WeLove2Ski Snow Report

In today’s report we catch up on conditions across Europe, North America and Asia over the Christmas Holiday period, with non-stop snow shoveling on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.

Not sure of the latest fashions on the slopes? See how they roll in St Moritz, Switzerland.

And where’s the snow going to land this week? We’ve scoured the internet to give you the best recommendations.

Now on with the snow!

Latest Reports

After Christmas snowfall in the Alps it’s been clear skies and bluebird powder.

Tignes, Val D’Isere, St Foy Snow Report, France

See how last week evolved in the Tarentaise with Floss

Davos Snow Report, Switzerland

 

St Anton Snow Report, Austria

A well planned last minute Euro Trip for Luke paid dividends

 

There’s even been snow in Sicily!

Sicily Snow Report, Italy

 

Meanwhile in the United States

Jackson Hole Snow Report, Wyoming, USA

It’s been deep and snowy in the Rockies

 

Saddleback Snow Report, Maine, USA

And there was a moose loose at Saddleback, Maine

 

The snow tap has stayed on across Japan with big accumulations on Honshu and the Northern island of Hokkaido.

Niseko United Snow Report, Hokkaido, Japan

 

There’s been so much snow that Hokkaido Backcountry Club had their earliest opening for their heli ski operation off Mt Shiribetsu.

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Hokkaido Backcountry Club (@hokkaidobackcountryclub)

 

---

 

SIGN UP TO THE WELOVE2SKI SNOW REPORT NEWSLETTER

If you’re out in resort please tag us in your social media posts and we’ll share your ‘on the snow’ experiences, photos and videos

@welove2ski on Instagram and Facebook #welove2ski

---

Where To Ski

Les Portes du Soleil, France retains the Number 1 spot in the World for open terrain with 320km of piste on offer (128/165 lifts; 320/580km piste; 100-120cm base).

Verbier / 4 Vallees (67/68 lifts; 304/412km piste; 60-110cm base); Les Trois Vallees / The Three Valleys, France (153/156 lifts; 274/600km piste; 160-210cm base); Zermatt-Matterhorn, Switzerland/Italy (43/51 lifts; 245/322km piste; 50-150cm base); and St Anton (83/85 lifts; 244/299km piste; 30-120cm base) round out the Top 5.

The Alps

Austria holds first place in the world for the total number of ski areas open at 187 – with 27 ski areas offering 50km or more of pisted terrain.

France now has 36 ski areas offering 50km or more of pisted terrain from a total of 81 ski areas open for daily operations.

Via Lattea / Milky Way, Italy (52/70 lifts; 225/400km piste; 20-40cm base) has the most terrain available in Italy, from a total of 75 ski areas open.

Switzerland now has 87 resorts open for daily operations.

Skigebiet-Winklmoosalm (14/14 lifts; 35/42km piste; 30-85cm base) has the most terrain available in Germany which now has 92 resorts open for daily operations.

All three of Andorra’s ski areas – Pal/Arinsal, Grandvalira, and Ordino Arcalis – are open for the Winter with Pal/Arinsal (29/31 lifts; 55/63km piste; 30-70cm base) offering 87% of its pisted terrain.

Eastern Europe

Regular snowfall and temperatures cold enough for artificial snow making has allowed the following resorts to offer limited piste skiing, the exception being Baqueira Beret, Spain (123km) and Bansko, Bulgaria (66km) of pisted terrain open :

Bosnia and Herzegovina : Bjelasnica, Jahorina

Bulgaria : Bansko, Borovets, Pamporovo, Vitosha

Czechia : Cerna hora–Janske Lazne, Certova hora–Harrachov, Horni Domky–Lysa Hora, Jested–Liberec, Keilberg, Lipno, Paseky nad Jizerou, Pec pod Snezkou, Spicak, Spindleruv Mlyn, Zadov–Kobyla

Georgia : Bakuriani, Goderdzi, Gudauri, Hatsvali, Tetnuldi

Liechtenstein : Malbun

Poland : Bialka Tatrzanska, Jaworzyna Krynicka, Szczyrk Mountain Resort, Szymoszkowa, Zieleniec

