European ski domains lack snow cover and the snow drought is forecast to continue over Christmas for all resorts south of Scandinavia. In North America there are fantastic snow conditions along the Rockies and north into western Canada.
In the Alps skiing is limited to high-elevation pistes and north-facing slopes holding natural snow cover or pistes that are well served by snow cannon. In the Pyrenees the weather continues to be sunny and mild with snow depths reducing. Eastern Europe has almost no natural snow cover. Further north the leading resorts across Scandinavia are mostly open though snow depths are modest, however cold weather is expected.
The sun continues to shine in France and, for many resorts, it has been more than a month since any significant snowfall. The forecast over Christmas indicates no snowfall is expected so skiers are going to be converging on the highest pistes in search of some reasonable snow conditions. Lower slopes across the French Alps either have zero snow cover or output from snow cannons, which allows skiers to ski to resort bases without taking the lift down. The best of what skiing is offered is probably on the high slopes of the Trois Vallées or the Espace Killy. Courchevel 1850 holds a base of 50cm of firm-packed snow on upper pistes rising to more than 2,700m and 43 of 54 lifts are open. No snow is forecast for the French Alps through Christmas and temperatures will be relatively mild. Enjoy the sunshine!
Austria
The snow cover across Austria remains thin and any lower slopes that are open rely entirely on snow-cannon outputs. The best of what limited skiing that is offered is on the highest pistes of the highest resorts. Off piste is almost non existent and even with a guide would be hard to justify as the snow only partially covers the rocky Alpine terrain. St Anton (1,300m) in the Tirol will be busy this Christmas as skiers converge on the high slopes where decent skiing on hard-packed snow is available. On pistes rising to 2,800m average consolidated snow depths are just 60cm and 17 of 35 lifts are operating. All slopes need heavy fresh snowfall but none is in the forecast over Christmas.
Switzerland
The Swiss Alps lack snow cover but all leading resorts are open and making the very most of what nature and snow-cannon technology provides. On the high slopes and glacier pistes skiing is pleasant in the sunshine but pistes at higher elevations are getting busy as holidaymakers all converge in search of the best snow conditions. At lower elevations the snow depths are thin and beyond the man-made snow cover on piste there is Alpine meadow. Off piste is almost non existent and even on high north faces guides will be wary of rocks lurking below the surface. No snowfall is forecast over Christmas so skiers are left to the sunshine and mountain air. In Verbier (1,500m) the highest pistes, which rise to 3,300m, have a base of 60cm and 50 of 82 lifts are open. The freezing level across the Alps for the next few days will be close to 2,500m.
Italy
It is a good thing that sitting on a sunny terrace in the Italian Alps is one of life’s great pleasures and not one that necessarily requires deep snow cover. This Christmas in the Italian ski resorts there will be plenty of sunshine but very little snow. Resorts are open however and, thanks to some of the best snow-making capabilities in Europe, pistes at most elevations have at least some skiable snow cover. The best skiing of course is on the highest north-facing pistes in the highest resorts but all leading resorts have some skiing on offer. The problem is that many skiers will head for the same pistes over the holiday period. Alagna (1,212m) above the Aosta Valley offers some of the greatest vertical descent in the Alps with slopes rising to more than 3,000m but even here the base snow depths on top slopes have only reached 40cm. No snow is forecast for any Italian resorts over Christmas.
Canada
The resorts of British Columbia and Alberta have had an excellent early season and the forecast over Christmas looks ideal for maximising enjoyment of the deep dry snow cover on offer. Lake Louise (1,646m) in Alberta holds a 1m consolidated base on high trails and skiers report squeaky, dry snow conditions. Temperatures will be very low for the next five days with average highs way down at -13ºC. On the upper slopes of Whistler (650m) in British Columbia the snow base keeps increasing and is now at 200cm – that’s a 30cm increase on last week and the deepest cover of all the premier ski resorts in the northern hemisphere. Whistler expects another 20cm of snow over Christmas and sub-zero daytime temperatures at base elevation – so more great skiing is expected.
USA
It is an El Niño year and some credit that as an explanation for the excellent skiing and deep snow cover along the Rockies this winter. There are particularly good conditions in the resorts of California, Colorado, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. In Breckenridge (2,926m), Colorado the base snow depth at mid mountain is now almost 100cm and the snow is soft and dry at all elevations. Over Christmas it will be extremely cold in this resort with the average daytime high -10ºC and further snowfall is forecast – so take multiple thermal layers to maximise your enjoyment of the powder. The conditions in the east of the USA are very different with most skiing reliant on snow-cannon operations.
Andorra
The resorts of the Pyrenees really need snow but while the wait goes on visitors are enjoying warm sunshine and skiing an impressive number of pistes covered almost entirely with man-made snow. Across the Grandvalira ski area 100 of 127 pistes are open and in the Vallnord domain base snow depths range from 10cm on the lowest pistes to 50cm on highest slopes rising to 2,950m. The snow conditions vary depending on the time of day but range from very hard to soft due to the daily freeze-thaw cycle. The region has no snow forecast over Christmas and temperatures will continue to be mild. Resort elevation daytime highs will average plus 5ºC to 6ºC for the next five days and lows will be just below freezing point.
Eastern Europe
The only skiing offered in Eastern Europe is thanks to snow-cannon operations as the snow drought continues to affect all ski domains in the region. Christmas week will also be unusually mild – too mild for any daytime snow-making operations so the terrain on offer will be very limited and reducing. In Bulgaria they have finally managed to open pistes at higher elevations and Bansko (2,000m) now has 30cm of man-made snow on the highest pistes which rise to 2,560m and five of the 14 lifts are open. No snow is forecast for the region over Christmas.
Scandinavia
The resorts across Finland, Norway and Sweden have mostly been far enough north to avoid the unusually mild air that has been streaming over Europe for the past four weeks. Consequently in Finland ski conditions are excellent with low temperatures and fresh snow. Norway and Sweden however have more mixed conditions with many resorts lacking natural snow cover and reliant on snow-cannon operations. The best skiing in Norway right now is at Hemsedal (550m), which has a base snow depth of 40cm on pistes rising to 1,100m. Skiing is on fresh dry snow. In Sweden the best snow cover is at Åre (400m) with mid-mountain snow depth at 30cm. Both these resorts have snow forecast over Christmas but only 10 to 20cm is predicted. Daytime temperatures will remain sub-zero so snow-making operations will boost cover further.
Scotland
There is almost no snow at any of the five Scottish ski centres, which is not surprising given that this December has been one of the mildest of the last 100 years. At Cairngorm (550m) the slopes rise to 1,100m but even at this elevation there is no snow to be seen, much to the dismay of both skiers and white mountain hares, which are rather conspicuous against the heather that covers all pistes. The Highlands do have snow forecast for over Christmas, however it is unlikely enough will fall for any significant skiing to be offered before the new year.
For a specific resort, check our full snow reports and weather alerts.
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