© Sam Birch
© Sam Birch
© Sam Birch
© Sam Birch
© Sam Birch
© Sam Birch
© Sam Birch
© Sam Birch
© Sam Birch
© Sam Birch
© Sam Birch
Perfect pistes about to get much snowier in Les Arcs
When the wind blows...
The last few days have been largely clear. This is not a phrase I have used much this season because of the extraordinary frequency and quantity of snowfall. It is also not a phrase I will be using again until at least next week. The wind has picked up again, blowing cloudy weather back across the Alps, and bringing potentially metres of fresh snow.
Today I have been limited to somewhat indirect glimpses of the sun and flat light is likely to dominate in the immediate future. However, there is much good news, as conditions on-piste are wonderful and will only improve (if you’re a powder-hound) throughout the week.
Across Les Arcs, the wind is already building, closing many high-altitude lifts and making skiing in exposed areas a little bit more complicated. By the early hours of Wednesday morning, the gusts will be at their highest (potentially as high as 80kmph), although they should then abate to more manageable levels. The disruption to lift-opening will therefore probably extend into Wednesday. Simultaneously, we can look forward to (easily) another metre of snow before the weekend, which should turn the marked runs into a powder playground.
Current on-piste conditions
Obviously, the snow base is excellent this year, having been refreshed time and time again by new snow falling at all altitudes. Currently, the snow is well over three metres deep at the top of Les Arcs (3226m), a figure which can only rise over the next few days. Following the short period of sustained clear weather, the pistes had been getting gradually quicker, with most red and blue runs being smooth and fast but with a sufficiently soft top layer to inspire confidence.
This initial round of new snow has slowed the pistes right down, making some of the gentler blue runs (Plan Bois, Belvedere, Forêt, Traversée, etc) more ponderous. The riding is still pleasant but not rapid, so retaining one’s momentum is often a necessary tactic. Amongst the trees, at the very bottom of Traversée leading towards Arc 1600, the surface of the piste can be a little uneven and unpredictable, thus quite odd compared to everywhere else.
On many red runs, such as Ours above Plan Peisey, the snow is beginning to form intermittent, soft, choppy moguls which can break up an otherwise smooth run. As we move forward, you can expect these soft bumps to form literally anywhere which can be described as moderately steep, turning otherwise innocuous pistes into spontaneous moguls fields. Be watchful around the top sections of Renard, Grive, Forêt (all blue) and the length of practically every red run on the mountain.
Lifts
Unfortunately, the wind has shut down many lifts today, making it impossible to ski into, or out of, the Arc 2000 bowl. There are still some long and relatively high lifts running such as Grizzly above Vallandry village, Vagére and Charmettoger above Arc 1800, but none traverse the peaks.
In Peisey-Vallandry, the skiing is basically “business as usual” providing excellent access to a huge number of tree-lined runs and the higher, wider, open section around the “2300” chairlift. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of Arc 1950 and 2000, where services have been largely interrupted by the wind, with only four lifts opening in that entire sector. For people staying in either of those resorts, Wednesday may be a good day to take the free shuttle buses to Arc 1600 or 1800, which are typically less affected by the present weather conditions.
Coming Soon
We are expecting low-light, high-powder conditions all week, so wear the right goggles and wrap up warm. Both on- and off-piste there will be plenty of fresh snow making silky smooth riding, and perhaps some serious powder-smashing, the order of the week. Once the wind has died down, we can expect the lifts across resort to quickly reopen, with the connections across the Col de la Chal (the Transarc gondola, Arcabulle and Plagnettes) usually prioritised by the piste-bashers. Unless there are changes to the weather forecast, the majority of lifts (and therefore runs) could be accessible by the middle of Thursday, although Aiguille Rouge and the Grand Col may take a little longer to secure.
As always, keep an eye our lift status and weather pages for the most up-to-date information.
