www.Skiinfo.com reports that further huge snowfalls at the start of this week has brought fantastic early-season conditions to ski resorts across Europe.

Resorts in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Norway and Switzerland have reported falls of up to a metre (3.4 feet) in the past five days and more than 200 ski areas across the continent expect to be open this weekend. The Pyrenees are having their best start to the season for many years with snow accumulations passing the two metres (6 feet, 8 inches) mark at several resorts - great news for Andorra as well as resorts on the French and Spanish sides of the range.

Zermatt has more than 160km (100 miles) of piste open, probably the most in Europe at present, but the Espace Killy in France opens on Friday, which offers 300km (187 miles) of piste shared between Tignes and Val d'Isere. On opening day, 300 lucky winners of an online competition will have the area to themselves.

In Scotland the Lecht ski area re-opened on Monday and more snow is expected at the weekend.

In North America, Alberta in Canada continues to have the best of the snow at present, although New England has had nearly a foot (30cm) of fresh snow in time for the important US Thanksgiving holidays. In the West however warm temperatures have limited resorts opening.

Still more snow is expected across Europe over the next week.

Detailed Report

- The Espace Killy to Yourself in France
- Party Time in Austria
- Over 100 Miles (160km) Of Piste Open in Zermatt
- Ski Free in Slovakia

It has been a spectacular few days for snowfall across Europe, setting the continent up for a superb start to the 2008-9 season.

www.Skiinfo.com has been collating information on falls of up to a metre (over three feet) across Europe, with its team of staff in a dozen countries reporting excellent snow news across the continent. The company has sent off dozens of powder alerts to subscribers since the weekend as individual resorts have reported big falls. More than 200 ski areas will be open this weekend.

The Pyrenees mountains dividing Spain and France, with Andorra sandwiched between, continue to receive their best snowfall for many years, the best since skiing began in the region according to some reports. Top snow depths have now reached two metres (nearly seven feet) on upper slopes at Panticosa with most resorts now reaching 150cm (five feet) on upper slopes at least.

"There has been two days of continuous snowfall bringing from 30 to 80 cm (12 - 32 inches) of fresh powder in the Pyrenees and the Cantabrian mountains of Northern Spain." Said Skiinfo's regional manager for the area, Prof. Dr. Raúl Revuelta Carbajo. "A new cold front is expected for the next few days bringing more huge snowfalls."

About half of Spain's 30 or so ski areas will be open this weekend including the largest Astun (30-150 cm), Candanchu (30-120 cm), Formigal (50-130 cm), Baqueira Beret (65-150cm) and Sierra Nevada (20-50 cm).

In Andorra both the principality's ski areas GrandValira and VallNord are open and on the French side of the Pyrenees the Tourmalet, La Pierre St Martin and Les Angles are all to open on Saturday 29th November.

To the north, the Alps are similarly blessed and have also seen some spectacular snowfall over the past week.

More resorts in France will open this weekend including Alpe d'Huez (below). In France 300 very lucky competition winners will enjoy exclusive use of the Espace Killy on Friday (November 28th) which links the resorts of Tignes and Val d'Isere. During the weekend there'll be special new season gear testing to start the season at Val d'Isere, which has some of the deepest snow in the country waiting - two metres (nearly seven feet) on upper slopes.


Alpe d'Huez

Val Thorens, which opened last weekend, reported the biggest powder alert of the week yesterday ("5 November) when 75cm (30 inches) of snow was reported falling. Les 2 Alpes and Les Gets are amongst other major resorts opening this weekend.

Many of Italy's leading resorts will be open this weekend, including Cortina d' Ampezzo (10 - 70 cm), Madonna di Campiglio (10 - 45cm), Alta Badia (5 - 25 cm) and Sestriere (60 -120 cm). Most have special deals on early season lift passes.

Italian resorts which are already open have some of the greatest snow depths in Europe on their upper slopes. For example the Presena glacier above Passo Tonale has 250cm (over eight feet) and Cervinia 220cm (over seven feet), the Monterosa region with Alagna and Gressoney has 180-200cm, or 6-7 feet. Some of the biggest falls reported over the past seven days were at Abetone (70 cm/28 inches), Cervinia (55cm/22 inches) and Livigno (45 cm/18 inches).

In Switzerland and Austria up to a metre (over three feet) of snow fell over the weekend allowing more resorts to open, and those that have been open for a while already, to open more terrain. Zermatt probably has the most piste open of any resort at present with over 160km (100 miles) of groomed piste.

Crans Montana, Champery and Leysin are amongst new Swiss openings due on Saturday 29th, along with Samnaun, which will stage the eighth annual Santa Claus World Championships and open its cross border Silvretta Pass link to Austria's Ischgl, which also opens with a major pop music concert.

Several other leading Austrian ski area resorts are opening too including the Arlberg region (Lech picture below), again with deep snow waiting. The best snow depths are on Austria's glaciers where Solden, Pitztal, Huntertux, Kaunertal and Molltal each have between 135cm (4 feety, 6 inches) and 150cm (5 feet) of snow on upper slopes. The biggest snow accumulation of the p[ast week has however been at Wildschonau, with 80cm (2 feet, 8 inches), of fresh snow falling.


Lech

To the north many resorts in Germany have also already opened, once again with great early season snow. The Kleinwalsertal region has some of the best with a metre of snow (3.3 feet) on upper slopes. Balderschwang and Garmisch have similar totals and again there have been falls of up to a metre of new snow on Germany's mountains in the past week.

Resorts in Finland, Norway and Sweden have also done well, with heavy snowfall over the weekend. 35 ski areas are now open in Norway alone and again there have been some huge falls with the Stryn ski area reporting the most with 120cm (four feet) of fresh snow.

In Eastern Europe ski areas have begun to open with seven centres reported open in the Slovak Republic and 18, including major centres like Špindleruv Mlyn, Harrachov and Pec pod Sněžkou in the Czech Republic. Jasna in the Slovak Republic reports that it has created 45,000 cubic metres of snow but that 30cm (a foot) of natural snow has fallen on its slopes too. It will open this Friday, 28th November, and offers free skiing on that day.

In Scotland weekend snow closed the roads around the Lecht, but the centre opened on Monday, for the second time this month, and remains open today (Wednesday 26th November) although a thaw has now set in so it may not last long. Another cold front is due in at the weekend however.

In North America most ski areas that can possibly open, are open, for the thanksgiving Holidays. However the picture is mixed. New England and the East Coast have cold temperatures for snowmaking and have also had healthy snowfalls with up to a foot of fresh snow getting resorts in the region off to a great start to the winter. To the north Canadian resorts Mont Ste Anne and Tremblant are amongst those open.

On the Western side of the continent the picture is less good in Colorado where warm temperatures have delayed some resorts opening and meant limited terrain at others. Mammoth in California, with over 1.2m (four feet) of snow on upper slopes is one of the best performers.

In Western Canada conditions are still good at Banff and marmot Basin which opened early at the start of the month following heavy snowfalls. Sun Peaks has opened with Whistler due to open later today (Wednesday 26th November), a day earlier than planned.

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