My first blog of this season had a tongue in cheek title playing on the saying ‘What a difference a day makes’ Well I’m afraid that proper saying is more relevant to this blog. The start of the Christmas period brought unusually high temperatures with heavy rain falling on the 22nd December. When this subsided we were left with higher than normal temperatures and low hanging cloud. Cloud can be just as fatal to the snow as rain. As it wraps itself around the mountain like a grey cloak it begins to eat away at it. Sorry, I’m reading Bram Stoker’s Dracula at the moment so got a little dramatic there!

I have to report that the difference in conditions from last week to this has been marked. Before you all get too down though lets not forget that the starting point last week was very high. I guess we’re now back to what conditions are normally like this time of year.

All links are still open as too are all the runs and you can still ski back down into Sauze. Wind has played it’s part this week though with chairlifts in Sestriere stopping frequently as the winds picked up. That said the gondola link back from Sestriere to Sauze remained open.

As I write this the snow has started to fall and according to my forecast we should have snow all day and all night which will certainly help. The wind is back though which is the only downer. I guess what we’d like now is for the wind to drop and for us to be treated to the kind of snow falls that graced us at the beginning of December. Whilst I’m not yet at the begging stage I’m certainly not fussy what snow we get as long as we get some.

The forecast for the start of the New Year has more snow coming our way but I attach to that the caveat I always attach when giving ‘long term’ forecasts. I know 5 days isn’t really a long time but when trying to predict the weather in the mountains is certainly is.

Oooo after a little break for a cup of Yorkshire tea I’m now back writing and glad to report that the snow is now vertical as opposed to horizontal. Smoke from the one chimney I can see is going straight up too so the wind has definitely dropped. Despite the fact that I have the worse cold known to humanity I may well brave the elements and venture forth. Wish me luck…