In Europe, snow is falling. The Alpine high tops are recording up to 50cms of fresh. There’s snow in the Dolomites, it’s been falling in Andorra and Spain in the Pyrenees, as well as last week in Slovakia in the Tatras Mountains.
In Austria, Hintertux and Sölden are both skiing. The Kaunertal glacier opened on 1 October, as did Stübai and Pitztal.
In Switzerland, Zermatt is open for skiing on the Klein Matterhorn glacier, and Saas-Fee will kick off on 7 October.
Italy’s open ski areas include Val Senales and Passo Stelvio, as well as the Zermatt-Cervinia glacier.
In France, Val Thorens reported half a metre at the start of October. Chamonix looks like it’s had considerably more than that up top at the Aiguille du Midi. Tignes has had a drop too, but is biding its time, waiting for snow to repair the Grande Motte glacier that suffered under severe sun this summer.
In North America, it’s snowing in Colorado’s highlands, with Loveland and Arapahoe Basin reporting regular dustings as they set out in their usual race to be the first to open.
In the Southern Hemisphere, the end of winter has come. Falls Creek, Mt Hotham and Perisher – which recorded the biggest snow depths in Australia with 190cm – called it a day on 3 October, starting and finishing the season with good snowfall.
Portillo in Chile recorded one of the snowiest ever winters.
At home in the UK, we’ve just been warned that the temperatures are dropping and we’re to expect a snowy December.
