Snow report: Mild temperatures bring slush to the lower slopes

Out of the blue: Sunny skies have come to Verbier in Switzerland (Alamy)

Spring skiing conditions prevail in Europe at the moment, with bright sun and mild temperatures softening the pistes. The lower altitude resorts in Austria are suffering a little from the warmth. Head further up the mountain for the best skiing, to higher-altitude resorts such as Pitztal and Kaunertal.

Conditions in France have been settled this week with more bright sunshine and excellent snow conditions on higher north-facing slopes. Cauterets in the Pyrenees has one of the deepest snow bases in France, with an average depth of three metres. Isola 2000 is also in very good shape, along with other Southern Alps locations such as Pra Loup and Puy-St Vincent.

Switzerland is no exception to the rest of Europe, with consistent sunny skies and higher temperatures. The Ski Club Leader in Verbier says the lower slopes are quite slushy but higher up the snow is firmer and more wintry. It's the same in Davos with classic spring conditions dominating. It's been a very sunny week in Italy with no fresh snow to report. All resorts have plenty of snow especially those in the Dolomites. There was fresh snow in Norwegian resorts last weekend. Swedish resorts are still in good condition too, with temperatures remaining just below freezing.

Sierra Nevada in the south of Spain is offering some fantastic skiing. Spring conditions dominate in Scotland too but there's still excellent skiing and boarding after the enormous snowstorms of previous weeks.

The weather is forecast to remain mostly sunny across European resorts. Cloudy weather could move in over the weekend with a chance of light snow or rain. Freezing levels are expected to sit around 3,000m.

The forecast in the US is for mostly sun in the west, with a chance of light snow in parts of Colorado. It's expected to remain sunny through the weekend in California. Mostly cloudy weather in the east, with potential for light snow.

Canada is expecting fresh snow, with resorts in the west looking promising. Whistler could receive around 50cm of new snow. Alberta resorts should also receive new snow but not as much as in British Columbia. Only a light dusting is predicted in the east.

The Ski Club of Great Britain (020 8410 2015; skiclub.co.uk) is a not-for-profit snowsports club which offers benefits to more than 30,000 members who receive discounts on travel, kit and holidays; access to industry-leading snow reports; information and advice; and access to the in-resort Ski Club Leader service. Individual membership costs £62 or £23 for beginners and those aged under 24.