Ski resorts in the Alps have begun their season earlier than ever thanks to unseasonably heavy snowfalls that left some places looking “like the middle of winter”.
Over the weekend, skiers and snowboarders enjoyed outstanding conditions for this time of year as a handful of European resorts opened earlier than expected following snowfalls of up to 20ins (50cm) in the past week.
In Saas Fee, Switzerland, snow depths have already reached more than 3ft (1m) on upper slopes, while the Austrian resort of Kitzbühel earlier set an 80-year record by opening on October 24.
Ski tour operators yesterday welcomed the early snow, saying it has helped drive sharp increases in bookings, which would go some way to countering the effects of the economic downturn.
Betony Garner, of Ski Club of Great Britain, said: “We’ve seen some fantastic snowfalls across Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland, which is very unusual for this time of year.
“The crucial thing is that the temperature has been staying low so the snow is settling – even leaving some resorts blanketed like it’s the middle of winter.
“Up high, some places have seen up to 50cm of fresh snow in the last week. This is great news for people looking to book trips in December and in the New Year, because they can be confident that there will be a good base layer of snow on the pistes.
“There’s also evidence that it has led to a rise in bookings, which is bringing more confidence to the industry, especially after last year saw sales plunge due to the credit crunch.”
In Switzerland, the resorts of Zermatt, Saas Fee, and Verbier have lifts running at weekends boasting “excellent” conditions following snowfalls in Thursday and overnight on Saturday. Resorts in France and Italy are also offering weekend skiing.
Despite not being among the highest of the Austrian resorts, Kitzbühel was one of the earliest to open its lifts last month, after heavy falls over the last three weeks.
Christoph Hirnschall, a spokesman for the resort’s lift operators, said: “We are so pleased that this year it was possible to provide this skiing facility at an earlier date than ever before in the 80 years of the resort’s history.”
Skiers described the conditions as “amazing”, which are being aided by artificial snow from piste canons.
Many Alpine resorts had been becoming increasingly nervous about the unseasonably warm weather of late, which saw temperatures as high as 65F (18C) – fearing a repeat of the dire season of 2006/7.
Concerns have also been raised over the impact of the global economic crisis and poor exchange rates that have forced up the cost of holidays in Europe, especially for British tourists.
However, leading tour operators Crystal, Thompson Ski, First Choice Ski, and Inghams, said yesterday that the weather had prompted an increase in bookings.
A spokeswoman for Crystal said: “There’s been a huge rise in bookings compared to this time last year, when people were much more cautious due to the credit crunch.
“The snow is definitely helping because people are seeing the reports online and getting excited about heading out there.”
Lisa Tyrell, of Inghams, added: “We’ve definitely seen an uplift in bookings over the last couple of weeks.
“The snow was fantastic last year as well, but I think that good early reports and a more positive economic outlook this season are tempting more people to book holidays.”
Experts said that a plethora of cheap deals available this year are also helping fuel sales.
Last year many Alpine resorts experienced the best snow conditions in a generation.
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WOODTV.com Blogs » Blog Archive » Olympic-sized Snowfalls
on Nov 19th, 2009
@ 4:28 pm:
[...] The Winter Olympics start on Feb. 12th in and around Vancouver, British Columbia. Much of the skiing will take place on Whistler Mountain about 70 miles north of the city. Whistler Mountain has already recorded the snowiest November they have ever had. They report 22″ of new snow in the last 24 hours (I’m writing this Thursday AM) and a whopping 98″ of snow (over 7 feet!) in just the last week! They have already picked up 163″ of snow this season and they report a base at mid-mountain of 91″. On the east side of the Canadian Rockies, Calgary’s Olympic Park also had their earliest opening ever, due to early season cold and snow in October. Mt. Baker in Washington State reports 15″ of snow in the past 24 hours More heavy snow is forecast for the next few days. They already have a base of 80″ at Pan Dome. The biggest problem they have had is high wind events this month. Crystal Mountain in the Cascades opened a full month ahead of last year. A press release from Crystal Mt. said that “every year we pray that we can open on Thanksgiving Day. This year we beat that by over two weeks!” The Loveland Ski Area in Colorado had their earliest season opening in 64 years back on Oct. 6, and Arapahoe opened earlier than at any time in the last 40 years. Two resorts in the Sierra Mts. of California/Nevada had their earliest opening ever as did the Las Vegas Ski Area, and Mammoth Mt. in southern California reported their second-earliest opening. Timberline Ski Area in Oregon is already up to 98″ of new snow for the season. It’s also been the earliest opening for ski areas in the Alps in Europe. [...]