The Updated PlanetSKI Snow Report
10th February 2026
Last modified on February 16th, 2026
Snow conditions are excellent in places as the half-term holidays are underway. There remains a ‘high ‘risk of avalanche in places after the recent snow with more now falling. UPDATED
Monday 16th February
Another big storm is hitting the Alps.
Most of Switzerland, plus parts of France and Austria, are seeing snow.
“This region will see 30–70cm of snow above 1500m between and , with the heaviest falls in the northern French Alps (e.g Tignes, Val Thorens) and the Arlberg (e.g. St Anton, Lech),” said Fraser Wilkin from weathertoski.co.uk.
“Some snow will also get through to the eastern Austrian Alps (e.g. Obertauern) and across the border to some southern resorts like Livigno but generally in more modest quantities.
“The rain/snow limit will continue to descend steadily during to reach 600–1000m later in the day.”
It is looking good for the half-term week and once the storm passes and the pistes are opened it should be rather special.
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However, the avalanche risk is ‘high’ in many places.
Here is the risk level in Switzerland with most of the resorts on a Level 4 alert.
Avalanche risk in Switzerland, Monday 16th February. Image c/o Swiss Avalanche Institute.
On Sunday two people died in Courmayeur in Italy and a third is in a critical condition.
See here for the details:
More to follow…
Sunday 15th February
We’ll be updating from the Alps later as more snow falls with another big storm starting on Sunday evening and going into Monday.
Check out yesterday’s full report on conditions in the Alps lower down this article.
First though we are delighted to report that there has finally been some snow near Banff in Canada.
Why delighted?
Because that’s where PlanetSKI editor, James Cove, and the team are currently skiing.
There’s been a bit of a drought lately.
View this post on Instagram
There was some welcome snow on the trees on the way up.
Sunshine Village, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
Here are some of those holiday crowds James was talking about in the video.
Sunshine Village, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
But if you know where go and at what time of day (as James and the PlanetSKI team do) then the slopes were pretty much empty.
Sunshine Village, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
Updated:
And in the Alps…
The next big storm will hit the Alps on Sunday night and will continue on Monday and into Tuesday.
The western Alps will again see the most snow, with 40-60cm likely at altitude in the north-west.
Further east, snowfalls will be more modest but still significant in places.
Yet another big storm is then forecast for later in the week.
See the latest on weathertoski.co.uk
Saturday 13th February
The huge storm in the western Alps has now passed, but more snow is on the way for Monday.
First this week’s storm.
It dropped 1.5m in places but also led to ‘very high’ danger of avalanches with some resorts closing their entire ski areas.
A Level 5 warning is very rare.
We reported on the closures at the time:
Resorts have now started re-opening slopes after avalanche mitigation work is carried out.
The risk has dropped from Level 5 (Very High) to Level 4 (High).
The authorities are advising against off piste skiing while urging people to stay to the marked and prepared runs.
On Friday two Britons and a Frenchman died off piste in an avalanche in Val d’Isere:
It is expected there will be further fatalities over the next few days as more people venture off piste once the conditions start to stabilise.
Level 3 (considerable) is the level where most accidents occur.
“The really eye-catching storm totals have been confined to a relatively narrow portion of the Alps,” said the alpine weather expert, Fraser Wilkin, from weathertoski.co.uk.
“Iincluding France (especially the north, e.g. L’Espace Killy, Paradiski, Chamonix Valley, Avoriaz), the far north-west of Italy (e.g. Courmayeur, La Thuile) and the far west of Switzerland (e.g Glacier 3000).”
“So, right now, snow depths are very healthy and generally above average in the French Alps, some western Italian regions and the far west of Switzerland.
“Just about everywhere else snow depths remain below average, however.”
Here’s Val Thorens:
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There will some dusting of snowfall in the Alps over the weekend, and then on Sunday/Monday a new storm is forecast hit parts of Austria and Switzerland dropping 50cm in places.
It looks like being one of the best February half-term weeks in the Alps in recent years and we will be updating you on the conditions.
And lets not forget the Pyrenees that is having a superb winter.
We reported on conditions in the Spanish Pyrenees yesterday and now we can report that the French Pyrenees is also having a great winter.
Les Angles saw 1.2m of new snow in 48 hours at the start of this month and says it has seen more snowfall since.
PlanetSKI was in the French Pyrenees on a multi resort visit back in January:
The whole of the Pyrenees has been reporting regular falls all winter and we will be updating about the conditions in Andorra shortly.
Friday 13th February
The weather is set to become calmer in the Alps today after the huge snowstorm in recent days in the north west Alps.
1.5m fell in places.
