More resorts have announced plans to open earlier than planned for the season, this weekend. The announcements follow large snowfalls during the first half of the month which has seen bases of up to 1.5m established. More heavy snow is being forecast for the coming weeks too.
Following the announcement by Chamonix, Val Thorens and La Clusaz (pictured above) earlier this week that they'd be opening early for the season this Saturday 19th November.
In Austria, where Obergurgl and Obertauern opened in the past 48 hours, the ski area of Auffach has announced it will open this weekend too.
In Italy four separate ski areas in Dolomiti Superski will be open, the best known of them Cortina and Kronplatz, and another leading Italian resort, Madonna di Campiglio, says it too plans to open.
In Scandinavia the largest ski resort in the region, Are in Sweden, will be opening for the season.
Across the Atlantic Breckenridge in Colorado and Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada will open too, but unfortunately here the openings are later than planned, not earlier, after a lot of hot air dominated American skies. However a cold front is expected on the eastern side of the continent at the weekend expected to bring up to a foot of snow.
Resorts that opened last weekend, earlier than planned, and will open again this weekend, still earlier than planned, include Alpe d'Huez and Verbier.
Many leading resorts are already open including Kitzbuhel, Schadmng and Solden in Austria, Tignes in France, Cervinia in Italy and Davos, Engelberg, Gstaad, Saas Fee, St Moritz and Zermatt in Switzerland