It may still be the school summer holidays yet the British weather has changed from the long spell of dry weather to heavy rain in some areas that reached 4cm or half the months average rain fall in one night.

The change in weather pre-empts thoughts of the first snow fall in the Alps, still several months away. those passionate about ski start to think of the slopes and looking forward to the winter while those on Summer holidays are oblivious to the winter season approaching.

With new resorts added to the Ski Total winter 2010 / 2011 season there are even more reasons to take a look at the programme and choose where you want to ski or snowboard this winter.

What I’d like to ask this week is do you have the same dilema as we have in our household, where one member of the family loves the hot weather and hates the snow and another member loves the snow and hates it being too hot???

Let me know if this is the case and how do you choose a Summer Holiday or a Ski Holiday for the family?  or do you manage to get away twice in a year to please all members.

I have met families in the past that split up and mother and daughter head for the beach while father and son head to the slopes.  this seems like a good compromise, although isn’t really a family holiday.

At the highest point of Les Gets (2002m) there is currently 120cm of snow.The amount of snow at 1172m is 40cm.

SNOW SNOW SNOW!!! Les Gets has hit lucky this week, on Monday morning everyone awoke to a light dusting of snow which just about covered the patchy areas that needed a top up.  To our great surprise an unexpected 7cm later fell throughout the day!!

The slopes were so quiet that you could hop straight on to a lift and find that you were the only person on a run.  With the snow falling and the trees quickly turning white the views whilst cruising down the piste were just amazing.  Who would have thought that Les Gets would have fresh powder this late on in the season?

The sun is currently out this morning and with more snow due later today and throughout the week it looks like this last week of the season could be set to be one of the best!

The weather over the next few days is looking fabulous! Today there is 3cm of snow due and tomorrow there is a further 5cm on Thursday 1cm is due.  Towards the end of the week it is forecast to be sunny with temperatures averaging 4 C.  This means there will be 9cm of snow fresh snow to enjoy whilst basking in the glorious sunshine…not bad for mid April in Les Gets!

The snow depth is 180cms deep at the top of the Grande Motte and 80cms on the local runs.

The temperatures have dropped a little this week, which has meant that the snow is going to last even longer, and with the little bit of extra snow coming down today, last night and the day before, the pistes are in exceptionally wonderful condition.

It’s incredible how long the season is lasting here in Tignes, and lasting with great snow back and guaranteed skiing all over the Espace Killy.

Sunny tomorrow morning with plenty of snow following up later on. More snow on Thursday, then bright sunshine on Friday. Yay!

It’s the end of season, last week of guests, but everyone is still having a great holiday, and you wouldn’t know that the end of season was here.

End of season parties are a plenty, and lots of events are taking place around resort, such as live bands and stuff, which is cool.

At the top of the Pissaillas glacier the slopes have a good snow base of 180cm whilst the lower slopes are still benefiting from 92cm.

The end of the season is upon us but the snow has not left! Skiers arrived this week to falling snow and enjoyed some fresh powder on the pistes on Monday morning. At the back end of last week, people were walking around resort in shorts and t-shirts; even flip flops were spotted!  Now temperatures have returned to a much better level to encourage the new snow, and to preserve the base layer – so it looks like skiers are in for a fantastic week of spring skiing!

More snow is forecast this week which is great news for everybody. The weather is set to return to sun for the last 2 or 3 days of the holiday so it is the perfect amount of give and take to have the best April skiing conditions one could hope for.

The end of season feeling really is in the air; the sales shelves in the shops have been ransacked, the smell of barbeque is wafting through the air and the sun-drenched bar terraces are crowded with lazy skiers enjoying beers.

Many a seasonnaire can be spotted showing off their new seasonnaire hoodies which are hot off the press, and people prepare for the imminent departure from the Val d’Isère bubble!

The snow base is 220cm at 3300m on the Aiguille Rouge with  70cm at 2000m

The end of last week saw huge amounts snow, perhaps the most an April has seen for many a year, coming down heavily on Saturday and Sunday.  This means that all runs, now thoroughly piste-bashed offer great quality skiing, for April.

All the runs above 1600 are excellent with snow firm and fresh enough to allow those really looking to complete technical turns, and soft enough that a fall has a little bit of cushioning.  All round skiing has rarely been better in Les Arcs at this time in the season for many a year.

The forecast for the next few days is for sunshine today, then a nice top-up of snow on Wednesday and Thursday and then for the sun to return the following day.

Overall the forecast looks like this week should be a good one!

The Ski Total and Esprit Ski seasonnaires team slalom event is almost upon us. Tomorrow will see competitors from all companies in resort compete for the crown of Team Slalom Champions. The following BBQ and live music at Chalet de l’Arc promises to be a fantastic time for all involved.

The upper slopes, at 2700m, still have a good snow base of 150cm and at

1850m there is a base of 80cm.

