Conditions have improved a lot at altitude over the last couple of weeks but there is still a lack of snow below 1500 meters.

An avalanche has killed 3 people on the closed Bellecombes piste at les Deux Alpes this afternoon. The avalanche risk was 3/5 (Considerable) at the time.

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This impressive avalanche was filmed by holiday maker Frédérick Douzet in the village of Bessans in the French Haute-Maurienne during the afternoon of Monday 11 Jan. There was no damage.

Well the weekend was a bit of a washout in many areas.

Despite heavy snow and high avalanche risk at altitude many ski resorts are having trouble opening all their runs, or at all in the second week of January.

Tuesday 5th January.

This image shows where the recent snow has fallen in the French Alps. It is taken from Meteo France figures from 1st Jan through to the predictions for Wednesday's dumpage.

With the avalanche risk between 4 and 3 today in the Savoyard ski resort of Val d'Isere the snow conditions continue to be very unstable.

An avalanche has killed two Lithuanian ski alpinists in the Mont Blanc massive around midday today. The incident occurred above the Grands Montets ski area at 3200 meters altitude.