an image of a boarder jumping into some soft powder

an image of the crowds outside the frostgun comp

an image of a skier hitting the giant frostgun kicker

Val Thorens Snow Report: 16th February 2012

Welcome return of snow

featured in Snow Report Author Andy Wilson, Updated 24 October 2014

It really seems as though an age has passed since we last had a proper dump of snow in Val Thorens. That is, one with enough weight and consistency to make any significant change to the conditions of our cherished slopes. Of course, because of the height of the resort and the recent extremely low air temperatures, the snow has managed to hold together and not turn into slush beneath the blaring sunshine. However, the snow drought has meant extremely hard, stomped in slopes, the occasional icy patch and quickly deteriorating off-piste conditions. At the end of last week, the weather man suggested that we would see a steady light dusting from Sunday through to Wednesday. But this light dusting barely came to fruition, and any snow that fell throughout the first half of the week did not have the consistency to affect the conditions in any huge way. Of course, with the varied runs that we have in Val Thorens, many pistes have fared fine (Tete Ronde, Lac Blanc and Orelle’s pistes in particular) but without better conditions of the many other slopes, there has been a danger of over-crowding and a lack of options. In short, we have been craving some fresh, soft powder.

So, when curtains were drawn on Wednesday morning to find a thick blanket of clouds hanging low over resort emitting a consistent and dense snow shower, naturally the reaction was one of surprise and elation. The more diligent amongst us took to the slopes, venturing to the higher peaks and over to Orelle in an attempt to surface above the clouds. Below the layer, there was a near total whiteout and strong, gusty winds, throwing around the new snow haphazardly; not ideal riding conditions. For many of us, it was enough to simply bide our time and wait for the predicted clear skies which we were privy to this afternoon. Because of the very poor visibility on Wednesday, the much anticipated Frostgun Invitational freestyle competition had to be postponed, the two days of events being shifted one day forward.

The state of the sky this morning did not bode well for Frostgun as it seemed as though a familiar cloud had made an unannounced reappearance. Initially visibility was not great for a day on the slopes, but as the sun rose higher it did manage to brighten up resort enough to tease people out onto the piste. Following suit from the previous day, many people flocked to the higher points in Val Thorens. Climbing the south western slopes in the Funitel de Cime Caron, there was a rousing cheer as the car broke through the blanket of cloud to be doused in glorious sunshine. Above a far reaching sea of white fluffiness, the surrounding peaks broke through like glistening icebergs. Making our way back towards Val Thorens down the Combe de Caron black piste, it wasn’t long until we were once again submerged in the cloud’s flat light. Despite the lacklustre conditions, the descent was still particularly fun because of the large amount of powder that lay around us. Like many black slopes, this descent is often quite quiet, particularly since the majority of Cime Caron’s passengers use the lift for its access to Orelle.

In the afternoon, the sun began to break up some of the clouds, allowing light into the lower parts of Val Thorens. This was good news for the first day of the Frostgun competition and many began to make their way up to Bar 360 to watch the event. Whilst the air was particularly cold making standing around a little unpleasant, it was nice to see the warm up for tomorrow’s big day and get a taste of some of the talent in resort at the moment. With sunshine, tepid temperatures and a lack of strong winds forecast, it looks as though we may be able to enjoy this fresh layer in some pleasant weather throughout the start of next week.