The mild weather in Europe has given spring skiing all this week which is great for skiers but not for the snow. Fortunately, a return to wintry weather is just round the corner.
The higher French resorts offer some of the best skiing at the moment. Tignes received dustings of fresh snow this week and most of their upper pistes are in great condition.
Some of the lower Austrian resorts have very slushy snow because of the mild weather. They all have a good enough base depth to ensure top to bottom skiing in most places though and the upper pistes are all in good condition.
Great weather in Scotland this week has allowed skiers and boarders to make the most of last week’s fresh snow. Cairngorm has the deepest base depth with nearly two metres of snow at the top. Conditions are excellent for the time of year so if you have always wanted to ski Scotland but have been put off by poor snow, now is definitely the time to go.
50cm of fresh snow at Squaw Valley in California provided them with yet more amazing powder skiing. They are enjoying a good season for snow so far and with more than four metres of it on the upper slopes, it should be an excellent spring.
Whistler is beginning to return to normal now the Olympics have ended. However there are some preparations for the Paralympic Games which begin on 12th March. Elsewhere in western Canada it is still pretty warm but this should come to an end as colder and snowy weather is expected, finally.
AUSTRIA
An early spell of spring weather has been dominant in the Austrian Alps this week and the snow has subsequently suffered as a result. This doesn’t necessarily give bad skiing however as the softer snow is more forgiving.
FRANCE
Lots of French resorts have received fresh snow this week. Most places only received around 10cm over the course of the few days but some southern resorts received more than that.
SWITZERLAND
It snowed lightly at Grindelwald (25/125cm) on Tuesday 2nd March. Most of the pistes are fairly hard, especially the upper ones where it is coldest. The lack of significant fresh snow recently means some of the off piste areas are starting to get patchy low down due to the mild weather. The good news is that snow and colder weather is forecast for the weekend and into next week.
ITALY
There is some great skiing on offer in Italy at the moment, particularly at the higher resorts. Fresh snow earlier in the week means pistes are in great condition and there is some powder off piste in many areas.
ANDORRA
A good dump of snow at all of the Andorran resorts on Wednesday 3rd March freshened up all areas of the mountains. Sunny but colder weather is expected for the weekend and into next week.
NORWAY & SWEDEN
The best of the Norwegian skiing can probably be found at Geilo (110cm) at the moment. They have one of the deepest snow bases and received the most fresh snow recently. Cold weather means the snow is in excellent condition as well and there are even some good off piste opportunities thanks to the decent base depth.
Both Sälen (80/88cm) and Åre (65/79cm) in Sweden received dustings of fresh snow over the course of this week. Good conditions can be found at both and now the days are getting longer, there is more time to ski in the daylight. 31cm of fresh snow is forecast at Åre and it should be a bit warmer as well.
GERMANY
The lower German resorts are starting to suffer from the mild weather. Bare patches are showing through off piste on the lower slopes at Reit im Winkl (25/60cm). Piste skiing is fine though as there is a better base depth but more prolonged warm weather could have an effect on this. Stick to the upper slopes for the best skiing.
BULGARIA
It is still warm in Bulgaria. All three of the Ski Club resorts offer spring skiing with some fairly slushy snow down low. Colder weather is forecast for the week which should improve the pistes and heavy snow should fall on Monday.
SCOTLAND
There is still some excellent skiing in Scotland following their massive snowfall at the end of last week. All the mountains offer excellent conditions and as the temperature is remaining below freezing the snow is great.
USA
Loads of snow fell at Squaw Valley (274/409cm) on Wednesday 3rd March. 50cm fell over the course of the day which has significantly improved their base depths. There is loads of excellent skiing all over the mountain and the deep powder should last a while in some areas.
Over on the east coast the fresh snow last week has now all packed down and gives some excellent piste skiing. Prolonged cold weather has kept the snow nice and dry, especially up high. There is still lots of deep snow in the trees, some of which is still untracked.
CANADA
It is mild in Canada as well as Europe at the moment. Some of the resorts have spring like conditions on their lower slopes but generally good skiing can be found in most places.
Information provided courtesy of the Ski Cub of Great Britain.
For more detailed snow reports and forecasts for countries and resorts visit the Ski Club of Great Britain Snow Overview.
