Val d'Isere Snow Report: 6th March 2012

We were up early and headed over to Le Fornet in Val d’Isere where later we met some of the boys from Tignes Spirit too. Everyone was out to play in the snow today. Fornet seemed to have had the biggest dump, but there was some fresh stuff everywhere if you were up early enough. We skied an off piste route called Grande Vallon a couple of times, and later on I was in the Bellevarde section of Val d’Isere, there were tracks down the Pisteurs couloir, which looked amazing. You can see this as you go up the Grande Pre chair lift. Look along the ridge line ahead to the far left. It looks very narrow but you’ll see tracks coming out of the bottom of it. It’s a bit of a hike to get there, but very worthwhile if you like skiing steep couloirs.

Tonight, we are due another little dump of snow, nothing massive, but enough to make for some fun skiing in the morning. The weather forecast is suggesting snow tomorrow, sun Wednesday, then another dusting of snow, which should continue into Friday, followed by more sunshine over the weekend. We’re looking set to experience some cooler temperatures as well, so make sure you take spare layers. Friday night will be the lowest point, at around minus twenty in resort, so remember a jacket if you go for a night out.

The fresh snow has improved on piste skiing conditions across the mountain too. The pistes were in perfect condition this morning. They started off pretty hard though, so if you were being smart you would have followed the sun round to find the softest snow in the morning. Towards the end of the day, as you would expect, it was getting a little mogully. That said, I skied the Face de Bellevarde at around ten to five, and although the light was rapidly fading, it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I had expected. The Face is one of those runs I always end up riding at the end of the day, purely to avoid the crowds from La Folie Douce, and there are days when I think I should have just got the lift down. It can be a little bit unpleasant right at the end of the day.

For the next few days, I would advise getting up early to enjoy any fresh snow, following the sun round if you are piste skiing, and generally trying to make the most of whatever the weather man throws at us. It’s back to being a little quieter this week, but even so, if you like those empty pistes, lunch time is an awesome time to ski. Take a slightly earlier, or slightly later lunch break and you will be amazed at the lack of lift queues, and lack of people on the slopes.

The cooler temperatures coming are great for the snow, but maybe not so great for the skiers out on holiday this week. You probably will need that extra layer, and hand warmers are amazing to have in your pocket, especially when the wind chill factor comes into play, as it very well might do on Thursday. I, personally, keep a buff, or some kind of face mask in my pocket for those colder days as I’ve had frost nip on my nose a couple of times, and it’s not particularly pleasant.

When the sun comes back, as long as it’s not too cold, the nicest place you could possibly be is the top of the Grande Motte, the cable car is now open again, and it is well worth the journey. The panoramic views from the top are exceptional. You can see right to Mont Blanc and beyond. The skiing up there is pretty special too, although don’t go off piste without a guide, as glacial crevasses can be particularly dangerous.

For an up-to-date review of the off piste skiing conditions, check out the Henry’s Avalanche Talk website. Henry knows the mountain like the back of his hand, and also the off-piste conditions.

Enjoy the snow and stay safe out there.

Bon ski!

P.S. – X-Games next week!!!