France's highest ski resort Val Thorens delays opening over lack of snow
Val Thorens - the French ski resort that sits at an altitude of 2,300 m - has delayed its reopening for 2022 due to inadequate snow.
Skiers in France who were looking to enjoy early winter sports will be disappointed to hear that the French Alps' ski resort, Val Thornes, which was set to open Saturday, November 19th, has delayed its reopening by one week.
On Sunday, the resort - which is Europe's tallest and boasts over 600 kilometres of runs - announced on Twitter that its new opening date would be Saturday, November 26th.
[INFORMATION] Toutes les informations concernant l'ouverture de Val Thorens initialement prévue les 19 & 20 novembre 2022 : https://t.co/iRPJKzG5Bg pic.twitter.com/biy7rdTe6P
— ❄️ Val Thorens ❄️ (@Val_Tho) November 13, 2022
According to the statement published by Val Thorens, the delay is because "snow cover at altitude is satisfactory, but does not allow a ski in, ski out."
Nevertheless, the resort told eager skiers and snowboarders added that "All the teams are already on the ground to prepare the ski area with a forecast of opening for the weekend of November 26-27 for the High Test."
In most years, Val Thorens is among the first ski resorts to open in France, due to its high altitude which normally allows for an earlier start to the ski season.
Last year - during the winter of 2021-2022 - the Alps marked a decrease in snowfall, particularly the southern Alps, which recorded their lowest level of snow cover in over 60 years.
While the Northern Alps were less impacted, climate experts also noted a deficit in snow coverage.
Triste record établi dans les Alpes du Sud, celui de l'enneigement global le plus faible à la fin de l'hiver météo.
Au 1er mars, l'équivalent en eau du manteau neigeux est le plus faible sur la période 1959/2022, encore plus faible que la valeur de 1989. pic.twitter.com/pOUksf4R77
— Gaétan Heymes (@GaetanHeymes) March 2, 2022
Temperatures have remained high during the 2022 fall, after the month of October was registered as the "warmest on record in Europe", according to the European climate monitoring service Copernicus.
October #Temperature highlights from #CopernicusClimate Change Service #C3S
🌡 Europe had its warmest October on record
🌡 The largest colder-than-average temperatures were found in Australia, far eastern Russia and in parts of west Antarctica.
More 👉 https://t.co/7gc6Cdoo6J pic.twitter.com/423QuVxtoC
— Copernicus ECMWF (@CopernicusECMWF) November 8, 2022
The agency went on to note that average temperatures were "nearly 2C above the 1991-2020 reference period". The announcement followed another statement which listed September 2022 as the hottest on record, with temperatures 1.34C above normal.
As of Monday, no other ski resorts in France had announced plans to push back opening dates. With its new start time, Val Thorens will join other resorts in the French alps, such as Chamonix, Tignes, and Val d'Isère which are all also set to open during the final weekend of November.
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Skiers in France who were looking to enjoy early winter sports will be disappointed to hear that the French Alps' ski resort, Val Thornes, which was set to open Saturday, November 19th, has delayed its reopening by one week.
On Sunday, the resort - which is Europe's tallest and boasts over 600 kilometres of runs - announced on Twitter that its new opening date would be Saturday, November 26th.
[INFORMATION] Toutes les informations concernant l'ouverture de Val Thorens initialement prévue les 19 & 20 novembre 2022 : https://t.co/iRPJKzG5Bg pic.twitter.com/biy7rdTe6P
— ❄️ Val Thorens ❄️ (@Val_Tho) November 13, 2022
According to the statement published by Val Thorens, the delay is because "snow cover at altitude is satisfactory, but does not allow a ski in, ski out."
Nevertheless, the resort told eager skiers and snowboarders added that "All the teams are already on the ground to prepare the ski area with a forecast of opening for the weekend of November 26-27 for the High Test."
In most years, Val Thorens is among the first ski resorts to open in France, due to its high altitude which normally allows for an earlier start to the ski season.
Last year - during the winter of 2021-2022 - the Alps marked a decrease in snowfall, particularly the southern Alps, which recorded their lowest level of snow cover in over 60 years.
While the Northern Alps were less impacted, climate experts also noted a deficit in snow coverage.
Triste record établi dans les Alpes du Sud, celui de l'enneigement global le plus faible à la fin de l'hiver météo.
— Gaétan Heymes (@GaetanHeymes) March 2, 2022
Au 1er mars, l'équivalent en eau du manteau neigeux est le plus faible sur la période 1959/2022, encore plus faible que la valeur de 1989. pic.twitter.com/pOUksf4R77
Temperatures have remained high during the 2022 fall, after the month of October was registered as the "warmest on record in Europe", according to the European climate monitoring service Copernicus.
October #Temperature highlights from #CopernicusClimate Change Service #C3S
— Copernicus ECMWF (@CopernicusECMWF) November 8, 2022
🌡 Europe had its warmest October on record
🌡 The largest colder-than-average temperatures were found in Australia, far eastern Russia and in parts of west Antarctica.
More 👉 https://t.co/7gc6Cdoo6J pic.twitter.com/423QuVxtoC
The agency went on to note that average temperatures were "nearly 2C above the 1991-2020 reference period". The announcement followed another statement which listed September 2022 as the hottest on record, with temperatures 1.34C above normal.
As of Monday, no other ski resorts in France had announced plans to push back opening dates. With its new start time, Val Thorens will join other resorts in the French alps, such as Chamonix, Tignes, and Val d'Isère which are all also set to open during the final weekend of November.
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