Morzine Snow Report: 27th February 2016

The February holidays have continued this week but the continued snowfall has kept the slopes in good condition.

Approximately thirty centimetres have fallen in the last few days, keeping the snow cover good despite a high number of visitors.

The off piste areas with the easiest access have become well tracked out, especially on Friday when the sun came out for a while. Those wishing to hunt out some powder without having to venture too far away from the pistes could try Torgon, where the fresh snow often stays untouched for a few days after a snowfall. There are other areas further from the pistes that will still have some powder, but it's advisable to book a guide if you are not very familiar with the area. The current avalanche risk is 3 out of 5, and high winds might have made the more exposed slopes more dangerous.

The total depth of snow is 140 centimetres on the lower slopes and 230 centimetres at the summit. There is currently no real problem with ice and no sign of rocks showing on the pistes, although the off piste could still catch you out in places.

Despite some rain in Morzine during the week the snow cover is still mostly good on lower slopes. The runs down to Ardent and Prodains also have good snow cover. Over towards Chatel the pistes are in good condition all the way down to Pre La Joux.

In Avoriaz 34 out of 34 lifts are currently open and all but two of the 53 pistes [see Morzine lift status here]. Chatel, which has not received as much snow in the last week, currently has 41 out of 46 pistes open and 41 out of 43 lifts open. For the whole Portes Du Soleil, 197 of 216 lifts are open.

The park is open on Mt Chery, as well as the parks in Avoriaz (including The Stash and the two halfpipes), the park in Super Chatel and the new, smaller park in Les Crosets. There are also boarder cross courses in Avoriaz.

Snow is expected to continue throughout the coming week. It is the last week of the French school holidays and will hopefully not be as busy as the previous two weeks. Switzerland is still a good option to avoid the worst of the crowds. If Avoriaz is too crowded head straight to the Mossettes and over to Les Crosets, Morgins and Champery. The pistes currently have plenty of snow and they are usually not as crowded as the areas around Avoriaz.

The main snowfall this week is expected around Wednesday and Thursday with heavy snowfall expected at the weekend, although there is still plenty of time for the forecast to change before then.