Patrick Thorne, Author at The Whiteroom

Ski ResortsWeather

Late Summer Snowfall as More European Ski Areas Ready To Open

There's been snowfall in the Alps and Scandinavia as half-a-dozen more ski areas plan to open over the coming fortnight in Austria and Finland. Finland's largest ski area, Levi (pictured above), one of two aiming to start their 7-month long seasons on 6th October, reported snow falling down to village level on Wednesday morning. Levi and Ruka (library pic below) will use large amounts of snow, saved from last winter and stockpiled through the summer, to create runs several kilometres long in order to open. There has also been fresh snowfall above about 3,000m in the Alps, bringing to an end the latest period of very warm temperatures to high altitudes. Three resorts are currently open, Saas Fee and Zermatt…

Snowhunter 20th September 2023

Environment

Les Arcs’ Glacier Expected to Be Gone By 2030

The famous Aiguille Rouge glacier at the top of the Les Arcs ski area, part of the world’s third largest ski region, Paradiski, is expected to have melted away completely by 2030, the resort has announced. Standing at an altitude of over 3,226m, the peak of the Aiguille Rouge is currently the highest point in the mountain area and attracts over 400,000 visitors a year. Now the area is experiencing new phenomena such as landslides, subsidence and rockfalls on the glacier. The annual ice melt rate has accelerated to around 3m/year in the Rimaye sector, meaning that the glacier which offered summer skiing in the 20th century and marks the top of one of the world’s great ski runs with…

Snowhunter 16th September 2023

Uncategorised

New Sustainable Snowboard Bindings Unveiled

Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London and UPM Biochemicals have embarked on a ground-breaking design collaboration to demonstrate how industry can make the urgent shift away from manufacturing products with materials based on fossil fuels to renewable, circular materials …and they’ve chosen snowboard bindings to illustrate what it’s possible to achieve. A team of 50 product and industrial design students from Central Saint Martins have been tasked to reimagine a range of everyday products - typically produced from fossil-based materials. Embracing the trio of reduced material use, introduction of new, more sustainable materials and supporting recyclability, the concepts have been imagined using UPM’s bio-based materials produced from sustainably sourced hardwood. The results will enable the more environmentally-friendly manufacture…

Snowhunter 13th September 2023

EventsLifestyle

Park Season Starting Soon on Alpine Glaciers

At least four more Alpine glacier ski areas are due to open over the next few weeks, before the end of September, doubling the number currently open. Most have plans for season opening weekends, when they offer next season’s kit to test and unveil their new autumn park set ups. At Hintertux in Tirol, the only Austrian ski area that stays open year round, the boards have been taken out of the basement, the tuning station is set up in the garage and the wardrobe is stocked for autumn: In just a few weeks, the snowboard community will start the new winter season with the Hintertux Park Opening set for October 6 – 8 this year. As usual, the setup…

Snowhunter 10th September 2023

Weather

Late Summer Snowfall in the Rockies

There have been snowfalls this week on high slopes in the Alberta Rockies in Canada and in Utah, USA. It's still summertime for another fortnight by the astronomical measure of the seasons, but we're a week into autumn/fall by the meteorological. Utah's Alta, Snowbird and Solitude were among ski areas posting images of fresh snow, including this one of one of the first snowmen of 23-24 at Alta. It was less than four months since the last Utah snowfalls of 22-23, a record-breaking season which saw several resorts including Alta post more than 900" (over 22 metres) of cumulative snowfall. The first ski area expected to open for the 23-24 season in the state is Brian Head in two months'…

Snowhunter 7th September 2023

Environment

New Vallée Blanche Exit Gondola Spells the End of Infamous Steps

A new gondola down to the largest glacier in the French Alps, which is due to open in time for the, coming ski season will make it much easier for skiers tackling the world’s longest lift-accessed off piste descent, the Vallée Blanche, at the end of their run. The new La Mer de Glace gondola is part of a €53m spend by the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc lift company to both facilitate access to the glacier for visitors arriving by the historic train to Montenvers, who now number more than a million a year, and skiers and boarders wanting to get up to the Montevers station at the end of the Vallée Blanche ski run, which begins at the cable-car accessed…

