WORLD SNOW ROUNDUP #242
Issued: 01 June 2022
By Patrick “Snowhunter” Thorne
European Roundup
North American Roundup
Asia Roundup
World Overview
The start of the 2022 ski season in the southern hemisphere is finally here with ski areas opening in Australia, New Zealand and at Afriski in Lesotho.
Australia is the big snow news story as a huge snowstorm is currently underway there, with about 50cm (20 inches) of snowfall so far and about as much again forecast by the weekend. This is perfect timing for the start of the 2022 season and with temperatures dropping to -5C overnight it’s been great for snowmaking as well. As a result the country’s largest centre, Perisher, says it will open a week early, this Saturday, and others may follow suit.
Whakapapa on Mt Ruapehu in New Zealand and Afriski in Lesotho’s openings have been planned and backed up by snowmaking systems although both have had natural snowfall over the past few weeks. There have also been more good pre-season snowfalls reported in the Andes and Patagonia but so far it’s unclear if any centres in South America will open before planned season-start dates in mid/late June. Ski tourers have already been enjoying the fresh powder after a hike up, however.
This season will also hopefully see the return of skiers from all over the world to southern hemisphere ski slopes for the first time since 2019 thanks to the easing of pandemic restrictions.
In the northern hemisphere, there’s been a bit of a change with several more US ski areas closing after the Memorial Day long weekend holiday finished on Monday. The last ski area still open in Sweden ended its season too.
But against that, you can now ski again in France and Italy as both countries saw their first summer ski areas opening too. With glaciers also open in Austria, Norway and Switzerland, as well as one centre in Japan, there are still more than a dozen areas open across seven countries.
The weather has also been colder with fresh snowfall reported over the weekend in both the Alps and Western North America on higher slopes. Killington in Vermont has announced it plans to re-open next weekend, its first June operations since 1997.
It’s the start of summertime by the meteorological measure of the season and while the dominant conditions in the northern hemisphere are, as you’d expect, warm sunshine, the recent snow flurries reported on alpine glaciers as well as the storm cycle that hit the Rockies and other western North American mountains at the weekend, coupled with the southern hemisphere’s 2022 season kicking off, means we should have skiing on five, perhaps even six continents if there’s an early opening in the Andes, this coming weekend.
SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE INTRO
We’re now less than 48 hours away from the start of the 2022 ski season in the southern hemisphere and conditions are looking among the best they have for a season start in recent years. Australia, in particular, is in great shape with ski centres expecting up to a metre (40”) of snowfall from a storm that’s halfway through as we publish this week, with up to 50cm (20”) reported so far. As a result, at least one resort will be opening early, this weekend rather than the planned 11th/12th. It’s not just Australia though, another of the biggest snowfalls of the past seven days was reported in Argentina’s Patagonia region where up to three feet (90cm) of snowfall was measured up high, providing a good base here too for the imminent season start. Other areas, in Lesotho and New Zealand, are also due to open for winter 2022, this time those dates are long-planned and thanks to snowmaking efforts.
AUSTRALIA REPORT
It’s been quite the week so far in Australia with a huge snowstorm midway through. Ski centres are due to open a week on Saturday, 11th June, at the start of a long holiday weekend in the country, but the largest centre, Perisher, has already broken ranks and announced it’ll be open this coming weekend. It remains to be seen if others will follow suit. Most have already had at least 30cm (a foot), some as much as 50cm (20”) of snowfall and perhaps double that is forecast to have arrived by the weekend. The resort has announced that the Perisher Front Valley slopes served by the Village 8 Express chairlift, Mitchell T-Bar and Carpet #4 will be open and that lifts will begin loading at 8:30 am. “Early season protocols are in place: Early season conditions currently exist, and we require skiers and riders to observe all posted signs and warnings for their safety. Closed trails may contain hazards due to limited natural snow coverage and snowmaking operations,” a resort statement advises.
AUSTRALIA FORECAST
The great start to the winter shows no sign of change at present with snow forecast through to Thursday, then a dry but still very cold few days through the weekend when temperatures should remain at or below freezing before more snowfall is forecast for next week.
CHILE REPORT
The pre-season conditions in Portillo continue to be promising, with temperatures staying low and plenty of pre-season snowfalls. Snowmaking cannons have also been fired up. Most centres in the country are expected to open in two-three weeks’ time.
