Conditions in the Alps are superb for mid-March with low temperatures and fresh snow across the board, according to snow guru Fraser Wilkin of weathertoski.co.uk. The deepest powder is at altitude in the southern French and western Italian Alps (e.g. Serre Chevalier, La Thuile). It will turn a little milder later in the week but there is no real sign of spring for the time being – good news for most Easter skiers.
Austria
It has snowed across most Austrian resorts in the last day or two with the heaviest falls in the west. Lech (125/250cm) has about 30cm of powder and is skiing as well as anywhere right now, but lower lying resorts such as Zell am See (35/155cm) and Alpbach (50/125cm) are also in great condition for the time of year.
France
French resorts have seen lots of new snow this week, with some extraordinary falls in the southern Alps. Serre Chevalier, for example, picked up 1.25m in just 36hrs, one of its biggest storms in recent memory. Further west, Alpe d’Huez (215/420cm) has also been dumped on and now has the deepest upper base in France.
Italy
Italy is also skiing superbly with new snow in all resorts over the last few days. The heaviest snow was in the west where La Thuile (50/300cm) saw as much as 80cm. Resorts further east also got in on the action with 40-50cm in many Dolomite resorts including Cortina (50/200cm) where conditions are fabulous for the time of year.
Switzerland
There is fresh snow in all Swiss resorts with the deepest falls in the far west. Villars (40/200cm) can sometimes begin to struggle at this time of year, but is in mint condition right now with soft powdery snow at all levels. On the other side of the country, St Moritz (30/150cm) has also seen plenty of snow and is in superb shape as Easter draws near.
Rest of Europe
Andorra remains in excellent shape (along with the rest of the Pyrenees) with fresh snow in Soldeu (150/220cm). By contrast, there has been no significant snow for a month in some Bulgarian resorts but, on-piste at least, conditions are still alright in Borovets (70/150cm). Not a huge amount of new snow either for Sweden’s premier resort, Åre (65/115cm), but here too conditions are still generally pretty good.
USA
Colorado’s stronger second half of the season continues with fresh snow and good conditions in most resorts including Breckenridge where the mid-mountain base is 163cm deep. There’s been a little new snow further north in Jackson Hole (Wyoming) too where there is almost 2m up top. Here the runs are in excellent shape but the legendary off-piste is more variable.
Canada
The skiing remains good in Whistler with powdery conditions at altitude and a mid-mountain base of 258cm. There’s been fresh snow too for Banff/Lake Louise (215cm upper base) which continue to enjoy one of the best seasons in recent times.
See Today in the Alps for daily updates
