snow
If you'd rather not see pictures of the huge amounts of snow that have fallen, then look away now. Most ski resorts remain closed and international travel is prohibited, but it does look fabulous for the lucky few able to enjoy it.



In Austria there is snow falling in the capital of the Tirol, Innsbruck, that lies at 574m.

Innsbruck, Tirol, Austria
Innsbruck, Tirol, Austria
Elsewhere in Austria it is looking rather special.

Here's one of our favourite resorts, St Anton, that is just up the road from Innsbruck.

St Anton, Tirol, Austria
St Anton, Tirol, Austria
St Anton, Tirol, Austria
St Anton, Tirol, Austria
"For now travel and tourism to our ski resort is not permitted. Our content is intended as inspiration for future visits only. Please follow all current government guidelines to protect yourself and others," said the resort very sensibly.

And here is what it looks like up on the slopes:


"This latest storm cycle has dropped some very impressive quantities of snow across the northern and north-western Alps. The areas most affected have been the north-eastern Swiss and far western Austrian Alps, roughly in a line between Andermatt and St Anton (via Flims and Klosters), where more than 1.5m of new snow has fallen since Tuesday," said our resident snow expert, Fraser Wilkin from Weathertoski.co.uk

In France our good friends at Ski Weekender decided not to open their main base hotel for the winter back in the Autumn.

Normally this bus would be ferrying Ski Weekender clients to the powder in the La Clusaz ski area.

Ski Weekender in the snow
Ski Weekender in the snow
And it is dumping down across other parts of the French Alps.

Here's Val Thorens in Les3Vallees:


And in Italy...

Livigno, Italy
Livigno, Italy
On Saturday the current storm passes and then "further snow will return to the northern Alps on Sunday, again heaviest in the north-eastern Swiss and western Austrian Alps," according to Fraser.

Closer to home, Cairngorm in Scotland is having one of its best starts to a ski season for snowfall for many years.

Cairngorm, Scotland
Cairngorm, Scotland
But the slopes remain out of bounds.

And let us not forget Japan which is getting historic levels of snow - 3m in some places in the last snowfall.

Big in Japan
Big in Japan