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Val Thorens Snow Report: 10th February 2014

Fabulous snow, not much visibility

featured in Snow report Author Caroline Sayer, Val Thorens Reporter Updated

The 3 Valleys have been super-snowy over the past few weeks. After a fairly dry start to the season, the snow gods have recently decided to favour us with lots of snowfalls, big and small, to our great rejoicing. Conditions on piste are excellent – well, that is once the piste bashers have smoothed down each new snowfall.

When the snow has fallen during the morning, conditions have been quite tricky on piste, with deep, lumpy, cut-up snow. All it takes is a night of grooming, and the slopes are perfect once again. The groomed slopes have lovely dry and soft snow that flatters your skiing.

Off-piste, we’ve been enjoying fabulous powder days, with frequently renewed snow. The only problem has been the fog, low cloud and flat light which has made it difficult to see what you’re skiing on. I’ve been fortunate to ski with some mountain professionals this week and pass on a couple of very useful tips I learned from them.

First, how do you cope on white-out days or when the fog is all around and you can’t see a thing? I often feel nauseous in these conditions and usually give up and go home. Mountain Guide Lionel Denche advises you don’t narrowly on the snow in front of you. He explains your brain copes much better with retaining balance if you widen your focus to include everything in your peripheral vision – piste poles, trees, distant pylons etc. This helped me a lot on a day when the visibility was similar to skiing in cauliflower soup and enabled me to carry on making the most of the excellent powder.

When the viz is bad, it’s best to be below the tree line where you can at least see something. My second tip was from ski instructor Ed Wooley of Parallel Lines ski school, who has the following advice. “There are three things to remember when skiing through trees: One, take your hands out of your pole straps, or you risk wrenching a shoulder. Two, wear goggles or glasses, or you risk losing an eye. Three, keep both skis on the same side of tree trunks.”  

Having spent quite a lot of this week flailing around, through and occasionally into the ‘arcosses’ (alders) which cover the lower part of the hillsides here, this was another very useful bit of advice.

The forecast is for yet more snow all this week, with another proper dump expected on Thursday. If you are coming out for half term week next week, there will be plenty for you to be skiing on. Just make you bring your googles….

Stats

Snow Report
  • Alt. Resort: 1850m

  • Alt. Summit: 2738m

  • Alt. High Temp.: 1850m