Les Arcs Snow Report: 22nd February 2016
Cloudy with a chance of sunshine…
As you can see from the video, it’s been a super busy, cloudy week with breaks of golden sunshine towards the end of the day. Freezing temperatures have kept the snow soft and playful while my fingertips struggled to grip my poles on occasions, but it’s all in the name of good snow.
The cloud has tended to shift fairly quickly from low points up in to the 2000 valley and vice versa, so keep an eye on the webcams in the morning and look up during the day. You never know what may be above the clouds. On several occasions the cloud stood mainly over 1800 with 1950/2000 being completely clear so it’s always worth a little peek over the top of the Arpette or Carreley chairs.
Yesterday however it all changed with bluebird skies and temperatures reaching +11! It was like skiing in the spring…in February. Slightly odd, but looking at the snow forecast it’s not due to melt and wither quite yet. Another solid looking dump of 20+cm is due on Tuesday night and the +11 will turn back into -11. These figures will more than likely change but it’s a good sign of more snow on the horizon.
With the busiest of the French holidays now over, the last 2 weeks of the month will slowly calm down, lift queues will recede and waiting times halved. Needless to say it will still be busy so aim to get your best skiing done early and across lunch. Why not pack your self a picnic and find a spot on the mountain to bask in the glorious surroundings of the French Alps.
1600 has been a great place to ski recently with quiet pistes, smaller lift queues and good snow. During these warmer periods however it won’t be as much fun, especially in the later afternoon when the sun has softened up the snow to a slush. But that’s just an opinion of someone who likes speed. It’s great for the novice’s as it means softer landings and less chance of spiraling out of control down the mountain.
The park in 1800 is being developed a great deal for the upcoming spring riding session so if that’s your game, keep an eye out and head over to try out the new features. If you’re still unsure the airbag and video jump is just around the corner by l’Altiport bar where you can relax, attempt a crazy flip or just enjoy watching people attempt crazy flips. Me personally, I like a bit of it all.
This week is gearing up to bring us great sun, snow and slightly less stressful queuing…we hope!
Have a great week!
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Filmed and edited by Action Elements/Rupert Osborne
