The Grasshopper

15/05/2024

It's looking promising for the upcoming NZ Snow Season..

If you’ve got a different theory on what’s going to happen this winter, or just want to provide feedback, hit me up. 🦗

Mountainwatch | The Grasshopper As we reach the tail-end of autumn, any remaining El Niño effects fade away. Wintry air masses have already started their

16/04/2024

The first snowfall of 2024 came down in the Aussie Alps early last week, just a dusting of pure bliss to whet the appetite for the fast-approaching snow season, which kicks off in just under two months. The snow will have disappeared by the time this reaches your eyes, but will no doubt have left you wondering whether this is going to be our year.

consensus of models expects we’ll enter into a weak-moderate strength La Niña event sometime this season.

16/11/2023

First North America, then Europe, and now Japan is on the map after the first proper snowstorm of the season came through earlier this week. What does it mean for the upcoming season? Will it last? And where should you go?

Click the link and find out...

https://www.mountainwatch.com/Snow-news/2023-2024-japanese-snow-season-outlook-grasshoppers-november-update/

06/11/2023

The first series of legitimate snow storms rolled through last week, bringing freezing temperatures and deep powder to many resorts out west. From the Cascades in the northwest, to the Rockies of Alberta down to Utah and Colorado, a solid 20-50cm+ has been dumped, turning everything wonderfully white and providing a timely boost for resorts who are looking to open their gates within the next several weeks – for some in the next few days...

Click the link for full outlook!

more often than not we see more snow than average in the Sierras, and southern Rockies of Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico

16/10/2023

Hokkaido in Feb??!

Check out the Grasshopper's 23/24 Japan Season Outlook to find out what we can expect in an El Nino Year...

when we’re talking of averages that generally range between 4m and 12m across approximately

02/07/2023

High pressure drifting overhead will keep things nice and settled today, although scraps of high cloud will indicate that something more sinister is brewing on the horizon. That “something” is in fact a trough to our north over Queensland.

Click the link to read the full forecast!

a continuous train of snow-bearing systems will arrive in the Aussie Alps

02/07/2023

NZ has jumped back into winter mode after a strong, freezing SW flow descended upon the country over the weekend.

Snowmaking and grooming teams have been going hard trying to make the most of cold temps, and along with about 5-15cm of natural snow, resorts have bounced back to life. Both Coronet Peak and Mt Hutt reopened yesterday, and Treble Cone plans to open Tuesday.

Click the link for the full forecasts:

looks favourable for numerous shots of powder next week

30/06/2023

We’ve seen a mix of rain and snow falling over NZ resorts these last few days, which hasn’t helped after a month of un-winter-like weather has brought about a very sluggish start to the season here. Only the Remarkables and Cardrona remain open after Coronet Peak closed this week, while Mt Hutt and Treble Cone also remain closed.

strong, cold W-SW flow blows over the country today and through the weekend

15/06/2023

Australian Forecast – More Snow Showers Today, then Grey and Drab till Saturday

Valid Wednesday 14thJune to Saturday 17thJune

The rain eventually turned to snow yesterday and now there’s a lovely fresh layer up here. Snow reports haven’t come in yet, but further snow showers today should add a few- several more centimetres to it.

The following few days will be rather grey and drab as W-NW winds continue to push in cloud and drizzle, often clagging up the slopes and reducing the visibility. Freezing levels will mostly be hovering up around 1800m-2000m, so snow making will be limited if any, but they should drop a touch during Saturday as NW winds blow a gale ahead of an approaching cold front.

The Grasshopper. The Southern Hemisphere's most reputable 6-legged snow forecaster for season outlooks, daily synoptic reviews & predictions. Mountainwatch

30/05/2023

Only two weeks until it’s all go. It’s crunch time. After a nice dump of snow on Thursday night and a few more centimetres yesterday, the Aussie Alps are looking lovely and white. Trudging around up here it mostly looks to be ankle to shin deep (human, not grasshopper), about 10-15 odd cms.

Will it be enough to get us over the line on opening day? There’s a little hope showing up in the forecast with a few snow showers this week and some potential for snow during opening weekend. It’s nerve racking, nail biting stuff, and with a strong El Nino looming on the horizon, one may need long nails to get through this season...

Click the link to read the full outlook : https://www.mountainwatch.com/Snow-news/2023-australian-snow-season-outlook-june-update-party-like-its-1972/

What are you predicting for this season?

with a strong El Nino looming on the horizon,

15/12/2022

I'm back with my first weekly Japan snow forecasts for the 2022/23 winter and it's looking good with a current storm set to drop a good 10-20cm of supper fluffy stuff on Hokkaido and 30-50cm or more on Honshu". And there is more to come in the next week, click through for the full forecast:
https://www.mountainwatch.com/grasshopper/

The Grasshopper. The Southern Hemisphere's most reputable 6-legged snow forecaster for season outlooks, daily synoptic reviews & predictions. Mountainwatch

06/12/2022

Things are looking to be firing up here in Japan. We haven’t been lucky with early season snowfall, but there’s plenty showing up in models over the next week and half, as well as a hopeful tail end to December, especially on Hokkaido.

Click to read the full outlook!

there’s plenty showing up in models over the next week and half,

14/11/2022

NTH America Snow Season Outlook! ⛄️ ⛷ 🏂

Resorts in Canada and the northern states – Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana and possibly Wyoming – are most likely to have above average snowfall this season. However, the southern parts of Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming perhaps lie more in the middle ground, as do the northern parts of the Sierras, Utah, and Colorado.

