Val Thorens Snow Report : 24th January 2013

Today we skied over to La Masse in Menuires. We stopped in Reberty for a hot drink to warm our numb hands and toes at one of my regular haunts, la Ferme de Reberty. One of my party decided that, like a hobbit, he needed a second breakfast. For just 7.90 Euros he was given a large coffee, an orange juice, a bucket of bread with jam and butter and a plate of ham and cheese – proving once again that Les Menuires is the resort to eat at reasonable prices. You can pay that just for the coffee in some swanky restaurants in Courchevel. La Ferme de Reberty is on the blue run leading through Reberty en route to the Sunny Express lift.

If forced to be critical, I could add that a few busy runs are beginning to develop some harder patches. Some runs always get a bit scraped, like the Martre piste into Mottaret, despite all the improvement work done to it over the summer. Most slopes, however, were in excellent shape today.

Piste du Jour was Dame Blanche, a lovely black run on La Masse that offers one of the best views in the ski area. Its other attraction is that very few people use it – you have to take an elderly draglift equipped with warnings about ‘steep slopes’ and ‘experts only’ that tend to put most people off. Today it had lovely, powdery bumps from top to bottom – not everybody’s cup of tea, but fun if you like that sort of thing.

You will see from these photos the powder skiing has been great this week. These pictures were taken a couple of days ago in Les Encombres, a classic off-piste route starting at La Masse. The slopes are gentle and even; the scenery is spectacular, and this hidden valley gives a wonderful impression of getting away from it all – though you are only one ridge away from the busy Les Menuires ski area. Here you often see deer and chamois and there are lots of picturesque spots for quiet picnics in the sun. The end of the route is a walk and pole followed by a taxi ride. Or at least, it usually is. Our guide offered us the choice of the usual pole to the foot of the valley or a 500m vertical climb. As none of our group wanted to be the one to wimp out and ask for the easy option, we ended up skinning uphill for well over an hour. For all my misgivings, the effort was worth it for one last run down past deserted alpine chalets and through birchwoods in deep, untouched powder. I do love my job.

The forecast is for more snow on Sunday night, so it seems that our perfect start to the season will continue. Thank you, snow gods, for being so generous to us this winter.