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Fresh May Powder in the USA

Ski resorts in California and Utah have reported powder days at the start of May after heavy snowfall in the final hours of April and in to the start of May. It has also been snowing on high slopes in the Alps with several glacier areas reporting up to 20cm of fresh snow. Snowbird in Utah and Mammoth in California (pictured below on May 1st) have posted up to 25cm (10 inches) of fresh snow.  The former is open to mid-May, the latter to at least the end of the month. (top image credit Matt Crawley at Snowbird, Utah) In the Alps Chamonix (which closed its lifts for the season yesterday) there’s been 20cm of snow in the last 72…

Snowhunter 2nd May 2018
Ski ResortsTravelUncategorisedWeather

Where’s Open For Snowsports in May 2018?

May is one of the quieter months of the world’s snowsports calendar as most of the ski areas in the northern hemisphere close but those in the southern hemisphere haven’t yet opened. That said as we enter May about 50 ski areas (less than 1% of the world total) are still open, and there are even a few areas set to open through the month. But against that about three quarters of these will close through the month leaving only a dozen or so open at the start of June …when the southern hemisphere’s 2018 season will begin to kick off. Europe https://www.facebook.com/valthorens.resort/videos/10156467493617764/   Although a dozen or so ski areas will see it through to May 1st in the…

Snowhunter 29th April 2018
EnvironmentSki ResortsWeather

Val d’Isère To Re-open Winter runs in Summer After Huge 17-18 Season Snowfalls

Despite the huge snowfalls in the Alps at the start of this year that led to resorts like Zermatt and Val d'Isère having to go in to lock down for periods in January, very few resorts have decided to extend their ski seasons much, if at all, in the Alps. In contrast to North America where late season snow allowed dozens of resorts including Mont Sutton, Sugarbush and Winter Park to announce extended seasons in to May, resorts in the Alps have been closing for the season even with the snow still lying 5 metres deep. However, one exception has come to light this week. Although the winter skiing season will come to an end in just a few days’…

Snowhunter 29th April 2018
Ski ResortsWeather

US and Canadian Resorts Extend Seasons in to May after mid-April Snow Dumps

A number of ski areas in the US and Canada have extended their ski seasons in to May following big snowfalls in the past week – in some cases the biggest ever recorded April snowstorms. Initial snowfalls in the early part of the week saw ski areas in Colorado and Utah reporting up to 50cm of fresh snow.  These included Snowbird, (below this week) which is normally open in to May anyway, and Winter Park, which isn’t, but has decided to now extend the ski season, limited to its Mary Jane terrain, to May 6th. But it was the Mid-west where most ski areas had already closed for the 17-18 ski season, some a month back, that the record-breaking snowfalls hit…

Snowhunter 21st April 2018
Ski ResortsWeather

Portugal’s Snowiest Ever Ski Season?

Many people don’t realise that Portugal – a land most famous for its sunny weather and coastal villages – has a ski area vat its highest point at Serra da Estrela, nearly 2,000m up and east of capital Lisbon towards the Spanish border. So it comes as a double surprise to discover not only that this ski centre exists, but also that it is currently enjoying what may be its snowiest ski season ever – meaning it is still open in late April when many of the wold’s biggest and highest ski areas have already ended their seasons. The latest in a series of huge snowstorms to hit the slopes of Portugal this winter brought drifts of up to six…

Snowhunter 19th April 2018
Ski ResortsTravel

Japan Update & Focus on Nozawa, Shiga Kogen and Madarao

At the time of writing, it is early April and it is once again feeling colder and there is actually some fresh snow falling on some higher Japanese mountains. This return-to-winter spell is probably going to end up as no more than a quick ‘last blast’ and just a dusting of snow – or perhaps a little more in places if we are lucky… Even so, any fresh snow is very welcome after the somewhat dry March that we just experienced. After a decent-to-great season in terms of snowfall in many of the mountain regions of Japan, March arrived, and it was almost as if a big switch had been turned to the ‘OFF’ setting all of a sudden. Fresh…

David T 19th April 2018
Ski ResortsTravel

Small Swedish Ski Area to Become International Destination Ski Resort

SkiStar, the corporation which runs half-a-dozen of the leading ski areas in Scandinavia, including the biggest, Sweden’s Åre, and also ventured in to the Alps, buying St Johann in Tirol a few winters ago, has said it plans to make the little known Swedish ski area of ‘Hundfjället’ an international destination ski resort in just over 18 months. They’re starting by investing 10 million Euros this summer in the area, with the majority of the investment going on what the company say will be Scandinavia's most modern chairlift, an 8-seater express lift built by Italian company Leitner and designed by Pininfarina who work on Ferrari car design. Hundfjället will also get new ski runs, expanded snow-making facilities and an overhaul…

Snowhunter 15th April 2018
Uncategorised

A New Ski Area For India?

Kashmir Tourism officials in India have said they are hoping to develop a ski area at Doodhpathri, a summer tourist resort. The organisation, working in partnership with the Doodhpathri Development Authority, recently staged what turned out to be a popular ‘ski day’ on the local slopes, bringing in rental ski equipment for people to try. Doodhpathri (which means ‘Valley of Milk’) is located at 2,730m altitude in the Budgam district of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is located 42 km from state capital Srinagar where there’s an airport. It was the first time winter sports had been staged in Doodhpathri, but Kashmir Tourism officials believe that the village has the potential to make a good ski area, complimenting…

Snowhunter 15th April 2018
Ski ResortsWeather

‘Snow Play’ at New Zealand Ski Area 10 Weeks Before Season Starts

Ski areas in New Zealand have reported heavy snowfalls this past week with up to 50cm of fresh snowfall in total. The ski season in New Zealand and much of the southern hemisphere does not normally start until June and whilst no ski area is officially opening yet, several have seen people hiking up to ski the fresh snow. Mt Ruapehu (pictured top) reported up to 20cm of fresh snow and drifts of up to a metre. https://www.facebook.com/mthutt/videos/10156241361114500/   The early snow was reported to be due to an Autumnal southerly blast of cold air from Antarctica. Mt Hutt, which is due to open for its 2018 ski season on June 8th, was one of the resorts to report 50cm…

Snowhunter 14th April 2018
EnvironmentSki ResortsTechnique / SafetyWeather

Exceptional Snow Depths on Alpine Glaciers

Snow depths in the Alps are at historic highs after more heavy snowfall over the past 10 days on top of already deep accumulations built up through one of the snowiest winters this century.  Probably THE snowiest this century in many areas. Engelberg (below) in Switzerland’s Titlis glacier is reporting a 7.4m (nearly 25 feet) base after almost 1.5m (five feet) of snowfall there in the last week of March.  It’s the deepest base in the world at present and believed to be the first time  ski area in the Alps has posted a 7m+ snow depth for many years.  It’s open for snowsports until mid-May. In Austria the Dachstein Glacier (below) has gone past the 6m (20 feet) base…

Snowhunter 8th April 2018