Morzine Snow Report: 18th March 2013

The skiing, unfortunately, was not at its finest on Sunday mostly due to flat light and high winds at the top. If you were brave enough to endure this though, the snow was actually pretty good, a little icy in places towards the end of the day, but that’s fairly standard for this time of year. It was even pretty warm all things considered, and I did not need all the extra layers I’d expected.

The weather forecast for tomorrow looks pretty much the same - light to moderate snow throughout the day, fairly mild winds and very flat light with the snow falling. There should be some heavy snow tonight though making for some good powder snow conditions if you know where to look. Tuesday should see the snow continue in the morning but with a brief spell of some sunshine in the afternoon. The winds will be moderate again making things feel very cold, especially on ridges where you’re in the wind! Minus twenty-two is the predicted low with wind chill on Tuesday morning - this is also the low point, temperature wise, for the week. The wind will continue into Wednesday and with some light snow in the morning and sunshine in the afternoon again, all things are going to plan! The snow should thin out overnight making for a sunny Thursday with virtually no wind and warmer temperatures again. Friday is set to be mild and blisteringly sunny all day! Remember your sunscreen as we’re going to see temperatures above zero at the top of Avoriaz! Welcome back to spring!

With a fair amount of the snow on the forecast there is going to be some fantastic skiing this week all over Les Portes du Soleil, especially with the low freezing level hanging about until mid week. We’ve also made it through the worst of the holidays, so it should be a little quieter here for the meantime. If you want to make the most of any fresh snow, make sure you have your avalanche safety kit (transceiver, shovel, probe, knowledge and experience) and get out early, everyone here is hungry for some powder so the race will be on. Heading a little further afield out of the main ski areas is always your best bet here, places like St Jean d'Aulps is always quieter and should get some great snow conditions this week. Mont Chery in Les Gets should also be a little on the quieter side for anyone based in Les Gets. The Swiss side of Les Portes du Soleil is also always quieter and offers some great skiing. If you’re based in the Chatel area, then Torgon is the place to head for some powder snow. Get out there and make the most of it, we should have some great days ahead of us.

Saturday in Chatel saw the Razor bike competition take place with a down hill mountain-biking competition on the slopes, followed by some Snow Scooter racing, and I even saw a musical band on skis! The Snow Scoot giant slalom completion was pretty fun to watch, and I was really impressed by the standard of riding, as my experience of these things is usually people learning and wiping out whole slopes full of skiers. It was great to see them ridden well! The mountain biking was also pretty exceptional, especially on snow. Those guys (and girls) must have had balls of steel as brakes don’t seem to work on ice and snow.

The Rock the Pistes festival is almost upon us as well. Starting on the 20th of March, this festival is listed in our events calendar and is a must-see for those into rock music. It’s also pretty special as it’s a festival actually on the slopes! Make sure you don’t miss it!

Enjoy the powder, I sure will be!

Bon ski!