0
0
Share with your friends










Submit
  • Home
  • About
  • Advertising
  • Privacy
  • Property
  • Contact
  • Sitemap

Logo

Navigation
  • Ski Resorts
  • Where to Ski
  • How to Ski
  • Snow
    • Snow Report
  • Gear
    • Ski Clothing
    • Ski Equipment
  • Family Skiing
  • Ski Holidays
  • Deals
  • Summer

Snow Report, May 15

By Sean Newsom | on May 15, 2014 | 2 Comments
Snow Report

Blimey: have you seen what’s happening in Austria this week?

This was the gondola up to the Hintertux glacier in the Zillertal on Tuesday.

Snow Report, May 15 | Welove2ski

Photo: Hintertuxer Gletscher/Facebook

Meanwhile, pictured below is the Stubai glacier this morning. It’s been snowing here since Tuesday too – and there’s about half a metre of fresh cover up there as a result. If the snow stays good and thick, the glacier will be open for skiing until July 4.

Snow Report, May 15 | Welove2ski

Photo: Stubaier Gletscher/Facebook

Pictured below is the town of Engelberg in Switzerland yesterday.

Snow Report, May 15 | Welove2ski

Photo: Engelberg/Facebook

Pictured below is the scene today at the Stand ski hutte, half-way up the mountain. Skiing is on offer on the glacier until May 25: but not today, because they’ve got to blast for avalanches and clear the pistes. The lift companies reckons 50cm of snow has fallen at altitude so far…

Snow Report, May 15 | Welove2ski

Photo: titlis.ch

What’s going on? Well, the mainstream ski season may now be over – but that doesn’t mean it has to stop snowing, especially at altitude. In fact, whenever the wind swings round to the north at this time of year, it can get pretty wintry, and in exceptional years, such as 2013, it can carry on snowing into July. (Check out my snow reports from May 30, 2013 and July 4, 2013 for a reminder of that.) Right now, an area of low pressure is swirling about in eastern Europe, and it’s dragging frigid north-easterly air across the region. It’s not moving very quickly, either – and according to our snow forecast for the Alps it will continue snowing in Austria until Friday.
 

 
Of course, anyone lucky enough to be Austria in the next three or four days should grab their skis and head to one of the glaciers where the lifts are still running (the Kaunertal and Kitzsteinhorn glaciers are currently open, as well as the Stubai and Hintertux). It’s already been pretty powdery up there – as this recent video from the Hintertux shows. This weekend, conditions are likely to be even better.

Bear in mind, however, that the season can flip back into spring just as quickly – and it’s likely to warm up quickly from Monday onwards. The best time to ski will be on Saturday and Sunday, as the skies start to clear. And if you’re planning to ski off-piste, make sure you hire a guide, and are properly equipped.

By the way, if you’re hoping to ski this summer, check out guides to the best resorts for summer skiing, and where to ski in New Zealand. In the Alps, the summer glacier-skiing season gets going in June, as does the skiing in the southern hemisphere. In Australia, Perisher is scheduled to open on June 7, as is Coronet Peak in the Southern Alps of New Zealand.

 

Oh yes, and in the Rockies…

Winter isn’t over yet in Colorado. Pictured below is high-altitude Arapahoe Basin yesterday afternoon. It’s just extended its season to include a bonus weekend from June 6-8.

Snow Report, May 15 | Welove2ski

Photo: a-basin.com

 

 

France flag France: There’s been fresh snow this week in the French Alps – but not in the same quantity as Austria and parts of Switzerland. Pity, then, that all the resorts are now shut. However, Tignes, Val d’Isere and Les Deux Alpes will all be opening their glaciers in June for summer skiing.
Switzerland flag Switzerland: parts of the Swiss Alps have seen heavy snow this week – although only a handful of high-altitude lifts are still open. Currently, at Trockener Steg above Zermatt there’s 95cm of snow bedded down at the moment and a handful of pistes to ski. The glacier isn’t currently open. Meanwhile, there’s half a metre of fresh snow at Engelberg. The lifts are closed today because of the weather, but skiing is planned on the glacier until May 25.
Austria flag Austria: with Obergurgl now closed, the action has shifted to the glaciers in Austria – and they’re looking forward to a memorable weekend once the skies clear. There’s been heavy snow on all the glaciers, and on the Kitzsteinhorn the cover is now up to three metres deep.
Italy flag Italy: with Cervinia now closed, skiing has now retreated to a few glacier lift systems in the high Italian Alps. On the Presena glacier above Passo Tonale, for example, there’s still 400-450cm of settled snow, and two pistes open for skiing.
Andorra flag Andorra: Andorra’s ski resorts are now closed.
Western USA flag Western USA: the season is winding down fast in America – despite the snowy start to May in the Rockies. In Arapahoe Basin, Colorado, the cover is currently 201cm deep, mid-mountain, and in Snowbird in Utah, it’s 284cm deep. Other ski areas still open include Timberline Lodge in Oregon and Mammoth in California.
Western Canada flag Western Canada: in Banff National Park Sunshine Village is open until Sunday and has 195cm of settled cover, on piste. Cumulative snowfall so far is 884cm. Meanwhile, west-coast Whistler reports just 6cm of new snow in the last seven days. Its mid-mountain snowpack is currently 152cm deep. They’ll be skiing in the resort until May 26.
Share this story:
  • tweet

Tags: Snow Report

Recent Posts

  • Six Reasons We Love Going to St Anton by Train

    February 1, 2023 - 0 Comment
  • 7 of the Best Wines to Sip on A Dolomites Ski Trip

    January 24, 2023 - 1 Comment
  • 5 Ways to Make Your Tirolean Ski Holiday More Sustainable

    January 23, 2023 - 0 Comment

Related Posts

  • Fresh Snow in Italy – and Lots More to Come in the North

    February 15, 2022 - 0 Comment
  • Half-Term Snow in Both the Southern and Northern Alps

    February 11, 2022 - 2 Comments
  • Here Comes Another Snowstorm

    February 5, 2022 - 0 Comment

Author Description

Sean Newsom

As well as founding Welove2ski in June 2007, Sean has written about skiing and snowboarding in the British press for 28 years. For the last 20 of them, he’s also been the ski travel editor at The Sunday Times.

2 Responses to “Snow Report, May 15”

  1. Avatar

    May 15, 2014

    @welove2ski Reply

    Blimey, there’s no sign of spring in the Austrian Alps at the moment. https://t.co/vUGh7U2SQo

  2. Avatar

    May 15, 2014

    @Annakp11 Reply

    @BierSkiAT “@welove2ski: Blimey, there’s no sign of spring in the Austrian Alps at the moment. https://t.co/5pJGvBzOrY”

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Free Updates

Join 16,000 clever people who get the latest Welove2ski content delivered to their inbox

RSSSubscribe 15198 Followers 10135 Fans

The Loveometer

Zermatt: Cool Chalets, Certain Snow and The Majestic Matterhorn
100 %
Tweenager Tips: How to Enjoy Ski Holidays with Older Kids
98 %
How to Go Green On Your Ski Holiday
98 %
St Anton, Austria: Wild Nights, Steep Pistes and Challenging Backcountry
97 %
Weird and Wonderful Ski Fads and Fashions
94 %
  • Home
  • About
  • Advertising
  • Privacy
  • Property
  • Contact
  • Sitemap
© 2020. All Rights Reserved. Created with love by WL2S