Heavy snowfall in Alps this weekend

Yet more snow has fallen across the Alps and Rockies this week, saying a firm farewell to autumn and a big hello to winter!

Although expected to warm up again next week, the Alps has seen regular snowfalls over the last few weeks ensuring that the higher resorts at least are looking likely to be in good shape for the start of the ski season in a few weeks’ time.

We’ve been receiving smug e mails from places as far apart as Austria and BC from friends lucky enough to have hit the slopes already; Chris Moran of ACD Media (www.allconditionsmedia.com) kindly informed me that it was dumping in Austria a couple of days ago whilst Marlene Streif sent me some very irritating pictures of the snow and sunshine in Red Mountain, BC.

In AUSTRIA the glaciers at Hintertux, Kaunertal, Kitzseteinhorn, Molltal, Rettenbach, Pitztal and Stubai are already open for skiing, whilst in SWITZERLAND the glaciers in Saas-Fee and Zermatt are also offering good skiing; and Verbier is open this weekend (for the weekend only, mind).

Further west in ITALY glacier skiing is again the go at Cervinia and Val Senales/Schalstal, whilst in FRANCE Tignes’ Grand Motte glacier has now been open for several weeks and looks likely to remain open until the ski season proper starts at the end of November.

Over in the USA, where the ski season tends to start a little earlier at Colorado’s high level resorts, Breckenridge opened today and Arapahoe Basin, Copper Mountain and Keystone are already open, as is Mammoth Mountain in Colorado.

CANADA only has a limited amount of skiing at the moment – although resorts such as Red Mountain (see above) have been getting snow the lifts are yet to start turning, but Norquay and Lake Louise are open for action.

So, although it’s impossible to say if we’re in for a season to compare to the last, at least things are starting promisingly…