Val Thorens Snow Report: 16th April 2014

Last snow report from Cara and there is snow on it's way!

featured in Snow report Author Cara Brown - Ski Racer, Guest Reporter Updated 24 October 2014

Three things you have to know about spring skiing: get up for the first lift, go up as high as possible and stay up there! The snow is still plentiful and the sun just won’t go away in Val Thorens.

In Meribel the snow above the middle stations of Saulire and Tougnette is still in great condition. You won’t find any of the slush that’s on the lower slopes. For beginners the Altiport, although not so high up, has less piles of soft snow than the other lower runs and still makes a very nice run to ski. I was surprised by the snow on the red Renard run that sits under the Dent de Burgin chairlift just above the Altiport. The snow is still hard later in the day and there is no chance of encountering any muddy patches. The best part about skiing at this time of year is that there is absolutely nobody on the hill! You don’t have to worry about any lift queues or having to wind your way around the ski schools disrupting your run.

If you are out here skiing on your own skis, or even rental skis that should be carefully looked after, avoid skiing down to the Chaudanne via the bottom of the blue Doron run. It is a rock minefield and will carve horrible little patterns into your bases! Take your route down via Mottaret, on the opposite side of the mountain or turn off earlier on the blue Doron run to get to the escalators that take you directly to the centre of town.

Even though the shops in Val Thorens might have extended their lunch hours it’s the time of year to check out all the end of season sales! (Most shops are open again from 15:30.) In Meribel Sports Boutique has a big sale on Bogner equipment, all hats and gloves and on winter boots. In Meribel and Courchevel the Boot Lab have 30% off everything, ranging from the trendiest ski gear to cool T-shirts! The Odlo shop also has 30% off their winter thermals. The ladies design this year are lovely and worth having a look at. They also have their summer wear in stock already ready for any hikers and bikers out there. Even the Newsagents in the centre of town has a sale on souvenirs to take home with you. If you are in need of new equipment for next season now is the time to buy.
Everything on sale in Val Thorens is great quality and will still be on trend for next season.

When you’re looking around for somewhere to eat you might have noticed that quite a lot of the restaurants on the slopes are now shut for the season. However, the centre of Mottaret is still buzzing with life and you can enjoy your lunch sat in a deck chair on the snow. A great little sun catcher restaurant is Le Chardonnet. This restaurant has a nice sun deck and can be found just next to the middle station of the Pas Du Lac Gondola so it can also be accessed by foot.

Everywhere in the 3 Vallees closes on the 25th April, with the excpetion of Val Thorens which is set to close on the 11th of May, so there is still plenty of time to enjoy the rest of the season. The weather also seems to be hinting towards some light snow showers this weekend! This is the time of year to really enjoy yourself whilst skiing. You don’t have to worry about being cold, the pistes being too crowded or the lift lines being too long.

If you’ve come to Val Thorens to enjoy the best of the snow and sun, then you’ve definitely come to the right place.