We will be updating later on Friday as the totals are released, so do check back.
In the meantime here’s one of our regular video reports from Steve Angus in Tignes-Val d’Isere:
View this post on Instagram
With the main February half-term week about to start there should be some excellent conditions once the clear-up operation is completed.
“Vacationers, we’ve set aside a little snow (about 1m) for you for the next few weeks,” said a social media post from Tignes.
View this post on Instagram
Here’s Val Thorens:
View this post on Instagram
UK tour operators report a rise in bookings and interest for later in the season after the huge snowfall.
“The massive snowfall means that customers are now booking March ski holidays in droves,” said Richard Sinclair of SNO Ski Holidays
“It’s going to be an absolute cracker next week, but half-term is almost sold out now.
“The enormous snowfall this week guarantees great snow when skiing in the March sunshine.”
The avalanche risk remains very real, and resorts are now making the slopes safe so they can re-open ski areas.
We reported on Thursday on the full closure of some ski areas.
Avalanche message from La Plagne. Image c/o La Plagne.
“On Saturday, further snow will affect some parts of the Alps, mostly across the north and in relatively modest quantities,” said Fraser Wilkin from weathertoski.co.uk.
“However, another major storm is then set to reach the western Alps on Monday.”
Over in the Pyrenees there has been some fresh snow too as the good winter continues.
In parts of the Spanish Pyrenees the season is shaping up as the most exceptional in a decade.
In the eastern Catalan Pyrenees there are snow depths of between one and two metres already recorded in several locations.
In Canada the snow drought continues.
“There still hasn’t been any fresh snow in weeks and there is none in the forecast,” said PlanetSKI’s James Cove from Lake Louise.
“Thankfully there was record amounts of snow in December and the cold temperatures mean it hasn’t melted.”
Lake Louise, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
Lake Louise, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
There are no powder turns to be made though.
Lake Louise, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
Lake Louise, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
More to follow…
Thursday 12th February
The forecast storm is hitting the north west Alps hard, with the avalanche danger level at its highest – Level 5 – in some places.
The French resorts of La Plagne & Les Arcs have taken the very rare decision to close their entire ski area on Thursday for safety reasons.
Other resorts in the area are expected to have large parts of their ski areas closed.
Do click through to the full and updated PlanetSKI report on the situation:
The storm is expected to continue into Friday and 1.5m of snow is forecast in places with wind affecting where the snow builds up.
There is flooding lower down in the valleys with a number of roads blocked or cut off.
The areas seeing the biggest snowfall are in the north west Alps and include parts of France, Italy and Switzerland.
These are some of the resorts seeing the most snow:
France: La Rosière, Flaine, Chamonix, Avoriaz, Les3Vallees, Tignes, Val d’Isere, La Plagne & Les Arcs
Italy: Courmayeur & La Thuile
Switzerland: Verbier & Glacier 3000
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What a difference a couple of days makes! A brief break in the blizzards revealed the Rhône valley this evening pic.twitter.com/KSboTsbJER
— Valais Dude (@ValaisDude) February 11, 2026
It all bodes very well for the main UK half-term holidays next week.
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Many UK families will be heading for the family-friendly resort of Les Menuires over half-term.
It’s looking good:
View this post on Instagram
Looking further ahead into spring at the resort:
See the latest information on the storm on weathertoski.co.uk
Meanwhile in Canada…
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If you want to check out PlanetSKI’s resort reviews from our recent Canada road trip:
- PlanetSKI resort review: Kicking Horse, British Columbia, Canada.
- PlanetSKI resort review: Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada
- PlanetSKI resort review: Marmot Basin, Alberta, Canada.
More to follow…
Wednesday 11th February
Heavy snow is now falling in parts of the Alps as the storm moves from west to east.
The snowfall will last until Friday.
“Very snowy few days in Tignes with the avalanche risk now at Level 4,” said PlanetSKI reader David Morgan from the French resort.
“Strong winds and snow expected to continue.”
Tignes, France. Image c/o David Morgan.
“Throughout this period, it will always be the western Alps that sees the most precipitation,” said Fraser Wilkin from weathertoski.co.uk.
“By Friday morning we are expecting over 1m of fresh snow above 2000m across parts of the French Alps (e.g. Tignes, Val Thorens, La Rosière, Flaine, Avoriaz).
“The far north-west of Italy (e.g. Courmayeur, La Thuile) and the far west of Switzerland (e.g. Glacier 3000, Portes du Soleil, Verbier) could also see similar accumulations.
“Note that the risk of avalanche will become sky high and there will also be a risk of flooding lower down.
