Glacier skiing is the way to go this week in Val d'Isere

Many people missed out on some fabulous skiing at altitude where the Grande Motte in Tignes and the Pissaillas Glacier at the Fornet were both above the cloud level and in glorious sunshine. The skiing was fantastic in both sectors as long as you stayed high, but eventually one needed to drop down into the thick cloud which was very disorientating, especially off-piste. (See photos) After a tough week of weather no one was complaining and it was stunningly beautiful and very atmospheric looking down on the sea-of-cloud from above. Saturday was especially good as 20cm’s of fresh snow fell Friday night and the powder was a real treat!

Sunday the sun was out in full force all-day long and with a good freeze Saturday night we had some great spring skiing in Tignes, where I skied the Borsat, Lognan, Palafour, Sachette and Familial. I had the pleasure of having my 12-year-old daughter Millie along and she skied her first couloir off the Palafour!

I ate lunch with my family at the Crozets on Saturday and we had pissenlis salads, which were wonderful. I must apologise for giving the wrong phone number needed to reserve your salad. The correct number is 04 79 41 17 90. If you’re not skiing and would like a little walk you can hike up the road from the Crozets towards the Pont St Charles the chances are you’ll be able to spot Bouquetin, Chamois, Marmottes and perhaps Gypete, which are bearded vultures and the largest birds in Europe. At this time of year you should be able to spot some wildlife so don’t forget your camera and binoculars if you have some.

My client Derek was awarded a medal from the Office of Tourism for twenty-years of frequenting Val d’Isere. There are medals for 20, 30, 40 and 50 years of fidelity towards the resort and if you’ve been coming to Val d’Isere regularly over the years and would like a medal just stop by the Tourist Office and ask for the forms. I’ve had three clients awarded medals in the past few years and it’s a fantastic presentation with lovely food and drink and a prominent member of the community gives out the medals. Derek’s was presented by Patrick Chevallot who won France’s ‘Best Patisserie Maker’ several years ago, which is a hugely prestigious award as there are over 30,000 entrants.

The weather this week looks pretty decent sun-wise, although some wind is forecast.

• Monday- Sunny AM/Partially sunny PM -2C/+8C Wind from the SE at 5 gusting to 45km/h
• Tuesday- Partially sunny -2C/+9C Wind from the SW at 5 gusting to 45km/h
• Wednesday- Rain/snow 0C/+7C Wind from the W at 10 gusting to 45km/h
• Thursday- Partially sunny -1C/+8C Wind from the W at 5km/h
• Friday- Partially sunny -1C/+10C Wind from the SW at 5km/h

Being a ‘glass-half-full’ kind of guy I’m optimistic that the ‘partially sunny’ days will turn out to be more sun than clouds. Fingers crossed on that one and have a great week!

Look for another update with photos on Friday.

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