Weather Eye: great skiing conditions this winter in Europe

After one of the best starts to a ski season for many years, the snows keep on falling across Europe. Stormy weather across

Italy this week produced big snowfalls in the north and floods farther south. And all over the Alps, fresh snows have been preserved in cold temperatures, with the promise of more to
come. This weekend a big Atlantic depression rolls across the UK with a heavy belt of rain that will then work its way through Western Europe, turning to heavy snow over the mountains.

“There is a real buzz about the conditions,” described Al Morgan, information manager at the Ski Club of Great Britain. “Many resorts have had an absolutely superb
start, superior to last year’s early season.”

Often an early snowfall quickly melts away because the ground is too warm. But this winter the cold temperatures have frozen the ground, helping the snow to settle and built up a thick
base, offering some protection against any milder spells later in the season.

Scotland’s resorts have also enjoyed the early snow, with more expected this weekend. This is giving them a huge shot in the arm as visitor numbers had dropped off alarmingly in
recent years as the winters have grown milder and shorter. But the resorts are reporting an increase in ticket sales and hope to beat last year’s total.

And it is not just Europe enjoying the snowfalls. In North America many ski resorts also opened early. Severe storms this week also dropped huge snowfalls on the eastern US. Even New
Orleans and many southern states had a rare snowfall on Thursday, with several inches falling.

Paul Simons