More lifts open this week throughout the Portes Du Soleil

Arare, Fornet & Linga have the best conditions at the moment

featured in Snow report Author Giles Towler, Morzine Reporter Updated 22 December 2016

More ski lifts and pistes have opened this week in the Portes Du Soleil allowing access to some of the different areas and villages.

With no new snow and none currently forecast for the next few days at least, it is still a good idea to stay high. The Arare and Fornet areas above Avoriaz still have the best snow cover in the area. Fornet/Chavanette in particular is faring well with seven out of a possible eleven runs open.

Heading over towards Lindarets and eight runs out of a total of eighteen are open and seven out of a possible eight lifts are open, including the Chaux Fleurie linking up with Linga and Chatel.

Super Morzine is only open to pedestrians at the moment so the only way to get up to Avoriaz is by taking the bus or driving to Prodains or Ardent.

In Chatel eight out of seventy three runs are open. Most of Linga is open, except for the lowest slopes, and parts of Super Chatel are open. The links to Torgon and Morgins are not currently open.

There is very little open in Morzine, the Nyon cable car is currently running for pedestrians with no runs open. The Pleney has one drag lift running at the top of the bubble. The snow canons have been going though, thanks largely to the current cold weather, so hopefully more runs can open soon.

In Les Gets three out of fifty runs are open and six out of twenty eight lifts. However, Mont Chery is only open for pedestrians and mountain bikers.

A great effort has been put in to ensuring that as much as possible can open in the lead up to the busy Christmas and New Year period. The artificial snow on the pistes is generally hard packed and can be icy in places. There are also a number of rocks starting to come through so it is important to keep an eye out for these.

There is very little snow to the sides of the pistes, certainly not enough to venture off piste. Conditions worsen considerably the lower you go. As well as Arare and Fornets in Avoriaz, the best snow is around Linga, which opened last weekend.

Hopefully the forecast will improve and there will be more snow on the way soon.

Take a look at the piste maps to identify the runs mentioned above.