SKI: Find out which resorts have the best snow

It’s been another very snowy week for much of the Alps.  Austria was first in the firing line with up to 50cm of new snow falling on Monday.  The heaviest of the snow then transferred further west, with the deepest powder now in the northern French and western Swiss Alps.

Some southern Alpine regions have missed the heaviest of the snow, but conditions remain excellent just about everywhere, says snow guru Fraser Wilkin of www.weathertoski.co.uk.

 It has also turned colder and will remain cold for the foreseeable future.  All in all things are looking very positive indeed in the run up to half-term.

Austria

Most Austrian resorts saw a big dump of snow on Monday (up to 50cm in places) and, with colder air now in place, conditions are excellent across the board.  In the west, Lech (160/300cm) is living up to its super-snowy reputation with an additional 20cm overnight. Further east, lower resorts such as Kitzbühel (80/175cm) are also in perfect shape, and it is set to remain cold for the foreseeable future.

France

It’s a powder day for many today, particularly in the northern French Alps where up to 40cm of new snow has fallen in places. Needless to say, conditions are epic in Avoriaz (240/280cm) where another 20-30cm could fall today. There’s been fresh snow too for Serre Chevalier (80/170cm), but only a dusting for Isola 2000 (157/235cm) in the far south. Here as everywhere, however, conditions are excellent.

Italy

Conditions in Italy remain very good just about everywhere, despite most Italian resorts having missed the heaviest of the recent snow.  One exception is the Aosta Valley, where it snowed last night and conditions in Courmayeur (80/185cm) are excellent at all levels. There has been no significant fresh snow further east in Madonna di Campiglio (60/150cm), but all lifts are open today and here too the slopes are in great shape.

Switzerland

Conditions are superb throughout Switzerland with lots of fresh snow, particularly in the north and west. It’s yet another powder day in Verbier (115/290cm) which continues to enjoy one of its best ever seasons. The is even more snow  in Andermatt (120/420cm) and Engelberg (105/470cm) that boast the two deepest upper bases in the Alps.

Rest of Europe

The Pyrenees have seen some extraordinary snowfalls in recent weeks and it’s dumping it again in Cauterets today where snow depths are 5.5m up top, the highest of any ski resort in the world! By contrast, it’s been fairly dry in Bulgaria recently but conditions are still good in Borovets (110/160cm) and snowfalls are expected to resume on Thursday. Good conditions are also reported in Norway where Geilo has a dusting of snow and the base is 71/89cm deep depending on altitude.

USA

Not much snow has fallen in Colorado over the last few days, but conditions are still good in Winter Park (119cm mid-mountain) and Breckenridge (104cm) thanks to significant falls at the end of January. For powder, the best place right now is the Pacific North-West where Mt Baker is expecting 40cm on Wednesday and the upper base is a whopping 452cm.

Canada

After a few days off it’s snowing again in Whistler where there is 20-30cm of powder at altitude and the mid-mountain base is 189cm deep. Flurries have also spread inland to Kicking Horse (140cm upper base) where conditions are excellent top to bottom.

For access to the most comprehensive free snow report on the web, click here.