“On the whole, the further east and especially south-east you are this week, the less intense any precipitation will be, with some parts of the Dolomites (for example) only seeing a few centimetres at best.”
Here is the current avalanche danger level in Switzerland for Wednesday 11th February.
Avalanche danger in Switzerland. Image c/o Swiss Avalanche Institute
More to follow…
Tuesday 10th February
The Alps
Big storms are hitting parts of the Alps over the next few days.
There will be some rain at lower altitudes but, with the temperatures set to drop later in the week, that should turn to snow.
“Between and , we can expect a metre or so of snow above 2000m in some of the higher French ski resorts, including those of the Tarentaise (e.g. Tignes, Val Thorens),” said the alpine weather expert, Fraser Wilkin from weathertoski.co.uk.
“Lower down, though, rain is likely to fall as high as 1700–2000m in places on .
“Watch out for a big increase in the risk of avalanche as the week goes on, together with the possibility of localised flooding in some lower areas, especially near the western foothills of the Alps.
Do check back for updates…
Scotland
It is looking good in Scotland that is seeing one of its best seasons in recent years.
“Plenty of snow across the Highlands bodes well for a bumper half term holiday period for the Scottish ski areas,” said PlanetSKI’s Scotland reporting team of Rod and Dianne Frazer.
“Cairngorm is the pick of the bunch just now with some exceptional snow cover that has built up during the January storms.
“The hill feels like a blast from the past, driving past huge drifts upto the carpark.
“It’s great to be able to let loose on huge wide snowfields both on and off piste.
Current conditions in Scotland. Image c/o Dianne & Rod Frazer
See here for our full report on current conditions in Scotland:
Current conditions in Scotland. Image c/o Dianne & Rod Frazer
Current conditions in Scotland. Image c/o Dianne & Rod Frazer
Canada
In Canada, where PlanetSKI is continuing its extended visit 2-month, Sunshine Village near Banff has been living up to its name after the snow at the weekend.
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Sunday 8th February
Finally some snow fell in Canada at the weekend after a long dry period.
Here’s Sunshine Village near Banff in Alberta:
View this post on Instagram
The crowds were out to welcome the return of winter.
Sunshine Village, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
Sunshine Village, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
December saw record- breaking levels of snow in Sunshine Village and its near neighbour Lake Louise.
But since then precious little snow has fallen, but the snow remains with no bare spots and great piste conditions.
Just no powder.
PlanetSKI has just visited Revelstoke, Kicking Horse and Jasper on a mini road trip and those resorts have similar conditions.
Huge levels of snow in December, and then not much since.
See here for our resort reviews from three of the finest ski resorts Canada has to offer:
- PlanetSKI’s Canada road trip heads north to Jasper and Marmot Basin
- PlanetSKI resort review: Kicking Horse, British Columbia, Canada.
- PlanetSKI resort review: Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada
Then just as the skiers and snowboarders in Sunshine Village were getting used to the fresh snow on Sunday, it turned to be just a heavy flurry and the sun came back.
It was good while is lasted and certainly freshened things up, but it was back to piste skiing on firm slopes.
Sunshine Village, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
Sunshine Village, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
Saturday 7th February
Another storm is on its way to the Alps for next week but this weekend things are fairly stable after some recent snow in places.
A PlanetSKI reader, who goes by the name of Valais Dude on X, has posted on the fresh snow in Nendaz in Switzerland
Excellent conditions in the Swiss 4Vallees due to some fresh snow – even a blue sky too #Nendaz #Veysonnaz #Thyon pic.twitter.com/Os3p4xHhBq
— Valais Dude (@ValaisDude) February 7, 2026
PlanetSKI reader, Sally Lovegrove, is in Les3Vallees in France where the fresh snow is very welcome.
She has sent us these images.
Les3Vallees, France. Image © Sally Lovegrove/PlanetSKI.
Les3Vallees, France. Image © Sally Lovegrove/PlanetSKI.
Les3Vallees, France. Image © Sally Lovegrove/PlanetSKI.
Les3Vallees, France. Image © Sally Lovegrove/PlanetSKI.
There should be some fresh snow in the south west Alps on Sunday and then on Tuesday a potentially big storm will hit.
“This new stormy phase will be most keenly felt in the western Alps where some serious quantities of snow are likely to fall in the run-up to half term,” said the alpine snow expert Fraser Wilkin from weathertoski.co.uk.
“However, with some milder air in the mix, especially mid-week, there may also be some rain lower down for a time.
“Later in the week, the snow level should drop much lower again, with some more northern and eastern areas (e.g. Austria) possibly coming into play.
“However, for now it is the western Alps that are likely to see the most snow.”
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