Portugal : Serra da Estrela

Romania : Arena Platos, Harghita Bai, Madarasi Hargita, Poiana Brasov, Roata–Cavnic

Serbia : Kopaonik

Slovakia : Bachledova/​Jezersko/​Frankova, Donovaly, Jasna, Rohace–Spalena, Strbske Pleso, Telgart

Slovenia : Golte, Kanin–Sella Nevea/​Bovec, Kope, Kranjska Gora, Krvavec, Maribor, Rogla, Vogel

Scotland : Cairngorm Mountain, Glencoe, Glenshee, The Lecht

Spain : Baqueira/​Beret, Candanchu, Cerler, Formigal, Fuentes de Invierno, La Molina/​Masella–Alp2500, San Isidro, Sierra Nevada

Turkiye : Ejder 3200, Erciyes

The Nordic Countries

Regular natural snowfall and temperatures suitable for artificial snow making has enabled Finland’s Levi, Pyha, Ruka, Saariselka and Yllas, and Sweden’s Are, Dundret Lapland, Hemavan, Idre Fjall, Kabdalis, Klvosjo, Salen and Tarnaby to offer good but limited skiing.

Are, Sweden leads the way with 36km of pisted terain available.

Norway is now up to 17 resorts open for limited piste skiing with Trysil offering the most terrain (17/32 lifts; 27/78km piste; 15-15cm base).

North America

Canada

Alberta has all of its seven resorts open for daily operations (Banff Sunshine, Canada Olympic Park, Castle Mountain, Lake Louise, Marmot Basin, Mt Norquay, and Nakiska) with Banff Sunshine leading the way (12/12 lifts; 104/109km piste; 40-85cm base).

Whistler Blackcomb leads the British Columbia resorts for available terrain (25/27 lifts; 166/200km piste; 0-180cm base) with more terrain opening at the 16 other open resorts by the day.

Thanks to recent snowfall and much colder temperatures on the East Coast Ontario’s Blue Mountain has opened for the Winter. Quebec has all five of its resorts open for the season (Le Massif, Mont-Sainte-Anne, Sommet Saint-Sauveur, Stoneham, and Tremblant).

USA

The USA holds second place in the world for open resorts (178) behind Austria (187), but ahead of Japan (171), Switzerland (87), France (81), and Italy (75).

Aspen Snowmass, USA (16/20 lifts; 195/237km piste; 45-90cm base) has the most pisted terrain on offer.

ALASKA : Alyeska, Eaglecrest
ARIZONA : Arizona Snowbowl, Sunrise Park
CALIFORNIA : Diamond Peak, Heavenly, Kirkwood, Mammoth, Northstar, Palisades Tahoe, Sierra at Tahoe, Snow Summit
COLORADO : Arapahoe Basin, Aspen, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Copper Mtn, Eldora, Keystone, Loveland, Monarch, Powderhorn, Purgatory, Snowmass, Steamboat, Telluride, Vail, Winter Park, Wolf Creek
IDAHO: Lookout Pass, Schweitzer, Sun Valley, Tamarack
MAINE : Sugarloaf, Sunday River
MONTANA : Big Sky, Bridger Bowl, Discovery, Whitefish
OREGON : Mt Bachelor, Mt Hood, Timberline, Wilamette Pass
NEVADA : Diamond Peak, Lee Canyon, Mt Rose
NEW HAMPSHIRE : Attitash, Bretton Woods, Cannon Mountain, Loon, Waterville Valley, Wildcat Mountain
NEW MEXICO : Angel Fire, Pajarito, Taos
NEW YORK : Belleayre, Holiday Valley, Hunter Mountain, Windham, Whiteface-Lake Placid
UTAH : Alta, Beaver, Brian Head, Brighton, Deer Valley, Park City, Powder Mountain, Snowbasin, Snowbird, Solitude, Sundance
VERMONT : Bolton Valley, Jay Peak, Killington, Mad River Glen, Mount Snow, Okemo, Smugglers’ Notch, Stowe, Stratton, Sugarbush
WEST VIRGINIA : Canaan Valley, Snowshoe Mountain
WYOMING : Grand Targhee, Jackson Hole
WASHINGTON : Crystal Mountain, Mount Baker, Stevens Pass

Asia

Japan

The Hakuba Valley Resorts along with Aomori Springs, Appi, Geto Kogen, Gunma, Hakkoda, Kagura, Lotte Arai, Madarao, Myoko, Naeba, Nozawa Onsen, Seki Onsen, Shigakogen, Yuzawa and Zao are the 16 most popular Japanese ski areas on the main island of Honshu out of a total of 130 open for Winter operations.

