A weather-model figure, worked out the same way for every ski area, and lower than what actually falls. Use it to compare ski areas, not against the resort’s own totals. How we measure →
Updated: 10 Nov 2026, 12:15
We do not show a snow depth here. The weather model we use reports snow lying on the ground — it knows nothing about grooming or snowmaking, and it is not the base depth a ski area publishes. In Japan we can check our figures against 234 weather stations. Outside Japan there is nothing to check them against, so we do not print a number we have not verified. Snow report on the official site ↗
| Date | Weather | Snow (cm) | Low / high (°C) | Wind (km/h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 10 Nov | Showers | 0 | 1 to 3 | 4 |
| Wed 11 Nov | Showers | 0 | 2 to 4 | 4 |
| Thu 12 Nov | Snow | 3 | 0 to 2 | 4 |
| Fri 13 Nov | Snow | 1 | −4 to 1 | 7 |
| Sat 14 Nov | Fog | 0 | −4 to 1 | 8 |
| Sun 15 Nov | Snow | 0 | −3 to −2 | 14 |
| Mon 16 Nov | Snow | 8 | −3 to −2 | 14 |
The five add up to the 100-point Powder Score: more fresh snow, more on the way and colder air all push it up. How we measure
Bellwald, in Switzerland, runs from 1,622 m at the base to 2,558 m at the top. Its mapped area is about 3.2 km across, with 56 marked runs and 4 lifts (about 16 km of piste in all).
Over the last twelve winters the ERA5 weather model gives it 325 cm of snowfall a season, 383rd (tied) of 3,069 worldwide and 53rd in Switzerland. It swings a lot from year to year: the biggest winter, 2017/18 (562 cm), brought more than twice as much as the leanest, 2021/22 (200 cm). March is usually the snowiest month, with about 95 cm.
The nearest city of any size is Luzern, about 68 km away in a straight line.
Counted from the runs and lifts drawn on OpenStreetMap, within the boundary of the ski area. These are not the resort’s own published figures.
Only 18% of the vertical on the runs descends to the north or east. The most common direction is south (64%).
See past trail maps on Skimap.org ↗
Source: OpenSkiMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL 1.0). How finely ski areas are drawn varies by region, so treat the counts as indicative. Vertical is the difference between the highest and lowest points of the mapped runs and lifts.
Footage remains the copyright of each operator. JAPANSNOWLINE neither stores nor redistributes it.
Modelled from weather data the same way at all 3,069 ski areas we cover. These are not the resort’s own published figures.
Within 50 km in a straight line. Ski areas in the same weather-model cell (about 30 km across) get the same figure.
| Ski area | Distance | Seasonal snowfall | World rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gluringen | 5.4 km | 325 cmsame grid cell | 383 |
| Aletsch Arena | 8.2 km | 316 cm | 423 |
| Wilern | 9.1 km | 322 cm | 393 |
| Münster-Geschinen | 9.9 km | 318 cm | 408 |
| Blatten Belalp | 16.0 km | 369 cm | 231 |
The most snow falls in March. March brings as much as January, or more. In amount, March brings 95 cm, more than the median of 60 cm.
Across the 12 winters measured, the average is 325 cm, and 7 of them fell short of it. The leanest was 2021/22 with 200 cm; the biggest was 2017/18 with 562 cm (2.8 times as much). For 47% of the 283 ski areas in Switzerland the leanest winter was 2016/17; here it was a different one.
Snowfall each winter (December–March total). The dashed line is the average; the numbers mark the leanest and the biggest winter.
Other booking sites: Booking.com ↗ · Agoda ↗
Climate and the future · 27 Aug 2026
In Japan, Height Barely Predicts Snowfall: +0.02, Against +0.58 in FranceAcross 3,069 ski areas we measure, height and snowfall move together — +0.58 in France, +0.85 in Germany. In Japan the figure is +0.02. The reason is not that elevation stopped working.
Japan vs elsewhere · 28 Aug 2026
A Black Run in Colorado and a Black Run in Austria Are Not the Same Thing. The Maps Prove It.Climate and the future · 28 Aug 2026
How Much Does Snowfall Change From One Winter to the Next? Country by Country