with -10 C at 2000 m:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=NFe4dUq1nyk


Schladming plan to open on 26th October, so next Saturday!
That would be amazing!

Love the music ! I was expecting a yodel or two. Anyway, it's well and truly cooling down, especially in Canada.

Check out Sun Peaks report for today : http://www.sunpeaksresort.com/ 20cm's in the last 24 hours!

And Silver Star : http://www.skisilverstar.com/ 17cm's and a base of 55cm's and it's mid-October. Bring it on!

That SS base highly seems suspect to me. Their village and summit are both lower than BW or Apex and it's on a south face. They get the same systems we do; if there is snowfall variation it is a few percentage points over a season. BW and Apex villages were both bare two days ago so I'm wondering how SS can claim 55 cm. That might be the total snowfall to date but it has melted bare a couple of times since the snow started in September.

Go Europe ! Must be Europe's turn for a good season this year. When does Schladming usually open ?

Sölden World Cup races are next weekend right?

55cm claimed in alpine, and just looked at web cam - there is plenty in the village - 10cm looks believable at least. It might melt by tomorrow tho, but there's certainly white stuff there. Will probably be more on top, but who knows?

I thought BW got more snow than SS, and Apex got a little less? but i could well be wrong?

Correct.
http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/home-page.html?actu_id_1089=532&actu_page_1089=1

Fairly typical of the morning Wetter panorama shows on Austrian, Swiss, Bavarian TV.

Schladming does look good.

On the Rettenbach glacier. This from April.

Usually in late November.
Today morning -20 C at Hintertux and -17,2 at Kitzsteinhorn.
Also quite cold in Carinthia; only -10 C at Katschberg (~1700 m at the sealevel).

SS and BW are about equal, Apex 10-15% less across a typical season. But this early in the piece things are temp dependent, and SS peak is lower by a good bit. Village elevs are the same (ish) but SS tops out 200 m lower than Apex, 300 m lower than BW. Dodgy!

It's so cold here in Toulouse in the morning, I recon we could have man made snow if they wanted to.

Does Obertauern ever have a bad season? It seems to always be the best resort early in the season.

Obertauern is a sick place, even in the past early season (mid/late November) they had a really good cover, we were there at 25th Nov and on the nearby mountains was no snow, the skiruns were totally green, but the slopes of Obertauern was completely white

News:

up to one meter of freshies at Dachstein, 80 cms of freshies in some mountains of Lower Austria and its's pretty cold now !

Schladming will be open at 26th October, maybe some other skiresorts too.
Tomorrow (Monday) the forecast prdeicts another load of the white stuff; 50 cms of snow
That's great, a really epic early season

It even snowed a number of times in Munich on the weekend.. on Sunday it was sticking, but melted quite quickly after that. Places over 700m (Munich is only at 550m) got about 15cm which is still there now.

Update:

The winter is here, right now!

With temps below -10 at 1700-1800 m and artic temps on the glaciers, such -20 C at the Hintertux glacier…
Tons of snow in the Austrian Alps, especially in Lower, Upper Austria, in Styria an in some part of Salzburg.
Over one meter of freshies in Dachstein and Hochschwab, up to 80 cms of the white stuff in Lower Austria.

Some Austrian resorts will be open on 26th October and start the season 2007/2008!

Like Planai or Hochwurzen in the Ennstal (around Schladming).
Planai is between 800 and 2000 m, the skiruns will be open from the mid station (around 1300 m).


Some pics from the past weekend:



Offensee note that the village is located at 600 m!!!!










Stuhleck – the valley is at 900 m






Tiroler Kogel (~1300m)







and a little vid from the snowmaking:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=gAJfWLv19o4


Planai on 20th October:

Awesome stuff! Looks great...

Good pics - lets hope it doesn't warm up like last year.. I really hope this stuff doesn't melt before the start of the real season, but if last year repeats, it will do just that..

The snowmakers must be very nervous around those parts - looks like metres of natural snow everywhere you look, but the snowmakers are on full bore!

Schneeberg (Lower Austria) - Yesterday:


Somewhere in Styria - Yesterday:







Reiteralm, Planai and Hochwurzen (all between 8000 and 200 m) will be open on 26th October!!

WOW! that looks impressive!

hmm i hope this keeps up, silvretta nov looks tops now with temps staying low. hopefully it stays this cool but i aint getting my hopes un until i arrive

ooooohh yeah... baby!!!

I want my new skis!!!! NOW! thanks stani and heinz!

Its going to be a great season in Montafon!

Wow - good early snow for both Europe & the US.

Hope it makes for a good base, and our only worry when we all start travelling are the surface conditions / weather.

Great stuff , theyll be eating cheese in the valleys tonoite.

Figures... it's always a great season wherever we AREN'T that year. An ordinary season in Europe this year, and next year it's back to the OS, so apologies for anyone in Colorado, the kiss of death is heading your way.

now you tell me - just booked Steamboat trip from Jan 16-20 :{