On Hokkaido the 10 most popular resorts (Furano, Niseko United, Kamui, Kiroro, Kurodake, Rusutsu, Sahoro, Sapporo Kokusai, Sapporo Teine, and Tomamu) are opening more and more terrain by the day. There are a total of 41 ski areas open for Winter operations on Hokkaido.

 

 

Snow News

Deepcember

Japan is revered around the ski world for its plentiful, light, consistent snowfall.

So much so that thanks to the hordes of powder seekers descending on the the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido at the start of the New Year, January has been renamed ‘Japanuary’!

But every couple of years the snow tap is turned on early and the bamboo (sasa grass) is buried quickly offering up almost fully open resorts covered in the famed ‘JaPOW’.

December 2024 was one of those years with snow all across the country and record breaking numbers recorded in the Niseko Resort Area of SW Hokkaido.

 

 

And there’s no sign of it letting up any time soon

 

Unsure of what look is in or out this Winter? Let the St Moritz haute couture crowd show you

 

Looking to get the most from your phone camera on your next trip? Follow these tips

 

World Snow Forecast For the Next 3-4 Days

It was one of the best Christmas Holiday periods in the Alps in decades with a combination of heavy snowfall followed by sunny skies.

The Alps will see clear skies, sunshine, and a freezing level hovering around 2,000m over the next three to four days before a new storm system rolls through in the New Year.

It will be a similar picture in Andorra and the French and Spanish Pyrenees.

Finland will see continued low temperatures with 5-10cm of new snowfall.

The Swedish resorts will see cold temperatures and snowfall through Thursday, with Are set to receive 10-15cm.

It will be a similar situation in Norway with Stranda forecast to receive 40-45cm.

The Alberta resorts of Canada will see cloudy skies and cold temperatures with 5-10cm forecast.

The British Columbia resorts will see snow flurries with a mix of sunshine and cloud.

Temperatures will drop on the East Coast with Tremblant and Sommet Saint-Sauveur expecting 10-15cm of new snow through Thursday.

Most of the western US resorts will see continued low temperatures and 10-15cm of snowfall. Whitefish, Montana could see 20-25cm.

The West Coast resorts of Oregon and Washington are forecast to receive 15-20cm of new snow through Thursday with significantly more at Timberline, Oregon (40-45cm); and Crystal Mountain, Washington (45-50cm).

Temperatures will drop on the East Coast with 10-20cm snow forecast.

The resorts on Japan’s main island of Honshu will see continued snowfall through Monday with 35-50cm forecast. Tsugaike Kogen in the Hakuba Valley is forecast to receive 65-70cm.

The Hokkaido resorts will see constant snow with 35-40cm forecast. Kiroro could see 55-65cm.

Where to find a detailed snow report 

There are so many great resources available on the internet for up to the minute information on snow conditions, lift status, and available terrain that this season we’re directing you to the best places to find that info and plan where to head for the best skiing.

Want to quickly know which ski resorts are open? Then head to skiresort.info. Narrow down your search by country and resort for more detailed information.

For in resort reports get the lowdown from the Ski Club of Great Britain’s reps skiclub.co.uk/snow-and-weather/

For worldwide snow forecasting start with Cardiff-based snow-forecast.com. With a massive database of resorts and free 6-day forecasts just type in where you’re going for the lowdown. Sign up for longer range forecasts and historical data.

Wepowder does what it says on the tin. Free, extensive 6-day forecasting for Europe, with a paid subscription for 14-day forecasts and Powder Alerts.

On Instagram our go to sites are Powderhounds and new ‘kid’ on the block instagram.com/imlukesnow/.

On YouTube get detailed weather analysis from https://www.youtube.com/@WeatherWatcher14

---

---