Official confirmation of Austria's awesome start to winter has come with the news that 26 of the nation's ski areas are firing up their lifts this weekend - far in advance of their planned opening days.

Many are fairly small areas, and several are planning to shut down again during the week; but there are a few big names in the list, and what's most significant is that all have brought forward their opening days on account of the weather. Some report a metre of snow already on the lower runs.

Amongst those opening this weekend are Mayrhofen (pictured, above), Saalbach-Hinterglemm (seen left, this morning), and Obertauern, but anyone who wants to ski them from the UK will have to organise their own trips - because there's a whole month to go until most tour operators start up their package-holiday programmes. Many hotels in the resorts aren't open either. In both Mayrhofen and Saalbach the tourist offices knew of only four hotels which were ready to receive guests.

A notable exception, however, is the glacier resort of Sölden. Last Sunday, lots of new, non-glacier terrain opened up - three weeks ahead of schedule - and most hotels, bars and restaurants have done the same. Currently, a double room at the Pension Sonnenheim (one of our recommended properties in the resort) costs 46 euros a night, half board.

From the end of the month, you'll need to be less self-sufficient. Specialist travel agent Ski Solutions is, for example, offering four-night, early-season short breaks to Lech, which is possibly the snowiest of all the Austrian resorts at present (although it's not opening till December 1). Four nights, including flights, car hire and half-board accommodation starts from £519pp, arriving November 30.

What's more, you can also buy very cheap, disounted packages from the tour operators for the opening weeks of the "regular" season, which kicks off in mid-December. Crystal, for example, has one-week holidays in Mayrhofen, arriving December 15, for just £255pp, including breakfast, flights and transfers. Meanwhile Inghams has Christmas holidays in the Innsbruck area for just £294pp, half board, including flights and transfers.

The full list of the weekend's openings is as follows (and anybody who can place all of these on a map deserves some kind of prize).

Lower Austria: Ötscher, Hochkar, Semmering.

Vorarlberg: Montafon (Hochjoch, Golm and Gargellen).

Salzburg: Abtenau, Annaberg, Flachau, Hintersee, Kaprun/Gletscher Kitzsteinhorn, Krispl-Gaißau, Leogang, Mittersill-Pass Thurn, Mühlbach am Hochkönig, Obertauern, Rußbach, SaalbachHinterglemm, Sportgastein, St. Johann-Alpendorf, Wagrain, Werfenweng, Zauchensee, Zell am See.

Carinthia: Grossglockner-Heiligenblut.

The Tyrol: Mayrhofen, Wilder Kaiser, Zillertal.

Report filed 14/11/07. Updated 15/11/07.

Finally, here's a little more eye-candy, courtesy of one of the webcams above Kitzbühel this morning, November 15.