More snow on the forecast with a couple of bluebird days in Val Thorens

Across the resort, there seems to be the constant scraping sound of snow clearing which is just a never-ending job for all at the moment, whether for chalet owners, business owners or those working hard to get the roads cleared. We spoke to the owners of the Panoramic Restaurant in the La Masse area of Les Menuires who have been unable to access the premises most of the week due to area and lift closures (as they rely on Masse 2 to be able to get up to the restaurant) and, when they arrived on Saturday there were two metres of snow to clear from their terrace! All the windows of the restaurant were blocked by the neige and, at the end of the day, the wind hit just to add to their arduous task.

Everyone is working incredibly hard so do bear in mind that restaurants are doing their best to open and clear terraces but, in extreme conditions such as this, the task is made that bit harder. The piste security team are denying access to business owners when conditions have been too dangerous to head up the piste before blasting has taken place. The heavy snowfall is awesome but it is taking some controlling to make sure everything is safe.

In terms of skiing, the really special moments have been in pockets of clear skies. Literally snippets, you have to be a hardy skier to be out there in the first place and, on Friday, there was a moment of clear skies when everyone hit the powder. Since then. visibility has been limited and, if you are not near an area for tree-lined skiing, it has been pretty sketchy and hard going. We do not ever complain about too much snow, though, after previous seasons. It's just a case of sitting it out for the next couple of days until that blue sky and sunshine return along with some of the best conditions in the Three Valleys for a very long time. Anyone who has already booked to come out this week, then bravo, it seems like a very well-timed ski holiday, and I'm sure you won't be disappointed!

We do have more heavy snow forecast for Monday of around 30cm in Val Thorens and a light fluttering on Tuesday. After that, it's time to grab your skis, Wednesday and Thursday are forecast clear!

One helpful tool for when conditions are a bit more mixed that is worth taking a look at is the Three Valleys app which seems to have been well thought out. It has everything from 3D map displays to real-time information on ski lift opening times, weather updates, webcams, suggested itineraries around the Three Valleys and even a location finder for toilet stops and first aid facilities along with an SOS button to allow users to contact nearby first aiders/piste security. A handy tool for someone in your ski group to get hold of, if only for the toilet stops, there's always that one skier who just has to go!

As can be expected after a week of fresh snowfall, the snow depth in Val Thorens has just kept creeping up and we are happy to report that we now have 245cm at 2300m and 270cm at 3200m. I'm pretty sure last season we never made it past the 100cm mark. After the two pinpointed clear days this week, there is yet more snow in the forecast too. So it looks like we're all set for another snowy week with hopefully those two window days to get out on the slopes.