Val Thorens Snow Report: 25th January 2016

Temperatures have risen considerably in just one week making it feel very spring like to be honest. The snow that is still piled on rooftops from the heavy snowfall is now starting to drip and it’s definitely time to start the ski tan!

I headed out on Friday afternoon and was smiling the whole time. Conditions are great at the moment, no complaints from me. It is always disappointing however to hear fussy skiers criticising, clearly ski conditions will never please everyone 100% but just get your skis on and enjoy it!

Last week I lunched at La Ferme de Rebery last week on their fabulously sunny terrace, a great one for non-skiers meeting friends who are skiing as you can both ski and drive there. This area is also great if you have a family and are wondering where to ski, the Reberty area of Les Menuires is certainly worth looking at. There are several family specific Chalet companies there with varying sized Chalets offering nanny services and they are all walkable to the piste. There is a great beginner area and sledging for children. Being right next to the piste it is also easy to pop back to the Chalet to check on little ones. Also as they are located higher up the snow conditions are also more reliable than lower altitude areas.

The conditions on and off piste are still great but this leads on to the award so far for 'sight of the season'! I am not sure what happens when people click on skis but there is definitely some common sense that slips out of the other side somewhere. Whilst driving up to Les Menuires I was open-mouthed to see up ahead a guy who had obviously just enjoyed some great off piste dropping him down next to the road and miles away from the piste. Now, hopefully this chap is a one off but I feel I need to point this out – if you then want to cross the road, please take off your skis!! I was laughing so hard as he proceeded to cross the very busy stretch of road with his ski’s on?! This is not a good idea. Whilst very amusing it is certainly not good for the skis and is not good on a busy road for the drivers who need to stop to let the skier flap his way across the tarmac. When putting on skis please keep your common sense! Merci.

We are now underway with the last week of January skiing where temperatures are staying warm until mid week and then there is some more snow on its’ way, starting lightly and getting heavier towards the end of the weekend. This snowfall will be well received as we start to head towards the peak holiday season in February when all nationalities descend on for some mountain fun. For the time being though it’s another week of sun and skiing – on piste, off piste (but not on the road!)