Our Alps ski resort stats this week accurately reflect the last seven days – snow depths are good in Austria, where up to a meter of snowfall has been reported, and slowly declining in the rest of the Alps, where it’s mostly dry been cold and sunny. Use our tool below to find the details at your resort.
The Austrian snowfall was accompanied by gale-force winds and created a very high avalanche risk away from the groomed slopes. Several people died during off-piste descents, when avalanche danger reached “4” or “high” on the scale of 5. It’s the opposite in France, where resorts haven’t seen new snow in over three weeks and conditions are tough – full and icy, especially in the morning.
The Pyrenees have had a mostly sunny week but with some light snowfall. The largest area Grandvalira (Soldeu/Pas de la Casa) reported 9 cm at the beginning of the week. Down in Bulgaria, temperatures have remained low and there have been more snow showers. Ski resorts are now almost fully open and you can finally ski back to the resort in Bansko.
Scandinavia has seen a big jump in reported snow depths, with some resorts in western Norway adding more than half a meter of new snow in the last seven days – many reporting it as Europe’s powder heaven right now. In Scotland, conditions are described as “spring-like” due to warm temperatures, with Cairngorm Mountain and Glencoe reporting the best of their skiing on higher slopes.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the great conditions in Western North America continue with a few more feet of fresh snowfall. In the east, however, they are recovering after temperatures fell to -40ºC over the weekend.
Below you will find the latest news from the world’s top resorts. Use our interactive tool to check the snow at your favorite resort.
France
With the Alpine World Ski Championships in Courchevel and Méribel, and thousands of Brits visiting in February, all eyes are on France. Racers face hard, icy slopes with morning temperatures hovering around -10ºC and it’s not much different for regular skiers as some areas have had no fresh snow for over three weeks now. However, the cold weather has kept most areas completely open, so it’s fine if you stay on the slopes. There has also been occasional light snow in more southern resorts such as Montgenèvre.
The prognosis
Another week with mostly sunny weather across the French Alps. Big names preparing for the bustle of autumn, such as Les Arcs, La Plagne, Tignes, Val d’Isère and the rest, should all be seeing wall-to-wall sunshine. Temperatures will rise slightly due to the biting cold of recent weeks, making the snow slightly softer on the slopes, but without the full spring thaw.
Discover the best ski resorts in France with our guide.
Austria
Most of the fresh snowfall in the Alps over the past week fell in Austria, with areas of at least 50 cm, some as much as a metre. There are great conditions on the slopes, especially now that the wind has died down and the sun has returned. However, for freeriders there is still avalanche danger, lower than level 4 (high) last weekend, but still at level 3 (significant) in regions like the Arlberg.
The prognosis
Falling back in line with the rest of the Alps, sunshine is forecast for the week ahead, it remains cold but freezing points are rising. For example, low-lying Mayrhofen will see a temperature range of -10ºC to 1ºC change to -1ºC to 10ºC at the end of this week. I have a similar story for St. Anton at the resort level, but usually stay below freezing on high runs.
Discover the best ski resorts in Austria with our guide.
Italy
Conditions on Italian slopes have changed little over the past week. It’s been mostly cold and sunny, but windy snowy weather moved south into northern areas from Austria – leaving Bormio stormy over the weekend and Sella Nevea on the Slovenian border in the east overtaking La Thuile in the west for the deepest base of the country. Light snowfall has also been reported in the Dolomites and along the French border – the picture remains good across Italy.
The prognosis
The sun will dominate for the next week, with the freezing point slightly higher than it was, but it will remain mostly cold. High altitude Cervinia goes from a temperature range of -15ºC to -1ºC over the weekend to -5ºC to 5ºC by Monday.
Discover the best ski resorts in Italy with our guide.
Switzerland
The dividing line between the snowy eastern side and the sunny western side of the Alps fell over Switzerland last week. Snowfall in central and eastern Switzerland led to a change at the top of the ‘deepest snow in Switzerland’ chart – after six months with Glacier 3000, near Gstaad, above Saas-Fee with a base of 1.8 metres. Gstaad was one of those areas that suffered from warm temperatures at the beginning of the year – the famous attempt to use helicopters to deliver snow – but now 80 percent of the terrain is open.
The prognosis
Mostly sunny with occasional clouds and light snow showers and staying below freezing above 2,000 meters. Verbier has been enjoying sub-zero temperatures for about a month, but starting this weekend, daytime maximum temperatures will gradually increase to possibly 10ºC at the base by Tuesday afternoon.
Discover the best ski resorts in Switzerland with our guide.
Canada
The exceptionally cold temperatures in Quebec made headlines in Canada and temporarily closed most of the region’s ski resorts last weekend for safety reasons. All have now reopened and fresh snow has fallen – the largest, Tremblant, says 100 percent of the slopes are open for the first time this season. More snow and powder has also fallen in the west.
The prognosis
A real mix, with snow, cloud and sun forecasts from coast to coast, temperatures ranging from freezing to -20ºC. Whistler will enjoy a snowy start to the new week, with possibly 8 inches by Tuesday, when the sun should briefly reappear.
Discover the best ski resorts in Canada with our guide.
USA
New England experienced the same low temperatures as further north in Canada, with ski centers closing over the weekend, with Mount Washington, in New Hampshire, experiencing the lowest wind chill ever recorded in the US, at -78ºC. Great conditions continue in the Rockies, where several feet of snow have fallen and Mammoth still has the world’s deepest snow pack at 21 feet (6.3 meters).
The prognosis
Mostly sunny weather with occasional snow showers early next week in both the east and west, temperatures hovering between 5ºC and -20ºC.
Discover the best ski resorts in the US with our guide.