Snowman’s land

“If your lifestyle lets you drop everything to head for the slopes, it’s the perfect scenario now,” says Marion Telsnig at Crystal Ski.

“Prices have fallen because of weak demand in mid to late January, so you can find last-minute seven-night breaks in Arinsal, Andorra from £129; in Cervinia, Italy, from £196 [B&B] and in Ruka, Finland [self-catering] from £190.”

Bob Atkinson at travelsupermarket.com adds: “For weeks, the big grumble was ‘Not enough snow’, and in many households the feeling was that cutting out the ski holiday was an obvious economy to make.

“Now many resorts have enough snow to last the season, with Ischgl in Austria often completely cut off in recent days.

“While big operators have cut capacity significantly, the accommodation is still there and so are cheap flights.

“Half-term is showing ridiculous prices, but there is decent value to be found on either side of that.”

Fraser Ewart-White at Powder White says: “The lack of snow for weeks meant November and early December were quiet for bookings, particularly for late Feb to March.

“At last, amazing snow is accelerating bookings for that period and for Easter too. The word from the resorts is that if there isn’t a heat wave in the Alps for the rest of winter, there’s enough snow to last the season now. So far as January is concerned, so many people have dived in at the last minute that we are virtually sold out. Pictures of deep snow on Facebook got the message across.”

At family specialists Esprit Ski and Ski Total, Moira Clarke says: “The big snow fall has really focused skiers’ minds on to the season and the overwhelming industry reaction is that this is the year to ski or board!

“Don’t put it off, because this current snow really is the best for many years and opportunities to ski on such a mammoth snow base are rare.

“Prices are not pushed up at this stage but demand dictates there may be less discounting this season than last year, so grabbing a deal now is highly recommended.”

“Don’t wait to see what the snow does as people tended to do in past winters. There has been more snow this season than all last season put together, so there is minimal risk of choosing a week and finding no snow.”