© Wayne Watson
Finally some spring skiing in Val d'Isere
Great April skiing as spring finally arrives
On Friday and Saturday we enjoyed some great skiing with a mix of fantastic powder and some great spring snow. The sun was shining and that always makes everyone feel better, especially the locals who have dealt with a lot of flat-light days during the winter.
The sun has also brought people out into the streets and it’s nice to see the terraces full of people eating and drinking and soaking up the sun. (I must say that there are a few seriously burnt faces about so don’t forget your sun-cream!)
On Friday I didn’t know until I touching the snow whether we be skiing powder or spring but after a test off the Verte it was game-on for winter snow and we had some great skiing in the north-facing Borsat. We then skied a 70-turn pitch on the Rosalin before ‘skinning’ up to ski the Tour du Balme where we skied some lovely winter powder on the northern slopes, then some cold snow on the far side of the Campanules, which turns just enough towards the north, and we finished with some warm powder on the eastern meadows of the Familial.
On Saturday we had a brilliant mix of spring snow and winter powder. We skied good spring snow in Tignes around the Aiguille Percee sector off the Tourne and in the Lower Sache, and absolutely superb spring snow down what I call Toothy Rock because of all the tooth-like spiky rocks along the Aiguille Percee ridge. The upper slopes in the Sachette gave us some fabulous powder and it’s wonderful to ski spring snow and powder on the same run. (Unfortunately I forgot my camera so I don’t have any photos of Saturday’s skiing.) I had my wife Gill and daughters Millie and Katie along so that’s always a bonus! Unfortunately clouds rolled in Saturday afternoon and with overcast conditions during the night it never got cold enough for a decent re-freeze. The lack of freeze took away most of the spring options on Sunday and with an incredibly strong foehn wind blowing at the Fornet the Fornet sector wasn’t an option either.
Sunday morning was one of the toughest of the season off-piste and because I had some Americans who’d never been to Val d’Isere before I returned to the Sachette to take advantage of the little powder snow that’s still available and some fragile spring snow before needing to cut out early back to the piste. The off-piste skiing might have been difficult on Sunday but the piste skiing was excellent. The pistes were pretty smooth until mid-day and had soften to give the same feel that you’d expect when skiing great spring snow off-piste, so I finished my morning with some good hard piste skiing.
The week ahead looks pretty mixed again weather-wise but it always seems to be better than forecast. Hopefully we’ll get a little snow Sunday night with some sun filtering through Monday morning, Tuesday is forecast to be overcast all day long with some rain in the village and snow higher up the mountain, and with any luck we’ll see some sunshine on Wednesday and Thursday mornings.
It’s the Guinea Pigs last gig of the season at Le Petit Danois on Thursday at 5:30 and I’m a huge fan and never miss them. There is also fantastic music every night but Monday at the Baraque and Mike and Ritchie play at the Pub Moris. If you like live music check these bars out because the music scene in town is excellent!
Have a fantastic 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!