CHILE FORECAST
After a cold and sunny start to this week, it is looking good for some very snowy weather in Chile over the next seven days. Temperatures are forecast to stay close to freezing as we start winter with plenty of snow forecast with 5-20cm (2-8 inch) accumulations possible across the country’s ski slopes for the next five days, meaning 50cm (20″) totals or more for some by the weekend. Good news with the season starting imminently.
NEW ZEALAND REPORT
Rather mixed conditions for New Zealand with plenty of precipitation and quite a bit of it snowfall up high, but temperatures are not that cold either – at least not consistently – with daytime highs at lower elevations still up in double figures although overnight lows up high are getting well below freezing. So some snowfall and some snowmaking opportunities with Mt Hutt due to open in just over a week posting some healthy-looking images of its base turned white with a combination of natural snowfall and snowmaking. So it’s a case of fingers crossed. Whakapapa’s Happy Valley ski area on Mt Ruapehu is due to be one of the first in the southern hemisphere to open for 2022, this coming weekend, thanks to all-weather snowmaking machinery. Just beginner slopes here as well as snow fun facilities.
NEW ZEALAND FORECAST
It is more of the same really with more snow forecast for the remainder of this week. With temperatures dropping too, the snowline should be dropping as well. Clearer and colder conditions still at the weekend.
AFRICA REPORT
A big week ahead in South Africa with Afriski in Lesotho currently in pole position to be one of the first resorts in the southern hemisphere to open for the 2022 season. Possibly just hours after Whakapapa’s Happy Valley ski area on Mt Ruapehu and hours before Perisher in Australia. After the snowfall just over a week ago the skies have cleared and the resort turned on its snowmaking guns overnight to take advantage of sub-zero temperatures from the middle of last week. There is still no official sign of the Tiffindell ski area in South Africa reopening although the Rhodes region where its located is planning a ‘Snow festival’ later in June.
AFRICA FORECAST
It is actually looking a little warmer than it has been over the remainder of this week with temperatures hitting +6C highs, but hopefully snowmaking efforts to date will still allow for some terrain to open.
EUROPE INTRO
After the early closures of the glacier ski areas at Kaunertal and Engelberg, both due to close last weekend or next weekend anyway, the count of the number of ski areas open and countries with them in Europe actually increased last weekend by one with summer ski areas opening in France and Italy. Against the two new openings, we had one closure with Riksgransen in Sweden ending its season in 24-hour daylight and saying it won’t reopen later this month for midsummer skiing. Next to open is set to be the third Norwegian summer ski area, Stryn, from 1st June, meaning Norway will have more summer ski areas open than any other European country. Switzerland, currently with two, is set to lose Crans Montana at the weekend, the newly declared host of the 2027 Alpine Skiing World Championships.
ALPS REPORT
There was fresh snowfall above about 2,000m across the Alps as temperatures dipped below freezing to quite low elevations and the weather took a wintery turn as we neared the start of meteorological summertime. It’s got warmer and sunnier since Sunday.
The number of ski areas (and countries) open in the Alps is actually up two compared to a week ago with Les 2 Alpes (0/200cm / 0/80”) in France and Passo Stelvio (5/190cm / 2/76”) in Italy opening for their summer skiing seasons. Les 2 Alpes now has the longest summer skiing season in France, through to August, overtaking Tignes where there’s no longer an attempt to open every month of the year. Passo Stelvio already has the longest summer ski-only season in the Alps, lasting six months to the start of November.
However, for now at least Austria and Switzerland have the most areas open, two each. Austria’s year-round Hintertux (0/295cm / 0/118”) reports the deepest snowpack on kits glacial ice and has about 25km of high-altitude runs open. It reports the past week has seen ‘four seasons in one day’ on several occasions with cooler temps than earlier in May and snow flurries at times bringing a fresh dusting. The Kitzsteinhorn (0/200cm / 0/80”) above Kaprun is also still open with about 10km (7 miles) of runs still skiable up high here too. It plans to stay open until late July.
In Switzerland, the year-round skiing on the Klein Matterhorn above Zermatt (0/120c, / 0/48″) continues on Europe’s highest slopes although the snow cover here isn’t what it usually is at this point in the year. There are also a few days left to ski at Crans Montana (0/40cm / 0/16″) although there’s just a kilometre of slopes open here at the top of the glacier.
ALPS FORECAST
Mostly sunny weather as we start June but with showers of snow (hopefully) upon glaciers, and rain at lower elevations, over the coming week. Temperatures in the -5C to +5C range up above 3,000m on glaciers, back in the +20C and warmer range in valleys.
