The snow has arrived!

All thoughts of the summer's seemingly endless heat wave are well and truly behind us after the first heavy snowfall of the season hit the northern French Alps this week.

With temperatures falling and heavy precipitation on the cards for the weekend, the next few days promise plenty more snow as autumn crosses over to the winter season.

The mountains were cloaked in beautiful colours of vibrant red, amber and yellow this autumn and up until last week temperatures remained mild enough to venture out without a coat during the day. However it was a very different story during viewing trips in Morzine, Les Gets and Samoens this week, when we were caught out by sudden flurries of snow!

In the various mountain resorts preparations for the start of the winter season are well underway and the build up to Christmas week (dare we even mention Christmas yet?) has begun.

If you're avidly following every last flake of snow as it falls, try the website www.snow-forecast.com - a useful source of information.

If you're planning a trip to the French Alps this winter to look for property for sale, or you have a property you would like to sell, please contact us and we'll be happy to help.

Alpine property rentals

This winter the northern French Alps have been enjoying some of the best ski conditions of the past decade and with low temperatures and yet more heavy snowfall it seems that spring is still a long way off. Ski property owners have been able capitalise on the unprecedented number of tourists that have been drawn to the Haute-Savoie region and rental property occupancy levels have soared.

Christmas week and New Year were almost 100% booked in rental and hotel accommodation in the ski resorts of the area and February half-term also brought record numbers of visitors to the region. Rumours that British tourists were seeking holiday destinations outside of the euro zone appeared unfounded as many UK families decided they couldn't forgo their treasured ski holiday and resort numbers swelled to maximum capacity. The next major holiday weekend is Easter on April 12th and there should be plentiful snow for skiers planning a late-season break this year.

The ski resorts will start to wind up the winter season towards the end of April (although resorts such as Argentiere in the Chamonix Valley operate into May) and after a short break of a few weeks and some serious increases in temperature the Haute-Savoie opens up again for the busy summer season. With many dual-season resorts in the region the summer represents another excellent opportunity for alpine property rentals and property owners really can make the most of their investment. Ski resorts such as Chamonix, Morzine, Samoens, Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, Megeve and La Clusaz all operate highly successful summer seasons, with a multitude of outdoor pursuits to enjoy, such as hiking, climbing, rafting, canyoning, paragliding, golf, horse-riding, mountain-biking and hot air ballooning to name just a few. Annecy and Lake Annecy attract vast numbers of both international and French visitors in the summer and there is wide range of water sports available on the lake as well as numerous swimming beaches.

The French Alps is one of the few destinations in Europe which does offer property owners the opportunity for a year-round rental income, enabling you to capitalise on your investment whilst enjoying some fabulous holidays yourself. Depending on the size of your mortgage and the type of ski property you have bought it may just be possible to cover your running costs for the year by letting your property out to holidaymakers. An alpine property could be let for as many as 24 weeks a year - 14 weeks in the winter season and 10 weeks across the summer season and the rest of the year. Of course the success of your property rentals will depend on how you choose to market it to potential clients. As a general rule of thumb, a property in the French Alps will make an average of 5% return in rental income - more in the case of smaller apartments and slightly less in the case of the larger chalets.

The French Alps continue to be one of the most sought-after holiday destinations in Europe and it seems that the appeal of the mountains has not waned despite recent economic woes. To become a property owner in this beautiful part of the world why not speak to one of the Ascendant team today? You can reach us on 0844 555 32 74 or +33 (0)4 50 10 44 23.

Snow conditions

The ski resorts of Haute-Savoie have been enjoying some of the best snow conditions for many years and with heavy snow forecast over the next few days it looks set to continue well into the season.

In the run up to Christmas 2008 plenty of snow fell over the northern French Alps enabling the ski resorts to open as early as late November. For the team here at Ascendant, the January weeks that follow the holiday rush often offer some of the best skiing the area has to offer, with crystal clear blue skies, empty ski pistes and al fresco dining against a backdrop of snow clad peaks.

Last Monday we headed over to Les Gets for the day, the week before we were in La Clusaz and this coming Monday (weather permitting, we have become fair weather skiers now it's right on our doorstep) we’ll be going to Les Contamines Montjoie. We make it our mission to ski as much of the Haute-Savoie area during the winter, so we can tell you what each resort is like when you’re considering where to buy your ski property. It’s a hard life but someone has to do it.

If you’re coming out to the area and you want to check out the snow conditions before you travel, try the website www.ski-resort-france.co.uk. The snow bulletins added by the various ski resorts will tell you when it last snowed, the depth of the snow and the snow conditions. Checking it over today, Chamonix has 188cm at the top and 70cm at the bottom, Saint Gervais has 140cm at the top and 50cm at the bottom and Samoens has 120cm and 67cm at the bottom. With a good top-up due in the early part of next week it looks like February half term should offer some great ski conditions if you can’t make it out beforehand.

Don’t forget we’re on hand to help you locate your dream ski property - so tell us what you’re looking for and let us help you to spend more time on the ski slopes.