All the new snow we have received in the last few days in the N French Alps (65-75 cm at 2000 m much more or less depending on exposure to wind) is sitting on a very weak layer(s) of snow in many places and on many slope aspects. Here are some thoughts and advice for the next few, mainly clear days.... Read More
Snow Report
Spring-like conditions starting to appear! Off-piste snow report: 5 – 11 April for Savoie & N French Alps With milder temperatures and some sunshine forecast, we’re optimistic that ‘spring snow’ conditions will come into place in the next few days. The snow’s already beginning to transform on some sunny slopes. We need regular melt/freeze cycles to help create more widespread smooth spring snow conditions, which are so lovely to ski. These cy... Read More
This winter just keeps on giving! Off-piste snow report: 22 – 28 March for Savoie & Northern French Alps Someone suggested we should start publishing reports about spring, spring snow and melt-freeze cycles this week. Normally we would be writing about this in March. However this year is different. We cannot see much sign of spring in the weather forecast. Winter continues. So this report is about winter snow in March. Off-piste snow depths remain the deepest for ... Read More
Mixed weather ahead with sunshine, cloud, and some snowfall Off-piste snow report: 15 – 21 March for Savoie & Northern French Alps Skiing in Pays Deserts 14th March 2018 There are still some excellent off-piste conditions around. Especially when temperatures are low, there is some wonderful cold, dry, light powder snow to be found. As the day warms up, this may become humidified and heavier to ski. In exposed high mountain areas the surface snow has often been wind-... Read More
Milder cloudy days ahead, with light snowfall Off-piste snow report: 1 – 7 March for Savoie & Northern French Alps We’re continuing to find some excellent off-piste conditions. With recent ‘arctic-like’ temperatures, there has been some wonderfully light powder snow to be found. With much milder temperatures forecast over the next few days, we’ll be aiming towards the higher, colder north facing slopes to find the best conditions. However, we... Read More
Milder temperatures, cloudy and unsettled with some snowfall Off-piste snow report: 15 – 21 Feb for Savoie & Northern French Alps Snow depths are still extremely good, and probably will be so until the end of season and beyond. There’s currently still some fantastic powder snow to be found. Unfortunately, as it gets milder from Thursday afternoon onwards, the snow will become heavier and more humidified, particularly at altitudes below 2000 m. It will be a lot... Read More
Wild, windy, unsettled weather with more snow for the week ahead! Off-piste snow report: 4 – 10 Jan for Savoie & Northern French Alps Weather and snow conditions in the N French Alps have been, and will continue to be, extreme over the next few days. High winds are expected, along with a lot more snow or rain and temperatures above normal for the time of season. The avalanche danger this week will be directly related to a) the overall total accumulations […]... Read More
The weather in the Alps appears to be entering another unsettled spell for quite a while Unlike recent seasons when the Jetstream stayed either North or South of the Alps, the Jet Stream seems to be running across Central Europe and is forecast to stay that way for as far as we can see. This means that we can expect a sustained spell of unsettled weather. The first half of January now looks like a repeat of Mid December with a series of […]... Read More
Sunny and mild conditions for Christmas week in the Alps! Off-piste snow report: 21 – 27 Dec for Savoie & Northern French Alps Off-piste snow depths are exceptionally good for the time of season. We’ve been experiencing some beautiful cold powder snow conditions, particularly on N facing slopes at high altitudes. With the milder temperatures and sunshine predicted in the week ahead, this will become heavier and tricker to ski. There should still be some... Read More
A snowy week ahead! Off-piste snow report: 7 – 13 Dec for Savoie & Northern French Alps We are due for fresh snow in the week ahead, which we need. Indeed, our friends at WeatherToSki are predicting the following (text in italics quoted directly from their website): The greatest accumulations, at least in the first instance, are likely to be in the northern French Alps, roughly from Alpe d’Huez northwards through the Tarentaise (e.g. 3 Valleys, La Plagne, Les Arcs... Read More
