Cold temperatures and high winds hit Val d'Isere

I took the day off and cleared my terrace. I use photos of my terrace during the winter so you can see the snow building up during the winter months, and then eventually melting away in the spring. It’s also a good place to take photos during storms when I don't want to venture out too far. Last winter the snow on the terrace was right up to the balcony above me, which just shows how much snow we had.

The sun came out on Tuesday and we had an absolutely fabulous day with high-quality powder. On Radio Val the avalanche risk was reported at 4/5 and the signs up the mountain gave the risk a 3/5 rating, but after three days of snow accompanied by violent winds, the mountain needs to be treated with the upmost respect. I was very disappointed by the behaviour of the skiing and boarding public as the mountain was trashed very quickly with people taking on some serious slopes that I wouldn’t dream of skiing so quickly after a storm. There were four avalanches in town with at least three of them involving the rescue services. The first one on the Banane was 60m across, and travelled 500m down through the cliffs and across the flats. It was the first ‘powder frenzy’ of the season, and it wasn’t pleasant to witness.

On Wednesday morning there was a thin cloud cover that diluted the sun making it feel quite cold, and the light was slightly flatter than on Tuesday. Still, we were treated to stunning snow on the Tour du Charvet and the Arcelle before catching a lift out behind a mini-rat-track. The quality of snow on the lee slopes and in gullies between patches of rain-crust has been brilliant, and these past couple of days will take some beating. I went to the Baraque bar on Wednesday evening and the music was fantastic. They have live music every night except Monday’s starting at 07:30 and it’s not too loud so you can still speak with your friends and actually follow the conversation. If you like your music louder the Guinea Pigs will be playing every Thursday at the Petit Danois starting at 05:00, (and I never miss them) and somewhere in-between is Andreas and Karen who will be playing at the Petit Danois on Friday’s at 17:00.

Thursday morning was similar to Wednesday with a high thin cloud cover that flattened the light, and at times there were even a few snowflakes floating about. The resort is starting to become tracked so I took my team for a 45-minute skin to find absolutely stunning powder without any other skiers around. It was a great reward for our efforts and another brilliant day. In fact these past three days have been some of the best powder snow we'll see all season, and to have it while the resort is empty is a real bonus. After the storm the lower slopes into the village are all now open and it’s made an incredible difference to the piste skiing, and really opened up options. As the resort is still fairly quiet the texture on the pistes is very good indeed as there hasn’t been enough traffic yet to polish the man-made snow into the kind of hard snow that becomes quite icy.

The pavements in town are lethal so please be aware and walk carefully. If you have small children don’t make the mistake of carrying them on your shoulders because it’s a long way down from that height. You can buy crampons that slip onto your shoes or boots and I seriously recommend them, as more people injure themselves in the streets here than they do on the pistes. The weekend’s forecast looks fantastic, with clear blue skies on Friday and Saturday followed by 15 to 30cm of snow starting Saturday night and then through Sunday. Have a brilliant weekend and look out for another update on Monday.

Follow more from Wayne in his Daily Diary.

NB: 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 also provide instruction in off-piste skiing, avalanche safety and mountaineering techniques. Make your time in the mountains unforgettable for the right reasons, ski safe!

Off-piste skiing and mountaineering are dangerous. The opinions expressed in these articles are very much time and condition-specific and the content is not intended in any way to be a substitute for hiring a mountain guide, undergoing professional mountaineering training and/or the individual's own backcountry decision making.