Tignes, France (Ski Press)-Skiinfo.com reports that Europe’s summer glacier ski season continues to improve with two more centres open and up to 18cm (Seven inches) of fresh snow reported on the still-open slopes of Austria.

In France Tignes is the second resort to open for summer skiing after Les 2 Alpes a week ago. To celebrate the resort staged a bikini ski event on Saturday in which a small number of enthusiasts took to the snow slopes clad only in swimwear and ski boots. Ski gloves, eye protection and sun cream were also allowed in this ‘competition.'

Austria continues to offer the widest choice of glacier skiing in Europe with four centres operational.

The Mölltaler Glacier re-opened on Saturday with about 9km (six miles) of pistes open every day from 8am to 4pm.  Temperatures are typically a few degrees below zero and the glacier snow base depth 330cm with 10-cm (four inches) of fresh snow reported in the past few days.

The Kitzsteinhorn Glacier above Kaprun has reported 18cm (7 inches) of fresh snow.  Seven lifts are operational with a 365cm (12 foot) base on the glacier.  The Kitzsteinhorn’s Ice arena will open this Friday, June 26th.  Facilities include a snow beach with Ice bar, a panorama terrace at the summit station and a 362m long panorama tunnel straight through the Kitzsteinhorn.

The Hintertux glacier continues to have the largest ski area open with 23km (14 miles) of piste served by weight lifts and a 225cm (9 foot) base.  The Dachstein Glacier also has a small ski area open.

Across the Atlantic in North America, after a brief hiatus Whistler Blackcomb is back in snow business with the opening of the Horstman Glacier on Blackcomb Mountain on Saturday, June 20 for summer skiing and snowboarding.   It joins Timberline in Oregon, south of the border.

In South America there’s been very heavy snow in recent days with Argentina’s Las Lenas resort reporting 120cm (four feet) of snow accumulated at the base and 260cm (nearly nine feet) at the top of the mountain, it expects to open shortly.

Caviahue opened today (June 24) with snow depths of 20 to 80cm (10 – 32 inches). Other Argentinian ski areas are reporting snow but are not yet open, for example Los Penitentes reports a 20cm (eight inch) base. Chapelco has between 2cm (an inch) on lower slopes and 50cm (20 inches) on upper runs and temperatures hovering a few degrees below zero. Catedral also has a good covering of fresh snow.

In Chile, Portillo reports its slopes are 65% open having received over 140cm (five feet) of snow already this season.  More than half of that has fallen in the past week and conditions are described as “packed powder.”

Valle Nevado opened on Monday (22nd June)  reporting a metre (3.3 feet) of snow falling in the previous 72 hours. Chapa Verde reports 30cm (a foot) of snow but that it’s waiting for more before it opens.

In Australia there’s hope of more fresh snow later today and during the rest of the week.  16 lifts are expected to be in operation across Perisher and Blue Cow tomorrow with snow depths of up to 48cm (19 inches).

The Australian Weather Bureau has forecast snow to fall above 1500m tomorrow, which is great news given Perisher village sits at 1720m.

Mt Buller has nine lifts open with good cover on firm packed snow across the open runs. There’s a natural snow base of 33cm (13 inches), and an average of 47cm (17 inches) in the snowmaking areas.

New Zealand continues to have a great early season, already four weeks old for some areas there but others are still opening.

Bright sunshine, excellent snow cover and all lifts operating made for a beautiful day in the mountains at The Remarkables ski area near Queenstown in New Zealand for the start of their 2009 winter season on Saturday.

Cardrona Alpine Resort is next on the list to kick off its 2009 season this Friday (26 June) welcoming skiers and boarders to enjoy what they are reporting to be the best opening snow conditions in over a decade, the resort will open all facilities and 100% of their extensively groomed trails.