 France | | |
Snow fell at some resorts in France this week, particularly the southern ones. The weather in the French Alps on Thursday is largely the same as the rest of the Alps with sunshine dominating.
Isola 2000 (161/253cm) received 15cm on Wednesday adding to their already excellent base depth. It is currently fairly cold as well so the snow is light fluffy powder. It could snow very lightly on Friday but it isn't expected to amount to any more than 2cm.
Serre Chevalier (35/195cm) also received 15cm on Wednesday. Temperatures of -11ºC mean the snow is great. 50 of the areas 66 lifts are open so there is plenty of terrain available. Some light snow could fall on Thursday and it is very cloudy.
Up in the Three Valleys, Courchevel (56/80cm) reportedly has the best conditions. The Ski Club rep in the resort reports the piste conditions to be excellent on both the higher and lower runs. There is generally good cover off piste, but as with most places there are some rocks poking through so watch out for those. Fine sunny weather is forecast over the weekend and into next week.
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 Switzerland
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Saas Fee (98/296cm) received 8cm of fresh snow on Thursday morning. This follows the 6cm they received on Wednesday and as you might expect the pistes are in fantastic condition. The Ski Club rep in Saas Fee reports the conditions to be excellent on both the upper and lower slopes. All of the areas 22 lifts are running on Thursday meaning there is plenty of great terrain available.
Snow is possible on Thursday at Wengen (45/70cm) but nothing has fallen in the last few days. Cold temperatures mean the snow is in good condition and pockets of soft powder can be found off piste. 17 of the local area's 19 lifts are running on Thursday morning.
The snow over the New Year period at Verbier (40/130cm) is still holding up very well. As with everywhere at the moment, cold temperatures are helping to maintain the snow and soft untracked powder can be found off piste. The slopes are fairly quiet at the moment which is a welcome relief for the resort, after the busy New Year period. 32 lifts are running out of a possible 35.
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 Italy | | |
Lots of fresh snow fell across some resorts in Italy on Wednesday. The Milky Way resorts, over by the French border in the west of the country, received 30cm of fresh powder. As a result conditions are excellent, with powder on and off the pistes.
Sauze d'Oulx (180/220cm) benefits from the 30cm of fresh snow this week. Of the 55 lifts in the area 40 are running on Thursday morning. The visibility is very poor still and there are some strong winds at the very top, hence the lift closures.
The deepest base of all the resorts we report on, worldwide, is at Alagna (165/400cm). The 4 metres on the upper slopes is double that of what they would usually expect throughout the season. 20cm of fresh snow on Tuesday and Wednesday ensures the conditions are brilliant. Three of the four lifts at Alagna are open on Thursday.
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 Andorra
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Andorra is looking like a good place to be skiing on Thursday. A light dusting of snow on Wednesday night has helped freshen up conditions at all four of the Andorran resorts we report on.
Pal/Arinsal (70/120cm) has nearly all of its lifts open. 44 of the total 46 are running on Thursday. It is currently snowing lightly on Thursday and the temperature is hovering around -9ºC, so the snow is of excellent quality.
The same is the case at Soldeu (70/170cm). They have all 63 of their lifts open on Thursday. The snow conditions are excellent following the fresh snow on Wednesday night and the cold temperature is keeping the existing snow nice and firm.
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 Norway / Sweden
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More snow has fallen in Norway at Oppdal (80/100cm), Trysil (47/68cm) and Voss (45/70cm) this week and the conditions look superb for the end of this week. Oppdal reported 30cm of snow landing on Wednesday while Voss report 10cm of fresh snow in time for the lifts opening on Thursday morning. Trysil also has new snow on the ground on Thursday morning but it is only a light dusting.
Despite no new snow being reported at Geilo (50/50cm), Hemsedal (65/80cm) and Lillehammer (20/55cm) this week the conditions are well maintained thanks to the recent cold temperatures.
Fresh snow has also fallen at Åre (40/75cm) and Sälen (40/50cm) in Sweden this week. A light dusting refreshed the cover at Sälen on Wednesday and it is snowing on Thursday. Åre is in great shape following heavier snowfalls which has increased the upper piste depth.
Fresh snow could fall at all of our reported Norwegian and Swedish resorts this weekend although the most snow is expected at Oppdal, Voss and Åre.
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| Germany
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No fresh snow has fallen at our reported German resorts this week but the cold temperatures are maintaining the snow in great condition.
Garmisch Partenkirchen (10/190cm) is reporting the deepest snow base of our featured German resorts, followed by Oberstdorf (15/140cm) and Reit im Winkl (20/120cm).
The weather this weekend is forecast to be dry and sunny with the temperatures remaining at or below freezing.
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| Bulgaria
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The snow that fell last weekend improved the cover at all of the Bulgarian resorts. This has now packed down on the pistes providing some lovely skiing cover. Off piste the conditions are quite varied with some areas being well skied yet there are still stashes of unskied snow to be found.
Bansko (80/105cm) reports the deepest base depth with over a metre of snow on the upper pistes, closely followed by Borovets (55/100cm).
A combination of sunny and cloudy spells is forecast over the next five days although there is a chance that some light snowfalls could land this weekend. The temperature should remain cold although it is expected to become milder as we head in to next week.
