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After an active week of weather that has ended with temperatures way above where they should be for late December, snow conditions in the Alps are very mixed again.

Earlier this week a LOT of snow fell at altitude across the northern Alps – with up to 1m above 1800m in some parts of the eastern Swiss and western Austrian Alps. It was never terribly cold though, with a rain/snow limit between 1000m and 1600m, which has resulted in some rain damage lower down. The southern half of the Alps missed most of the recent rain and snow but continues to have generally below par snow depths.

As a result, with the odd exception, conditions in the Alps are broadly split three-ways. High resorts in the northern Alps, or at least resorts with access to lots of high skiing, are still in very good shape (e.g. Val d’Isère, La Plagne, Engelberg, Davos, Lech, Ischgl, Obertauern).

Low resorts in the northern Alps (e.g. Morzine, Villars, Adelboden, Soll, Zell am See) still have some reasonable piste-skiing at altitude but are struggling lower down.

The southern Alps (e.g. Dolomites, Milky Way) have generally modest snow depths, but having seen much less (if any) rain this season, are still continuing to offer consistent on-piste snow conditions.

After an active week of weather that has ended with temperatures way above where they should be for late December, snow conditions in the Alps are very mixed again.

Earlier this week a LOT of snow fell at altitude across the northern Alps – with up to 1m above 1800m in some parts of the eastern Swiss and western Austrian Alps. It was never terribly cold though, with a rain/snow limit between 1000m and 1600m, which has resulted in some rain damage lower down. The southern half of the Alps missed most of the recent rain and snow but continues to have generally below par snow depths.

As a result, with the odd exception, conditions in the Alps are broadly split three-ways. High resorts in the northern Alps, or at least resorts with access to lots of high skiing, are still in very good shape (e.g. Val d’Isère, La Plagne, Engelberg, Davos, Lech, Ischgl, Obertauern).

Low resorts in the northern Alps (e.g. Morzine, Villars, Adelboden, Soll, Zell am See) still have some reasonable piste-skiing at altitude but are struggling lower down.

The southern Alps (e.g. Dolomites, Milky Way) have generally modest snow depths, but having seen much less (if any) rain this season, are still continuing to offer consistent on-piste snow conditions.

Snow conditions remain excellent at altitude in the Austrian Alps but, thanks to the mild weather, are more mixed lower down. Resorts such as Alpbach (30/120cm) and Westendorf (40/80cm) can still offer some perfectly decent piste-skiing but have lost a lot of their lower natural snow cover.

In better overall shape are the higher resorts of Lech (110/290cm) and Ischgl (80/160cm) both of which still have impressive snow cover at all levels. 

In the French Alps, there is still a huge amount of snow at altitude in the northern French Alps, meaning that there is a lot of great skiing on offer still in the likes of Val Thorens (100/190cm) and La Rosière (70/290cm).

Lower down though, snow conditions are much more mixed with only patchy natural snow below 1400m or so. Morzine-Les Gets (5/35cm), for example, has only been able to open about half of its runs.

In the southern Alps, Isola 2000 (45/55cm) is also short of snow but has more runs open due to its high altitude and extensive snowmaking capabilities. 

On the whole, snow cover in the Italian Alps is modest, but there is still plenty of good piste-skiing on offer in the likes of Selva (25/65cm) and Sestriere (20/120cm) on a mixture of natural and artificial snow.

Some of the best snow conditions in Italy right now are in the higher resorts of the central Italian Alps, such as Livigno (65/85cm) and Passo Tonale (40/250cm).

Most Swiss resorts are still in pretty good shape although there are some weaknesses, especially lower down. Best of all are the high resorts in the north and east of Switzerland, such as Arosa (75/175cm) and Davos (75/185cm).

Lower down, resorts like Gstaad (5/35cm) are struggling a bit with the mild weather, and many southern resorts have missed the brunt of the recent storms. These include Zermatt (10/80cm), which is offering modest snow depths by its own high standards. 

Snow conditions in the Pyrenees are not great right now, with only the higher resorts offering any significant skiing and, even then, only with the help of artificial snow. Andorra’s Soldeu currently has base depths of 20/40cm while Spain’s Baqueira Beret has 40/50cm. 

There is plenty of good skiing on offer across Scandinavia, with some of the best conditions in Norway where Hemsedal has base depths of 35/65cm. 

Snow depths in most western US resorts are below par for the time of year. In Colorado, Breckenridge (65cm mid-mountain base) has had a dusting of fresh snow and can offer some good piste-skiing.

Perhaps the best options right now though are in Utah, where Snowbird has seen 15cm of new snow and can offer a 120cm mid-mountain base depth.

Whistler has had a lean start to its season, but is expecting plenty of snow this week which should greatly improve conditions. Mid-mountain base depths are currently around 188cm.

Further inland, Sunshine Village (80cm mid-mountain base) will miss the new snow due further west but can still offer some very good piste-skiing right now. 

Our next full snow report will be on
Friday 30 December 2023

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