Snow conditions not as bad as you might think

"Alpine villages all have churches, some of them very old and very beautiful, which make them ideal places to pray for snow. They are normally quite empty, but this season you may have to queue."

Guardian of London travel section, December 13 2006

After reading stories like the one below about the economic challenges facing this year's mountain restaurants, it may come as some surprise that the snow conditions, while sorry compared to last year, aren't actually as bad as they might seem. Ok, take that back, they're not great but there are still a few options. For off-piste mountaineer skiers the situation varies by the day. The rapid warming and cooling has caused layering of the snow, and 15cm of "powder" may now either be hard or comprise an icy foundation. This didn't stop Evelyne Peten, who shared the above photo with us describing a great day on the Walegg (above Feutersoey) from last week. For the less adventurous, GstaadLife.com advises you to stay where the snow-making is.

Fortunately it's been cold enough to make quite a bit of snow over the past week, so the long glacier Oldenalp run, the entire Eggli run to Saanen, and the lower portion of Wispile are all in decent shape (use the drag lift from the children's area and don't take the gondola to the top of the Wispile, as you can't ski any further down than the middle station). Watch for the bumps, but don't let them spoil your day as you can use them for little jumps all the way down. But do watch out for the width of the pistes, because if you've been skiing in Gstaad for years, you may be caught out because the pistes are not being prepared as wide as when there is profuse snow. Most of all, enjoy the sun, work on your tan, actually get a seat at the choice tables in the Berghaus restaurants, and savor the empty slopes. Depending on the exact temperatures, snow may be on its way for the weekend Monday Tuesday. For the latest piste conditions, click here.