European Ski Resorts Open Early After A Snow Filled November

A large amount of snowfall in November has prompted some of Europe’s biggest snow resorts to open ahead of schedule this year. Ski resorts throughout Europe decided to open this weekend after reports suggested November had the heaviest snowfall in the last decade.

Ski slopes in the Alpine have experienced up to 60cm of snow, whilst the Pyrenees has had even more than that. The promising start to the ski holiday season is a welcome boost following suggestions that global warming could affect the multi-million pound business.

The Director of Ski France International, Christian Rochette, said: “We’ve got excellent conditions for this time of year and very cold temperatures, which means we can use the snow cannons to make artificial snow as well,”

Rochette also dismissed reports that the current financial climate would deter people from taking ski holidays this year,

“They don’t seem to be prepared to sacrifice their winter holidays,” he added. “They want to get away from all this talk of a crisis.”

Whilst in France, reservations have increased by 20 % over last year, there is expected to be some decline in the amount of British tourist revenue, as one official pointed out,

“Even if they still come, we expect that they’ll spend a little less.”

Whilst the outlook for European ski resorts is looking bright, the amount of European visitors to traditionally popular ski resorts in North America is on the decline. Factors including fuel surcharges, the strong dollar, the financial crisis in Europe and high snowfall in the Alps have all helped to persuade European tourists that skiing a little closer to home makes for a better option.