The ski season has begun in Europe with resorts celebrating heavy snowfall and welcoming thousands of visitors to the slopes.
Locals and passionate skiers were among those tasting the first snow of the season at the highest resorts in the Alps, as the ski lifts quickly came into action. Holidaymakers will start arriving in the mountains in the coming weeks as Christmas approaches and more resorts and slopes open.
Our experts were among those lining up to start the winter. Here they share their live reports from the slopes and what skiers and snowboarders can expect as winter approaches.
France
The lively Val Thorens quote is that the “best ski resort in the world” is blessed with “the best opening season conditions in 20 years.”
Arriving at Europe’s highest resort, voted the best on the planet for the eighth time, I felt an air of great anticipation for La Grande Première, the weekend when the winter season will officially kick off.
Heavy snowfall ensured celebrations began in earnest as the first lift of the 2023/24 season brought excited skiers and snowboarders up the mountain. I was among 10,385 people who bought a gold chairlift ticket for the first official day of skiing on Saturday; Some left their vehicles on the side of the road because the parking lots were full.
Stephane, my opening morning guide, explained that it had been at least twenty years since he had encountered season-opening conditions like these; This is in stark contrast to last year, when La Grande Premiere was postponed due to lack of snow.
60 percent of the lifts were open and a DJ was playing music under clear blue skies; the atmosphere was like a party on Sunday; There was a test village that gave thrill seekers the chance to try new skis and snowboards.
Val Thorens tourism office manager Vincent Lalanne said: “The conditions we have mean our season is guaranteed. “We even had to call the regional government to clear the roads to get here because they didn’t know it was snowing so much.”
snow report
After up to 10 cm of snowfall on Saturday, on Sunday there was 1 meter of whiteness at the top of the mountain and fresh powder formed under my skis. Heavy snowfall is expected to continue on Monday night and into the weekend.
What should be considered in the holiday resort this winter?
Take the new panoramic walkway to a viewing point for spectacular 360-degree views of Cime Caron and neighboring peaks.
distinguish it
Hotel Marielle (0033 458 24 00 80) has double rooms from £245 including breakfast. easyJet offers flights to Geneva from £115 return.
pete thompson
Austria
Anything less than whitening would be a serious disappointment. After two aborted landings in Innsbruck, a detour to Munich and hours of travel in a hastily arranged minibus, our journey to Ischgl for the season opener was nothing if not eventful. It is fair to say that heavy weather conditions were experienced in the Tyrol region this weekend, but local people were relieved by this situation.
Ischgl traditionally opens on the last weekend of November. It was a poignant time in 2022, as the snow only got stronger in the last three days. This year – and as in much of Switzerland and the French Alps – it has been in decline for much of the past month. The tourist board estimated 11,000 skiers were at the resort for the opening weekend, and while the slopes were crowded, it sounded more like a happy hum than a donut fight for the first lift.
With wind speeds exceeding 45 kilometers per hour, the upper stations remained closed; We went as high as Palinkopf at 2,864 meters and it was easy to see why: the snow was good but the temperature was -18°C and we were literally blown away. mountain at one point. I have rarely been more grateful for a heated chairlift seat. We found both powder and groomed velvet fresh without too much difficulty, but anywhere in the shade was dirty and a bit frosty.
The tourist board has promised that 100 percent of the pistes will be open from December 15; The snow has already arrived and they are maintaining the tracks until then.
snow report
Showers in mid-November washed away some of the early-season snow, but conditions have improved since then. On November 25, there was 15 cm of fresh gunpowder on the 1.5 meter base, and an overnight storm added another 30-40 cm. More snow is expected this week and sunny weather is expected throughout the week from December 3rd.
What should be considered in the holiday resort this winter?
