El Nino could be the saviour of the ski season. Possibly
After a rubbish start to the ski season last year, tour operators and resorts are hopeful that the El Nino effect will mean bumper snowfalls in both the Alps and North America this winter.
In case you’ve never heard of it, El Nino is a weather phenomenon that happens every two to seven years when the waters of the central Pacific Ocean become abnormally warm which, combined with changes to normal wind patterns, causes extreme weather.
And this year, according to weather experts, it will be one of the strongest on record, which might mean heavy snowfalls across Europe. In the US, El Nino usually brings higher than usual snowfall to the southern Rockies, including popular resorts in California.
El Nino is expected to be at its peak between now and January, and operators and resorts are hopeful that will mean early snowfalls as there are signs that the poor start to last season, when many resorts were so dry they were forced to delay their opening, has put skiers off booking for this December.
According to ski website Planet Ski, bookings are so poor operators are being forced to discount for Christmas, one of the peak weeks of the season.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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