Snow returns to Val d'Isere at last

Tuesday started off grey with very flat light and expectations were fairly low as far as the off-piste skiing went. After a nice opening run on the Kern, the skies over the Charvet started to break up so I headed towards the light-bulb in the sky and skied the Tour du Charvet. By this time the visibility had improved dramatically and we had a really good ski on the classic route that had been pisted-by-ski-off-piste. But the main event wasn’t the skiing but the fantastic wildlife show. First we came across an area that must of have been used as a communal toilet by an entire herd of chamois at the same time. I’ve never seen anything like it before in all the 38-years that I’ve skied off-piste in Val d’Isere.

Then about twenty minutes later we spotted the herd above us in the cliffs. There must have been about thirty chamois and it’s been about thirty years since I’ve seen a herd so big. A few of them were spooked by something above them, perhaps a wolf or gypete, and they started running and jumping over rock ledges and it was incredible impressive. We remained still so that we didn’t frighten the rest of the herd and I managed a couple of photos of some of the herd. We finished the morning by following the sun towards the Fornet where we found some good skiing in the Grand Vallon, but it was cold enough for a rare hot chocolate break.

On Wednesday it was -15C on the summit of Bellevarde, and with a bitter northerly wind blowing it was glacial. The wind kept the upper half of the resort closed all day and the winds have kept the Pisaillas Glacier at the Fornet closed for several days. The trick was to stay low and in the lee, and we had a pretty good morning of off-piste skiing. About 5 to 10cm of fresh snow had fallen overnight and with the wind transporting snow, there was a decent accumulation of around 20cm in the lee and some gullies. There was enough snow being blown about for the avalanche risk to be bumped from 1 to 2/5.

Thursday turned out to be a stunning day and a real reward for those who persevered on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was -17C on the top of Bellevarde, but there wasn’t a cloud in the sky as the sun shone and the wind had almost completely died down. There was enough snow transported by the wind on certain slopes in the lee to give us 20 to 25cm, and the skiing was brilliant. Sometimes the strips of pillowed snow were only about three or four metres wide, but enough to fit my group down and it really was a fantastic morning, and way beyond expectations.

The pavements in town remain lethal, and although I mention it every week it does need saying. You can buy slip-on crampons at Jean Sports (or most other shops), and don’t get caught with your hands in your pockets or a child on your shoulders. The medical centre is full of people who have injured themselves walking around the village.

If you’re looking for live après-ski music my colleague Andreas is playing with Karen at Le Petit Danois starting at 17:00 on Friday. They are fantastic together, so don’t miss it if you’re a music fan. The Danois’ happy hour finishes at 17:00 sharp, so get there early if you’d like 2-for-1 drinks.

The forecast for the weekend looks cold and partially sunny on Friday and Saturday with -18C and -13C respectively, with a chance of 5cm of snow Saturday night. It should warm up on Sunday with cloudy skies and up to 25cm of snow. Fingers crossed on that one. Have a fantastic weekend and log-on again for another report on Monday.