Recharge your weary limbs at Silvretta Spa, a £65 million wellness center with an indoor and outdoor swimming pool and an adults-only bath and sauna complex. Day passes cost £63 and are a calming alternative to noisy nightlife.
distinguish it
The four-star Zalwonder (0043 5444 5191) has double rooms from £173 including breakfast. flights to Innsbruck from £44 return with easyJet operators.
matt hampton
Switzerland
“The best snow we’ve seen in November in years.” “This is epic, disgusting.” “It’s winter now, so the snow must stick…” The excited chatter in the gondola from Les Ruinettes this weekend nicely summed up my first ski experience this season. Verbier won’t officially open for another two weeks, but there was ski excitement before the resort’s opening.
“I’m very excited to hit the road with a good, healthy snow base,” Verbier mountain guide Cherries von Maur told me. “Everyone is full of energy because it snowed so early!” Of course, the only accommodation available all weekend was the Mont-Fort Swiss Lodge in Le Châble down the mountain; Here, 17 excellent rooms inside the cable car station in the valley mean rolling out of bed and taking the elevator.
On Saturday, Verbier après-ski icon Pub Mont Fort was packed, and on the closing night of the Polaris Festival the massive heated dome atop the mountain was packed with 2,500 electronic music fans.
For the 15,000 skiers in pre-opening Verbier, Sunday was a dazzling bluebird day, with the groomed slopes around Lac des Vaux and Attelas-Ruinettes (two sectors open) surrounded by knee-deep powder. The mood in the afternoon at the sun-drenched Icebox bar, where paragliders soared over pink Massif des Combins landscapes, was a snow paradise on earth.
snow report
Conditions are not suitable for November. It snowed all day and most of the night on Saturday; This means that the snow depth was 37 cm on the peaks and 8 cm in the village of Verbier. Heavy snowfall (another 35 cm) and minus temperatures are expected to continue this week.
What should be considered in the holiday resort this winter?
Getting to Verbier by train has never been more fashionable (the Verbier Express connects Geneva airport to Le Châble in just over two hours), and the cable car to Verbier operates longer hours (05.15 – 23.50) to encourage more travel. Skiers will arrive by public transportation.
distinguish it
Hôtel de Verbier (00 41 27 564 40 00) has double rooms from £251 including breakfast. SWISS operates flights to Geneva from £91 return.
Nicola Williams
And the rest
Our snow forecaster Patrick Thorne shares the latest conditions across the rest of Europe.
Italy
Ski areas in Italy experienced major snowfalls in the first half of November, while Livigno opened early after more than 1 meter fell. The weather has been warm for a while, but lately it has become colder and snowier, and some land is now open in more areas. These include Cervinia, Cortina and San Martino, most of which are only a few kilometers open so far. Madonna di Campiglio is the place where you can ski the most with 20 km. Temperatures will be low (-10°C to 5°C) for the next few days and snowfall will begin again later this week.
Scandinavia
Nordic ski areas are reporting great November conditions. Most major resorts such as Åre and Sälen in Sweden and Hemsedal and Trysil in Norway are already open, with up to 40cm of fresh snowfall reported in the last few days. Wrap yourself up warm as Ruka and Levi in Finland have recently had temperatures of -25°C in the morning. Skiing is mostly under artificial light as daylight hours are rapidly decreasing, but there is more time to see the aurora borealis.
Eastern Europe
We’re still a week or two away from the opening of Eastern Europe’s major ski resorts, but there are already promising snowfalls. Slovakia’s largest resort town, Jasna, said it was already expecting 10-30 cm of elevation gain on the higher slopes, sub-zero temperatures and more snowfall before the season starts on Saturday. Bulgarian ski areas have reported plenty of pre-season snowfall, and this past weekend saw persistently freezing temperatures and more snowfall. This temperature is expected to decrease in the middle of the week, but temperatures will remain low.
Andorra
Andorra’s ski season starts next weekend. Conditions have improved greatly over the past week, with temperatures dropping and up to 35cm of snowfall reported. Staff at Grandvalira, which now operates all the main ski areas including Arinsal, Soldeu and Pas de la Casa, filmed themselves making fresh pre-season ski turns to build anticipation. Elsewhere in the Pyrenees, Spain’s Baqueira Beret opened initially with 25km of pistes. This week temperatures are between -9°C and 9°C with showers of snow.