Snow News. Skiing, Snowboarding, current snow, October

The latest conditions and suggestions for skiing around the world. Click on the links for more details. This page was last updated on 15-Oct-1999.

Latest snow and resort news	Most resorts are still closed, though a few have been open for Glacier skiing. Are you really keen? See who is likely to be the first to open!
Glacier Skiing and Boarding	Really keen? Well head high in the Alps and you'll find snow on the glaciers.
Warming up for the season	So, while you are thinking about all that skiing you hope to do this season - how are your muscles doing? I know it's not the real thing, but a few hours at the dry slope might refresh the memories and dust off the cobwebs.
London Ski Show	Great deals on holidays, skiing and boarding equipment, live fashion shows and boarding displays, test out your boarding and skiing skills - from Friday 29 October for 10 days

Latest Snow and Resort News

That was then: May 2nd was for many the end of the alpine ski season. Most resorts closed their lifts while the lift operators went down the mountain to give the bars their last major income for a while. And it was a fine way to go out; sunshine across most of the Alps made the high altitude transition straight from winter to summer seem entirely logical - a time when the emphasis changes from 'ski, ski, ski, beer, ski' to 'sunbathe, ski, beer, bit of ski, sun, beer'. With so much snow around resorts above 1200m you had to descend much further to realise that spring is here, too.

It's late October, and many of us are getting our ski kit out again (if it ever got put away) and waiting for the snow to fall. The question is, where will it fall first. Traditionally the North American ski season starts earlier than that in the Alps, with a good chance that the higher resorts will be opening for business this coming weekend (29th October), and Skiweb will have someone banging on the door of the ticket office, ready to give you the news. The most promising early resorts this year are Crested Butte, Breckenridge and Keystone, and Vail has been making snow since September.

Back over in the Alps, little usually happens before December, apart from those resorts with high glaciers. If you're thinking of a sneaky early December trip, it's always best to think high. So, the usual suspects are Tignes, Val Thorens and Alpe d'Huez in France, Saas-Fee and Zermatt in Switzerland, and St. Anton and Obergurgl in Austria.

Glacier skiing and snowboarding

Or, how to blow the cobwebs off your ski and/or snowboarding gear, without the expense of intercontinental flights. Think of a high glacier in the Alps - a ridiculously large lump of ice above 3000m is going to retain a covering of snow throughout summer, whatever the sun might chuck at it. Some such glaciers can be found at Tignes, Saas Fee, Zermatt, Les Diablerets, Zell am See and Hintertux.

Glacier resorts are always the best bet if you are determined to fit in a really early ski holiday. Even if it does not snow much before you get there - the height of the resorts will give you the best chances, and the glacier runs, although not seriously steep, can give you a good start. Glacier skiing is less suited to advanced skiers as most glaciers have a relatively gentle gradient (mostly green to blue slopes, with a bit of red), and steeper glaciers tend to have big scary holes called crevasses in them (off piste is definitely not on the cards!). But these slopes can be ideal for beginners, and most areas have realised the benefits of creating half-pipes and snowparks for snowboarders and freestyle skiers.

Here are the glacier resort and high resort opening dates for Winter skiing in 1999:

Warming up for the season

So where is you nearest Dry Ski Slope then? Check out the dry slope listings courtesy of FallLine magazine

Or are you close to the Midlands? You could get a taste of the real, cold stuff before you go! Lessons, ski and snowboard hire, a shop and a bar at Tamworth Snowdome