Val Thorens Snow Report: 19th January 2012

It has not snowed for almost two weeks now, and it is beginning to show a little on the slopes. There are a few rocks appearing around the piste markers, and there are areas where the snow has been stomped in and frozen hard. Despite these minor shortcomings, the great weather has kept the pistes busy and it has been a good week for snow sports.

With its south/ east facing slopes, exciting pistes and beautiful scenery, Orelle is a fun place to chase the sunshine. The area, included in the Val Thorens lift pass, can be accessed via the Grand Fond or Cime Caron cable cars and there is a choice of three runs that head down to the Rosael and Peyron chairlifts. The Mauriennaise red and Gentianes blue pistes both run down from Grand Fond where they run parallel down to the bottom. Bordered by some very exciting off-piste and offering a nice fast run, Mauriennaise is the standout of the two. Sadly, the off-piste has become rather icy and it is not as fun or safe to ride as it was last week. However, if you can muster the courage, there are still some good patches to be found and the piste itself is great to race down.

From the Cime Caron station, at the highest peak in the resort, you can access the Combe Rosael black run which joins Gentaines and Mauriennaise near the bottom. As black runs go, Combe Rosael is probably tamer than most but that’s not to deny that it is an exhilarating ride. Initially, it snakes around a few corners and there are some nice little lips in the snow at the sidelines to pop you on and off the piste. As it progresses the ground drops away at a steeper gradient and it becomes very fast. For whatever reason, much of the off-piste snow that surrounds this slope has retained some softness making it easier to approach than some of the lower areas. Of course, that’s not to call it powdery and if you do happen to take a fall, it’s going to leave you a little bruised. On the final – and very steep - stretch of the piste there are a few natural jumps to be found to the left of the piste. Whilst they are not ideal for improving your freestyle technique, with their fast approach and steep gradients, it is increasingly fun to throw yourself off them.

On the other side of the mountain, the Blanchot blue piste is a pleasant change of pace. Accessed via the Boismint chairlift, with its snakelike qualities and a fairly shallow gradient, there’s something quite therapeutic about the slope. Of course, if you aren’t in the mood for a languid ride, the piste can be taken fast and speed can be gathered if you take racing lines around the corners. There’s also some fun off piste banks that rise up either side which provide some nice lips and bumps for getting some air.

Ever popular is the snowpark at the top of the Moutiere chairlift. With black, red and blue jumps, there is space to practice for beginner and intermediate level freestylers as well as the experts. Even if you are not keen on the idea of throwing yourself off a kicker, it’s a great place to go to watch in awe as the steady flow of skilled snowboarders and skiers strutt their stuff. A little closer to Val Thorens is the boarder cross at the top of the 2 Lacs Chairlift (it can also be accessed via the off piste behind the snowpark) which has also been fun this week. It’s not for the faint of heart as the run is engineered for speed and getting air, making falls particularly painful and scary. If you’ve got the guts and the skill, this is a thrilling place to conduct races or just do some crazy riding.

In terms of the forecast, we have a little bit of snow on the way tonight and tomorrow which will hopefully provide the slopes with what they are craving. The sun is set to return on Sunday and shine strong through Monday and Tuesday and temperatures are ranging from -4 to -11.