Peak season is here after a bitterly cold and snowy week. Austria leads the Alps, followed by Switzerland. Snow cover in France and Italy has held well in the chill, despite not much new snow. Eastern Scottish resorts had new snow yesterday. Canadian Banff (–22C) has fresh falls while, in the US, Squaw Valley and Mammoth both had 56cm this week, with 160cm forecast this weekend.

After new snow and temperatures down to –30C, Austrian resorts are looking good. Fully open Obergurgl (80-187cm), Ischgl (20-80cm) and Brand (40-80cm) provide excellent skiing.

Swiss Davos (30-114cm) has more than a third of its lifts open while St Moritz (40-150cm) is running 20/22. Both are patchy on lower slopes.

Italian Sauze d'Oulx ('Milky Way', 40-180cm) and Selva Gardena (Dolomites, 40-180cm) remain good in the cold.

French skiing is good in Serre Chevalier (50-120cm), Sainte Foy (40-130cm) and St Gervais (30-60cm), among many others, but upper slopes are best after limited fresh snowfalls.

Scotland is now gripped by winter, so severe that the Lecht (10-40cm) was closed yesterday. Conditions at Cairngorm (15-60cm) and Glenshee (10-50cm) have improved with new snow.

Central Austria expects new snow to arrive in the coming week, Switzerland mid-week, France and Italy at the end of next week. All should be in time for Christmas. Scotland too will stay cold with further snow in all resorts.