Val Thorens Snow Report: 30th March 2015

Yesterday the day started with blue sky and sunshine. I had opted for a bit of exercise, walking up the piste rather than skiing down (I know, crazy idea?!) It was absolutely boiling and I had to rapidly de-layer on the stroll up. As I approached the restaurant with visions of a chilled glass of vino on the terrace the weatherman had other ideas as the clouds had already started to roll in.

Within one hour I was looking out of the window at snow falling! As I headed down the piste, the snow turned to rain and some very heavy slush underfoot. The walk was not the most pleasant and I was definitely missing skis, board, sledge – anything to make the descent quicker!

The snow has continued overnight and into today. Depending on which area of the Three Valleys you are in will depend whether you have got rain, sleet or snow. Generally today I found that snow was only falling at the higher points of Val Thorens but there were signs that there had been a good covering from Les Menuires altitude and upwards overnight.

It has certainly been a good ol’ dump in Val Thorens which is great news. It is at this time of year when having the highest resort in Europe in your ski area really comes into it’s own! The lower resorts have been struggling to keep the snow base but the piste teams are doing a sterling job and with this additional snow should approach the end of the season no problem.

The forecast is showing, snow, snow and more snow for the rest of the week. I’ve also had a sneaky peak at the 14 day forecast which shows that this second burst of winter might be coming to an end next week when the sun comes out again in Belleville.

Anyone staying this week though could have some very mixed conditions. There is also wind on the forecast so along with snow/rain on the current snowpack it is likely the avalanche risk could increase and there could be lift closures [keep an eye on live lift status here]. Definitely a time for checking the information boards as much as possible and make sure you take care on the slopes. Visibility is also pretty bad so make sure you stick together if you are skiing as a group. Depending on your altitude we are getting snow/sleet so I’d say it’s not the best time for chairlifts, try and plan your route to include cable cars to stay a bit drier when you’re out and about.

It’s not all negative, on the plus side who’s going to complain about powder in April! Not us that’s for sure…