WeLove2Ski Snow Report

In today’s report we catch up on conditions across Europe, North America and Asia over the New Year Holiday period, with deep powder turns in Norway, Japan and the United States.

New Year was celebrated at ski resorts across the world with impressive fireworks displays.

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

The last days of 2024 and the first days of 2025 brought sunny skies, great piste conditions, and stashes of off-piste powder across most of Europe.

Stranda Snow Report, Norway

It was deep and fast at Stranda, Norway with more snow forecast this week. Much more!

Lech/Zurs Snow Report, Austria

Jurgen Klopp has been enjoying the conditions at Lech/Zurs

Bjelasnica Snow Report, Bosnia

Piste & party at Bjelasnica

Further East, it’s been a great start to the season in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan Backcountry Snow Report, Bosnia

It was ‘smiles for miles’ in the Kazakh powder

Meanwhile in the United States

Jackson Hole Snow Report, Wyoming, USA

The Hobacks opened for the first time this season and Luke was ‘Johnny on the spot’

Snowbird Snow Report, Utah, USA

And in nearby Snowbird, the Cirque opened for the first time this season and Luke was on hand

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

Chise Snow Cat Snow Report, Hokkaido, Japan

It was cat-tastic at the Hokkaido Backcountry Club Cat Ski operation on the backside of Niseko United

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Where To Ski

Les 3 Vallees, France is back in the Number 1 spot in the World for open terrain with 500km of piste on offer (153/156 lifts; 500/600km piste; 160-210cm base).

Les Portes du Soleil, France (158/165 lifts; 375/580km piste; 80-110cm base); Verbier / 4 Vallees (67/68 lifts; 305/412km piste; 50-90cm base); Via Lattea / Milky Way, Italy (62/70 lifts; 280/400km piste; 70-75cm base); and Tignes/Val D’Isere, France (81/84 lifts; 270/300km piste; 75-150cm base) round out the Top 5.

The European Alps

Austria holds first place in the world for the total number of ski areas open at 187 – with 13 ski areas offering 100km or more of pisted terrain.

St Anton (84/85 lifts; 251/299km piste; 30-110cm base) has the most terrain available.

France now has 22 ski areas offering 100km or more of pisted terrain from a total of 81 ski areas open for daily operations.

Italy now has a total of 75 ski areas open, with 8 ski areas offering 100km or more of pisted terrain.

Switzerland now has 9 ski areas offering 100km or more of pisted terrain from a total of 87 resorts open for daily operations.

Skigebiet-Winklmoosalm (14/14 lifts; 35/42km piste; 30-70cm base) has the most terrain available in Germany which now has 92 resorts open for daily operations.

The Rest of Europe

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.

Regular snowfall and temperatures cold enough for artificial snow making has allowed the following resorts to offer very good but limited piste skiing, the exceptions being Baqueira Beret (108km), Formigal (53km) & La Molina/Masella Alp 2500 (59km) all in Spain; and Bansko (67km) & Borovets (56km) both in Bulgaria (67km) the only resorts offering 50km or more of pisted terrain :

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

Greece : Kaimaktsalan, Vasilitsa

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, 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 65km of pisted terain available (30/35 lifts; 65/91km piste; 45-70cm base).

Norway is now up to 17 resorts open for limited piste skiing with Trysil offering the most terrain (22/32 lifts; 35/78km piste; 20-20cm 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; 178/200km piste; 0-185cm base) with 5 other ski areas offering 100km or more of pisted terrain from a total of 17 open for daily operations.

Thanks to recent snowfall and much colder temperatures on the East Coast Ontario’s Blue Mountain is open for daily operations. 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; 45-85cm base) has the most pisted terrain on offer, with 10 other ski areas offering 100km or more of pisted terrain.

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

Happy New Year

From all of us here at Welove2ski we wish you a very Happy, Healthy & Prosperous New Year.

New Year was celebrated at ski resorts across the world with impressive fireworks displays. Here’s a small selection :

Prato Nevoso, Italy

It was going off in Tignes, France

Running late for first lifts and haven’t had your morning coffee? Here’s the solution

Looking to keep up your running regime over the Christmas and New Year Holiday period? We’ve got you covered

World Snow Forecast For the Next 3-4 Days

The European resorts will see a brief storm moving in this evening with 5-20cm forecast. Then it’s a combination of clear skies, sunshine, and freeze thaw conditions over the next three to four days.

Andorra and the French & Spanish Pyrenees will see freeze thaw conditions through Monday with the chance of light rain in the lowest villages.

Finland will see continued low temperatures with light flurries.

The Swedish resorts will see cold temperatures and light snowfall through Monday, with Are set to receive 20-25cm.

It will be a similar situation for most of the Norwegian resorts, but Oppdal is forecast to receive 45-50cm and Stranda a further 1.1m!

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

The British Columbia resorts will see light snow flurries with a mix of sunshine and cloud and a possible accumulation of 15-20cm through Monday.

Temperatures will remain cold on the East Coast with Tremblant and Sommet Saint-Sauveur expecting 5-10cm of new snow.

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 Alaska, California, Oregon and Washington are forecast to receive 10-20cm of new snow through Monday with significantly more at Timberline, Oregon (30-40cm); and Crystal Mountain, Washington (45-50cm).

Temperatures will remain cold on the East Coast with 10-15cm snow forecast. Jay Peak, Vermont could see 30-35cm.

The resorts on Japan’s main island of Honshu will see continued snowfall through Monday with 15-25cm forecast. Seki Onsen is forecast to receive 45-50cm.

The Hokkaido resorts will see constant snow with 30-40cm forecast. Asahidake could see 45-50cm.

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