Les Arcs Snow Report: 1st February 2013

What a difference a day makes! Every day this week has been different. Glorious sunshine and soft snow, jumper weather, flat invisible light, icy crusty snow and fresh snow – we’ve had it all this week! Now, thankfully it is snowing again, if only down to 1600m but it’s a start and hopefully temperatures will drop further and everything will be white once again.

Starting with the conditions yesterday - they were the worst of the season yet in my opinion. Pretty much from 3000m down (yes 3000m!) every piste was solid, solid as a rock! Except in a handful of places for example at the top of the Bellecôte glacier in La Plagne, all that could be heard echoing around the mountain was the sound of skis and snowboards scraping and sliding across this hard-pack albeit groomed mountain. It was quite bizarre that even as the day wore on there was no let up, things just didn’t soften up and the term ‘clinging on for dear life’ was quite apt.

Yesterday I headed straight up to La Plagne’s glacier (the highest you can get on a lift in the Paradiski) in the hope that I might even find some fresh snow as it had rained lower down on Wednesday night. As it turns out it hadn’t actually rained that much lower than 3000m and because it had been warm earlier in the week the snow had melted and re-frozen overnight to form quite treacherous and somewhat unpleasant skiing conditions. Because the pistes were so bad I decided to go all out and take the unmarked black run of the Roche from the top of the glacier down to the Chalet de Bellecote chair lift. Hmmm, not the best skiing decision i’ve ever made but actually, there were a couple of sketchy powder(ish) turns on the way down but it was mostly just really punishing and crusty. A challenge nonetheless but one not to be repeated in a hurry.

Instead of taking the chair up to the mid-station of the Bellecote and heading back to the top of the Roche de Mio, I naughtily took Le Dérochoir black which was officially closed. Avalanche risk was low at 2 though and I knew that it was closed because of its condition. And rightly so, It was pretty darn hellish! Again, another bad decision! Never ski closed runs. The moguls were more like giant ice drops, there was no rounded shape, they varied in every way apart from their solidness which was at its maximum. Just to add the icing on the cake, I decided to carry on past the Bauches chair lift via the Routes des Bauches which I thought, seen as though everywhere was so icy and solid, would be fast and easy. Third bad decision of the day! I poled most of it and my snowboarder friend ended up walking. Ooops! I was so glad to get back to the packed Vanoise Express and be one step closer to home.

Anyway, thankfully that is all in the past and hopefully conditions won’t be that solid (for the entire day) for the rest of the season. Today it has snowed and apparently according to the forecast it is set to continue with force over the weekend and into the first half of next week. This afternoon it is snowing down to 1600m but as darkness falls maybe the freezing level will creep lower. Roads are set to be difficult tomorrow and Sunday for those leaving and arriving. I'm just looking forward to getting out on the hill in good conditions again before half term hits.