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Snowflakes on the horizon in Val Thorens

Pistes are in great condition all across the ski area

featured in Snow report Author Gemma Hunt, Val Thorens Reporter Updated

We have had a great last week of 2016 in the Three Valleys. Despite the lack of fresh snowfall the pistes are in great condition and such a large number of the slopes open too.

With blue skies and sunshine everyday, it has actually been getting pretty hot and seemed to have a spring like feel despite December showing on the calendar. Temperatures are set to drop this week though with some snowflakes showing on the horizon which will put a smile on a few faces in resort.

We headed out from Val Thorens earlier this week for a peek at how things were looking over in Meribel and Courchevel and as you can see from the pictures, in summary, it was looking mighty fine! The slopes above around 1800m all have a great covering of snow with just the lower slopes helped out with the snow canons and visibly greener surroundings as in the Belleville valley. The pistes heading down to Courchevel from the top of Saulire are fantastic and even the normally icey piste to Meribel-Mottaret had a good snow cover and was well groomed.

people skiing on piste in courchevel under blue skies


With some non-skiers in the group this week we have also taken advantage of the walkers pass in the Three Valleys which is such good value at 23 euros. The walkers pass in Val Thorens is restricted to the the VT area, however, from Les Menuires it is possible to use the lift network to get right across to Courchevel 1850. It is always a delight to show-off the area to new visitors and especially for non-skiers who get to soak up the amazing views. We stopped for a coffee at the top of Pas du Lac and were really surprised that the temperature stayed so warm at this higher altitude. There are extended walks across the route or if you want to take the day at a relaxing pace you can literally link your way across the three valleys with just a short stroll between each connecting lift.

two gondolas suspended above snow capped mountains


If you are in resort with speedy little skiers this week and are looking for something a bit different to try then head to some of the ‘fun zones’ in Les Menuires such as the Walibi Gliss (bordercross, games and picnic area), Mini KL (mini speed skiing run), BK Park (freestyle park with three zones Boukty Cross, Big Border and LM Park) or liberty ride zone (ungroomed pistes which are secure runs).

a panda statue in front of snow capped mountains


Over the next couple of days we are expecting temperatures of around 4 degrees in Val Thorens and this weekend we see a welcome drop to sub-zero and then a chilly -7 up to -11 on Monday/Tuesday. Along with these low temperatures there is also a light sprinkling of snow forecast around 5cm with around 10cm forecast the for the weekend after. The forecast is constantly changing at the moment so let’s hope that this prediction comes true.

Now for the stats, up in Val Thorens they have 71 out of 85 pistes open at the moment and all but one of the lifts are now open. Across the whole of the Three Valleys there are 219 out of 343 slopes open and 122 out of 158 lifts operating. At 2300m there is a snow depth of 55cm and at the highest point in the Three Valleys at 3200m the snow depth is 130cm.

Enjoy the last few ski days of 2016 and let’s hope for a snowy 2017!

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When she's not reporting for us, Gemma runs My Mountain Boutique.

Location

Map of the surrounding area