Val Thorens Snow Report: 29th January 2012

The highest resort in Europe and part of the world’s largest and most varied ski area, Val Thorens has broken snow fall records already this season. The busyness of the slopes, despite the unpleasant weather this weekend, will attest that the guests are eager to sample its brilliance. If you are heading out over the next few days, remember to layer up and cover the exposed areas such as the nose and mouth as temperatures have plummeted and winds can be strong. There are areas which are more susceptible to aggressive winds, such as the runs at the top of the Funitel de Peclet and the Moraine chairlift ascent (even if the piste itself was rather pleasant). If you are keen to avoid the winds, Plein Sud is generally a reliable area to ski, as are some of the runs below Val Thonrens such as Hermine and Gentiane.

Whilst there has not been as much snowfall this weekend as was initially forecast (20cm), the dusting of fresh snow that began falling on Friday has lent the slopes a nice soft layer. As a result of the coldness of the air, the snow is not as soft as it has been beneath the sunshine. Of course, it is a pleasure to glide across a nice soft patch of powder but this slightly harder stuff will benefit some in terms of control in their carving. The Moraine run is notable for snow of this type and, with its wide girth and enough steepness in the decline to build up some decent speed, this is a great (and usually quiet) place to practice technique. Moreover, you can finish off your practice and escape from the cold with a nice hot chocolate or vin chaud at Chalet Du Thorens at the bottom of the run.

For something a little more extreme why not ascend the Cime Caron gondola and attempt one of the black runs that make their way down from the Cime Caron summit. Heading down to the smaller resort of Orelle (included in the Val Thorens lift pass) is the Combe de Roseal run which, with varying steepness and width and a lack of moguls, is quite an accessible black run. Moreover on the descent to Orelle it joins with Mauriennaise, one of the most exciting and varied red runs in resort. Cime Caron also provides access to Combe de Caron, a significantly more difficult black run which makes its way back to Val Thorens. The initial traverse is the calm before the storm which comes in the form of an icy, very steep, mogul thick slope. The piste is best reserved for a clear day as high visibility is imperative for a pleasant and controlled descent and also makes skiing at speed much more fun.

If you fancy a change of pace, the red run Névés peels off to the right a little way down. Beginning with a narrow traverse, the piste soon opens up wide and is a nice speedy run. It soon joins another red run by the name of Falaise (beginning up at Col de Rosael) which gets narrower but stays nice and quick, heading down to the bottom of the jump park. This cluster of runs is perfect for those at an intermediate level who want to push their skiing/boarding to an advanced level. Offering exciting off-piste slopes as well as quick pistes, it’s a great place to practice control.

The sun is slated to return on Wednesday morning but until then we can expect cloud cover and snowfall, heaviest on Monday night (4cm predicted). Whilst winds will be generally lower, we can expect the temperature to remain very cold, plummeting to as low as -26 on Tuesday night, so do not forget to wrap up warm. Later in the week we can expect sunshine and light winds.