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It’s been a changeable but not especially cold week in the Alps, with further snowfalls for some, chiefly at higher altitudes across the north.

Snow conditions in the high resorts of the northern Alps (e.g. Val Thorens, Val d’Isère, Verbier, Engelberg, Lech, Sölden, Kaprun, Obertauern) are therefore pretty good even if snow depths are unremarkable and the off-piste is often wind-scoured. Lower down in the northern Alps, some rain in the mix means that snow cover is much patchier or non-existent.

Some lower northern Alpine resorts (e.g. Ski Welt) are also open for skiing but often with considerable artificial help and more snow would be very welcome. It is early days though so, overall, the situation in the northern Alps can be considered normal for the time of year.

The southern Alps have seen less snowfall so far this Autumn/early winter. As usual, though, they are better equipped to produce artificial snow, both in terms of the climate (lower humidity is better for snow making) and in terms of facilities. Nowhere is this truer than in the Dolomites, where many resorts are already partially open with lots more terrain due to open this weekend.

As for the weather forecast, temperatures will turn much colder over the weekend with some useful new snow arriving in many regions, albeit not necessarily as much as forecast a few days ago.

Meanwhile, early snow conditions are generally favourable across the pond, with California’s Mammoth one of the best options as things stand…

Early season snow conditions are pretty good in the higher Austrian ski resorts like Lech (45/65cm) and Sölden (10/140cm) where it is snowing again today.

Lower down, natural snow is in much shorter supply, but you can still find a good number of pistes open in the likes of Kitzbühel (5/50cm upper base) thanks to considerable artificial help.

More snow is expected to fall to increasingly low altitudes across all Austrian ski resorts this weekend.

Only a handful of high French ski resorts have now opened, but there has been some good skiing on offer in recent days in Val d’Isère (35/55cm) and Val Thorens (65/100cm), with more snow forecast this weekend.

Lower down, the mild weather and occasional rain has meant that snow cover is still patchy in resorts such as Megève and Châtel (neither of which are open yet), but colder and snowier weather is expected over the weekend. 

Lots of ski resorts are partially open in the Italian Alps, with many more set to follow this weekend. Best of all is probably Cervinia (40/130cm), which has seen some significant natural snow over the last week or two and can offer top-to-bottom skiing.

Many other resorts are relying heavily on artificial snow, including those in the Dolomite region of Alta Badia where 55 runs are open today on a 15cm mid-mountain base.

Some moderate snowfalls and a steep drop in temperature are expected across many Italian resorts this weekend. 

Lots of Swiss ski resorts are now partially open, however, the recent fluctuations in temperature mean that it is the highest that are currently offering the best snow conditions.

Zermatt (15-150cm) is one of the more extensive options (weather-permitting) with some good skiing also possible in Verbier (20-65cm), but in both cases any serious off-piste remains out of the question.

Lower down, Flumserberg (20cm mid-mountain base) near Zurich has a handful of runs open on a mix of natural and artificial snow. 

The ski season is yet to get underway properly in the Pyrenees. Andorra’s Granvalira area is expected to open this weekend, although preparations have been hampered by a lack of snow and mild weather. However, the good news for all Pyrenean resorts is that heavy snow is forecast for most areas on Saturday night and Sunday.

For now, most non-Alpine European offerings are confined to Scandinavia, where many resorts are now at least partially open including Norway’s Hemsedal and Sweden’s Åre (both of which have around 20cm of settled snow mid-mountain). 

Early season snow conditions are generally good in the western US. In California, Mammoth (137cm upper base) is nearly 100% open and skiing well following the big storms at the end of November.

Regular November snowfalls also mean that many Colorado resorts are doing well, with Vail offering some good early skiing on a 95cm mid-mountain base.

Following a very snowy November, Whistler (100cm mid-mountain base) is in good early shape, at least higher up, with more snow forecast for Saturday, though also some rain for a time lower down.

Further inland, Fernie (125cm upper base) also saw a lot of snow in November and is now around 70% open. 

Our next full snow report will be on
Thursday 12 December 2024