Val d'Isere the quieter option for skiing this weekend

Val d'Isere the quieter option for skiing this weekend

Mixed conditions but uncongested pistes should be in order

featured in Snow report Author Wayne Watson, Val d'Isere Reporter Updated 7 December 2018

I’ve been away for six days and there has been a real mix of conditions in my absence. We’ve had some snow, a couple of days of rain in the village, rain and warm snow higher up the mountain that resulted in a nasty rain-crust at mid-altitude, and a couple of sunny days just to keep the spirits up.

The liaison with Tignes is now open with good access to the bottom in several sectors. Unfortunately in Val d’Isere it is still necessary to take the lifts down due to snow-making problems. I skied in Tignes on Thursday for the first time this season and my tip for the weekend is ‘avoid Tignes’. It’s a Spanish holiday and they’ve a history of skiing in Tignes at this time of year, plus there are junior racing teams, the military ski team in training and your regular tourists, and it makes it very busy. The Val d’Isere side of the resort is much quieter and a better bet over the weekend ahead.

If you enjoy World Cup skiing there are races this weekend with the Men’s GS on Saturday and the Men’s Slalom on Sunday. Both races will be held on the Face du Bellevarde, which has been immaculately prepared during the past two weeks by the pisteurs, the snow-making team, the rat-track team and many volunteers. It takes an incredible amount of work and money to prepare a piste to World Cup standards, especially at this time of year when natural snow is lacking. If you want it to snow just prepare a World Cup Race as it quite often snows so much the night before that the races are cancelled. Watch this space! Unfortunately the Women’s World Cup Races for the following week have been cancelled due to the lack of snow and problems with the snow-making system at La Daille.

The first week of the season off-piste was fairly stable with an avalanche risk at 2/5, and we had a great week and skied some steep slopes. But, during this past week with the cold snow, the heavy wet snow with warm temperatures, and high winds the snowpack has been less stable. There are signs all over the mountain of plaques popping out and the off-piste is much more delicate at the moment.

The risk is still rated at 2/5 but I don’t think the mountain is as stable as it was during the opening week of the season and a period of caution is necessary. Meteo France gives an excellent daily avalanche forecast but the service isn’t yet up and running for this season. It should start any day now and the sooner the better as I never leave home in the morning without reading it.

The weekend’s forecast calls for a sunny day on Friday so if you’re in the resort make the most of it because cloudy weather and snow are forecast for both Saturday and Sunday. Fingers crossed that the World Cup races won’t be cancelled after all the effort and money that went into the preparation. If it does snow, get out early and make the most of the pistes while they’re at their best. The first few runs of the day are always the best when the pistes are smooth with varying amounts of fresh snow on top. They do become bumpy and uncomfortable to ski quite quickly, and with flat-light the bumpy pistes can be a nightmare.

If you’re looking for some live music this weekend my colleague Andreas is playing a gig with Karen at the Petit Danois at 17:00 Friday afternoon, and if you’re looking for a free drink I’ll be serving hot wine and hot chocolate in front of the tourist office starting at 16:30 on Saturday afternoon. Have a fantastic weekend and log-on for another report on Monday