Every couple of weeks we run our four-model blend across all 157 resorts and read out what stands out, in both hemispheres at the same time. This is the picture for October 22 to November 5.
The north: France is the story
The biggest numbers this fortnight are in the French Alps. Chamonix Mont-Blanc is forecast for about 87 cm at the summit over two weeks, and most of it — around 81 cm — falls in the next seven days. Val d’Isère is close behind at 92 cm, with Tignes (79 cm) and Les Arcs (78 cm) right on its heels. Méribel and Alpe d’Huez both sit around 66 cm.
That is a proper early-season cycle for the northern Alps: cold enough up high that the precipitation falls as snow at the summits, with the freezing level dropping as the week goes on.
Japan is the other northern story. Kiroro Snow World leads the entire hemisphere at 98 cm over two weeks, though it is spread more evenly than France’s burst, and Niseko Grand Hirafu adds another 66 cm. Whistler Blackcomb shows 55 cm over two weeks, but only about 10 cm of that lands in the next seven days — one to watch in week two.
The south: Chile’s late-season rally
The southern hemisphere is supposed to be winding down in late October, and mostly it is. But the Chilean Andes are not done. Valle Nevado is forecast for 104 cm over two weeks and La Parva 103 cm, with El Colorado at 87 cm — a late storm cycle rolling through the high Andes.
New Zealand and Argentina are quieter, as you would expect this time of year. The Remarkables and Las Leñas both show around 45 cm, Treble Cone 43 cm, and Portillo 41 cm. Enough to keep the spring touring honest, but the season is clearly closing out.
What to make of it
Two caveats, because we would rather be straight about this. First, these are upper-mountain totals — roughly three-quarters of the way up the vertical, where the top lifts run; the base is always lower. Every resort page shows base, mid and upper separately so you can see the spread. Second, these are forecasts, and as we wrote recently, models over mountains disagree more than anywhere else. Treat the two-week number as a signal, not a promise, and check the range on each resort page.
If you are chasing early snow, the fastest way to see the whole picture is the live map, switched between 24 hours, 7 days and 14 days.