Northern Hemisphere Weekly Snow Roundup #330

• Alps: Sunny weather continues, but not enough snow to reopen resorts.
• Zermatt: Race teams are back training on the glacier.
• North America: Fresh snowfall is building excitement for winter.
• Indoor skiing: Still available around the world.

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE REPORT

It has been another predominantly dry and sunny week in the Alps, with the freezing point sitting between 3,500m and 4,500m for much of that time. Glaciers have again seen temperatures dipping below freezing overnight, creating freeze-thaw conditions, while daytime temperatures at 3,000m haven't been getting too warm.

There have also been social media posts showing groomers back in action on Switzerland's highest slopes at Zermatt, where Swiss racing teams are reportedly being allowed exclusive training access to the otherwise closed glacier. Among the sunny days, there have also been reports of a few light overnight dustings of fresh snow on glaciers, but not yet really enough for any of the currently closed centres that would like to be open — besides Zermatt — namely Passo Stelvio and Saas-Fee, to reopen. There was a little snow excitement at Italy's high-altitude resort of Livigno at the end of last week, transforming its village centre into a kilometre-long cross-country ski track this week using snow preserved from last winter. The 44th Gara da li Contrada ski race was staged on the snow despite daytime highs hitting +20°C, so the snow didn't last very long.

Across North America, the hike-to terrain park at Copper Mountain in Colorado is reported to still be operating, and excitement is building in the Rockies, with ski areas including Loveland saying they plan to start snowmaking later this month. There was also some excitement in Western Canada at the weekend, with resorts along the BC/Alberta provincial border reporting fresh snowfall in the final days of summer, raising pre-season excitement levels with two months to go until the scheduled season starts. There are currently no ski areas open in Canada, but Sunshine near Banff was one of those reporting snowfall in the past few days and is usually one of the first in the country to open, in about two months. Ski areas in BC reporting summer snowfall included Panorama and Kicking Horse.

Summer snowfall was also reported on high terrain in the northern US, including along the Beartooth Highway between Wyoming and Montana. Skiing remains possible at Europe's 50+ indoor snow centres, including facilities in Belgium, France, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and the UK. You can also ski or ride indoors in North America, at a facility in New Jersey in the US; in Africa, in Egypt; and at more than 100 facilities in Asia, the majority of them in China. There are also now several hundred artificial-surface ski slopes and ski-machine conveyor slopes around the world.

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE FORECAST

As yet, there aren't many signs of early winter arriving in the high Alps, with the week ahead looking largely settled and sunny across the high Alpine glacier terrain above 3,000m. Daytime temperatures at 3,000m generally sit between –1 and +8°C, bringing firm, refrozen surfaces early in the day before they soften by the afternoon. Italian glacier areas such as Passo Stelvio and Val Senales should enjoy frequent sunshine, with only passing cloud and light winds. 

Austria's Hintertux and Sölden show a similar pattern: bright, stable days, occasional convective cloud and limited precipitation. In Switzerland, Saas-Fee and Zermatt should remain mostly fine, with good upper-glacier preservation under cool nights. Farther north, Norway's Galdhøpiggen also looks set to remain predominantly sunny, with sub-zero temperatures.