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 Scotland
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All of the lifts at Cairngorm (15/20cm) are closed due to strong winds on Thursday. There is no skiing available but this should change once the wind subsides.
Glenshee (15cm) still has a good cover of man made snow on Claybokie so skiing is possible at the end of this week.
At The Lecht (15/20cm) most of runs in the main area are complete with a hard covering of packed snow. There is also some snow on the nursery slopes. The Lecht offers the most skiable terrain in Scotland on Thursday.
The Alpha Tow is open at the Nevis Range but this only provides access for skiing on the artificial slope. There is currently insufficient snow cover for snowsports on the main ski area.
Glencoe is closed for snowsports as there is currently insufficient snow cover.
The weather is expected to be quite changeable over the weekend but this could bring some light snow showers to the Scottish resorts.
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 USA | | |
It has been another snowy week across America, notably so in Colorado and Utah. Resorts in both states have received up to 70cm of new snow since Tuesday.
Snowbird (218cm) and Alta (234cm) both received nearly 60cm of fresh powder on Tuesday and as you'd imagine the snow was nearly waist deep. Light snow is forecast for both resorts tomorrow but it shouldn't amount to any more than a few centimetres. Thursday is fairly warm with base temperatures around -2ºC but on Friday it will be colder, around -12ºC. Snowbird has nine of its 12 lifts running on Thursday and Alta has six out of seven.
38cm of powder fell on Tuesday night at Breckenridge (119/163cm). The resort has all 30 of its lifts running and with the big dump of snow it should be an awesome few days.
The east coast of America currently has a winter storm warning issued. Many of the ski resorts are waking up to a lot of fresh snow on Thursday morning. Killington (46/81cm) received 13cm overnight as did Sugarbush (23/122cm). Conditions at both resorts are expected to be great following the fresh snowfalls.
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 Canada | | |
British Columbia and Alberta are experiencing much milder temperatures on Thursday. Lots of new snow is still falling at altitude, but resorts with villages at lower levels could receive sleet or rain.
Fernie (160cm) received 34cm of fresh snow on Tuesday night. Great powder conditions can be enjoyed, especially on the higher slopes as it is colder up there. However light rain was falling in Fernie town during the day as the freezing level rose to nearly 1500m.
Banff (80/140cm) is slightly colder than Fernie. Sunshine Village received 26cm of fresh snow on Wednesday night. The temperature remains around -4ºC at the base of the ski area, which is at approximately 2000m. Light snow is forecast for the next five days, with approximately 5cm falling per day.
In Quebec, Eastern Canada, Tremblant (66cm) has some fairly nice sunny weather at the moment. The temperature is well below zero and it isn't expected to rise above -10ºC in the next five days. All 11 of their lifts are running on Thursday.
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| European Weather Outlook
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The cold and sunny weather in Europe over the past week is expected to continue for at least the next five days. Many resorts aren't expecting any fresh snow in the next five days. The temperature should stay very low though, which is the best possible weather in a dry spell.
France should be one of the warmer alpine regions in Europe this weekend. The freezing level is expected to remain between 800m and 1000m, which is still well below the altitude of most of the French ski areas. The moderate temperatures coupled with the sunshine should make for fantastic skiing but remember the suntan lotion.
Fine sunny weather is forecast for Austria as well. The temperature is expected to be lower than in France though, so be sure to keep warm. With the freezing level between 0m and 500m, the ski areas will be experiencing temperatures of below -10ºC most of the time. Thursday night is set to be extremely cold. Bad Gastein could see temperatures of -37ºC on the mountain and even -34ºC in the village.
Over in Norway, heavy snow is forecast for Voss although only on the upper slopes. Below 750m the precipitation will be heavy rain which won't do wonders for their snow conditions. Oppdal is expecting slightly colder weather, partly due to its higher elevation but rain could fall on the lower parts of the resort.
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| North American Weather Outlook
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Following America's very snowy weather over the past week things are expected to calm down a little bit. Snow is still forecast but it isn't likely to be as heavy as of late.
Jackson Hole is forecast to receive 18cm of new snow in the next five days. Thursday will be fairly mild, with a freezing level at 2050m. This shouldn't have an effect on the snow though as virtually all their pistes are above this level. 11cm is forecast for Thursday and with mild temperatures the snow could be quite moist. They do need this though to help stabilise their snow pack a bit.
The Californian resorts of Squaw Valley and Mammoth are enjoying the lovely sunny weather. There is a general warming trend in the area over the next five days. The base of Squaw could see temperatures of 12ºC on Sunday and even at the summit it could well be around 6ºC. The freezing level will be way up at 4000m.
Colder and slightly drier weather is forecast for Colorado. They shouldn't see the same mild weather that California is expecting. Breckenridge has 6cm of snow forecast in the next five days which will help keep their pistes refreshed, not that they need it following the 38cm they received on Wednesday.
Canada is staying true to form, with up to 61cm of snow forecast in the next five days at the Skeena heli ski area in northern BC. Down in the south, Revelstoke is expecting 51cm to fall in the coming week. Friday and Saturday is when the snow should be at its heaviest, with over 30cm of new snow predicted to land.
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