Val d'Isere Snow Report & Forecast

So it’s nearing the end of the winter season in Val d'Isere – and what a fantastic season it’s been! Christmas and New Year delivered major snowfall, setting us up for a brilliant holiday season that carried through into January. Regular snowfalls followed, culminating in a huge dump at the end of the month, making for incredible conditions during the school half-term holidays.

Despite some warmer spells at the start of March, the snow held up well on the lower slopes and up high it has been fabulous throughout. We have received frequent snow top-ups, ensuring excellent skiing right through to now and it looks like the last few weeks of the season are going to be great.

The next few days weather in Val d'Isere

The next few days look like a mix of weather conditions. It’s currently snowing hard over 1,500m and is due to continue snowing all day. Since yesterday and through today, it looks like we'll have well over 1 metre of fresh snow! It’s feeling cooler with a snow line down at 2,000 to 2,500 metres from Friday. You will likely find fresh powder above these heights.

This current heavy snowfall is due to a retour d’Est; an easterly flow that typically only occurs once to three times per winter. It happens when a low-pressure system deepens over the Gulf of Genoa, creating a disturbance that draws moist air from the Mediterranean. This air is pulled in from the east by strong, counter-clockwise winds and is pushed up over the mountains. As it rises, it cools quickly and releases significant snowfall, as is happening now!

The sun will break through for a time on Friday, Saturday and Sunday giving some sunshine and slightly warmer temperatures to ski on all that fresh snow for a great Easter holiday weekend. There will be a light to gentle breeze and you can expect fabulous spring skiing conditions. 

Avalanche risk

The current avalanche risk is set at considerable to high (3 up to 4) in places and rising with the current heavy precipitation.  Wet snow avalanches are likely, especially below 2800m on steep west, north and east-facing slopes. These could occur naturally as the snowpack becomes more waterlogged and may be large in areas with deep snow. In steep gullies, avalanches could even reach snow-free zones.
Higher up, new wind slabs have formed, mainly above 2800m on shady, steep slopes. These could be triggered by individual skiers or boarders, especially near ridgelines, gullies and bowls.