With fresh snow falling on either side of the equator, winter in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres is pumping. Here’s where the May snow is at…
After plenty of snowfall in New Zealand’s Manganui ski area (Taranaki), the resort has opened for the ski season a whole month early. But it’s also been snowing in the Alps, Pyrenees and Rockies, with some resorts even reopening for winter fun.
In Japan you can still ski at Gassan in Yamagata Prefecture, famous for being too snowy to open before April. And although the setup is fairly basic, with four runs serviced by a single lift and a couple of T-bars, skiing will run through July.
Norway’s summer ski glaciers are open – Fonna, Galdhoppingen and Stryn – as are Austria’s Hintertux, Stubai, Kaunertal and Kaprun – which a week ago saw 50 centimetres of fresh fall in 24 hours. The Zermatt glacier plans to run right through to next winter, all being well, and Les 2 Alpes in France is enjoying May powder for as long as it will last (slated 30 June).
Mid May, there’s even fresh snow high in the Pyrenees. Spanish freeride boss Aymar Navarro is quids in skiing in his local Val d’Aran on 16 May, after a surprise drop of snow:
- For a full snow report from around the world, check out Snow Forecast’s World Snow Roundup #291.
Here’s a look at May snow around the globe:
