Snow report:Following a period of fine, dry weather, the Alps have been receiving a welcome top-up to ensure the excellent snow conditions continue. Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia report lower temperatures and new snow. Both west and east coast destinations in North America are continuing to be spoiled with fresh falls.
For up-to-date conditions, check your destination on www.skiclub.co.uk. Free, detailed six-day forecasts are at www.snow-forecast.com. More than 4,000 webcams are on www.snoweye.com.
Kitwatch
Pamela Scott Seasonal Ski Shop in Dublin is stocked with 180s Exhale snowboarding gloves. These wind- and snow-proof mitts are equipped with a clever little valve on the dorsum side that you can breathe into, the idea being that you give your hands a blast of warm air without taking off your gloves. They are available for €85 in the South William Street outlet in Dublin. 01-4295888, www.pamelascott.ie/skistores.
5 for snowboarders
Whistler, Canada.
Livigno, Italy.
Mayrhofen, Austria.
Val dIsére, France.
Jasná, Slovakia.
What's on
Likely contender for the wildest nightlife in the Alps, the resort of Ischgl, in Austria, is the venue for the more sedate but fiercely competitive activity of ice sculpting.
A different theme is selected each year; this time it's aliens. The competition entries are left out in the open until nature turns them to water. Sculpting begins on January 12th. www.ischgl.com.
Twin tips
When eating at mountain restaurants, swap one ski with a friend and rest the mixed pairs away from one another. This will prevent your skis being stolen or mistaken for someone else's.
Buying ski passes online through the resort website or pre-paying with the tour operator will secure you savings of between 10 and 30 per cent.
And finally
If that big group of yours that used to go skiing has been shredded by marriages, children, mortgages and atrophy, try Pistepals. The organisation arranges ski trips and holidays for the solo traveller, so whether you're looking for a potential beau or belle, a skiing partner, a new group or information on what resorts are most suitable, try logging on to www.pistepals.com.
Resort of the week: Zell am See, Austria
Poking out into the See Lake, the 13th-century town of Zell is a compact year-round destination ringed by some of Austria's gnarliest peaks.
The town is a sympathetic mix of ancient churches, 150-year-old hotels and low-rise apartments. A recently constructed bypass tunnel ensures that the only traffic is local.
Aside from its location (its convenience to Salzburg and Innsbruck airports), an extensive range of accommodation, great-value restaurants and slopes that will flatter the skier have helped Zell am See establish a good family-resort reputation.
Advanced skiers and boarders will find Zell's tame slopes limiting. This is a resort made for cruising, not high- octane adventures. But its proximity to and shared lift pass with Kaprun and its glacier offer challenges and a change of scenery.
Resort height755m,
Range755m-2,000m.
Lifts27.
Total runs77km.
Longest runSix kilometres.
Best runPiste 13. A long rolling easy black through the trees lilting towards the lake and town.
SnowparksOne.
Season lengthLate December to end of March.
Snow reliabilityWho goes Lots of Irish, British and Scandinavian families. An atypical smattering of Middle Eastern and north African young couples.
Value €€.A good-value destination, this large alpine town has a year-round clientele, and the competition in accommodation, restaurants, equipment hire and ski schools is healthy.
Insider tipsZell has fantastic on-mountain restaurants. Don't leave without visiting the Pinzgauner Hut - you arrive and leave towed by snowmobile - and the Ebenbergalm Guesthouse, where resident hund Otto will demand you throw him a stick. Spend the night in an igloo. The Ice Hotel, open on Kaprun's nearby glacier, will put you up for €149. Your bed of ice is insulated and padded with cosy reindeer hides.
AirportsSalzburg.
Tour operatorsDirectski.com, Topflight, Crystal.
Special eventsZell am See is a favourite Austrian air-sports centre. January 24th-31st will see the launch of dozens of monster air balloons for an international meet.