Forecasts are predicting some big snowfalls across the Alps, Dolomites and Pyrenees over the next 48 hours, with Saturday the main focus for heavy snow in most areas.
It's at least the thirds time this winter that the big snowfalls have arrived on 'changeover day.'
Reports for the French Alps are mostly for 30-50cm accumulations, with Avoriaz, Flaine and Val Thorens expecting the bigger end of that number, Meribel and Morzine closer to a foot of snow. Megeve however expects 55cm and Chamonix – which is currently claiming the world's deepest snow base on its upper runs at over 6m/20 feet, another 60cm.
In Austreia the numbers are mostly ion the 20-40cm bracket whilst in Switzerland around a foot (30cm) of snow is expected at Davos and Laax but a little further East in St Moritz it may be as much as 60cm (two feet) falling on Saturday. St Moritz has had a poor snowfall season to date so this may balance things out a little.
Similarly more heavy snowfall is expected in the Dolomites to the south, which are also still catching up on their seasonal snowfall quota. Arabba expects more than 40cm, Cortina nearly 50cm.
Other parts of the skiing world are also seeing some of the best conditions of the season so fare, including in Scotland, Scandinavia and the Pyrenees. Bulgaria, which has had very little fresh snow since the start of this year, also has sizable snowfalls forecast.
Sand across the Atlantic huge snowstorms care also about to hit, with some forecasts calling for 5-6 feet (21./5-1.8m) of snow to land in California on resorts like Squaw Valley and Mammoth and similar amounts further north for Whistler in BC, Canada.