In Val d'Isère the St Joseph flowers are an undeniable sign of spring, but the substantial base built over the season means there is still plenty of good skiing.

It is colder in Austria where fresh snow started to fall yesterday in Obertauern (275-395cm), hugely improving the pistes, which have 25/26 open lifts.

The new snow has not yet arrived in St Anton (80-300cm) but when it does all 85 lifts in the Arlberg region will be working.

Spring skiing is typical in France's Espace Killy, where pistes in Tignes (142-177cm) are hard in the morning, quickly improving in the sun, slushy in the afternoon, especially on lower runs. Courchevel (121-139cm) and Val Thorens (150-190cm) are similar.

Swiss Murren (115-266cm) and Crans Montana (70-290cm) had new snow yesterday morning and are typical of pistes across the country: hard-packed in the morning, softening in the afternoon.

But winter is far from over. The spring flowers will be nipped by the return of a cold spell in Val d'Isère and more snow is forecast, as in the eastern Alps in Switzerland and Austria.

Elsewhere the freezing levels will vary, with some areas enjoying sunny periods. In the United States, heavy snow is expected in Colorado with 55cm forecast at Arapahoe Basin at the weekend.

The east coast of the US, however, will be snowless, with an expected high of -4C feeling surprisingly warm in the spring sun.