Val d'Isere Snow Report: 15th February 2016

The wind did blow and we had about one metre of snow, but besides Wednesday when the resort was shut down until around noon due to wind, it was an unexpectedly good week of off-skiing. In fact, we had some of the best skiing we’ve had all year with fabulous snow and because it was unexpected it was that much more satisfying.

I can’t say the same for the piste skiing, which was quite poor for the most part. When it snows every night the pistes are brilliant for the first hour or two, but then they become incredibly bumpy and are uncomfortable to ski, especially in flat-light when you can’t see the bumps. Due to the wind and fresh snow many pistes were closed and people were funnelled onto the few pistes that were open, making the pistes extremely crowded. The overcrowding is not only dangerous but with the extra traffic the pistes ‘bump’ even quicker. If you’re a piste skier or boarder I definitely recommend getting up early to beat the crowds and get the pistes at their best, especially this week which will be one of the busiest of the season.

The upcoming week looks a lot better on the weather front:

• Monday - Partially sunny -9C/-4C Wind from the S at 5km/h
• Tuesday - Partially sunny -12C/-4C Wind from the S at 5km/h
• Wednesday - Partially sunny -10C/-1C Wind from the S at 5km/h
• Thursday - Partially sunny -8C/-1C Wind from the SE at 5km/h
• Friday - Snow/Partial sun -8C/-3C Wind from the NW at 5km/h

As usual we can expect stronger winds at altitude but the wind forecast is promising, especially after the high winds of last week, which reached 178km/h!

The cold temperatures are fantastic news for the quality of the snow, especially for the off-piste conditions. The cold dries out the snow overnight making the snow much lighter and deep light powder is exactly what every power-hound dreams of. The colder temperatures last week gave us superb conditions and it was truly one of the best weeks of the season. Fingers crossed that we’ll be just as lucky this week!

Be careful out there this week as the pistes will be crowded. Keep your speed down, especially when children are present and chose safe places to stop. The avalanche risk that has been 4/5 the past few days has just dropped to 3/5, but that is still a significant risk. (There was one fatality in Courcheval on Saturday and several avalanches here in Val d’Isere/Tignes but fortunately no one was seriously injured). Don’t make the mistake of thinking because there are tracks, the mountain is safe.

This week will be a mainly sunny week which will allow the pisteurs to get the pistes in good shape and more pistes open, which bodes well everyone.

Stay safe and have a great week!

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