Despite gloomy long-term predictions, Austria has been getting some of the snow it needs. Italy and the southern French Alps are excellent. After good early snow many Americans would welcome new falls and the snowmakers have been busy.

Andorra: Not good. Arcalis with 40cm on lower slopes and 70cm higher up, and Pal (35/60cm) had hard pistes, while Soldeu (15/30cm) and Pas de la Casa (20/30cm) were cold and miserable midweek.

Austria: Mayrhofen (20/120cm) was excited at the arriving snow. 'Pistes are good and off-piste there is 30cm of powder.' Up at Hintertux there has been 75cm of fresh powder. St Anton (50/160cm) was reasonable on and off the higher pistes. Lech (50/80cm) too had improved higher up. Kitzbuhel (15/48cm) was better but needs more. Obergurgl (66/200cm) was fine with powder off piste, while Ischgl (30/ 130) was coming good. February may be best in Austria, when it is less crowded during school half-terms than France.

Bulgaria: Borovets (5/10cm) and Pamporovo (0/10cm) struggled to open a little skiing while, in Romania, Poiana Brasov (50/60cm) wasn't happy.

Canada: A 30-year-old woman was killed by a cougar near Banff. At nearby Lake Louise (45/81cm) conditions were reasonable on and off piste. Whistler (153/180cm) was also good. In the East, Mont Tremblant (95/113cm) has more snow but is cold.

France: Most runs have been open in Megeve and St Gervais (15/80cm) though conditions were disappointing. The weather was expected to improve this weekend. It was the same in Chamonix (30/130cm) where the best skiing is high up. Courchevel (15/70 cm) had good if packed pistes, the off-piste was 'great if you know where to go'. Weather variable. 'The snow is much better over towards Val Thorens' (50/150cm). Les Arcs (50/103cm) had hard pistes despite some snow and very mixed off-piste. In Val d'Isère (50/110cm) bad weather brought some snow. Tignes (60/190cm) was slightly better off. Alpe d'Huez (40/210cm) again was cloudy with best runs higher up. Its little neighbour Vaujanay (18/80cm) had bare and patchy pistes. The further south you go the deeper the snow. Isola (105/365cm) only 90min from Nice looks to be having bumper snow depths.

Italy: Great enthusiasm from Courmayeur (80/220cm) after some snow. The pistes were 'top notch' and the off-piste 'bottomless though a little heavy on lower slopes'. At nearby Pila (60/105cm) in the Aosta Valley conditions were 'excellent' and the snowboard park 'great'. Conditions are generally good in the Dolomite resorts and along the great Milky Way. Elsewhere midweek depths speak for themselves, Passo Tonale (160/180cm), Bormio (35/270cm), Santa Caterina (100/300cm) and Madesimo (120/580cm), Cervinia (90/200cm) Livigno (115/300cm) and Cortina (20/250cm).

Switzerland: After early week snow most resorts were reporting good pistes and resort runs, while off-piste was described as powder. Weather has been variable. Davos (30/140cm), Klosters (40 /130cm), Arosa (95/110cm), Verbier (50/120cm) Zermatt (35/160cm) had improved. Wengen (50/100cm) and Murren (55/95cm) were pleased, while St Moritz (100/260cm) and SaasFee (60/165cm) also offered fine skiing.

US: The cold East Coast resorts are doing well. Killington (75/175cm) had excellent piste skiing and powder off-piste while Stowe (55/95cm) was good on piste and varied off it. From California came news that there was a serious shortage of snow in Mammoth (30/60cm) and around Lake Tahoe. Heavenly (35/80cm) and Squaw Valley (43/90cm) were making snow while still needing dollops of the real stuff. In Colorado they have even been seeding clouds, but depths are still impressive even though most pistes are hard packed. Steamboat (95/115cm), Vail (79/112cm) Aspen (60/85cm), Breckenridge (76/190cm) and Winter Park (115/125cm). Utah hadn't had any fresh snow since the new year.

On the slopes: Julie Walters was out with an instructor in Les Houches. Robbie Williams was snowboarding in Courchevel but keeping a low profile off the slopes.

Best skiing: Killington, where Ski Safari (020 7740 1221) has a week's B&B in the Pico Mountain Inn, with Virgin flights from Gatwick to Boston and self-drive hire car for two people sharing at £499. This special offer is valid from 20 January to 7 February.

The AITO directory of ski operators, whose reps help with this report, is available free by calling 020 8607 9080