Following last week’s balmy temperatures, this week has so far been positively more chilly, a change which is excellent for the snow and skiing, if less good for the end of season BBQs. The lower temperatures should serve to conserve the still significant covering of snow until at least the end of next week, helped no doubt by the light snow showers yesterday afternoon and evening which added a few centimetres of top-layer sure to make skiing this morning excellent.

With about a metre and a half of snow at the top of resorts there is still plenty of excellent snow around and although it gets a little heavy after lunch further down, there are plenty of excellent runs available and very quiet due to the time of the season all the way down to the level of La Tania.

As always excellent piste-bashing has contributed to such amazing retention of good snow but even so, Courchevel’s ability to get the sun but the snow not to be affected by it is quite astounding.

Snow showers are to mix with sunny patches over the next few days with warmer temperatures later in the week.

The big event this week is the charity event held all day Wednesday down at the Ski Lodge in La Tania. With Live Music all day and games, competitions and prizes given out it promises to be an amazing day. The highlight of which is likely to be the float contest with participants making their own floats and then racing down the pistes with points for speed, style and design.

On the Glacier Du Bouchet, at 3200m, there is a depth of 215cm with the runs of Val Thoresn itself having a massive 140cm.

As we reach the end of the season, and the weather gets warmer, all the busy routes, like through ‘Roc’ (the main lift route) and ‘Plein Sud’ (the piste home for everybody) the snow is turning very sugary. However when you get onto the higher runs, like ‘Col D’Auzin’ off Cime Caron gondola, and ‘Tete Ronde’ off Peclet funitel, they’re not as well used, and the snow is in great condition. Unfortunately now is not the right time for off-piste, as all the snow has turned rather crunchy, so stay on the pistes, and stay high, you’ll have a great time.

A light fall of snow is due, heaviest during Tuesday afternoon. Temperatures will be below freezing (max -2°C on Thursday afternoon, min -9°C on Thursday night). Wind will be generally light.

We have a fireworks display this week to celebrate the French school holidays, as well as a GB73 amateur freestyle competition later in the week.  A multi activity challenge is a great opportunity to try out human curling, snowshoes, or tele-mark. And as usual all the adrenaline pumping activities, like the night time toboggan run, the mountain biking on snow, and the ice driving academy.

Snow is still 125cm deep at the top of Mont Vallon and the resort home runs have 55cm.

There is some brilliant skiing to be found at the moment and some great spring snow. The best snow is still higher up but the snow last night improved the condition of the pistes throughout Meribel.

With fresh powder covering all of the Three Valleys this morning there should be some great off piste in the higher areas such as near the top of the Plattieres lift and in the Val Thorens Valley.

The best conditions are to be found on north facing slopes such as Venturon, but others such as the Grand Duc are still in great condition providing lovely views over Meribel and beyond.

A moderate fall of snow is forecast with some sunny spells. Temperatures will be below freezing (max -2°C on Wed morning, min -12°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light.

The pistes are very quiet and you can spend a day skiing with only seeing a few people.

There is a snow base of 174cm on the upper slopes of Meribel and on the home runs a depth of 75 cm covers the slopes.

Snow is beginning to feel as if it is the end of the season, particularly the runs at the bottom of the resort. However higher up there is still nice snow to be found and the runs on Mt Vallon, are still in a beautiful condition.

Although there is no powder snow there are still patches of challenging and fun off piste to be found.  The snow parks are being fantastically groomed as is the half-pipe so still lots of fun to had there.

Saturday is forecast to be another beautiful sunny day with bluebird skies.  But with the temperature dropping below freezing on Saturday night. On both Sunday and Monday we are expecting light snow showers for the duration of the days and nights. The wind strength is forecast to be low for the next three days.

Staying in Méribel this week is Emma Watson, Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films and she is being spotted around and about the resort.

Next week is a great week to be in resort if you want to enjoy Méribel’s nightlife as all the bars and pubs are putting on special events to bring the season to an end.

There is also a chance to try and test out lots of different skis and boards, and if anything takes your fancy the resort is full of equipment shops with some fantastic sales on and some amazing bargains to be found.

The upper slopes of Meribel have a snow depth of 175cm whilst the home runs have 85 cm.

The snow is very good in Meribel at the moment, especially considering how late in the season it is. After last weeks snow fall all runs are in a good condition and there is lots of powder on the off piste. The snow at the top of the resort is particularly good, including Mont Vallon and Cote Brun.

Tuesday is going to be beautiful all day and hopefully without a cloud in the sky. Temperatures are going to be warm, as high as 7 degrees in resort but feeling warmer in the sun. Wednesday is still going to be mild but will become more overcast as the day going on with the possibility f snow on Thursday.

The lead singer of boy band A1 is staying with us this week with his girlfriend, Miss Norway! And in the chalet next door them, Emma Watson/ Hermione Granger from Harry Potter is staying with her family.

Next Wednesday some local bands are holding a charity day down in La Tania which should be a good party, as well as raising money for a good cause.