Almost all of Austria’s best known resorts will be open from this weekend onwards as the 2009–10 ski season gets properly underway. Austria enjoyed some record-breaking October snow conditions, leading to very early openings of resorts like Kitzbuhel and Schladming as well as great conditions on the country’s half-dozen glacier ski areas including Kaprun, Solden and Hintertux.

However November’s snowfall proved a little less forthcoming and temperatures warmed, but now that December has arrived, so has the snow.
Many resorts have received between 20–50cm of fresh snow in recent days and the Molltal Glacier has some of the world’s deepest snow depths at the moment with over two metres lying. There’s been 50cm fall on the Pitztal glacier, and snow depths currently measure from 146cm in Sölden to 170cm on the Hintertux glacier.

Since 13th November, skiers have been enjoying fantastic conditions in Obergurgl-Hochgurgl, whilst chart-topping singer Katy Perry opened the season in style in Ischgl last weekend, wowing a 20,000 audience and then stayed on in the village with boyfriend Russell Brand to hit the slopes.

The 25-year-old raunchy rock star is a keen snowboarder and stayed for four nights following the concert, leaving yesterday.

“I heard Ischgl was one of the best resorts in the Alps, and that’s one of the reasons I wanted to do the concert here,” she said. “I love boarding, although I wear lots of protection, wrist guards etc – and I don’t do dangerous stuff, I leave that to my brother. He does backflips and everything.’

Resorts that will open this weekend include St. Anton am Arlberg, Kaltenbach, Gerlos, Innsbruck (Patscherkofel, Axamer Lizum, Kühtai), Kitzbuhel, Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis and Lermoos.

With forecasts indicating even more snowfall on Friday, it looks good for a white weekend across Austria.

http://www.ischgl.com/