We have had about two metres of snow during the last 7 days. The snowfall was so heavy that chairlifts were shut, the train has been stopped at Chamonix and not traveling up to Le Tour. Several roads have been blocked past our Chamonix chalet and snow announcements released.

This is in direct contrast to a few winter seasons ago, with the unbelievably hot Feb conditions, mud showing on the mountain, and admonitions that climate change could mean the death of the ski industry in the Alps. The OECDs study from winter 2007 warned that climate change would make snowboarding far too dear for the majority of skiers, with one third of ski towns closing and the disappearance of alpine glaciers. Scientists insist that it’s virtually impossible to attribute the annual differences in the weather to the results of climate change.

We may be experiencing the deepest recession in nearly 25 yrs, and the Sterling has dropped to more levels compared to the euro, but the snowboarding is grand, and the recent bookings highlight that skiers are keen to revel in the superior skiing conditions. This season is probably the greatest in six seasons, and lots of skiers are announcing it is the finest ski snowboarding conditions in at least 10 yrs.

Nevertheless remember that big dumps like these mean significant risks of avalanche.