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Morzine Snow Report: 11st February 2013

Making the Most of the Powder Before the Crowds

featured in Snow report Author Debbie Priestley, Morzine Reporter Updated

Once again we have had simply fantastic conditions here in Les Portes du Soleil. Friday dawned bright and sunny, there was a lot of fresh snow and conditions were truly out of this world.

Saturday was quieter as it is a changeover day for most of the holiday companies, which usually means it is a great day to ski. We headed straight to the Avoriaz Crozats Snowcross area. Unfortunately this area was closed to the avalanche risk so we ventures into the trees at the side of the pistes instead and found some knee deep powder in the woods. It was really amazing. After that we explored some off piste runs around Avoriaz, with our avalanche transceivers of course, and were shocked to see how many people were riding without avalanche kit on. You should always ride off piste with your avalanche safety equipment and particularly so on a day when several snow-cross areas were closed due to high avalanche risk. Everywhere we skied however we managed to find some good powder snow and the pistes were pretty fantastic too.

The sunshine continued on Sunday into the early hours of the afternoon making for yet more great skiing although the off piste was a little tracked out. There were still linea to be had if you were willing to walk for them though. Throughout the Portes du Soleil the pistes were well groomed and the weather held out until about 15:00 when the light became very flat, making skiing a little harder work.

As I’m writing this it’s actually snowing again, and there is a little snow forecast tonight and into tomorrow (Monday). We're due 2 cm in the morning at mid-level tomorrow, one in the afternoon, followed by another two overnight. Similar snow is forecast for Tuesday along with mild wind speeds both days and cooler temperatures. Wednesday is supposed to bring sun and cloud throughout the day and clear skies overnight. Thursday morning will see the sun shining brightly with cloud cover only returning in the afternoon and into Friday. Thursday and Friday will be milder temperature wise, and the low wind speeds should continue through the week. The fresh snow due on Monday and Tuesday should make for some greater skiing later in the week although it is going to busy as we move into February.

The February half term holidays start this week making the area really busy. Areas to avoid will include the Lindarets bowl, where it will be incredibly busy, and the central Avoriaz and Morzine ski areas. There will be a lot of families out as it’s the holidays too so easily accessible green and blue runs will be packed with people. The quietest areas to ski will be places like Mont Chery in Les Gets, most of the Swiss side of Les Portes du Soleil, and the smaller ski areas near Chatel. St-Jean d’Aulps should also be on the quieter side if you can brave the bus journey to get there. It is included in the Les Portes du Soleil ski pass, and is a great place to go on a powder day. If you are out here during the holidays, the best idea is to get up really early and race the ski schools to the lifts, or wait a little and let them get away ahead of you. You want to avoid arriving at the same time if at all possible!

Dining on the mountain for lunch is going to be trickier for the meantime due to the throng of people about to descend. If you are looking to have lunch on the mountain, either head for the restaurants early, book a table ahead, or dine later into the afternoon. At traditional lunchtime the queues will be insane and tables few and far between. You should expect the same type of bustle in the evenings too, so do book ahead if you are planning to eat out in the evenings. Keep an eye on our après ski report which will keep you posted on anything particular to look out for. We also have a restaurant review section on the website.

Enjoy the sun and snow, and I will try to keep you posted on how best to avoid the crowds throughout the busy holiday period. Thursday morning should offer some of best skiing if the forecast holds true, so make sure you’re up the hill for it!

Bon ski!

Stats

Snow Report
  • Alt. Resort: 1800m

  • Alt. Summit: 2466m

  • High Temp.: -3

  • Alt. High Temp.: 1800m