An eggsellent time to ski in Les Arcs

This week, the pistes have been freshened up by a couple of moderate additions of fresh powder, with the last delivery weighing in at around 10cm on Thursday. Although temperatures tend to rise during the day, there has been a lot of cloud cover recently, and this has kept the temperatures on-piste largely below zero. New snow has therefore just supplemented the massive accumulation of white stuff we have been shredding all season. The drawback to cloud is obviously flat light, which can make distinguishing obstacles, uneven surfaces and sometimes the limits of the slopes quite difficult. There have been a few sunny spells this week, but cloud is likely to dominate in the near future. Just make sure you don the correct eyewear.

The skiing conditions above 1600 metres are truly outstanding. The top layer is generally soft but nowhere did I find any slushiness. On long, flat blue runs, where you are trying to keep up momentum (such as Plan, parts of Vallée de l’Arc, Charmettoger, Traversée etc), you can find yourself “drifting” across the piste. This is not “skidding” due to ice but rather being carried across the piste on a soft loose top layer. The riding is therefore very comfortable indeed and provides plenty of grip when you need it.

It has been a quiet week on the slopes and today was rather absurdly calm at times. At one stage in the late morning, the Aiguille Rouge gondola queue was up to 20 minutes long but by the afternoon it had disappeared almost entirely. I saw no waiting on any other chairlift and would be genuinely surprised if I spent more than 30 seconds at any lift station all day.

The lack of traffic on the pistes has made for some variable and fun conditions. Despite there being over 24 hours since the most recent snowfall, some of the pistes are riding like it is still snowing; there are impromptu mogul fields, a powdery film covering some sectors and even thick, cushiony margins on some runs. Also, regarding the off-piste, although it had been fairly well-ridden at the start of the week, the new snow was apparently not sufficient enticement for most people, therefore many usually-popular off-piste sections have been largely left alone. To add to the variation, the wind has picked up approaching the weekend, stripping some of the more powdery snow from the more exposed slopes, before condensing it into little (or large) moguls, bumps and obstacles.

To help you expect the unexpected, here are some of the more interesting features I found on, and off, the slopes today. On L’Arpette peak, the wind can really retard your progress as, from the Arpette and Bois de l’Ours lifts, you often find yourself skiing directly into it to get off the ridge. The “flat section” of the Grand Renard red run from the Col de la Chal towards the Col du Grand Renard is exceptionally bumpy in parts; moguls have formed, but not in any consistent manner, so just take it easy until they get groomed out. The Rodeo Run sled track above Arc 2000 has been repositioned, significantly cutting into the “easy” off-piste underneath the Arcabulle and Plagnettes lifts; this means that if you ride to the left of the Rodeo Run, you cannot really get back onto a piste until the sled course has finished near the Igloo bar.

Finally, some of the off-piste below approximately 2000 metres can be quite chunky, with the consistency of compacted icing sugar, so is not as enjoyable to ride as it looks. Remember, as the seasons change so can the adherence of snow to the mountain, so always check out the avalanche risk before you jump into the backcountry.

I have said this a lot in this report, but conditions really could not be much better. In places, you will need to moderate your speed to deal with flat light, especially as the wind, loose snow and low traffic have caused some unlikely moguls, drifts and hard patches to appear, but that is a small price to pay for the abundant snow and almost endless skiing possibilities. With Easter coming up, there’s really no better way to justify eating chocolate eggs for breakfast (and lunch, and dinner...).