What a wonderful New Year’s gift for skiing fans – over a metre of snow has fallen overnight in high resorts of the French Alps. 

The flip side is that it has caused utter chaos on the roads.  Several roads between the resorts and local airports have been closed this morning because of avalanches, including one on the main road between Aime and Bourg St Maurice. Cars are totally buried in the snow in the towns.  The Mont Blanc tunnel has been closed until tomorrow morning due to high avalanche risk.  Chambery Airport was especially hectic this morning as planes stacked up on the tarmac waiting for their passengers – still stuck in resort – while inbound passengers awaited their coach transfers for several hours.  But everyone’s in good spirits… after all it is New Year; there’s stacks of fresh new powder; a wild party in resort tonight (if we ever get there!) and blue skies forecast for New Year’s Day.