We haven’t had much to shout about this year – with the economy imploding all around us, we haven’t even had any decent weather to console us. But it turns that every cloud has a silver lining, so to speak: it’s been snowing so hard in North America and Europe that all the ski resorts are opening their slopes weeks earlier than usual. So all those stressed execs might want to think about a nice relaxing skiing holiday – assuming they can still afford it…
‘The west coast of America has received some significant snowfalls recently and it looks like mid-winter rather than autumn in many resorts,’ a spokesman for the Ski Club of Great Britain told the Telegraph. Apparently the Mammoth resort in California has opened 10 days earlier than usual, while Snowbird in Utah has enjoyed its second earliest start to a season ever.
Thankfully, Europe isn’t too far behind. The Telegraph excitedly reports that Geilo in Norway has opened three weeks early (with a 50cm base, if this means anything to you). Reuters says that the highest Alpine resorts, like Zermatt and Verbier, are already open for business. And with more big snowstorms expected over the weekend, there should be a few more skiers and snowboarders celebrating in Austria, Hungary and Switzerland by this time next week.
Even more excitingly, there’s even been enough snow to open two Scottish resorts, Cairngorm and Lecht – except that one immediately melted, and the other almost immediately had to close for maintenance. How very British.
We’re sure the prospect of getting away from the economic gloom for a cheeky pre-Christmas ski trip is rather tempting at the moment. The only problem is that little jaunts to Europe are a lot more expensive than they were a year ago – with the pound at a record low against the euro, we’d strongly advise you to stock up on the duty free...
In today's bulletin:
Sainsbury profits from rivals' misfortunes
Jobless total hits 11-year high
Christmas isn't cancelled after all
Tory boost as SMEs blast the government
MT's Little Ray of Sunshine: Sloping off for the winter
