12th December 2022
Stansted airport was closed on Sunday evening while Heathrow & Gatwick are experiencing delays. Road and rail travel has also been affected. PlanetSKI spent 7-hours at Gatwick as we headed to the Alps for a pre-Xmas ski. UPDATED
11th December 2022
There’s been more snow with the temperature fluctuating wildly. PlanetSKI is out in the Alps where conditions are generally good as Xmas approaches. UPDATED
9th December 2022
Heavy snow is falling with increased danger of avalanche. There have been 600 recorded avalanches in Colorado alone this winter.
7th December 2022
The ski areas of Scotland could be set for an early Christmas present with a prolonged Arctic blast hitting the Highlands over the next few days. UPDATED
3rd December 2022
As PlanetSKI starts its season we have moved on from the Otztal Valley in the Tirol in Austria to Innsbruck. It’s the self-proclaimed capital of the Alps and for good reason. NEW
30th November 2022
More resorts and ski areas open this weekend. There has been some fresh snow & cold temperatures have allowed the snow cannons to pump out artificial snow as the main season approaches. PlanetSKI was in Schlick 2000 in the Tirol as it opened. UPDATED
29th November 2022
PlanetSKI is in the Tirol to start our season. Five resorts in a week. Or maybe more, & longer. UPDATED
28th November 2022
Starting this winter, the SLF is enhancing the precision of its reporting by subdividing the danger level in its avalanche bulletins. It will indicate whether the danger is towards the bottom end, in the middle or towards the uppermost end of the reported level.
26th November 2022
The Thanksgiving Holiday weekend in the USA has seen a multitude of ski resorts open for the season. Some have the best early season conditions in years. UPDATED
25th November 2022
The slopes of Ischgl in the Austrian Tirol will see the 29th anniversary of the resort’s Shapes in White exhibition.
25th November 2022
Around 40 resorts in the Alps are offering some skiing, with dozens now open in North America.
21st November 2022
Another storm is hitting, starting off the season nicely in many places. At last winter is here folks. UPDATED
21st November 2022
The resorts of Obergurgl and Hochgurgl in the Tirol have opened for the season. PlanetSKI was amoung the lucky ones making their first turns of the winter.
16th November 2022
Some much needed snow is falling with more forecast. PlanetSKI is in the Austrian Alps. UPDATED
16th November 2022
Heavy snow is falling in the USA with many resorts opening early to take advantage of conditions. We look at the state of play in North America as the season gets off to a great start. UPDATED
15th November 2022
Val d’Isere has followed Val Thorens in announcing a delay to the start of the season. Warm weather is to blame, but there is snow in the forecast. UPDATED
9th November 2022
Verbier was first out of the blocks on Friday, followed by Arosa/Lenzerheide, Sulda & Kitzbuhel. UPDATED
4th November 2022
Nine US resorts are now open with some skiing on offer in three states – Colorado, Utah and California. Two more resorts, Timberline & Brighton, are opening some slopes this Friday. UPDATED
4th November 2022
Lake Louise, Sunshine Village, Mt Norquay and Nakiska in Alberta are open. The first resort in British Columbia, Big White, opens this Thursday. UPDATED
4th November 2022
The latest storm has given the open glacier areas some welcome fresh snow. PlanetSKI readers are out enjoying some turns. We look at current conditions & ahead to some resort openings. UPDATED
3rd November 2022
UNESCO says some of the most well-known glaciers in the world will have melted by 2050. They include the Dolomites in Italy, Mt Kilimanjaro and those in the Yosemite & Yellowstone parks in the USA. Alpine glaciers will also be affected.
2nd November 2022
There’s been some welcome snow across the Alps but temperatures are set to rise this week. UPDATED
2nd November 2022
Lake Louise opens today as Sunshine Village got its season underway on Thursday. Five US resorts are already open as Wolf Creek begins its season. UPDATED
27th October 2022
Loveland opens on Thursday. It joins Winter Park, Keystone & Arapahoe Basin. UPDATED
24th October 2022
It has been a tale of two islands in New Zealand this winter. The South Island has claimed a record winter, but it has been somewhat different on the North Island. NEW
23rd October 2022
Arapahoe Basin in Colorado is out of the blocks and fired up its first lift on Sunday. Other resorts in the area may open some slopes next weekend. Winter is coming folks. UPDATED
20th October 2022
We have asked the Austrian National Tourist Office to tells us about its attractions – new and old.
14th October 2022
This weekend’s GS Races in Austria have been given the go ahead as more resorts have fired up some lifts in the Alps and Scandinavia. Snow making is also underway in the USA with A-Basin set to open this weekend. UPDATED
12th October 2022
The Tūroa and Whakapapa ski areas are on the North Island . External experts are to be appointed to see if they can survive. Poor snow, which some say is caused by climate change, are to blame along with the impact of Covid-19 restrictions since 2020.
10th October 2022
Swiss scientists are undertaking research to see if satellite technology and images taken from space could predict them and offer safety advice. The results so far are encouraging.
6th October 2022
Kitzsteinhorn in SalzburgerLand opened on Friday with its Glacier Park opening on Saturday. Six glacier ski areas are now open in Austria with five others in Italy and Switzerland. Resorts in Finland have opened too with snowmaking starting in the USA. UPDATED
2nd October 2022
Switzerland has the most glaciers of any country in Europe. This summer they lost 6% of their size. Several have virtually disappeared with the situation described as ‘disastrous’.
