Last year I was up to my thighs in powder exactly one year ago, and sunbathing on the slopes in Feb. It should be snowy in January and the conditions now have very little bearing on the rest of the season. I'm booked in for the middle of Jan to the Dolomites.

Check out this story on the news page!

http://www.fall-line.co.uk/news/the-biggest-storm-since-the-bizzard-of-a...

The biggest storm since the Bizzard of Ahhhs!

Fresh from Chamonix: just five minutes ago, Dickie's brother Ollie was almost speechless down the phone about the snow building up.

Ollie did three seasons in Chamonix about 20 years ago, just after the storm of storms that set the town on a fresh wave of international stardom and built its reputation as the home of free skiing with Plake, Schmidt, Hattrup et al in the seminal movie.

"I haven't seen the valley like this since I've been coming here", Ollie managed. "The runs are barely open because the amount coming down is so relentless."

"Anyone coming for Christmas is going to have a week they won't believe. We're being stopped from heading up apart from the Bochard on Grands Montets, but there are a couple of clear days coming through before it's supposed to start coming in again at the weekend."

Any tips?

"Fat skis and snow chains. You won't get a car anywhere without chains. They can only just keep the main routes open."

See, all we had to do was wait...