In reply to JohnV:
There are a lot of Alps in Italy. I guess folk mainly use their local avvy forecasts, like ours:
http://www.meteotrentino.it/bollettini/today/valanghe_it.aspx?ID=9
We were ski touring yesterday and the risk appeard to be about 1 which means more or less none at all (I guess zero means no snow?). Snowline is rather high for the season, about 1200 m, but above that height there is loads of snow - nearly a metre consolidated, with 10 cm of light stuff on top.
More snow coming today and during the week. The way things are at the moment, looks like we will be skiing till the end of May.
Don't ask about ice climbing though ...