For Monday 2 to Thursday 5 November
Kitzbühel and Gstaad open soon while the Alps stay mostly dry
Nine resorts are open on Monday, most of them high in the Alps, and the first of the next wave arrive at the end of the week: Kitzbühel on Friday and Gstaad on Saturday. There is little new snow to help them. Monday and Tuesday are almost entirely dry in the Alps, Wednesday looks like a light fall around the Matterhorn, and the freezing level trends higher by Thursday.
Kitzbühel and Gstaad open after mild days
Kitzbühel has announced Friday as its opening day and Gstaad Saturday. The forecast shows no new snow at either from Monday to Thursday.
It starts cold enough at Kitzbühel, around -3°C at the 1,960 m top on Monday, but the trend is upward. By Thursday the freezing level looks likely to sit well above the top at both resorts, with around 5°C at the top of Kitzbühel and 6°C at the top of Gstaad. It looks dry, so rain is not the concern, but nor is there any fresh snow in sight before opening.
Tyrol glaciers hold steady in the dry
The most reliable skiing is here. Hintertuxer Gletscher scores 95 on all four days, while Stubaier Gletscher and Pitztal Glacier score 95 through Wednesday, with Pitztal likely to ease to 89 on Thursday. Sölden is excellent too, at 91 on Monday and 89 on Tuesday.
No new snow is forecast, but the freezing level stays well below the glacier tops. Monday is the windy day, with gusts around 60 km/h at the top of Pitztal; Tuesday is much calmer.
Next in the area are Obergurgl-Hochgurgl on 19 November and Ischgl - Samnaun on 26 November, both announced dates.
Light snow around the Matterhorn
Saas-Fee is the pick in the Valais, scoring 95 from Tuesday to Thursday, with tops around -8°C and little wind by the standards of the week. It looks set for only a dusting on Wednesday.
Wednesday's fall looks better on the high ground shared by Matterhorn Ski Paradise and Breuil-Cervinia, likely a few centimetres at the top. Cervinia scores 95 on Tuesday, then eases to the high 70s as fog moves in, with five to seven hours of it likely on Wednesday and Thursday. Tuesday is the better day there.
Passo Stelvio reached its announced closing date today, so it drops out of the list.
Switzerland and France wait for later dates
Engelberg-Titlis is the one open resort in central Switzerland. It stays dry and cold at the 3,024 m top, with three to four hours of fog on Monday and Tuesday and gusts near 50 km/h likely on Wednesday.
The openings then build: Davos Klosters on 13 November and Andermatt+Sedrun+Disentis on 14 November. On 21 November come Grindelwald-Wengen, Mürren-Schilthorn, St. Moritz - Corviglia and Val Thorens, all announced, along with Flumserberg on our estimate. Obertauern comes a day earlier, on 20 November.
None of these gets meaningful snow this week. Val Thorens looks set for little more than a dusting on Thursday.
Further afield, snow turns to rain
Hokkaido gets the week's busiest weather. Sapporo Kokusai, opening 20 November, sees around 2 cm at the top on Tuesday, mixed with rain and gusts around 65 km/h. Wednesday looks like more of the same with stronger wind, and gusts near 80 km/h are possible there and at Kiroro Ski World. By Thursday the freezing level climbs well above the tops, so rain is likely at Teine Highland Ski Center too, which opens 21 November.
Whistler Mountain, estimated for 20 November, looks like a little snow at the top on Wednesday and Thursday with rain on the lower slopes. Levi, open in Finland, stays around freezing with no new snow and a little rain likely on Wednesday.
Our call
For skiing this week, go high: Tuesday on the Tyrol glaciers or at Saas-Fee looks the best of it, with Hintertuxer Gletscher the steadiest choice. Then watch the freezing level ahead of the Kitzbühel and Gstaad openings, since a real snowfall has yet to show in the forecast.