Les Arcs New Year Snow Report

The weather continues to be sunny and clear, which is great for grabbing a deckchair and a beer. Over the last week it has been entirely possible to develop a full goggle-panda face-tan in the space of a seven day holiday. Temperatures are gradually dropping again, making the mornings particularly frosty (and the pistes a bit hard to start with). However, once you have the sun on your back, it really is excellent weather for hitting the snow. We are now past the December solstice, so the days are getting longer and longer, tempting us into cheeky après ski beverages on bar terraces.

What pistes have opened, or closed?

It is now possible to ski direct from the top of the Derby lift to the bottom on the Renard (blue) piste. Although it is slightly thinner than usual, it is still wide enough for intermediates to practice their carving and is riding very nicely overall. Belette is still closed halfway down, but the short Rhodos blue run it joins is quite fun (even for more experienced skiers) and relatively quiet at the moment. Bosses (the black one) is closed, which is probably because the snow layer is pretty thin all the way down and unlikely to last long with heavy traffic.

The Tuffes red run from the Col de la Chal is shut. Lots of people have been off-pisting that section, including some ski schools, but do exercise caution because there are a lot of rocks showing through in that area.

Where is it getting better?

The blue runs dropping off the Grand Renard piste are all in rather good order. Dents du Peigne links up with Plan, creating a nice long blue run. There are even a few little lumps, bumps and jumps forming on the piste edges. However, many of the blue runs towards the centre of Arc 2000 are rather busy either side of lunchtime, so it can be worth skiing between midday and 2pm to make the most of the quiet time.

Charmettoger running down into Plan Bois is another nice blue run which wends its way above Arc 1800. It also seems to entertain fewer ski school groups than other comparable runs, which makes for less dodging and more coasting.

In Peisey-Vallandry the Grive run, which has been consistent all season, is still being lovely. The Ours (red) run below it has improved again, being much less icy than at the start of the week. It feels like the top layer has been augmented by the addition of man-made snow. The top of Aigle is also pretty decent at present.

Froide Fontaine is now quite pleasant in the afternoon (when the sun has circumnavigated the mountain) and provides a quick route back to the start of the Arpette lift. However stay to the right-hand side on the lower section as the left is getting a touch bare.

Where is it getting worse?

Arandelières, in the Arc 2000 bowl, has been almost unbelievably good since the lifts opened. A few stones are beginning to appear on the mountain-hugging upper sections. Also, after you briefly join Vallée de l’Arc (blue), the steep, wide section was a little bit icy in patches for the first time today. That said, the whole piste is in really good shape overall and still a great ride.

Near Arc 1600, Cachette has got a bit icy immediately after the Arpette junction and Clocheret is a bit sheer at the very top, where it is steepest.

Teppes, which you can access from the Transarc, Arcabulle and Plagnettes lifts, is a bit thin at the very top, but quickly becomes more consistent as you drop down.

What are the conditions like overall?

Considering that there has been little natural snowfall in the recent past, Les Arcs is in surprisingly good condition. Today there were 74 pistes open, including half of the boardercross section and the whole snowpark. The domain is well connected, and you can easily ski between the resorts (and even over to La Plagne). At the top of the Aiguille Rouge lift, the base layer is almost a metre thick. Snow is still being created overnight, but it is largely being used to maintain existing pistes, rather than to open new ones.

Generally, Arc 2000 boasts the best snow but, as the New Year’s period is traditionally busy, it is also currently seeing the biggest queues. If you want to escape the crowds, staying high above Peisey-Vallandry is a good option. The Mont Blanc and Cachette lifts in Arc 1600 are also usually empty, with two goods runs (a blue and a red) leading you directly back into resort. However, unless you are skiing at lunchtime above Arc 1600, you are likely to encounter at least one ski school.