...BUT HERE’S WHERE YOU WILL FIND SOME SNOW

NEVER fear, it’s not all gloom and doom in the Alps — and Christmas is still five days away. High Alpine resorts currently have conditions from satisfactory to excellent.

Conditions in Andorra and the rest of the Pyrenees are also good for the time of year along with Norway, Sweden, and Finland.

Generally, in the Alps, the best skiing is in resorts with a top lift at 2,500m or higher. In

Switzerland, Zermatt, Saas Fee, Engelberg, and Andermatt all have plenty of snow.

In France, the international women racers are enjoying superb conditions for the World Cup downhill this weekend above Val d’Isere. On Thursday, training was cancelled because of too much snow. The resort’s new Snow Factory can cover Wembley stadium to a depth of half a metre in just one hour.

Tignes, Les Deux Alpes, Alpe d’Huez and Val Thorens are in g ood shape. Meribel, Courchevel and Serre Chevalier are opening more terrain on a daily basis.

In Italy, Cortina d’Ampezzo was the first of the main Dolomite resorts to open and Madonna di Campiglio has lots of snow. However, the best Italian skiing is to be found in Cervinia, with runs complete from Monte Rosa all the way down to the resort.

In Austria, Ischgl has been skiing well since late November. St Anton has plenty of skiing higher up. The glacial resorts of Obergurgl, Solden, Pitztal, Kaprun, the Stubai and Hintertux are all looking good. More snow is expected across Austria this weekend.

Both the Vallnord and Grandvalira areas of Andorra have good snow with nearly all runs open, along with Baqueira Beret and Spanish and French resorts such as St-Lary and Bareges.