Here too the hit was a reversal of recent form with Austria eastern Switzerland and

Here, too, the hit was a reversal of recent form, with Austria, eastern Switzerland and eastern Italy winners, while the western Alps are making do with less than expected.British interest in the top Arlberg resort is stronger than ever, especially as Mark Warner has taken advantage of new property regulations resulting from Austrian membership of the European Union to buy the Schweizerhof Hotel.On the wrong side of the east-west divide, it’s a case of cautious optimism in the teeth of bitter cold and occasional flurries of snow. The rest of British Columbia and Alberta were in even more dire straits, with several resorts yet to open.On this side of the Atlantic, the ripple of anticipation triggered by the strong pound turned to a rip tide over the weekend as the first major snowfalls hit the Alps. With top-up snow falling over the weekend – “big, big flakes” – conditions are expected to be perfect by the time they arrive.In the British Columbian interior, Nino is a four-letter word. A five- hour north-easterly drive away from Whistler at Sun Peaks – run by Canada’s ex-Olympic champion, Nancy Greene – there’s a real snow crisis with a bare minimum of runs open (and those only because of diligent snow-making). Over the weekend, Nancy’s husband, Al Raine, kept one eye on the local television weather station and the other on the suspiciously bright western horizon, but his vigilance brought no pay-off. Condo blocks were springing up all over, and the restaurants wouldn’t be outclassed in the Italian or French Alps.The commercial attitude was reflected in the limited slopes open to bargain- hunters: the best terrain off the Peak Chair on Whistler Mountain was zealously kept untracked for the yuletide crowds. In California, Mammoth, Heavenly and Squaw Valley are prospering, while Colorado and Utah are still struggling to get the season under way.Even with two weeks to go until Christmas, Whistler was buzzing with anticipation – and with Japanese, Swedes, Germans and Brits snapping up low-cost, pre-season packages.

So what has happened to the skiing world?
The answer is El Nino, the flow of warm water that is mingling with the regular northbound cold current from the Antarctic somewhere off the coast of Peru. This happens every nine to 12 years, with unpredictable effects on the weather. So Whistler, which is relatively low and coastal, has found that the snow has turned into rain, and Taos, down in the New Mexican desert, has the best conditions in North America. Who’s getting the snow so far this season? From Whistler to Val d’Isere, Minty Clinch offers an overview. Last week, I teetered on the brink of a couloir on Canada’s Whistler Mountain and looked down on unseasonal rocks – definitely unwelcome, given the glut of early snow of the past few years.

Groovy glasses: Oakley Strait Jacket (below left): pounds 86.Above: Unisex Degre 7, Gore-tex 3-in-1 parka with lots of zips, an adjustable hood, useful bits of velcro and, crucially, a hidden radio pocket, pounds 299Above: woman’s jacket from SOS, pounds 249 in orange, white and red. Pants, very waterproof thanks to the miraculous Entrant G11, pounds 209. So here’s our quick guide to bella figura on the slopes.
Genevieve HolledgeAbove and above right: Tokka Tribe from Luhta. Jacket: pounds 150.Trousers: pounds 99.Main Luhta stockist: 0181 387 4050Most of the gear shown can be bought at Snow and Rock, Ellis Brigham and BlacksEssentialextras: watchfrom Gul (left): the Viper pounds 49.95. Let’s face it, most of the action is done in the bar before and after the skiing itself, so it is almost as important to look good as it is to ski good. Put away that one- piece you were so proud of the year before last (and bought for so much); this season your bottom half will be cosily ensconced in salopettes And, no, not those tight jobs with the go-faster stripes. The clothes are of thin material, and by some miracle of science – it’s to do with a solar panel converting the light into heat – let your skin breathe when it is hot and keep you warm on a chairlift in nippy January gales.