© Giles Towler
© Giles Towler
© Giles Towler
Blue skies and cold temps continue in Morzine
New Year but no new snow yet in resort
It’s been a busy week in Morzine, Avoriaz and Les Gets as the holiday crowds have been filing up the slopes and the town.
For the most part the weather has been sunny, with the temperature dropping slightly. It is now cold enough for the snow cannons to run, meaning that the lower pistes are getting a better covering of snow, albeit artificial. This should provide a decent base for the snowfall that is expected next week.
Snow was forecast for the middle of this week but Wednesday came and went with nothing but blue skies. However, despite the lack of recent snowfall the snow cover is still far from terrible. Some areas have suffered, such as the bottom half of the pistes on the Pleney, for example, as well as the pistes that get the most sun. For example, Super Morzine and the run under the Chaux Fleurie lift in Avoriaz (this run is particularly bad at the moment and best avoided till the next significant snowfall).
The higher pistes such as the Arare and Fornet areas were quite good at the start of the week, but high winds have helped make Fornet increasingly icy. Ice has become something of a problem - As long as skiers remain in the sun they should be OK, but conditions are very variable at the moment. It’s possible to go from almost spring like slush to patches of ice all in one run, so it’s important to pay attention. This is particularly true in Lindarets where the trees mean that while some areas get the sun, other areas remain in the shade.
Whilst some areas (such as Lindarets and Arare) have been very busy this week with skiers from all over the Portes Du Soleil seeking the best snow, Les Gets has perhaps been the biggest surprise of the last few days. It has held the snow excellently considering it has been a while since there was any fresh snowfall and, with most people seeking higher ground, is actually fairly quiet for this time of year. It’s natural for holidaymakers to seek the higher slopes while the snow cover isn’t perfect, but anyone skiing in the next few days who doesn’t pay a visit to Les Gets will be missing out on sunny, quiet skiing.
Mt Chery has both positive and negative points at the moment. The run back to town is not open and the snow cover gets a bit patchy just above the bubble, but the pistes are almost completely empty. Whilst the snow is far from ideal it is significantly better than two years ago when Mt Chery was open at this time of year for bikes. It will take a fairly sizeable amount of snow to make the off piste on Mt Chery skiable as there are large patches of mud and rocks, but the pistes, especially higher up, are mostly good.
At the moment the snow depth at 1800 metres is 65cm, with 135cm at the summit. There is currently heavy snowfall forecast from the middle of next week, lasting for at least a couple of days. The freezing level is expected to drop, meaning that there should be snowfall all the way down to town. It’s still early days, and the season looks set to really get going from next week. The snow should have stopped by the weekend, so hopefully holidaymakers will not experience any major disruption.