SCANDINAVIA REPORT
The number of ski areas open in Scandinavia has briefly dropped to two with Riksgransen ending its 2022 run at the weekend but we should be back to three from Wednesday, 1st June as the Stryn glacier re-opens for its 2022 season of summer skiing. For now though the Fonna glacier (400/760cm / 160/304”) will still have by far the deepest snowpack of an open area on the planet and Scandinavia’s highest slopes at the Galdhøpiggen Sommerskisenter (280/320cm / 112/128”) near Juvass both open.
SCANDINAVIA FORECAST
There’s a mixed bag of weather in the forecast with rain and snow showers as well as sunny periods and temperatures ranging from a few degrees below freezing to 4 or 5 above. Typical late-spring/early-summer conditions really! It’s looking warmer and sunnier towards the end of the week when daytime highs may creep up to double figures.
NORTH AMERICA INTRO
The weekend was a big one in the USA where the Memorial Day public holiday was celebrated. Over on the east Coast at Killington in Vermont, they were offering free ski/riding, mountain biking and golf for free on Monday, May 30th to all veterans showing military ID at any ticket window. On the west Coast Mammoth Mountain (12/27” / 30/66cm) had its new Yacht Club celebrations on Friday, featuring cardboard boat races. There are still reported to be about 25 miles (40km) of slopes open there.
The weather did not disappoint with fresh snowfall reported for many, up to six inches (15cm) in California and as much as two feet (60cm) reported up high in the northern Rockies and Pacific Northwest. One ski area in Idaho, Silver mountain, unexpectedly announced it was re-opening for last weekend only.
But the Memorial Day weekend also marked the end of the season at The Palisades in California and Mt Bachelor in Oregon. However, after Breckenridge and Snowbird closed a fortnight earlier than planned in mid-May, Washington state’s Crystal Mountain (20/80” / 50/200cm), which had also announced it would close after the Memorial Day weekend, instead announced it will be staying open for a further two long-weekends to mid-June. The resort says it has had 10 feet (3 metres) of snowfall in April and may combined.
“For the bonus weekends in June, Crystal Mountain plans to run Green Valley Express lift and the Mt. Rainier Gondola, taking advantage of the deeper snowpack at higher elevations. After a dry mid-season, we are thrilled to be able to extend the spring ski season into June. Our motto this spring is “the snow must go on,” and that is proving to be true. We are committed to staying open as long as we can for our guests to keep skiing and are excited to be able to end the season strong,” said Emma Brice, Communications Coordinator for Crystal Mountain.
Although the Beartooth Basin summer ski area (formerly Red Lodge) on the Montana/Wyoming border announced it won’t open this year (due to lack of snowfall/built-up depth through the winter and despite some good snowfalls, belatedly, in more recent weeks and months). The remaining centres that had still been open in Canada also closed last week, which leaves us with just a handful of North American ski centres still open.
Besides those so far mentioned, we also have Arapahoe Basin (8/56” / 20/140cm) in Colorado, which was still reporting “late-May powder days” late last week following 28” (70cm) of snowfall between the 20th and 24th of May. Then there’s Timberline (100/168” / 250/420cm) on Mt Hood in Oregon, still excited about their way-above average base with more than three months of 2022 skiing ahead of them up on the Palmer snowfield. It reported a 5” (13cm) fresh snow accumulation from the weekend storms.
Killington (0/20” / 0/50cm) in Vermont also made the exciting announcement that they plan to re-open this coming Saturday 4th June, the first time in summer since 1997, 25 years ago. They’ll open Sunday 5th too “if conditions allow.”
Finally, we should mention that indoor snow skiing is possible in North America again with the Big Snow indoor snow centre at the American Dream Mall in New Jersey re-opening at the weekend following an eight-month closure after a fire damaged the structure last September.
NORTH AMERICA FORECAST
The last of the snow flurries up high in western mountains are expected on Wednesday before skies clear and temperatures climb for the remainder of this week. Looks like we’ll be back in the 70s, even 80s in mountain towns by the weekend although high slopes should stay closer to freezing, high 30s or 40s, much of the time. Copper Mountain is due to reopen some snowy terrain in Colorado next week for those booked for camps at the Woodward camp.
JAPAN INTRO
Japan’s Gassan (50/470cm / 20/188”) ski area remains the centre still open in the country and has had a mostly sunny week with temperatures in the freezing to plus 10 range, so not much of a drop on last week’s depth stats. About two-thirds of the 10km of slopes remain open.
JAPAN FORECAST
The next few days look predominantly sunny in the region but with temperatures remaining fairly low for the time of year, in the +5 to +10C range.
