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Thursday 3 July
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The Molltal glacier in Austria has now reopened following poor weather earlier in the week.
Glacier skiing has been temporarily suspended at Val d'Isere and Tignes on Thursday due to poor weather conditions.
Sass Fee in Switzerland is scheduled to open for the summer ski season on Saturday 5th July.
In Italy Cervinia is planning to open for the summer ski season on Friday 4th July.
Wet and warm weather is forecast for the weekend at the Blackcomb glacier in Canada.
Excellent summer skiing conditions continue on the Palmer snowfield at Timberline in America.
In Australia Falls Creek and Mount Hotham are now open for the season following fresh snow and the efforts of the snow making team.
Further snowfalls this week have enhanced the already great riding conditions in New Zealand.
Almost all of our reported Chilean resorts are now open for snowsports and the skiing conditions are excellent. Chapa Verde is unfortunately not yet open for skiing.
Chapelco in Argentina has now opened for the season and snow is expected at all three of the resorts we report on this weekend.
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 Austria | | |
It is going to be another wet and cloudy weekend across Austria. Slightly better weather is forecast for Friday and Saturday when sunny spells are expected.
The Molltal glacier (210cm) has now reopened for snowsports and 9km of pistes are open from 8.30am-4pm.
Wet and heavy conditions can be found underfoot at the majority of resorts including the Dachstein glacier (640cm), Hintertux (205cm) and the Stubai glacier (120cm). It is best to ski early when the pistes are slightly firmer.
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 France | | |
Windy and stormy weather on Thursday has forced the Espace Killy resorts to temporarily close for snowsports. The conditions are forecast to improve on Friday so both areas, Tignes (150cm) and Val d'Isere (100cm), should be able to open again before the weekend.
The wind is quite strong on Thursday at Les Deux Alpes (320cm) too and the number of open lifts has reduced to seven. There is one green run, three blue runs and one red run open. The wind is forecast to ease on Friday and the sun should return. Further clouds are expected for a period on Sunday which could deliver some rain.
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 Switzerland
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Poor weather on Thursday at Zermatt (170cm) has forced the ski area to temporarily close. Conditions are expected to improve on Friday so skiing should again be possible for visitors this weekend.
Saas Fee (249cm) is scheduled to open for the summer ski season on 5th July, and the snow base on the glacier is over two metres deep so conditions look really promising.
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 Italy | | |
At Val Senales (50cm) the Grawand, Finail and Gletschersee pistes are open and have good snow cover. The sunny weather on Thursday is only interrupted by light cloud cover, so the visibility is great. Similar weather is expected all weekend.
At Passo Tonale heavy cloud cover has drastically reduced the visibility on the Presena glacier (150cm), so it is not possible to ski on Thursday. The weather is forecast to improve on Friday, so it will hopefully be possible to ski before the weekend.
Cervinia is scheduled to open for the summer ski season on Friday 4th July 2008. The weather on Thursday is expected to be wet in the afternoon then the sun should come out on Friday, perfectly timed for the start of the summer ski season.
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  North America | | |
The bright sunny weather of this week is forecast to disappear from Thursday at the Blackcomb glacier (65cm) at Whistler, Canada. It is expected to be wet and warm across the weekend so the snow will become heavy towards the end of the day.
The Palmer snowfield at Timberline (251cm) offers excellent summer riding conditions. The Magic Mile and Palmer lifts are open from 7am until 1.30pm. There is a chance of some stormy weather as we head into the weekend.
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| Australia
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It has been a good week for the Australian ski season with resorts reopening and others kicking off their winter season.
Falls Creek (36/38cm) is now open for the winter with good cover of packed man made snow in all areas. All of the open area has been groomed and the ski patrol is recommending Boardwalks, Towers and home trails as the areas to head for.
Mount Hotham (29/35cm) has also started its winter season. There are three trails open, Big D, Summit, and Road Runner which have a fair covering of natural and man made snow.
Mount Buller (17/28cm) and Selwyn Snowfields (10/10cm) have both reopened following new natural snow and the work of the snow machines. Mount Buller has had the snow cannons operating all night long and it is recommended that skiers head to Bourke Street. At Selwyn Snowfields all of the open area has been groomed and the Township T-bar will open for the first time this season on Thursday.
Conditions at Thredbo (0/9cm) and Perisher Blue (9/9cm) are improving and it is now possible to ski from top to bottom at Thredbo on Supertrail.
Ben Lomond and Mount Baw Baw are yet to open for their winter 2008 seasons due to a lack of snow.
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| New Zealand
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Further snowfalls hit some of the New Zealand resort on Wednesday night and more snow could fall over the weekend.
Up to 15cm of fresh snow fell on Wednesday night at Cardrona (35/55cm) providing excellent riding conditions as we head towards the weekend. It is recommended that you stick to the main runs as there are some unmarked hazards if you head off-piste.
15cm of fresh snow also fell at Mount Hutt (95cm) on Wednesday night. Unfortunately the Village Champs Race that was due to take place on Thursday has to be rescheduled.
8cm of new snow fell on Thursday morning at The Remarkables (35/52cm) providing fresh cover in time for the lifts opening. The snow conditions mean that off-piste riding is limited but expert skiers could try Fall line, Cross fall or Lower Water Race trails as the snow cover on them is great.
Mt Lyford and Porter Heights are unfortunately closed for snowsports on Thursday due to strong winds, but the weather is forecast to calm down a little in time for the weekend.
Treble Cone (25/55cm) is planning to open Home Basin on Friday 4th July following this week's snowfalls.
Rainbow (55cm) is expected to open for the winter season on 5th July 2008. The fresh snow that fell through Wednesday night has added a welcome cover to the snow base, and further snowfalls are forecast on Thursday.
Mount Dobson (20/40cm) is scheduled to open for the winter season on 6th July 2008. The snow that has fallen this week has improved the conditions and further snowfalls are expected over the weekend.
At Turoa (174cm) on the North Island the Alpine Meadow beginner's area is open but all other areas are closed due to strong winds. The winds are forecast to ease by Saturday and further snowfalls are forecast throughout the weekend.
The Happy Valley beginner's area is open at Whakapapa (110cm) but all other parts of the ski area are closed due to poor weather. Further snowfalls are forecast from Thursday afternoon right through the weekend.
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| Chile
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The Three Valleys resorts offer excellent on-piste carving conditions due to the packed snow cover and beautiful sunny weather. The clear skies are forecast to last throughout the weekend. La Parva (185/300cm) reports the deepest snow base of the Three Valleys resorts, followed by El Colorado (130/150cm) then Valle Nevado (70cm).
Portillo (153/173cm) offers excellent riding with over a metre and a half of packed snow across the slopes. The situation is further enhanced by the clear sunny weather that is forecast to last all weekend.
Termas de Chillan (10/80cm) has updated the snow base depths. This means that the depth on the upper pistes is more than enough to have a great time carving about. On the lowest slopes more natural snow would be welcome, and this could fall over the weekend.
Chapa Verde is not yet open for their winter season.
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| Argentina
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Chapelco (0/10cm) has now open for snowsports. The resort has three lifts and five pistes open for general use. Conditions are described as hard packed but improvements should be seen over the weekend as snow is forecast to fall from Thursday.
Snow is also forecast from Thursday for Cerro Catedral (0/30cm) which has increased its number of operating lifts to fourteen. The pistes are hard packed so a dusting of snow would not go amiss.
Las Lenas (185/371cm) will not receive the huge dump of snow that was forecast on Friday and now 5cm is expected on Saturday. The recent high winds have caused the pistes to pack down so the new snow will be gratefully received.
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