It's looking like Scotland's five Highland ski areas will finally be able to open for the 2016-17 ski season this week.
Nevis Range reports it has terrain open this morning and the other four centres say it's snowing heavily and they are looking at the slopes to consider opening soon too.
"We're open ... the right snow fell overnight!" said a Nevis Range spokesperson, "Linnhe will open first and then we hope to get Alpha and the Goose open. Reduced prices today Adult 23, Child £14.50 :)"
In fact The Lecht and Cairngorm have managed to open very limited terrain for brief periods right since mid-November and Glencoe and Nevis Range have offered beginner lessons on their artificial surface slopes, it's just that conditions have been such that no one area has been able to stay open for more than a few days before having to close again.
As in the Alps, November was cold in Scotland but there wasn't much snowfall. December and January did see periods of heavy snow, but they were repeatedly followed by very warm weather that thawed snow cover leaving hillsides brown and preventing areas from building bases.
There has now been snow through the weekend which is continuing at present and currently temperatures are forecast to stay low in to next week meaning Scottish areas can at least open some terrain and hopefully larger areas if bases get chance to establish.
Having lost a lot of Christmas/New Year business as a result of the conditions Scottish ski areas will be hoping conditions do allow for them to open during the February school holiday period.
Cairngorm is pictured above this morning.