Val d'Isere Snow Report: 5th January 2012

“Notice of heavy snow, notice of high avalanche risk, and Storm warning."

The roads are closed everywhere and Val d’Isere is on lockdown, we have a 9pm curfew. All the bars, pubs and clubs are closing then, shut your avalanche shutters and put a movie on. The visibility is minimal and the winds in town are making getting anywhere a nightmare. The Gendarmerie are enforcing the curfew, you will be escorted home if you are out and about. Don’t risk it, stay safe and stay indoors. There have been avalanches along the roads with a YSE Land Rover even being caught in one. We are not exaggerating; it really is not safe out there tonight.

On another note, the skiing this morning was pretty fantastic. We stayed low to avoid the building wind and enjoyed fresh powder in the trees in Le Fornet. It was magical where we were skiing, no tracks and relatively safe riding. The trees were the best place to be on a risk four avalanche day.

The weather quickly closed in though, with resort gradually closing down from the top up. From five o’clock the storm worsened. It’s coming up for 8pm and we are stuck in our apartment here, there is about a foot of snow blown against the door blocking us in. Shovels at the ready for tomorrow morning!

The conditions in Tignes are very similar. Do not go out unless you have to. I’ve spoken to the guys from Tignes Spirit and they’re saying that the conditions are equally as bad as there. The wind is reportedly over a hundred kilometres per hour in town.

Andreas Bjorklund, director of Alpine Concept has said he has seen nothing like this in nineteen years here. The storm really has hit. Some are even saying this is the worst Espace Killy has seen in a hundred years!

The weather forecast for tomorrow is for the winds to drop a little, but for the snow to continue. The temperature is to remain low, the storm should slowly die down, ending on Monday. Hopefully sun should follow.

As everyone’s internet is cutting out, I’m uploading this before mine does, so sorry it’s a little short.

Stay safe out there!