El Nino – SNOWSTORM is coming!
El Nino is BACK >> will it surpass the big freeze of winter 2009/10?
Pundits are predicting spectacular snowfall & epic skiing. In the calm before the storm, temperatures in Europe are mild, but there’s already snow in the highest resorts. Want to see who’s skiing already?
Resorts Already up and running Right Now:
Zermatt Lifts have been open for weeks
Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, Zermatt – Zermatt Bergbahnen
Zermatt has 12 lifts open at the moment, serving 28km of blue and red runs – the bulk of them up on the Matterhorn glacier paradise area. The Beginner Snowpark is also open for some freestyle action. They’ve had glorious sunshine of late – especially up top where there’s a whopping 130cm snow depth – and the clear weather looks set to continue.
Solden glacier lifts already running All Day
Schwarze Schneid, Solden – Panocam Skiline
On the Rettenbach and Tiefenbach Glaciers, all the lifts are chugging until 4pm, serving 33.1km of 6 blues, 2 reds and a black run. The weather’s clear up top (cracking views from Schwarze Schneid) where there’s 72cm of glacier snow. Access is via the famous glacier road, star in the latest Bond flick, Spectre. Not one to lag behind, the rest of the ski area is expected to open this Saturday.
Saas-Fee Blue Day skiing
Mittelallalin, Saas Fee – Panocam Skiline
Thanks to a 68cm pile up of snow on the Allalin glacier and 35cm at Morenia, there are 6 lifts and 9 runs (8 reds, 1 blue) open in Saas-Fee. The season officially begins on the 5th of December, by which time the bulk of the area should be skiable. As for the next few days, it looks like a good mix of clouds and sunshine.
Mayrhofen neighbour Hintertux over 1 Metre!
Gefrorene Wand, Hintertux Glacier – Feratel
Mayrhofen’s two home mountains aren’t open yet (though the area’s snow cannons which cover 100% of the pistes are warming up for the coming season). But it’s another matter entirely on neighbour mountain Hintertux. Over here, 15 lifts are serving 34km of pistes and all lines of the Betterpark, with a snow depth of 110cm up at Gefrorene Wand (3250m).
Kaprun Half a Metre already!
Kitzsteinhorn Sonenkar, Kaprun – Feratel
The Maiskogel Mountain may still be hibernating, but Kaprun’s trump card, the Kitzsteinhorn is a hive of snowy activity. There’s a good 50cm of snow on the glacier, where the forecast is partly cloudy and 10 lifts are chugging up and down 6 slopes (2 blues, 3 reds, 1 black).
Tignes Grande Motte been open for over a Month!
Grande Motte, Tignes – Katalys
The forecast is sunny up on the Grande Motte Glacier (3300m), which opened for action back on the 3rd October. 5 open pistes are served by 6 lifts, and there’s a snow depth of 50cm at the top. They won’t be hogging the spotlight for long, with the rest of the area due to open on the 28th of November.
Les Diabrelets Fresh Pow Last Week!
Glacier 3000, Les Diabrelets – Roundshot
9km of slopes and 5 lifts are open on Les D’s Glacier 3000, where it last snowed a week ago. The weather’s fabulously sunny today, and it looks set to continue with only some cloud over the next few days.
Obergurgl doesn’t even need a glacier!
Hohe Mut, Obergurgl – Feratel
The only ski area without a glacier on our list, Obergurgl’s ski area officially opens TODAY. The sun’s out to celebrate – conditions are bright and windless at the moment with more of the same predicted over the next few days. 38cm snow has been measured up top and the season’s starting in style with 59km runs served by 12 lifts.
Neustift another Blue Day on the Stubai – magic!
Stubai Glacier, Neustift – Feratel
No stranger to the white stuff, the nearby Stubai’s slopes have been up and running since September. Today there’s 80cm of snow up at 3000m on the glacier, where the 14 open slopes total 24.63km (9 blues, 3 reds, 1 black). It looks like it’s going to be rather sunny over the next few days, with winds getting a bit stronger over the weekend.
Cervinia ski ‘neath the mighty Matterhorn
Plateau Rosa, Cervinia – Panomax
Flying the flag for Italy, Cervinia’s Plan Maison, Plateau Rosa and Laghi Cime lifts are currently running, serving 3 red runs. But that’s not your lot: you’ll find much more open higher up on the glacier slopes shared with Zermatt. The forecast for the next few days is pretty clear, with any cloud being higher up.
Across the pond…
While the highest resorts in the Alps are seeing a dusting, things are more extreme in North America. Regular, heavy snow falls have seen many resorts open their doors early – Breckenridge looks set to open tomorrow and we’ll eat our helmets if Whistler doesn’t bring forward its start date. While European holidays are known to get cheaper towards the departure date, across the pond flight prices go up the later you leave it, so grab those now if you’re keen to ski USA or Canada.
Share with your SNO mates – Go get Booked!
