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First weekend skiing in Avoriaz this season

Winter has arrived early in Avoriaz!

featured in Snow report Author Giles Towler, Morzine Reporter Updated

Early last week, SERMA announced that there would be a limited opening in Avoriaz for the first weekend of December. The Prodains, Express Intrets, Le Tour and Prolays Express were all open providing access to the Arare sector and Lindarets. A total of seven pistes were open for the weekend.

There’s been heavy snowfall in the past couple of weeks leading up to the opening weekend, and the temperatures have stayed low meaning that the snow has stuck around. This has also meant that the snow cannons could be used to top up the snow on the pistes. It was snowing right up to Friday when about twenty centimetres fell. Around seventy centimetres of fresh snow on top of the base layer that had already settled on the higher areas and about forty centimetres on lower slopes.

First weekend skiing in Avoriaz this season, Avoriaz

Lindarets was generally the busiest area over the weekend, as sporadic high winds and cold temperatures put some people off venturing higher up, preferring to stay in the trees where there was a bit of cover. However, whilst the lift queue for the Prolays Express was quite busy the pistes themselves were not too crowded, as people spread out from the lift.

The sheer amount of snow that had fallen meant that some of the off-piste to the side of the pistes and through the area that will become the Arare park was, for the most part, ridable. A few rocks were still lurking around ready to catch unlucky people out, but those who took a chance on it were rewarded with knee deep powder in places.

The home run down from Prodains was not open this weekend, meaning that skiers could either take the lift down or duck under the barrier. Riding down is currently an interesting experience, as the snow cannons have been going constantly with piles of snow over four metres high on the pistes.

First weekend skiing in Avoriaz this season, Avoriaz

Comparing conditions over the weekend to the past couple of years gives plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the coming winter. For the last two winters, there was very little snowfall in November and December, meaning that the resort relied largely on artificial snow in order to get the mountain ready for opening weekend. It’s important to get a good base layer down before the holidaymakers arrive, and December 2015 and 2016 did not deliver. Not only has there been much better snowfall but the temperatures have stayed cold meaning that the snow has stayed. The temperatures look set to stay low for the coming week (with a slight spike midweek) and there is currently heavy snow forecast for next weekend. 

One easy way to judge conditions is to look at the trees above Morzine and see if they have held the snow on the branches, as that is usually the first snow to go. For now, they seem to be keeping the snow. The snow cannons have also been running on the Pleney, an area that really suffered at the start of the last two winters, so the area should be ready for the ski schools later in the month.

First weekend skiing in Avoriaz this season, Avoriaz

Avoriaz has now closed and is not scheduled to open again for a couple of weeks, until the official opening weekend, allowing plenty of time to get more pistes ready and allow any snow that falls in the next couple of weeks to settle. However, it now looks as though Les Gets will be opening early next weekend (at least the Chavannes side) and staying open from then on. Considering that Mt Chery was open for bikes late in December in 2015 and 2016, this is a very positive sign and shows just how good things are looking in the Portes du Soleil at the moment.

First weekend skiing in Avoriaz this season, Avoriaz

Chatel has also had an early opening weekend in the Pre La Joux area over the weekend with the Pierre Longue and Rochassons chairlifts opening. They are scheduled to open again next weekend and remain open.

Currently, it looks as though the Portes du Soleil is on course for the best start to the winter in recent years!

Location

Map of the surrounding area