Val Thorens Snow Report: 18th December 2015

Lower resorts such as St Martin de Belleville are still struggling but once you access the higher slopes and over in Les Menuires and Val Thorens the slopes are actually still in great condition. Having only opened this week the conditions are the top of La Masse are a nice surprise and as ever there are stunning views from the top. The pistes are nicely quiet but all looks set to change after this weekend with all the Christmas guests arriving for some festive skiing.

There will be a lot of Christmas magic taking place in the valley this coming week with Santa’s elves in Les Menuires on Monday and the man himself on Wednesday for photo opportunities! Also as takes place every year, there will be the torchlight descent in Val Thorens and Les Menuires on Christmas Eve with mulled wine and hot chocolate.

If you are vising over the next couple of weeks then with conditions as they are you might want to think carefully which lift pass you opt for. This year there are some great offers with a push towards encouraging web sales. This is pretty much win-win anyway as you don’t need to spend your time shuffling along in ski boots in the lift pass office queue. They are offering some exclusive online discounts and there seems to be an offer for everyone from solo skiers, duo and families. They also have a pay-as-you-go type pass ‘libertee’ which costs 30 euros to order in the first place but afterwards just charges as you ski and there are some good discounts included too. If you are just staying one week it might not be the best option for you, however if you visit the Three Valleys often then it could work out well with free ski days and the pass just deducts direct from your bank each week depending what you have used. Take a look at our lift pass guide for more information.

Lastly on a rather sad note, the season has started off with some tragic news with two deaths in the Three Valleys in the past couple of weeks. The first being a young seasonaire in Les Menuires killed in a car crash near La Masse. The second incident took place in Meribel this week with the death of a British teenager on the slopes who could not be resuscitated after suffering a fatal fall on a blue slope. So, as ever please make sure you take care whilst out and about in the mountains. There is no snow on the roads when driving at the moment however with temperatures rising and dropping there are some icey sections when driving at night time so drive with caution. The slopes are also hard packed so ski with care and beware that the base is not as forgiving as during softer and fluffier conditions.

In terms of what is in store this week weather-wise it looks like the blue sky is here to stay! Unfortunately there I no sign of snow but with conditions as they are I’d say that skiing with the sun on your face is not a bad way to spend Christmas week in the Three Valleys!