A light dusting of fresh snow & more on the way

Up to 20cm of snow in the forecast...fingers crossed!

featured in Snow report Author Giles Towler, Morzine Reporter Updated 3 January 2017

It’s been another sunny week throughout the Portes du Soleil, but things have started to change for the better.

There was a light dusting of snow overnight that reached all the way down to Morzine. The current forecast is predicting more snowfall in the next 48 hours, possibly up to twenty centimetres and the long term forecast is predicting a large snowfall at the start of next week.

The forecast for this week will not be enough to make off piste skiing possible with large green areas in lower areas (such as Lindarets) and rocks coming through in the higher areas such as Fornet.

It has been a lot busier on the pistes this week, but one bonus has been that the French school holidays have finished early so the slopes aren’t quite as crowded as they could be.

Linga is usually not as crowded as Avoriaz and is a good option to escape the worst of the crowds. However, throughout the Chatel area only twelve out of seventy three pistes are open and eighteen out of sixty one lifts are running.

Avoriaz has good snow cover on the pistes although it is very hard-packed and icy in some places. Twenty four of fifty one pistes are open and twenty four out of thirty four lifts. The Chavanette area is probably faring the best, with three out of five lifts running and seven out of eleven pistes open. In Lindarets all eight lifts are open and nine out of eighteen lifts.

Super Morzine and Nyon in Morzine are still only open for pedestrians, however, the temperature has dropped significantly so there is an increased chance that snow cannons can be used to build up a base. The temperature is forecast to stay low for at least the next few days.

The snow cannons have been used to good effect to open up part of the Pleney. Five out of ten lifts are now open and five out of seventeen pistes are open. This includes the debutants [beginners] area for ski lessons.

Les Gets is still struggling somewhat, with seven out of twenty eight lifts open and only three out of fifty pistes open. Mt Chery is currently still only open to pedestrians and mountain bikers.

There has definitely been a change in the weather, so hopefully things will really start to improve in the next week and January will be a snowy month for the Portes du Soleil...