Early doors on the slopes

Ski resorts across Europe and in the US are set to open their doors early to winter sports fans this year.

According to online resource TravelMole, the move has followed heavy snowfalls across Austria, France, Italy, Switzerland and Scandinavia, as well as parts of North America.

The Ski Club of Great Britain has noted that Snowbird in Utah and Mammoth in California, along with Flims/Laax and Lenzerheide in Switzerland, Norway's Hemsedal and Obergurgl in Austria will all be cranking up the ski lifts ahead of their usual start dates.

Zermatt in Switzerland now has a 220cm blanket of snow on its upper slopes, while Saas Fee has a covering of more than one and a quarter metres and Tignes in France has a 10cm depth on its lower slopes.

Alyn Morgan, from the Ski Club of Great Britain, said: "It bodes well for good early season conditions and hopefully good snow cover for the festive period."

Winter sports fans hoping to make a quick getaway may be pleased to hear that Jet2.com operates cheap ski flights from across the north of the UK.

Meanwhile, the Association of British Insurers has advised that skiers ensure they have suitable insurance before they hit the slopes.

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