Choose a high resort with glacier skiing, just in case. If you can afford to wait until nearer your departure date, check ifyouski.com's daily snow updates from around the world.

Many tour operators offer snow guarantees, although bear in mind that if you have to be bussed to the snow every day you will lose a lot of skiing time. Likewise, lift operators offer money-back guarantees if all the lifts are closed, but they are generally able to keep something open in all conditions to avoid that necessity.

Artificial snow is used increasingly to ensure that skiing can be offered throughout the season. However, the result is no substitute for adequate quantities of natural snow, so you shouldn't choose your holiday destination solely on the number of cannons used by the ski area.