Val d'Isere Snow Report: 11th December 2011
What a week!. And more snow forecast...
It has been one hell of a week here in Espace Killy, we had more snow in one day than in half of last winter, and then some. Finally, the sun came out and conditions looked amazing.
The weather forecast is for the snow to return tomorrow (Monday) and to continue in some form all week. Unfortunately, we’re also due some crazy high winds building up towards the end of the week, reaching over fifty kilometres per hour, so warm clothes are advisable. That’s as far as the forecast takes us right now so we’ll go from there. Looking out the window right now, the sky is crystal clear, and the snow outside my window looks perfect, but higher up there has been some instability in the snowpack.
The most noticeable thing I’m seeing while riding up the ski lifts right now are the gaping cracks in the snow, especially at the tops of peaks. I was listening to people on a chairlift, and this seems to be a common observation. As we’ve had so much snow, so quickly, the mountain’s taking a bit of a beating, but the slight rise in temperatures with the recent sunshine is hopefully helping all this new snow to consolidate into that great base layer that we’ve all been after. We’ve had perfect powder, it would be great if we now got a base that meant the snow would last through the winter.
Yesterday I stayed on piste, and the improvement since the day before was amazing. I love riding off piste, but I’m never against having a play on perfectly groomed pistes, that make a very satisfying rumble as you slide over the corduroy. I was over in Tignes, and although only le Lac and above were open, the skiing was pretty damn good. The gondola to the top of the glacier was shut when I was there, which suggests the winds were maybe a little rougher higher up, but the weather was lovely riding a loop from Val Claret to Tignes Le Lac.
I was up in Fornet in Val d’Isere later in the day, and although the standard icing up that comes with the end of the day was evident (where the snow’s been scraped back by many, many skiers and snowboarders), it was still fantastic to ski down. Everything was still grippy enough to give you confidence that you could stop, and the sun was shining. I’m really looking forward to more days like this, hopefully with a large side order of powder!
I’ve passed on the weather forecast and discussed conditions, and hopefully soon I’ll be able to suggest good places for lunch, today I’m heading over to the Loop bar In Tignes Le Lac, as it’s a great place for seasonaires (slightly lower prices than your average mountain restaurant), but I am secretly hoping that the hidden gem of Tignes Cuisine next door might be open! Not that I dislike Loop, in fact I think it’s great, I am just personally partial to a little Asian cuisine.
As the sun is shining and the lifts are just opening for the day, I’m heading off to sample the snow. Have a great day wherever you are, and enjoy the snow!
