Cold In The Alps, Snowy in The Pyrenees, Buried in Canada - w/e February 5

There’s a mixture of snow news and cold news as temperatures dip to -10C in the Pyrenees and -20C in parts of the Alps this week. That’s tame compared to the January temperatures recorded in northern Alaska, with a low of -73F!

Western Canada heads for record snowfall, some resorts already on 93% season average. There have also been big accumulations in the Pyrenees – over a metre at some resorts in past week. The southern Alps and Pyrenees have had a particularly good week for snowfall notching up up to 1.3m so far.

There have been more snowfalls in Austria over the past week, with the biggest reported at Dachstein West with 40 cm, Tauplitzalm with 30 cm and Fügen with 25 cm. The best deepest snow depth is at St Anton which has a 490cm base.

There’s been yet more snowfall in France from the Jura to the Pyrenees through the Massif Central and the Alps. The especially good news is that lower altitude and southerly regions that had not had so much snow in January have had good falls too this time. The Pyrenees did especially well with up to 95cm falling at some resorts so far.

The heavy snowfall in the Southern Alps was important for two reasons. First the quantity – for example 55 cm of fresh snow fell in 48 hours on the Val d'Allos on Monday and Tuesday.

The Northern Alps, which have already seen record snowfalls in January, have continued to do well with 20cm+ falls in the Haute Savoie ski areas. Reports from la Plagne say there hasn't bee as much snow since 1964...

Resorts in Italy have been topping the snowfall league in Europe with Limone in the country’s south west reporting the most snow on the continent with 130cm and the 2006 Olympic resorts of Sauze d’Oulx, Sestriere and others not far behind with a metre of fresh snow in the past week.

It’s been another snowy week in Switzerland and over the last seven days Gstaad had the most new snow with 80 cm. There have been good falls as well in Lötschental with 70 cm and Frutigen with 65 cm. 10 resorts reported 20 to 25 cm snowfall on Tuesday and a few centimetres of more are expected for the next few days. The cold front stops in Switzerland as well with temperatures down to -20C and it’s expected to be a cold but sunny weekend. Best snow depth is still in Engelberg with 470cm, followed by Crans Montana 430cm, Laax 418cm and Gstaad Glacier 3000 with 400cm.

The Pyrenees have been the snowiest area of Europe over the past few days with up to a metre of snow falling on the French and Spanish sides of the border. On the Spanish side Baqueira Beret claimed 1.1m (nearly four feet) and on the French side there was 95cm at La Mongie and the snowfall has continued without interruption since Sunday.

Conditions remain good at most Scandinavian resorts with Røldal in Norway still boasting the deepest snow in the region as it has for two months now with 3.3m (11 feet) lying. Coastal Voss has nearly three metres. Here’s a list of all snow depths in Norway.

Still mixed conditions in Scotland with all five centres having between a quarter and three quarters of their terrain open – usually higher, flatter runs.

As parts of North America still battle for good snow cover, some resorts in Alberta and BC look set to break records for snowfall tallys by the end of their long season in May. Heavy snowfall has continued this week at most resorts in the region.

With over three months left to go in the ski season, Marmot Basin near Jasper had already received over 12 feet (372 cm) of snowfall which is 93% of its annual average. If the next three months produce typical amounts of snowfall, Marmot Basin will exceed its all time snowfall record of 529 cm set way back in 1965.

There have been smaller accumulations in Western USA after the big falls a week ago in California, Colorado and Utah. The deepest snow is still in the north west of the continent in Washington State, Idaho, Alaska and Wyoming.

Patrick Thorne - w/e Feb 5 2012

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