Despite an unfavourable outlook for the south, resorts there are off to a good start, as they are pretty much everywhere. And we all know that during a heavy or light season, often it’s about timing as conditions fluctuate with passing storm cycles.

Check out the full North America Season Outlook via the link below and get in touch to secure your next ski holiday to North America now!

📸
📍 Mammoth Mountain

https://www.mountainwatch.com/Snow-news/2022-2023-north-american-snow-season-outlook-more-snow-upnorth-less-down-south-and-everything-in-between/

08/06/2022

Phew, here I am folks, finally out of hibernation. I had to dig a long way up through the snow this morning. There hasn’t been this much snow at the start of a season in over two decades I reckon. Those two storms really came up with the goods, pumping out over a metre of snow since May 30th, and now most resorts are in business and reporting snow depths of 0.5-1m.
It’s just what we need after a couple of tough years...

cold southwesterlies and light snow flurries will continue for the next several days

31/05/2022

Snow Outlook - July Update!

"Just under two weeks to go until we’re in business folks, and what a cracker opening weekend it is shaping up to be.
Short-range models have got not one, but two snowfall events over the next week and a half, which will likely dump around
0.5-1m of snow over most resorts."

Read all about it in the updated Season Outlook:
https://www.mountainwatch.com/Snow-news/2022-australian-snow-season-outlook-june-update-big-snowfalls-to-kick-start-and-extra-stormy-season/

12/05/2022

Some healthy looking numbers for NZ coming up..

We in for an early start to the NZ ski season?

27/04/2022

Here we go folks, the next round of the oft-turbulent Australian snow season kicks off in about six weeks time. I’ve tuned my antennae into the latest climate data, and it’s looking turbulent indeed. With high precipitation and a possible increase in cutoff lows on the cards, the season is on a knife-edge where cold temperatures will be the difference between powder turns and tussock turns.

a game of two halves where the second half see’s more precipitation than the first

27/01/2022

More Subdued Conditions On The Way For Japan?

Maximum snow totals in for the next 10 days are around 1.3m in Honshu and 60cm in Hokkaido.

20/01/2022

A week of huge snowfalls around Japan with some massive powder days thanks to multiple dumps. 76cm has been reported over the last seven days in Niseko, but the big falls came down in Honshu with 94cm reported in Hakuba, 140cm in Nozawa Onsen and a whopping 227cm in Myoko!!!

  Mountainwatch | The Grasshopper Valid January 19 – January 26 A week of huge snowfalls around Japan with some massive powder days thanks to

06/01/2022

Another big week has come and gone around Japan with some large Siberian storm cycles hitting both Honshu and Hokkaido. Consistency has been the name of the game since the season got underway with reports around Niseko showing daily snowfalls every day since December 15.

there is still considerable snow on the way for central Honshu and other regions

16/12/2021

Welcome to the first weekly forecast for the 2021 Japanese snow season. It has been a relatively benign start around Japan, but things are starting to kick into gear with some new snow on the ground over the past few days and what looks to be a lot more on the way over the next week.

what looks to be a lot more snow on the way over the next week

25/11/2021

The season started off with a bang in October with unseasonably large totals over western North America, however since then things have quietened down a bit, particularly in the US.

Check out what's in store for the rest of the season, we in for another big one...

it's looking like average to above average season in store for the northwest of the USA and Canadian Rockies.

17/11/2021

Another La Nina?
Read the Grasshopper's Japan Snow Season Outlook

likely an average season for Hokkaido and a slightly better than average season for areas of Honshu.

26/10/2021

18/08/2021

As the storm clears today, many are looking at webcams of places they would rather be as the deep fresh snow coincides with yesterday’s news of New Zealand’s snow resorts plunging into level 4 lockdown for three days.

Thanks to the storm earlier this week we have just seen great snow accumulations around the country, offering some of the best conditions so far this season. Ohau reported a metre up top in 24 hours to Tuesday morning and other locations around the Southern Alps reporting around the half a metre mark in the past 48 hours.

anomalously low pressure and stronger westerlies, all being good ingredients for snowfall.

17/08/2021

Big snowfalls continuing all over NZ right now with Ohau reporting 1 metre up top this morning!

Boy oh boy it’s looking good up here ❄️
📸: the one and only .ovenden

05/08/2021

We have made it to August and things are looking very optimistic, especially compared to my last update.

Two consecutive storms in the month of July really helped our cause, boosting snow depths to above a metre in many of the major resorts. I’m going to have a look at what we can expect for the rest of the season and why we had such a nice July.

we may still have some periods of negative SAM on the way which is our best chance for snow.

30/07/2021

We’re expecting a partly cloudy day with decent winds again around the Alps. Right now, there is a high-pressure system moving across the northeast of the country while a front is approaching in the Southern Ocean, which will bring in some precipitation on the weekend. . .

there is a bunch of wet and windy days ahead with high elevations picking up some snow,

26/07/2021

We expect it to get a little warmer today with some small amounts of precipitation in the forecast. Today should see the weekend’s snowstorm wind down with some snow in parts, but not looking to be too heavy. After today there are more flurries in the works for tomorrow before another good day of snowfalls on Wednesday.

The Grasshopper. The Southern Hemisphere's most reputable 6-legged snow forecaster for season outlooks, daily synoptic reviews & predictions. Mountainwatch