Heavy snow forecast for half term skiers

Ski resorts across Europe and North America are expecting heavy snowfalls ahead of next week's half term holiday. Forecasters are predicting up to half a metre of snow in many resorts across France, Austria and Switzerland and almost a metre in some US resorts.

In France, which last season attracted almost half of Britons 1.4 million skiers, the popular Les Trois Vallèes (Courchevel, Méribel and Val Thorens) is expecting 23cm of snow, while the Espace Killy (Tignes and Val d'Isère) has 16cm forecast. However, it is the lesser known resorts of the Portes du Soleil ski area (Morzine and Avoriaz) which will see the heaviest snowfalls in France, with around 45cm expected. In the popular family resort of Obergurgl, in Austria, forecasters are predicting 36cm, while in Arosa, in Switzerland, 45cm of snow is expected. In North America, the US resort of Mammoth is expecting up to a metre of snow, while in Whistler, Canada, 29cm is set to fall.

Thousands of British families will be heading for the slopes this weekend, with France, Canada and Austria being among the most popular destinations. February half-term is traditionally one of the busiest, and most expensive, weeks in the ski season calendar. Last year, Telegraph Travel reported that the price of a family ski holiday for this February half-term had risen by almost 65 per cent due to the half term falling on the same date for all British schools as well as coinciding with school holidays in many European countries.

However, families that do not make it to the Alps, or have opted to avoid the crowds and expense of foreign ski resorts can opt for one of Scotland's five ski resorts, which are currently experiencing some of the best conditions in more than a decade. Scotland's resorts already have a good snow base and are expecting up to 10cm to fall during the next few days. Last weekend around 15,000 skiers took to Scotland's slopes. A spokesman for Visit Scotland advised families heading to Scottish slopes to pre-book their lift passes and equipment in advance through their chosen resort. A spokesman for the Ski Club of Great Britain warned that temperatures across European resorts will be extremely low during the start of half term and that skiers should wrap up warm to feel comfortable on the slopes.

British skiers make the most of the snow

More than six million people are reported to have taken the day off work yesterday, and more than 3,000 schools were shut due to the heavy snowfall. It was weather that many people have not seen for 18 years, and as a result many railway stations, bus stops or roads were closed or impassable. Many people headed instead for the nearest park or field instead to throw a few snowballs.

One North London skier told how she and some friends headed up to Primrose Hill yesterday with their skis, via the London Underground. "The reaction from everyone on the tube was pretty much as you'd expect, the odd raised eyebrow and I'm not sure everyone appreciated the safety factor of checking the tube map out on the way home to make sure we knew where we'd gone." "We bumped into some seasoned long-skis-with-rear-entry-boots chaps on the top of Primrose Hill, then bumped into some guys from our season and were able to hijack their kicker. We were mildly perturbed by the grassy nature of the run-up and the even-more-grassy landing, but we acquired an audience at the top cheering each descent and started feeling like celebrities. We then skied off down to the pub for a spot of après where we were unceremoniously refused Jaeger-bombs, Chartreuse and Genepy, so settled for pints of Amstel instead".

Heavy snow hits the UK

South-east England experienced the heaviest snowfall for 18 years yesterday, and major airports were closed, motorways slowed to a standstill and many train services were cancelled as a result of the extreme weather. In London, commuters struggled to get to work after buses were suspended and many parts of the Underground stood down due to the dangerous conditions. Despite snow ploughs working to clear tracks, rail services in and out of the South East of England were mainly cancelled or severely disrupted. On the roads thousands of gritters were out but there was gridlock reported on many major routes including the M25.

The North Downs and Pennines bore the brunt of the blizzards with at least 10 inches reported in many places. However the snow extended across much of the country with four inches of snow being commonly found. In Scotland, heavy snowfall shut dozens of schools and caused difficult driving conditions and flight cancellations. Airports in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen have cancelled more than 60 flights due to the extreme conditions south of the border. The heavy snowfall hasn't hit all the Scottish resorts as yet, but Cairngorm and Glenshee have had some light dustings and all the resorts are expecting more snow during the coming week.

The Met Office has issued an extreme weather warning for England, Wales and eastern Scotland, and more snow was forecast for today.