Record warm winter in parts of Europe forces closure of ski slopes

Resorts open hiking trails and lifts for mountain bikes amid unseasonably high temperatures and lack of snow

Europe’s record-breaking warm winter weather has closed ski slopes and forced resorts to open summer trails or shut altogether, as grass and mud replace seasonal snow from Chamonix in France to Innsbruck in Austria.

Eight countries across the continent have recorded their warmest January day ever, with temperatures in parts of Switzerland and southern Germany exceeding 20C and 90 monitoring stations in France setting new records over new year.