Nothing but sunshine next week in Val d'Isere

The temperature dropped dramatically on Friday night and with a good re-freeze, Saturday was significantly better. We weren’t looking for powder, but wind-compressed snow that supported with a creamy texture on top, and the skiing was fantastic. I always dive off-piste off the Verte to test the snow, and with supporting snow it was game on and we skied the Lower Borsat, an excellent Chardonnet, the meadows off the Merles and Tignes Alti-port, off the Genepy on the Motte, the Cairn, the Campanules and a Familial to finish. None of these itineraries would have been possible the day before because of the cement-like snow and a 4/5 avalanche risk, but with a good solid re-freeze the avalanche risk dropped to 3/5 and the snow quality improved drastically. It was more of the same on Sunday, and I skied the Col Pers in supporting snow with a few powder turns, followed by the Table de Orientation couloir to finish a jolly good morning.

It snowed 10cm to 15cm on Sunday night, but with 80kmph north-west winds at altitude there was an amazing accumulation in the lee on Monday morning, and we had one of the best powder mornings of the season off the Grande Motte. On Tuesday the sun returned, and I went back to the Grande Motte as the best off-piste skiing is still in Tignes. Normally we spend a lot of time at the Fornet, but this season it has been quite poor for the most part, while we’ve had consistently good snow in Tignes. It’s part of the beauty of the Espace Killy that there is always a sector somewhere that offers great skiing. With that said, I did return to the Fornet on Wednesday for a change of scenery, and to show my new clients the stunning beauty over the Col Pers and we skinned up to the Glacier Pers. It was scenic with great ambience and the skiing was pretty good, but not the same quality as in Tignes. I did notice a sign on the Col Pers warning people of the Gorge du Malpasset being closed, but it’s not huge and could be easily missed. The Gorge is still impassable and will remain so for the rest of the season, barring a miracle snowfall.

Thursday was another brilliant day as we skinned up to the Col des Ves and had some wonderful powder on the steep north facing slopes, followed by a nice couloir off the Balme. I try to post at least one photo each day of the week to give you a proper feel for what the conditions and weather are really like, but I forgot my camera on Thursday. It’s too bad, as we had some brilliant ambience with the foehn wind blowing snow off the ridges, and with the sun behind and shining through the drifting snow it was quite stunning.

The avalanche risk this week started off at a strong 4/5 on Friday and then dropped to 3/5 on Saturday, and then dropped to 2/5 and eventually 1/5 on Wednesday, and back up to 2/5 on Thursday due to wind transported snow. For the most part the mountain is fairly stable at the moment but there is always trouble lurking somewhere, so be aware. I’m off to Le Petit Danois for my regular Thursday night gig with the Guinea Pigs who are absolutely brilliant. And Karen and Andreas play at the Danois on Friday’s at 5:30 and there is live music every night starting at 7:30 at the Baraque. If you like live music we’ve a fantastic music scene in town so get out and enjoy yourself.

After the extremely warm day on Friday, the temperature dropped significantly and it was cold Saturday through Monday, and chilly Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The temperatures were around -10C to -12C on the summit of Bellevarde, and with some punchy winds the heat-wave of February was long forgotten and it was back to thick long-johns and winter gloves. It remained cool all week, but next week the sun is forecast to shine and temperatures should rise as well. The piste skiing has been absolutely brilliant and should remain so next week, and a big bonus is that the resort is fairly quiet which makes piste skiing so much more pleasurable. Have a brilliant week, and look out for another update next Friday.

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.

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