Snow report: Make tracks while the sun shines on Europe's slopes

The sunny weather has continued in Switzerland, so head up high and stick to north-facing slopes for the best snow

Monday 16 March 2015 07:33 EDT
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Lift off: Great conditions in Val Thorens
Lift off: Great conditions in Val Thorens (AFP/Getty)

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Spring is on its way, but Europe's ski season still has a few weeks left. Many resorts have seen fresh snowfalls this week, and are expecting more in the coming days.

One of the Austrian resorts that picked up a significant amount of snow was Saalbach-Hinterglemm (60cm/125cm, lower/upper pistes) with up to 20cm being recorded. This has brought about fresh pistes and powdery conditions off piste.

Sunshine has been beating down on the French Alps, nicely softening the slopes and providing some lovely ski weather. Some of the best conditions in the country at present are in Val Thorens (125cm/210cm) and across the upper areas of Les Trois Vallées.

Softer pistes have been reported on the lower slopes of Méribel (83cm/149cm) and Courchevel (100cm/157cm), but up high there are still some wintery snow conditions to be found. New snow is due, so expect fresh tracks next week, with the heaviest falls at present set for the south and east of the Alps, and also across the Pyrenees.

The sunny weather has continued in Switzerland, so head up high and stick to north-facing slopes for the best snow. Great skiing has been reported in the Jungfrau region, with some excellent spring snow at Grindelwald (8cm/167cm), Mürren (72cm/210cm) and Wengen (20cm/115cm). Davos (56cm/171cm) and Klosters (56cm/171cm) have also enjoyed excellent conditions all week.

Over in Germany, light dustings of snow were picked up this week, aside from in Feldberg, which has retained some warm sunshine. The Zugspitze Glacier above Garmisch-Partenkirchen (40cm/365cm) again proved itself to be one of the snowiest places this season, picking up a further 10cm of fresh powder. A return to spring sunshine is expected for the weekend ahead.

Meanwhile, Italy was expecting a huge dump of snow across all regions this weekend, which should continue through into next week.

Yet more snow has been falling at Bulgarian resorts, with around 5cm on Wednesday night and a further 25cm possible by the end of the weekend. Great skiing is on offer both on and off piste, with fantastic conditions likely right through the Easter holidays.

Closer to home, recent high winds and thaw conditions have limited snowsports in the Scottish Highlands, but new snow has fallen, and settled weather was expected this weekend – so head on up for some good riding.

The Ski Club of Great Britain (020 8410 2015; skiclub.co.uk) is a not-for-profit snowsports club which offers benefits to more than 30,000 members who receive discounts on travel, kit and holidays; access to industry-leading snow reports; information and advice; and access to the in-resort Ski Club Leader service. Individual membership costs £63 or £24 for beginners and those aged under 24.

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