The Chances of there being any snow

On any given weekend in the winter the chances of their being any skiing are about 50:50, or worse. Unlike Scotland and the Alps it is rare for a good base to build up, though deep drifts do form and the slopes take advantage of these. Yes there will be snow at some point, but you'll have to keep an eye on the weather and make the most of it, before it melts.

Listen to the snow reports and look at the webcams

The Snow Conditions

If you're worrying about snow conditions then it means you have some snow - count yourself lucky and get on with it. But perhaps you are in one of those idle moments when the snow has forsaken us, in which case this is what it might have been like had there been any:

Thin snow - to get the most out of the conditions you may find yourself skiing on some very thin snow indeed - so stick to the drifts. Turning isn't easy on frozen grass so try and run straight if you hit it.
Boilerplate ice - this forms sometimes when snow is wetted by rainfall (or melted by the sun perhaps) and re-freezes with a skin of hard water ice - you need very sharp edges.
Rain - bring your coat.

Questions & Answers

Q. How many days skiing in a season?
A. This varies from one mountain to another and from one year to another.
If you got 10 weekends you would count yourself lucky.

Q. When does the season start and finish?
A. Typically there will be some snow to be had by the end of December. Whilst the first lot will no doubt melt, further snow can be reasonably expected during January and February and sometimes there is a late fall around Easter time giving some enjoyable spring days.

Q. When the snow does fall how long will it last?
A. When we get a good snow fall it usually forms deep drifts and as it's a few degrees colder high up it can last a surprisingly long while. However conditions can change fast and warmer weather, usually from the Atlantic, can melt the all the snow from one day to the next.