Cheer up! Trump may have won in America, but snow right now is conquering the Alps. Loads of the white stuff is falling at altitude and the cover stretches down to the valley floor. From Tignes to the Tirol. It’s as wunderbar as it is magnifique. What’s more, there is still loads to come over the next couple of days and deep into the weekend.

I’m going to stick my neck out here and say that – potentially, in the French Alps, at least – we are in for the most promising and prolific start to the season in 25 years.

Here’s the snow forecast for tomorrow, November 10. A touch of orange in the map means there’s a good chance of 75cm in 24 hours.

Currently, Courchevel has got 40cm on top, 18cm at 1850. It will have plenty more by Friday, when it plans to open…four weeks ahead of schedule. Ok, so it’s one run for just one day with a free lift ticket. The idea is to give the locals a bit of snow fun and tell the world that the 3 Valleys are already fired up and ready for the season. After two miserable starts over the last couple of years it’s great news.

The atmosphere in Val d’Isere, which opens On November 26, is equally buzzing. The snow cover is quite exceptional for this time of year and the resort’s giant snowmaking system is also in action.

Statements about ‘best ever snow’ are often bandied around in the weeks leading up to the general start to the season. But I’ve been skiing in Val d’Isere-Tignes in November for all of those years and I’ve not seen the like of this.

Ok, we’ve had big snowfalls, but in all that time we’ve not had these combined with seriously low temperatures.

However, for a truly vintage start to the season we need those temperatures to remain low over the next fortnight, allowing this abundance of natural cover to be supplemented by artificial snow.

Here’s video of what Val d’Isere looks like today.

 
For group and private lessons in Courchevel contact New Generation, and for Premiere Neige ski clinics in Val d’Isere visit Le Ski.