© Wayne Watson
© Wayne Watson
© Wayne Watson
© Wayne Watson
© Wayne Watson
© Wayne Watson
Fantastic week of snow in Val d'Isere
Mixed conditions in the run-up to Christmas week
After a cold night on Sunday the snow dried out significantly and the skiing was excellent on Monday. It’s amazing the affect that a cold night can have on the snow; on Sunday it was wet and heavy and very difficult skiing off-piste, but the change in snow on Monday was like night and day.
The only problem was the poor visibility as it was overcast with light snow and at times some fog patches passed through so seeing where you were skiing was difficult but with the high quality snow, we had a great morning. It did clear up a little late in the day, which made things much easier but the piste skiing was pretty bumpy and tiring.
On Tuesday the sun came out and it was perhaps the best skiing of the season off-piste. My team skied a superb run in the Tour du Charvet, followed by three runs in the Manchet sector, and it was a truly stunning day. The pistes were much improved as well as the snow was firmer and the runs remained pretty smooth for the most past. There was a big avalanche on Tuesday afternoon where a skier was taken for four hundred metres in the Super Arcelle area near the Combe du Jolie. Fortunately the skier came out on top and wasn’t injured but it was a wake-up call for people who think they can just go anywhere. There was also a slide in Tignes but I haven’t heard anything about it.
Wednesday was forecast to be pretty rough, but the visibility was much better than expected and the snow and wind held off until late afternoon, so we took advantage and had a pretty good morning skiing the Little Lavachet into Tignes followed by the Sache and Familial. I’m a little worried about the road conditions with the fresh snow late Wednesday afternoon and into the evening as I’m driving down to Lyon tonight to pick up my family for Christmas. I’ve snow tyres but don’t really want to crawl around under the car putting on chains in the middle of the night during a snowstorm. Maybe I should have booked a taxi.
I made it, and fortunately the roads weren’t that bad at all. If you do need a transfer there are several taxi firms in town that have shared lifts and they post their times on their websites. You can then book your flight accordingly and at 75 Euros per person it isn’t much more than taking the bus. After a brief snow flurry with wind late Wednesday the sun was back out on Thursday and we enjoyed a brilliant day of big classics slopes. My team opened with the Kern, followed by the Face du Charvet, then the Tour du Charvet and a Marmottons to finish. I had a 14-year-old girl with me and it was her first day off-piste and what an introduction. The snow had a little bit of warmth in it deep down and the quality wasn’t as good as Tuesday, but no one was complaining as we had a wonderful morning with fantastic ambience.
Thursday was also another great day for piste skiers with perfectly groomed slopes and brilliant sunshine to light the way, and the Christmas crowd hasn’t yet arrived, but that will all change this weekend. There was also a huge slide in the Combe du Signal in the Fornet sector. It was a natural avalanche and fortunately no one was involved. The avalanche risk for Friday is 3/5 above 2300m, and two moving to three below 2300m as the day warms up.
It’s time to start getting out early and avoid the bus queues and enjoy the pistes while they’re at their quietest. The forecast for the weekend is a bit mixed and varies depending on what website you look at. The most optimistic prediction calls for on and off sunshine with a few flakes of snow thrown in. The other calls for fairly dull grey weather and -10c on Friday, and warming up Saturday and Sunday. I personally prefer the first. 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.
