Tignes Snow Report: 28th January 2016

Most pistes are pretty much perfect but if you don’t like hard snow (who does?) pistes to avoid in Val d’Isere are the Plan into the ‘M’ on Solaise, the Arcelle piste off the Manchet Express, and the Face du Bellevarde, which is usually lethal in the afternoon. If you must tick that one off your ‘done’ list do it first thing in the morning when it’s in full sunshine and as soft as it’s going to get.

In Tignes the Trolles down into Tignes la Lac can be pretty nasty as well but generally not too bad first thing in the morning and the Sache piste into Les Brevieres is generally fairly unpleasant unless freshly pisted. What all these pistes have in common is the ‘black’ factor and if you’re an intermediate skier ask yourself if you really need the experience?

As for the off-piste our options are drying up rapidly but we’re still finding some excellent skiing with an effort. During the three-weeks of falling snow I didn’t use my ‘skins’ for 20-straight days, but now that the snow has stopped and the sun as featured I’ve needed to walk for the past 8 days on the trot to find virgin snow! Besides wind-damage and the tracks of other skiers the sun has put a crust on everything from southerly through to westerly slopes, and that cuts out a lot of options. There is a bit of pseudo spring snow here and there on steep slopes but it’s not very interesting to get to as it’s surrounded by hard rutted tracks or crust along the gentler slopes leading up to the steep pitches.

You may have noticed through my photos that we keep our tracks close together at Alpine Experience. One reason for this is that it’s a fantastic teaching aid, giving people shape to their turns, rhythm, timing, and a pole plant to name a few benefits. But the main reason is to make the snow last! By keeping tight tracks each skier gets virgin snow while we save space for another run, for others behind us, or so that we can return to the same stash tomorrow or the day after.

Snow is like gold dust and it’s so annoying to see it wasted, especially when times are tough and no snow is in the immediate forecast. If everyone made an effort to tighten their tracks we’d have fresh snow for many more days than we do now. If you’re a mountain trasher please have a re-think.

Weather:

• Saturday- Sunshine -5C/+4C Wind from the S at 5km/h
• Sunday- Rain/Snow -3C/+3C Wind from the NW at 15 gusting to 60km/h
• Monday- Sunshine +1C/+7C Wind from the NW at 5km/h
• Tuesday- Sunshine -2C/+5C Wind from the NW at 5km/h

Our only real chance over the next few days for some much needed snow for the off-piste is Sunday. Rain in the village means snow higher up the mountain and with a little snow forecast in the afternoon we might get a fresh canvas. The wind will certainly play a part, damaging some slopes but helping out by blowing snow onto other exposures and filling in the gullies. Fingers crossed for something positive on Sunday because it won’t be the most pleasant of days.

Have a great weekend and stay tuned for more news on Monday.

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