Snowhunter 2nd September 2023 1

RoundupsSki Resorts

China’s Ski Stats Stall

China’s rapid expansion in its number of ski areas and ski days has stalled according to the newly released 2022-2023 China Ski Industry White Book by local expert Wu Bin (Benny Wu). Other than a dramatic drop in the first winter of the pandemic, it’s the first decline in numbers in over 25 winters of season-on-season growth that have seen China develop from having just a handful of ski areas and skier numbers in the low thousands to becoming one of the world’s major ski nations in terms of ski area and skier numbers. It particularly excels in indoor snow and dry ski centres which have been built in the greater part of the country where natural snowfall doesn’t occur…

Snowhunter 1st September 2023

RoundupsWeather

August Snowfall Across The Alps

There has been a major change in the weather in the alps, after weeks which saw record high altitude temperatures abruptly ended, temperatures plummeted and significant summer snowfall is underway. A major storm system has brought torrential rain at low levels but snowfall to high slopes, in some cases as low as 1,500m, right across the Alps. Some glaciers may see as much as two feet (60cm) of snowfall over the next few days. Val d'Isere is pictured above this morning (August 28th). There was some confusion when it posted the image and the one below next to a link to 'sales of first tracks skiing starting September 1st'. It became clear that it meant winter sales would open on…

Snowhunter 28th August 2023

LifestyleSki Resorts

Utah’s Ski Area To More Than Double in Size To Become One of 5 Biggest in US

Utah’s Deer Valley will more than double in size over the next few years to become one of the five largest in the USA, the resort’s owners the Alterra Mountain Company have announced. Deer Valley Resort that will add 3,700 acres of terrain to its existing, 2,026 acres, almost tripling its size. There will also be a second base village giving new access to the ski area that avoids travelling through Park City. At 5,726 acres it means that Deer Valley will be the fifth largest ski area in the US. As the second largest, Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR), owned by Alterra’s main rivals Vail, is also next to Park City itself, it means the famous ski town will…

Snowhunter 25th August 2023 1

Ski ResortsWeather

Huge Snowfalls in South America

There have been some of the biggest snowfalls of winter 2023 so far in Argentina and Chile. Resorts have reported up to a metre (40”) of snowfall in 24 hours as part of a multi-day storm that has dramatically improved snow depths for the final month of the season. Chile’s famous powder resort of Portillo has been one of the big winners, seeing its base jump past the 2.1 metres (seven feet) mark after 94cm (over three feet) of snowfall in 24 hours. All the snowfall, at times accompanied by gale force winds to give blizzard conditions, has inevitably caused issues though, closing some resorts as access roads are cleared, lifts dug out and avalanche danger mitigated. South American ski…

Snowhunter 24th August 2023

Environment

Freezing Point at Record High Altitude in the Alps

The point at which zero degrees Celsius (32F) is reached was found to have risen to a record high altitude of 5,298 metres in the Swiss Alps at the start of their week. That’s nearly 500 metres above the highest peak in the Alps. The Swiss meteorological office reported the “0°C isotherm” was at a record height since the first recordings were made in 1954, nearly 70 years ago. The point at which freezing point is found moves up and down through the day, the previous record high of 5,184 metres was set in July last year. Western Europe’s highest peak, Mont Blanc, is at 4,809m. Despite the heat, four summer ski areas are currently open, although they have reported…

Snowhunter 23rd August 2023

Weather

Snowy Weather Returns to Australia

Australian ski areas are reporting fresh snowfall, with up to 16cm (7”) reported in the last 24 hours and more snow falling and forecast. Mt Buller has reported the biggest accumulation so far but there are similar totals for other Aussie resorts. “We've had snow overnight at Hotham and it’s been keeping coming for much of the day. Athletes from around the world are here competing in the FIS/ANC Ski and Snowboard Cross – there will be some great action on the course!” said the resort’s Dani Wright. Selwyn Snowfield, which had had to close its ski slopes due to lack of snow during a 4 week period of warmer than average, dry weather between mid-July and mid-August. Says it…

Snowhunter 18th August 2023

Author:

Patrick Thorne