Snow report: The frigid Irish temperatures were replicated all over Europe, with the Alps receiving yet more large falls this week.
As the high season kicks in, resort managers couldn't be happier, as most European and North Americans areas report fully opened and skiable terrain. Little Alagna, in the unspoilt Monterosa region of Italy, is the current snowfall league leader, having been swamped with nearly five metres of snow since December.
For up-to-date snow conditions, check our destination on www.skiclub.co.uk. Free six-day forecasts are available at www.snow-forecast.com. More than 4,000 webcams are on www.snoweye.com.
Kitwatch
Luggage manufacturer Samsonite has built a deserved reputation for making strong, well-designed cases. Not so well-known is the company's recent entry into the outdoor activity market.
Its Outlab X+ Winter range includes the Backpack model. This fuss-free design
is water bladder compatible and features a fleece-lined, easy-to-access goggles pocket, jumbo zip handles for opening with gloves on and compression side straps for vertical carrying of skis.
Available from Brown Thomas in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway.
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www.samsonite.com
Resort of the week: St Lary Soulan
Recurring temperamental snowfalls in the mid-1980s and early 1990s made tour operators fall out of love with the French Pyrenees. But the mountains are still there, and the resorts have quietly built up their infrastructure, marking new pistes and installing quicker lifts and snowguns. St Lary Soulan is the best of these reborn resorts, and one of the biggest ski areas in the range.
St Lary is ideal for families, and the extensive and easy nursery slopes at Pla d’Adet are good for building skills and confidence. If you like risky powder runs, europop bars, catching a Premiership match in the evening and trying your luck with the bar girls, don’t go here.
This quiet town offers a nicely paced break. Regulars quote food and sun as being as important as snow when asked about the attractions.
Resort height830m.
Range1,600m-2,515m.
Lifts32.
Total runs100km.
Longest runFour kilometres.
Best runBastan. Skirting the very edge of the ski area, this routine red run is silent and isolated. You veer down above the Lac de L'Oule reservoir and finish in front of a welcoming stone-clad mountain cafe.
SnowparksOne.
Season lengthDecember to the end of March.
Snow reliability***
Who goesA very French resort. The set-up is suited for multigenerational families who like to eat at the same table each year. Don't expect to see any world-weary Aussie dropouts.
Value€€€ The French Pyrenees are significantly better value than the Alps. St Lary is a living town first and a resort second, so cheap accommodation, food and drink are easy to find.
Insider tipsFor those who like to ski from the piste to the hotel door, stay up-mountain in Pla d'Adet. The valley is renowned for its healing waters. Visit the thermal baths in the centre of town for a pongy sulphur soak.
Airports:Tarbes
Tour operatorsIglu Ski.
5 for luxury
Zermatt, Switzerland.
Vail, Colorado.
Are, Sweden.
Cortina, Italy.
Kitzbuhel, Austria.
What’s on
A potpourri of extreme snow-related sports, the Nissan Winter Outdoor Games kick off in Chamonix on February 20th. This year’s events include paraskiing, base-jumping and speed flying, as well as some slightly less lethal pastimes. www.outdoorgames.org.
Twin tips
If you fall in deep snow and get popped out of your skis, but then can’t find them, start your search from directly above the spot where you fell. Nine times out of 10 the skis will be buried there.
If bringing ski boots with you, check them into your main luggage. Increasingly, airlines are classifying them as specialist equipment, with an extra charge.
And finally
It is said that a foul- weather day skiing in Scotland is enough to make you hang up your boots. But on a fine day, and with recent snowfall, the highlands are as good as anywhere in the world. It’s just got the snow; checkwww.winterhighland. info for detailed mountain forecasts for the fair
weather. Aer Lingus, Aer Arann and Ryanair all have flights to convenient Scottish airports.