Snow Report 29 October 2015 - Europe & Japan

Greetings snow fans!

Happo One 26.10.15 - Happo FB page

We're still quite a way off from snow season openings - these typically occur in late November - but the weather is changing and as autumn begins to give way to winter there has been a bit of snow around to get us in the mood.

JAPAN

No snow yet however in Japan, unless you count the occasional dusting. Its getting colder though.

The coming week looks a bit wet and may only bring another dusting to the peaks rather than any significant snow.

FRANCE

Some good snowfalls last week, and a top-up yesterday have whitened all the peaks in the Northern Alps.

Cervinia 27.10.15 - Cervinia FB page

Les Deux Alpes is opening for a week until 1st November with skiing on the glacier.

The Grand Motte glacier at Tignes is also open with five trails available.

ITALY

Big snowfalls last week with more than 50cm in places, but the fine and mild weather has melted the snow below the very highest peaks and glaciers.

Cervinia reopened for weekend skiing on the upper slopes last weekend. A top-up of snow this week makes for great conditions for this time of they year.

Snow Report 15 October 2015 - Europe & Japan

With the Southern Hemisphere ski and boarding season wrapping up (although there are still some options in New Zealand if you're super keen!), its time to look forward to the coming Northern Hemisphere season which begins at the end of 2015 and runs into 2016.

Its at this time that the ski resorts across Europe, North America and Northern Asia begin to get things ready, and get their social media and marketing firing. Early pictures of snowfalls are obligatory ... so I've shared some with you!

Val Thorens 14.10.15 [Source: Val Thorens FB page]

Opening dates are still some way off. November usually sees some high-altitude resorts get started, but mid-December is more typical. Depending on the season, conditions can be quite marginal with limited skiing well into December some years.

My reports focus on Japan, France and Italy, as thats where I've skied before. If you're planning your trips or already booked, you might be interested in reading some of my previous trip reports. They are:

Skiing in Central Japan 2011 Part 1 and Part 2 

Ski Japan 2012 - Snow, Onsen, Sushi Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3 

Ski Japan 2013 - Powder, Onsen, Sake Part 1 and Part 2 

Ski France and Italy 2013-14 Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3

Monte Rosa 14.10.15 [Source: Monte Rosa Fb page]

Happy planning!

So what snow have we had so far in the pre-season?

There have been some dustings above 2500m in France and the Northern Italian Alps in October, but this week is the first serious snowfall down to lower levels.

There was a dusting in mainland Japan and Hokkaido at the beginning of October but not a lot since.

The week ahead? Tonight and tomorrow should provide further snowfalls in the French Alps down to village level at Chamonix and Trois Vallees.

Les Arcs 14.10.15 [Source: Les Arcs FB page]

But the Italian Alps could see some big dumps over the next few days, maybe more than half a metre at places like Monte Rosa and Madesimo.

In Japan, it is mainly fine, sunny and warm through to this weekend with some spots of rain.

Snow Report 1 October 2015 - Australia & New Zealand

Most ski resorts down under close their lifts at the end of this Sunday. There are some exceptions - Rainbow (11 October), Mt Hutt (now extended until 14 October) and Cardrona (11 October) on the South Island of New Zealand, while Ruapehu on the North Island continues on until late October/early November.

Here's a bit of what you can expect at the open ski fields:

Cardrona 29.09.15 [Source: Cardrona FB page]

Mt Hutt 30.09.15 [Source: Mt Hutt FB page]

Rainbow 28.09.15 [Source: Rainbow FB page]

Ruapehu 28.09.15 [Source: Ruapehu FB page]