Well, Val Thorens opened today, and we (half) expect Méribel and Courchevel to open in nine days time. But the season is starting where last season left off. ValTho webcams show a handful of skiers braving the bright sunshine, and thin, artificial snow cover. The canons elsewhere have produced dotted threads of snow on a few runs, ready to be coaxed into shape in 10 days time.

This picture shows the Saulire, taken in mid-April this year. Sadly, current conditions are not looking this good today. The 2010/11 season started well; a good dump of snow in October (shin-deep skiing on Truit, between Mottaret and Méribel) was following by a long, cold spell. Opening weekend was bitterly cold, but with very good snow. However, there were no significant snowfalls after Christmas, and the season was effectively coming to end end by late March. The only reason it lasted this long, was due to very cold temperatures in January and February.

Amongst locals, talk is of a severe winter. Village elders have been predicting a good season since the summer, with tales of genepi plants being taller than average and various other portents, but we have seen no sign of significant snowfall yet, and the temperatures remain unseasonably warm.

The good news is that Méteo France are predicting heavy snowfalls next week, with a cold front heading across the Atlantic from Canada, and other forecasts and weather prediction models that we’ve seen tend to agree.