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A Snowy Weekend Ahead in Les Arcs

Moderate to heavy snow due to freshen up changeable pistes in Les Arcs

featured in Snow report Author Sam Birch, Les Arcs Reporter Updated

This week has been strange. Temperatures have fluctuated, there has been sun, clouds, wind, a little snow higher up and a little sleet lower down. A good number of pistes improved whilst, at the same time, others have closed.

The good news is that we are expecting significant snowfall over the next few days, which will add fun and “even out” the snow-base throughout the different resorts.

There has been little consistency in the weather recently, a fact reflected by the various conditions of the slopes. At one stage this week you could ride from powder through hardened pistes to patchy snow in a single run. Some sleety snow at lower echelons adversely affected the bottom pistes (towards Villaroger and beyond Arc 1600), but an advancing cold front should bring fresh snowfall at all levels. The first flurries of new snow are due imminently so you should expect changes in snow depth, piste-speed and general ride-ability from Friday onwards.

a piste in les arcs

Peisey-Vallandry

Like most of the mountain, conditions varied from piste to piste. Overall, the top section has remained quick and consistent, although windswept at times. Some areas are hard, particularly the lower slopes, with only a thin layer of soft stuff on top to add grip. The tree-lined, less-exposed runs (like Fôret and Plan Bois) have benefited from their natural protection, so seem to run better than the open-faced pistes. All areas are likely to improve significantly with even a small amount of additional snow.

Villaroger

The lowest village in the ski area has suffered the most in the last week. In addition to Solliet which was closed at the start of the week, Pre, Rhonaz and Sollieres are now shut. However, the freezing level will be dropping below 1000 metres by the start of next week, so I would expect most of them to re-open after the anticipated snowfall.

skiing above arc 2000

Arc 1950 / 2000

On Tuesday there was some fresh powder at the top of the Col de la Chal, making for very smooth skiing. This has largely “bedded in,” but the off-piste and upper areas still appear softer than the start of the week. Many of the runs are quite hard-packed, quick and really consistent. Throughout the Arc 2000 bowl you can expect very good snow depth (145cm at the very top) and pleasant riding, which will only be enhanced over the next couple of days.

Arc 1800

Generally pretty decent all-round, there are a few really hard patches to avoid at the bottom of the Vagere (red) run. Over towards the Derby lift, some of the blues have become a little “choppy,” probably due to the variable weather. Areas which see a lot of traffic, such as junctions and intersections, are worth slowing down for. Otherwise, it’s surprising good riding above the resort.

a red piste sign in les arcs

Arc 1600

Snow coverage is still very good on the primary runs above resort, with a depth of 45cm at 1600 metres. Despite being a little inconsistent in mid-week, the area has rebounded towards the weekend and will improve exponentially with more snow. The Arolles red run which drops off Belvédère before the Cachette lift has recently closed, but I would not be surprised if it opens again at the start of next week (if not before that).

Overall

At the moment some pistes are great, some are difficult, and some vary from top to bottom. Every day the conditions seem to change. It is worth doing a trial run, to establish what the conditions are like, before fully committing to anything. However, with plenty of snow and colder temperatures on the way, all the resorts should become softer and more playful in the immediate future.

Where the slopes are very hard, the fresh powder may not properly adhere in the initial instance but this, again, should have improved significantly by the middle of next week. There’s certainly plenty to look forward to.

skiing in les arcs

Location

Map of the surrounding area