Over the weekend, skiers and snowboarders enjoyed outstanding conditions for this time of year as a handful of European resorts opened earlier than expected following snowfalls of up to 20ins (50cm) in the past week.

In Saas Fee, Switzerland, snow depths have already reached more than 3ft (1m) on upper slopes, while the Austrian resort of Kitzbühel earlier set an 80-year record by opening on October 24.

Ski tour operators yesterday welcomed the early snow, saying it has helped drive sharp increases in bookings, which would go some way to countering the effects of the economic downturn.

Betony Garner, of Ski Club of Great Britain, said: “We’ve seen some fantastic snowfalls across Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland, which is very unusual for this time of year.

“The crucial thing is that the temperature has been staying low so the snow is settling – even leaving some resorts blanketed like it’s the middle of winter.

“Up high, some places have seen up to 50cm of fresh snow in the last week. This is great news for people looking to book trips in December and in the New Year, because they can be confident that there will be a good base layer of snow on the pistes.

“There’s also evidence that it has led to a rise in bookings, which is bringing more confidence to the industry, especially after last year saw sales plunge due to the credit crunch.”

In Switzerland, the resorts of Zermatt, Saas Fee, and Verbier have lifts running at weekends boasting “excellent” conditions following snowfalls in Thursday and overnight on Saturday. Resorts in France and Italy are also offering weekend skiing.

Despite not being among the highest of the Austrian resorts, Kitzbühel was one of the earliest to open its lifts last month, after heavy falls over the last three weeks.

Christoph Hirnschall, a spokesman for the resort’s lift operators, said: “We are so pleased that this year it was possible to provide this skiing facility at an earlier date than ever before in the 80 years of the resort’s history.”

Skiers described the conditions as “amazing”, which are being aided by artificial snow from piste canons.

Many Alpine resorts had been becoming increasingly nervous about the unseasonably warm weather of late, which saw temperatures as high as 65F (18C) – fearing a repeat of the dire season of 2006/7.

Concerns have also been raised over the impact of the global economic crisis and poor exchange rates that have forced up the cost of holidays in Europe, especially for British tourists.

However, leading tour operators Crystal, Thompson Ski, First Choice Ski, and Inghams, said yesterday that the weather had prompted an increase in bookings.

A spokeswoman for Crystal said: “There’s been a huge rise in bookings compared to this time last year, when people were much more cautious due to the credit crunch.

“The snow is definitely helping because people are seeing the reports online and getting excited about heading out there.”

Lisa Tyrell, of Inghams, added: “We’ve definitely seen an uplift in bookings over the last couple of weeks.

“The snow was fantastic last year as well, but I think that good early reports and a more positive economic outlook this season are tempting more people to book holidays.”

Experts said that a plethora of cheap deals available this year are also helping fuel sales.

Last year many Alpine resorts experienced the best snow conditions in a generation.