By Ailbhe Macmahon and Chris Jewers For Mailonline and Reuters and Ap
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The ski season is well under way – but which resorts have the best conditions?
There’s no shortage of the white stuff in North America – but many parts of Europe have seen record highs leaving slopes almost entirely green.
Here we reveal which resorts are expecting snow in the coming days, which have the best snow depths and which are in desperate need of the white stuff.
Scroll down for more, with data courtesy of Snow-Forecast.com.
A lack of snow has left normally bustling European ski resorts deserted. Above is a slope formed from artificial snow in the very green alpine resort of Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland, on December 31
Which resorts have good snow depth right now at the top of the mountain?
Unsurprisingly, it’s looking good for high snow depth at mountain summits across North American resorts, with some ski resorts in Japan and select European resorts also faring well.
The U.S: Mammoth Mountain – 447cm (176in), Sierra at Tahoe – 292cm (115in), Mt Hood Meadows – 290cm (114in).
Canada: Powder King – 241cm (95in).
Japan: Niseko Grand Hirafu – 300cm (118in), Rusutsu Resort – 240cm (94in).
France: Alpe d’Huez – 150cm (59in), Les Arcs – 165cm (65in), Val d’Isere – 172cm (68in) and Tignes – 172cm (68in).
Italy: Bardonecchia – 110cm (43in) and La Thuile – 130cm (51in).
Austria: Dachstein Glacier – 170cm (67in) and Solden – 162cm (64in).
Switzerland: Saas Fee – 175cm (69in).
For more, visit snow-forecast.com.
Which resorts have good snow depth right now at the bottom of the mountain?
The base of the peaks in U.S resorts – including Mammoth Mountain ski resort in California (above) – are offering high-quality snow depth
Good news for those with a Swiss ski holiday in the pipeline – certain Swiss ski resorts are currently registering very high snow depths at the base of their mountains. The bottom of the peaks in U.S ski resorts are also offering high-quality snow depth.
Switzerland: Bumbach Schangnau – 365cm (143in), Eriz – 350cm (138in), Rothenthurm – 350cm (138in).
The U.S: Mammoth Mountain – 312cm (123in), Deer Valley – 203cm (80in).
For more, visit snow-forecast.com.
Which resorts are due fresh snowfalls in the next three days – and how much is coming?
In the next three days, ski resorts across Canada, the U.S. and Japan are expecting the most snow, and for European skiers looking for a trip closer to home, resorts in Norway and Georgia are also looking forward to a decent snowfall.
Canada: Mountain Washington – 72cm (28in), Mount Cain – 53cm (21in).
The U.S: Mammoth Mountain – 56cm (22in), Sugar Bowl – 52cm (20in).
Norway: Roldal – 67cm (26in).
Japan: Okutadami Maruyama – 58cm (23in), Muikamachi Hakkaisan – 54cm (21in).
Georgia: Goderdzi – 52cm (20in).
For more, visit snow-forecast.com.
Which resorts are due fresh snowfalls in the next three to six days – and how much is coming?
Plenty of French ski resorts can expect a high volume of snowfall in the next three to six days, including Alpe d’Huez (pictured), which is due to receive 58cm (23in) of snow
Thankfully for European skiers, certain resorts across the continent’s major ski countries are expecting a sizeable amount of snowfall in the next three to six days. In particular, plenty of French ski resorts can expect a high volume of snowfall, as can Norwegian resorts.
The U.S: Sugar Bowl – 85cm (33in), Sierra at Tahoe – 75cm (30in) and Northstar at Tahoe – 68cm (27in).
Norway: Gaustablikk – 69cm (27in).
France: Alpe d’Huez – 58cm (23in) and La Grave-La Meije – 60cm (24in).
Italy: Madesimo – 44cm (17in), Marmolada – 39cm (15in) and Sella Nevea – 58cm (23in).
Austria: St Anton – 43cm (17in) and Lech – 44cm (17in).
Spain: Astun – 34cm (13in).
Bulgaria: Bansko – 22cm (nine inches).
Switzerland: Pontresina – 44cm (17in), Gstaad Glacier 3000 – 42cm (17in), St Moritz – 44cm (17in) and Verbier – 36cm (14in).
For more, visit snow-forecast.com.
Which resorts are due fresh snowfalls in the next six to nine days – and how much is coming?
The Turkish resort of Davraz (above) will see 50cm (20in) of fresh snow falling on its slopes over the next six to nine days
France and Italy will see bounties of fresh snow falling on their slopes over the next six to nine days, as will Greece, Turkey and India.
Italy: Mondole – 45cm (18in), Limone Piemonte – 41cm (16in) and Lurisia – 40cm (16in).
France: Isola 2000 – 42cm (17in), Les Deux Alpes – 39cm (15in) and Alpe d’Huez – 37cm (15in).
Greece: Pelion – 55cm (22in).
India: Manali – 57cm (22in).
Turkey: Davraz – 50cm (20in) and Saklıkent – 48cm (19in).
For more, visit snow-forecast.com.
Which resorts have fresh powder?
Proving peak conditions for snowboarders and skiers, fresh powder has been reported across Switzerland, Japan, Canada, the U.S. and Norway.
Switzerland: Saas Fee, Andermatt and Lauchernalp.
Japan: Niseko Grand Hirafu and Rusutsu Resort.
Canada: Powder King.
The U.S: Jackson Hole and Wolf Creek Ski Area.
Norway: Myrkdalen.
For more, visit snow-forecast.com.
Which resorts have poor snow coverage?
Stretches of grass, rock and dirt have appeared on the slopes of some of Europe’s megastar ski resorts, such as Germany’s Lenggries (pictured on December 28)
In sharp contrast to the blizzards that have swept across the U.S, many resorts across Europe have faced lacklustre snow coverage over the new year.
At least seven countries – including Denmark, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic – have seen their warmest January weather on record, while the Swiss resort of Adelboden recorded temperatures above freezing even at 6,500ft.
Resorts at lower altitudes in France and Switzerland have been worst affected by the warmer weather, with rain destroying snowy slopes in some places. More than half of the resorts in France are now closed including at least ten in the French Pyrenees and scores in the Isere region of the French Alps.
Austria and Italy have slightly more favourable conditions but more snow is needed for skiing. Stretches of grass, rock and dirt have appeared on the slopes of some of Europe’s megastar ski resorts – such as Innsbruck in Austria, Germany’s Lenggries and Villars-sur-Ollon and Crans-Montana in Switzerland.
The Patscherkofel winter-sport resort near Innsbruck, Austria, on January 2
At Switzerland’s Gstaad resort, only 16 out of 70 ski trails were open on Wednesday, and in Leysin, a Swiss resort village in the Vaud Alps, only a handful of skiers could be seen descending a slope where a narrow pass of artificial snow had been laid.
Resorts in the northern Spanish regions of Asturias, Leon and Cantabria have been closed since the Christmas holidays for lack of snow.
On Jahorina mountain above the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, which hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics, chairlifts were seen hanging lifelessly above the grassy slopes, and a ski jumping event in Zakopane, southern Poland, planned for the weekend of January 7, was cancelled.
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