© Wayne Watson
© Wayne Watson
© Wayne Watson
© Wayne Watson
© Wayne Watson
© Wayne Watson
© Wayne Watson
© Wayne Watson
© Wayne Watson
© Wayne Watson
© Wayne Watson
Changeable weather this week in Val d'Isere
Lots of snow, some rain and a fair bit of sunshine
After an incredibly difficult day on Sunday, things weren’t much better Monday morning as roads were closed around town. The road to Bourg was closed as was the road to Tignes, the avalanche risk was 5/5, the black flag was flying again and it looked like another day of watching snow falling out of the sky. But, at 11:30, they opened the bubbles up Solaise and the Funival at La Daille and we managed three pretty good runs before calling it a day.
I skied at La Daille and, although the snow was heavy, it skied nicely. However, after the third run, it was time to go home before someone hurt themselves. We’d already had the best of it and, with each run, the snow was getting more and more tracked out as well as heavier and heavier as it warmed up and eventually started to drizzle.
Although it rained, it was good news for the long term as it helps to stabilise the mountain. However, it really doesn’t do much for the short-term and, on Tuesday, there was a rain-crust below about 2300 metres which made the off-piste skiing below that level ‘educational’ and it also made for hard icy pistes at the bottom of the mountain.
The avalanche risk dropped from 5/5 to 4/5 on Tuesday and to 3/5 on Wednesday and 2/5 below 2000 metres, which shows the stabilising effect of the rain and warm temperatures followed by a solid refreeze at night! Although we’ve had an incredible amount of snow over the past month and periods of extreme avalanche risk, the snowpack has stabilised rapidly after each storm and, with care and attention, the skiing has been fairly safe.
Wednesday was a frustrating day. The sun was shining to everyone’s delight but, with so many lifts closed, there were queues everywhere. Although the resort is relatively quiet, it seemed like the Christmas holidays as everyone was confined to limited terrain. We started the day with a fantastic run on the Tour du Charvet where we were the only people in sight but, once we arrived back in the centre of the resort, it took the wind out of our sails.
Because of the crowd problems on Wednesday, everyone at Alpine Experience decided on ‘skinning’ to make sure we were alone on the mountain. My team walked up to the Col Pers (lifts on Pissaillas Glacier were still closed) and skied down and out through the Gorge du Malpasset. The skiing was fantastic and we had great ambience as we had the entire mountain to ourselves, which always makes it so much more enjoyable.
With a couple of days of sunshine, the piste skiing had been brilliant as well although the limited opening has affected the pleasure here as well. As lifts are being repaired and other lifts are being dug out, more lifts are becoming operational and both the piste and off-piste skiing will improve dramatically.
As for the upcoming weekend, snow is forecast for Friday but we should see some sunshine on Saturday and Sunday. It could turn out to be an absolutely brilliant weekend! Have fun and look out for another update on Monday.
Follow more from Wayne on his Daily Diary.
Ski safely off-piste
Exploring beyond the ski resort boundaries is an amazing experience for anyone who's physically fit and has mastered the pistes well enough. There are, however, risks associated with venturing outside the safety of the marked/patrolled ski area, including awareness of your actions on those below you on the slopes. Mountain guides are professionally qualified and have extensive knowledge of the local terrain, to provide you with the safest and most enjoyable possible experience in the mountains; as a visitor here we highly recommend you hiring one. Many ski schools and also mountain guides provide instruction in off-piste skiing, avalanche safety and mountaineering techniques. Make your time in the mountains unforgettable for the right reasons, ski safe!
