The most optimistic of skiers and boarders can be forgiven for getting excited about the season ahead with the news that a 20cm (8 inch) snowfall was reported in the last 24 hours on Norway's Fonna glacier summer ski area up in Scandinavia.
Skiers and boarders visiting Fonna yesterday and today were greeted by fresh August powder on the slopes where the snow is lying 3m/10 feet deep – the second deepest reported snow base in the world - northern and southern hemispheres. The other still-open Norwegian summer ski area, Galdhoppigen, claims the deepest at 5 metres on its upper slopes.
Besides these two Norwegian centres about 10 more centres are currently open for summer skiing in the Northern Hemisphere, most in the Alps – including Les 2 Alpes, Cervinia, Hintertux (pictured above last month), Tignes, Saas Fee and Zermatt; whilst across the Atlantic Timberline on Mt Hood in Oregon is also open.
In the southern hemisphere it's mid-winter and most resorts are now in good shape after mixed fortunes in June and July. Southern African ski areas – where there's two weeks of the season left – are reporting their best conditions for 20 years, which is as long ort longer than Tiffindell in South Africa and Afriski in Lesotho have actually been around.