Morzine Snow Report: 31st January 2013

Today was a mix of a day, it started off a little overcast, but as the day progressed it gradually got more and more cloudy, eventually turning to rain into the afternoon. The wind also picked up so if you were on the hill late this afternoon it wasn’t the most pleasant place to be.

Yesterday (Tuesday) was a lot nicer in comparison. It started out sunny and only clouded over later, with the light flattening as the lifts closed. The skiing however has been great. Monday was an amazing powder day. Great snow, good visibility, and warmer temperatures were the order of the day. We headed straight toward the Lindarets bowl and up into Avoriaz. The snow in the Lindarets bowl was good, and in Avoriaz, it was even better! Fresh powder, almost knee deep in places, light and fluffy! We spent most of the day in Avoriaz, briefly stopping for lunch actually at a supermarket as they did seventy cent coffee and tea right in the center of Avoriaz! And it wasn’t bad either! A nice surprise considering it came from a machine.

The temperature has been fluctuating and the weather has been all over the place, so if you are heading off piste in the near future, do take care. Your transceiver, probe and shovel are going to be essential in the next few days as it looks like there is going to be some unstable conditions out there. That said, there is some fresh snow due on Friday and Saturday, with cooler temperatures to follow so there should be some great skiing over the weekend - ski within your limits and knowledge.

The weather forecast is varied to say the least over the next few days. Thursday is set to be sunny with mild temperatures but fairly high winds. The wind is going to make things feel a lot colder, so take care and keep warm, it gets pretty cold sitting on the chairlifts. Overnight the temperature is due to drop, along with the wind speed, and there should be some light snow about above 1,700m - below this height it might fall as rain). Friday should be snowy all day but the wind is set to pick up, between 45 and 50 km/h at the top! That said, that isn’t a patch on the top Scottish wind speed of the day, 140 km/h was recorded today at the top of one of their ski resorts! That makes me pretty glad I’m here right now.

Overnight, between Friday and Saturday the temperature is due to drop again and this is set to stay for all of Saturday and into Sunday. Saturday should see more snow and milder winds, but a temperature low of -25 degrees during the day, and -29 at night. The winds picks up overnight but should drop slightly to about 30 km/h at the top during Sunday and will drop even further overnight making for a warmer day's skiing on Monday. Sunday and Monday should both be sunny too! The point to watch out for, especially if you’re driving is Saturday night to Sunday morning as the freezing level is dropping to ground zero which means It’s going to be icy.

My tip for skiing for the next few days are to avoid ridges when it’s really windy, wrap up warm every day, and remember sun-cream even if it’s overcast. It may be set to be cold but there’s still potential for some nasty UV burn around here. A face mask is useful too as windburn can be as bad as sunburn, and you don’ t really want to look like a red and white panda.

The fresh snow should be fantastic but remember to take care out there. I’ve had frost nip on the tip of my nose, and it wasn’t too pleasant. Make the most of the sunshine and have a good weeks skiing.

Enjoy the snow!