Travel Skiing: Something To Declare; A Survey Of Snow Conditions Around Europe

How have snow conditions been shaping up in the major European skiing destinations during the week? Like this:

Austria: Throughout the Austrian resorts conditions are exceptional, but the Arlberg area stands out: with a whopping 450cm on its upper slopes, St Anton offers superb powder skiing. Only Schladming to the east seems to have missed out on the bonanza, with only 50cm on its lower slopes. Elsewhere, you can't go wrong in Austria. The weather outlook is unsettled, but temperatures should continue to stay low.

France: All over the French Alps, with the sole exception of the southern resorts, snow is extremely plentiful. Chatel has 400cm on its upper slopes, while Flaine has good powder and a total depth again of 400cm. The problem in some resorts is an excess of snow: avalanche risk has restricted some ski areas, notably - for obvious reasons - at Chamonix and Argentiere. The snow in the French Pyrenees and Andorra, however, is not nearly so good. Temperatures have been very low this week, but changeable weather is forecast.

Italy: Although the eastern side of the Alps has missed out on the big snowfalls, all the main Italian ski resorts have reasonable cover - which was not the case earlier in the season. Among the areas which could do with more snow cover are Claviere and Cortina, and the Milky Way resorts; but skiers at Madesimo and Courmayeur (which has 200cm on its upper slopes) can have no complaints about conditions. Unsettled weather is expected.

Switzerland: As in France, the sheer quantity of snow has caused problems, with some ski areas - notably at Wengen and Grindelwald - being restricted by avalanche danger or extreme weather conditions. Elsewhere in Switzerland the skiing is excellent, with Villars and Les Diablerets looking particularly good.