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Snow conditions in the Alps remain variable but with plenty of good piste skiing on offer, even in areas that have very little snow. The best snow conditions right now are generally in the western Alps, which saw the biggest snowfalls last week, with upwards of 1m in parts of France.
Snow cover in the French Alps is not far off normal for the middle of January, at altitude at least, with resorts like Les Arcs, La Clusaz and Flaine all having more than 200cm of settled snow up top. However, there do remain big differences from region to region.
In Switzerland, just about everywhere has below average snow depths, although the far west (e.g. Portes du Soleil) is not too far off average, at least higher up. The south-east of Switzerland (e.g. St Moritz), by contrast, has very poor snow cover for mid-January.
Snow depths in Austria are also universally below average with very meagre snow cover in some central and southern regions like the Osttirol. Resorts in the far west (e.g. Lech, Warth, St Anton) have more impressive snow depths though they are still below average.
Most Italian resorts also have below average snow cover, especially in the central and eastern Italian Alps (e.g. Dolomites) where there is very little natural snow right now. Snow cover is more “normal” in the west (e.g. Cervinia, La Thuile, Prato Nevoso).
However, it is very important to note that the quality of skiing is only very loosely correlated to the quantity of snow and that, on-piste at least, you can still experience good snow conditions with very little snow. Nowhere is this truer than in the Dolomites where the snowmaking and piste management is so good that it virtually guarantees good piste skiing conditions even in times of serious snow drought.
That said, the best overall snow conditions right now are at altitude in the western Alps, especially in France. This is also where the greatest off-piste potential lies BUT always take a qualified local guide as the avalanche risk remains considerable.
As for the weather and snow forecast, there will be some significant snow for the far south-western Alps over the next few days, especially in the southern Piemonte (e.g. Prato Nevoso, Limone Piemonte) but, for most of the Alps, it will remain dry with the best of any sunshine the further north-east you are.
Away from the Alps, the Pyrenees deserve a special mention as they are having a much better season than in recent years, with another big dump on its way, at least in the east.
Across the pond, Colorado is having a rough time with many resorts experiencing their lowest snow levels for mid-January in recent history. Resorts in Western Canada remain the best bet in North America for now…
Snow levels remain below par across all Austrian regions although there is still a lot of good piste skiing on offer. Some of the best snow conditions are in the far west where Lech (65/155cm) has a healthy amount of snow even if it is below average for this super-snowy corner.
Good piste skiing is also possible in lower areas like the Ski Welt (60/90cm), although the reported lower snow depth here should be taken with a pinch of salt.
With the wind coming in from the south or south-east, no snow is forecast in the Austrian ski resorts for a few days, perhaps even a week or more.
Sunny skies in Austria this morning, with the dry and mostly fine weather expected to continue over the weekend. This is St Anton – Photo: foto-webcam.eu
Overall, France is offering the best snow conditions in the Alps right now. Thanks to last week’s storms, even lower altitude resorts like Les Gets (35/115cm) have complete cover to resort level, and can offer plenty of good piste skiing, even if off-piste opportunities remain a bit limited.
Southern French resorts like Isola 2000 (75/100cm) are also in good shape, although the very best snow conditions are reserved for the high resorts of the Tarentaise, including La Rosière (115/200cm) where over 1m of snow fell last week.
The southern French Alps will see some snow over the next few days, but it will stay mostly dry (roughly) north of Grenoble.
Snow falling today in Isola 2000, from a new storm that will only affect the south-western Alps – 16 January 2026 – Photo: isola2000.com
Snow depths remain very low across many central and eastern Italian ski resorts, especially in the Dolomites. However, even here, you can still find some good piste skiing in the likes of Selva (20/50cm) thanks to their world class snowmaking.
For deeper natural snow, you need to be further west, where there is a healthier (but still below par) 60/120cm in Cervinia and 50/150cm in La Thuile, both of which are offering some excellent skiing right now.
Snow is forecast for some western Italian Alps over the next few days, most of it in the southern Piemonte (Prato Nevoso) but with some set to fall a bit further north (e.g. Milky Way, Monte Rosa region) too.
Very little natural snow but still some good piste skiing on offer in the Alta Badia – 16 January 2026 – Photo: foto-webcam.eu
Snow depths are below average across the board in the Swiss Alps, but you can still find plenty of good piste-skiing, even in the snow-starved south-east, where St Moritz (15/55) is still waiting for its first really big dump of the season.
Further west, you can also find plenty of good pistes in the likes of Verbier (45/180cm) and Zermatt (40/90cm), where upper base depths are perfectly respectable, but more snow would be welcome, especially lower down.
Clouding over today in Saas-Fee, but only a few centimetres of snow are expected here at best over the next few days – 16 January 2026 – Photo: saas-fee.ch
Snow conditions in the Pyrenees remain pretty good and will become excellent again over the next few days with significant snow in the forecast. Right now, Spain’s Formigal has a healthy snow base of 80/140cm depending on altitude, while Andorra’s Grandvalira has 90/130cm.
Snow depths remain relatively modest across Scandinavia but there is still lots of good piste skiing on offer. The greatest extent is in Norway’s Trysil (35/65cm) and Sweden’s Åre (40/65cm).
A partial thaw has set in in Scotland following some great skiing last weekend in the eastern resorts, but Cairngorm is still able to offer 20km of pistes on a base of 20/35cm.
Solid snow conditions in Gourette in the western French Pyrenees – 16 January 2026 – Photo: gourette.com
Colorado continues to struggle with many ski resorts less than half open thanks to meagre snow cover – the worst in living memory by some accounts. Vail currently has 75cm of settled snow on the upper mountain, much of it man-made.
Over in Utah, Snowbird (163cm mid-mountain) saw around 5 feet of snow earlier this month and has most trails open but is still below par for the time of year. California’s Mammoth is closer to what they would expect for mid-January, with settled snow depths of 238cm up top.
The eastern US deserves a special mention as their extraordinary season continues. Jay Peak currently has an upper base of 155cm with a few more centimetres of snow forecast this weekend.
The sun is back in the Banff/Lake Louise area (140/180cm) after an extraordinarily snowy start to the season which has made for wonderful skiing conditions right now.
Further west, Whistler (185cm upper base) is also in great shape, although some softening of the snow should be expected due to some very mild temperatures.
Sunshine and snow in Sunshine Village near Banff – 16 January 2026 – Photo: planetski.eu
Our next full snow report will be on
Friday 23 January 2026
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