© Wayne Watson
Seven sunny days in Val d'Isere
Finding good skiing as winter turns to spring
Maybe, just maybe, that was the best weekend of the season! With three full days of sunshine and unseasonably cold temperatures, we had some outstanding off-piste skiing, and the piste skiing was brilliant as well.
With cooler temperatures than normally expected at this time of year, the spring slopes have been slow to transform. Normally, by late March, we have the option of skiing powder on northern slopes and spring snow everywhere else.
At the moment, the spring slopes have only been heated up enough to put a crust on them, which isn’t strong enough to support your body weight so it breaks if you try to ski on it and can be seriously dangerous for your knees. I call it ‘wish-bone’ snow as it grabs your leg and tries to rip it off and it should be avoided at all costs! That’s why all the spring slopes are ‘clean’ as no one has dared to ski on them. We should get back to more normal temperatures soon and everyone is looking forward to the spring slopes transforming properly so that they support a skier. When timed correctly and the surface layer has softened with the sun, spring snow is a fantastic sensation.
On Friday, I took my clients for a double ‘skin’ to the Crete du Genepy and Mont Roup and, by playing with the exposures and staying as north as possible, we managed powder snow top-to-bottom. Usually, we’d be skiing these slopes on spring snow, some of the snow was a little warm but it was a great result and a nice change of scenery from the Fornet where there are many more north-facing slopes.
The resort is pretty tracked out at the moment and, with no spring options, I went down to Ste Foy to ski the big north-facing Foglietta. It was a 50-minute ‘skin’ up and the snow quality was stunning with fantastic views. The Foglietta is quite steep at the top, becoming gradually gentler towards the bottom, and is an extremely long ski. Once off the main part of the mountain, there is a long picturesque track through the trees, which can be quite icy, to the Masure where you meet a bus at 12:50. To give you an idea, we took our ‘skins’ off and started skiing at 11 o’clock, had another ten-minute hike half-way down to access some ‘clean’ slopes and we only made the bus by three minutes. It was so good that I returned on Sunday with another group of skiers and we managed to make our bus by ten minutes, which was slightly less stressful! It was really nice to get out of the resort for a change of scenery, the last three days have been absolutely outstanding.
I’m a little disappointed as I just checked the Meteo France weather forecast and they seem to have totally changed their website, it’s not for the better. I’ve heard that they may be shutting down the Bourg St Maurice office, which would be a real shame as we rely on their weekly weather and avalanche forecast. Another site that I’ve just checked is calling for a fairly cloudy week with light snowfalls. We do need some snow as the place is tracked out but, after the past seven days of sunshine, I’m not looking forward to flat light again.
Have a brilliant week and look out for another update on Friday!
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!