29th September 2022
It comes as fresh snow is continuing to fall with many resorts looking rather wintery. The autumn snow will make little difference for the ski season ahead, but has certainly helped the glacier ski areas. More open in Austria and Cervinia in Italy fires up some lifts. UPDATED
26th September 2022
Hintertux and Soelden already have slopes open with others making final preparations after the temperatures have dropped and fresh snow has arrived. The winter of 2022/23 is around the corner with significant snow forecast for this week. UPDATED
20th September 2022
The Swiss resort that is normally open year-round closed its glacier ski area this summer. It was a symbol of the impact of climate change. Val Senales in Italy has also re-opened with Soelden in Austria set to fire up some lifts on its glacier at the weekend. UPDATED
18th September 2022
The first snow of autumn has fallen in the Alps and over in North America too. Plus there has been further falls down under in Australia as the ski season there draws to a close. Three glaciers resorts in the Alps have opened some slopes this week. UPDATED
15th September 2022
The warm summer temperatures have reduced the size of the Austrian glacier. The lifts are now unstable as the ice has melted and the permafrost has been damaged. Large crevasses have also opened up.
15th September 2022
Climate change is making adventure tourism more challenging and sometimes riskier. That’s the claim from travel industry bodies, tour operators and mountain experts.
29th August 2022
Switzerland has nearly half the total number of glaciers in the Alps. The melt rate is accelerating and they may all have disappeared by the end of the 21st century according to a new report. The latest concerns centre on the impact on the water reserves of Europe with glaciers referred to as the ‘water towers of Europe’.
27th August 2022
Mount Ruapehu, on the North Island, has laid off around a third of its workers as many slopes are bare and some areas have had to close. Ski resorts on the South Island report good snow conditions.
13th August 2022
Some areas of glaciers in the Karakoram Range are defying the global trend of glaciers losing mass. The glaciers of the Himalayas are melting, but not in one area. It appears to be due to an increase in precipitation from the west. NEW
12th August 2022
The summer heatwaves in Europe are having a significant impact with glaciers shrinking sharply. This year is when many have woken up to the fact that on current projections it is likely many glaciers will disappear in the coming decades. UPDATED
10th August 2022
The Fonna glacier resort in Norway is closing its summer season early on August 21st as conditions deteriorate. It had been the only place where summer skiing bore some semblance to normal conditions. NEW
10th August 2022
Two bodies have been found in separate sites in Switzerland as the glaciers recede under high summer temperatures. It follows the discovery of wreckage from a plane crash in 1968.
8th August 2022
A mountain guide has found wreckage of a plane that crashed in 1968 on the Aletsch glacier in Switzerland. As the glaciers melt across the mountains more of their secrets are being given up.
6th August 2022
The Major of Saint-Gervais, Jean-Marc Peillex, says it is needed to cover possible rescue and funeral expenses. Saint-Gervais sits at the base Western Europe’s highest mountain. UPDATED
2nd August 2022
20cm has fallen in some resorts with resorts in New South Wales seeing the best of it. However the latest storm is expected to bring heavy rain and some resorts have closed their lifts. UPDATED
29th July 2022
It is the latest resort to call off summer skiing as the warm summer temperatures take their toll. Hintertux in Austria is now the only on summer ski resort in the Alps open to the general public.
26th July 2022
The largest salt water lake in the Western Hemisphere has reached its lowest level since records began. The lake is claimed to have a significant impact on the quality of winter snow in Utah.
16th July 2022
The ski seasons in Australia and New Zealand are well underway with a great start to winter and more snow is now falling. UPDATED
9th July 2022
The main ski areas in Argentina and Chile are now open for their 2022 season. There have been some decent conditions so far and for some it’s the first time they have been open since 2019 as Covid-19 spread.
7th July 2022
It is the latest resort to end its summer skiing operations. There are continued high temperatures and a lack of fresh snow after a modest winter for snowfall. It raises questions about how long summer glacier skiing can carry on in alpine resorts. UPDATED
6th July 2022
It is the worst drought in 70 years and follows poor levels of winter snow and precious little rain since. The alpine areas are badly affected and it will impact on summer glacier skiing. UPDATED
5th July 2022
It was feared a 12th person could have been killed, but rescuers now say there is no reason to believe the toll will be higher. A day of mourning has been held. Rising temperatures have been widely blamed for the tragedy. UPDATED
5th July 2022
In Switzerland scientists are monitoring the mountain above Kandersteg which is moving several meters a year. A new crack has been spotted on the Marmolada glacier in Italy that partially collapsed killing 11 people earlier this month. UPDATED
3rd July 2022
The accident happened in the Dolomites in northern Italy. The collapse triggered an avalanche of rocks, snow and ice that hit a number of hikers. Eight other people were injured, two are reported to be in a serious condition. It’s feared the death toll could rise as the search operation resumes. UPDATED
2nd July 2022
A new study claims the number of snow days where snow lies on the ground in the Alps will halve by 2100 if greenhouse emissions remain high. Mountain seasonal snow cover is undergoing major changes due to global climate change, but action can be taken. NEW
26th June 2022
Some slopes are now open and they will hopefully stay open to Sunday July 3rd. Friday July 1st is Canada Day. The resort hasn’t opened at this time of year for over three decades. UPDATED
23rd June 2022
There has been no rain for almost 4-months in places. It follows a winter that saw snowfall levels down 70%, so there has also been precious little meltwater filling the rivers and reservoirs.
19th June 2022
The camp is on the Khumbu glacier that is melting rapidly. A new site needs to be found at a lower altitude where there is no year-round ice. Rising temperatures are hitting the glaciers in the Himalayas hard. NEW
