© Sam Birch
© Sam Birch
© Sam Birch
© Sam Birch
© Sam Birch
© Sam Birch
© Sam Birch
© Sam Birch
© Sam Birch
© Sam Birch
© Sam Birch
© Sam Birch
Near ideal on-piste conditions throughout Les Arcs
It’s fresh, clean and all the lights are green!
It is widely believed that the Inuit people have unfeasibly numerous ways of saying, or describing, “snow.” The Scandinavians have a word for cozy comfortableness, “hygge.” The French use “vachement” or, roughly, “like-a-cow” as an adjective like “extremely” or “definitely.” So surely there must be a word for that sudden feeling of happiness and wellbeing you receive when all the lift lights on the billboard piste maps are either green (open) or orange (about to be open). Today, upon arriving at the funicular and having a quick look at the information, I felt such a welcome sensation, and it stayed around all day.
Except for the Aiguille Rouge gondola, which was never likely to open following Tuesday’s tremendous dumping of snow, every other lift has opened up today, providing access to a great variety of pistes. It’s also particularly quiet out there, meaning there are literally no queues for the lifts and plenty of room on the pistes. The underfoot conditions are practically perfect, most runs are smooth and quick, although there is a ubiquitous soft top-layer.
There are only two downsides to skiing at present: the light is a bit flat and the off-piste is not recommended. Visibility is actually good enough, particularly amongst the trees, and there is no cloud or mist at any altitude, but it is definitely low-level light goggle weather. Off-piste, the snow is somewhere between powdery and firm; you can dig in but you need to have some momentum. Also, the avalanche level is at 4 (High) so many areas should be left well alone for a while.
Blue runs
This is the perfect time to go cruising on gentler slopes. Runs like Fôret, Plan Bois and the bottom section of Belvédère, which wend their way through the forests, are lovely right now. They are some of the narrower blues but, because ski traffic is so light in Les Arcs this week, it really does not matter. Over in the Arc 2000 bowl, where the environment is very open, the flat light can be more of an issue for beginners. Although Plan Vert and Dents du Peigne are riding very nicely, it can be tricky to pick up even minor changes in the snow surface. For intermediates who are progressing in terms of skill and speed, Mont Blanc above Arc 1600 and the short, wide Grive piste adjacent to the “2300” lift are running quickly and largely predictably. Just remember to stay on the correct side of the piste markers.
Red runs
I was lucky enough to be one of the first people on the Varet lift when it reopened this afternoon and the piste conditions around the top of the gondola show exactly why the Aiguille Rouge lift remains closed. At the start of the Arandelières run there is immediate evidence of a large snow shift created by controlled avalanche blasting which stretches down from the peak and runs parallel to the red run for its whole upper section. As a result, there is some small stone debris on the piste and you cannot use the Vallée de l’Arc blue run to simply avoid the steeper top part of Arandelières, as it currently does not rejoin it further down. Towards the bottom, however, this piste is fast, true and mainly unridden. Elsewhere in Arc 2000, Teppes and Plagnettes from the Col de la Chal are quick but beginning to mogul slightly on their steeper sections with the bumps more difficult to pick in the flat light.
Belette, from the Derby lift, is also very rapid with the initial vertiginous jump-off flattening out to create something of a speed-test. At the far end of Les Arcs, the Combe run is also consistently good fun, rolling down through the trees back towards Plan Peisey. Although the eponymous Combe button lift is open, it can be a challenging prospect, so I generally turn right before the piste end, taking the Retour Combe red run back to the bottom of the Peisey chairlift.
I cannot leave the red run section without mentioning the Malgovert piste above Arc 1600. Accessed via the small Comborciere chairlift, it is a natural run and therefore mostly left alone by the piste-bashers. Here you can get a real feel for the transformative effects of a serious snowfall. The run is traditionally quite twisty and difficult to follow but current conditions do intensify that experience a little. Many of the piste markers are practically buried, with only a few centimetres visible in some cases. After the introductory flat section, there is a big down-and-up where “maintaining speed” is normally a necessity. Unfortunately, the snow and wind have augmented the “and-up” section quite significantly, so you may find yourself in cross-country mode before you start the run proper.
Black runs
It is the steeper runs which are more difficult to secure following heavy snow, and so there are a few closed black runs around Les Arcs. The Combes piste in Arc 2000 (not to be confused with Combe above Peisey-Vallandry) is one of only two black runs currently open on that side of the mountain, although Refuge from the running Grand Col lift may be officially unclosed soon... The (exceptionally) good news is that Comborciere and its sole tributary, Muguet, are both open and awesome. Recommended only for expert skiers/snowboarders, Comborciere is usually a trial by moguls. Today, however, it is about as smooth as it gets. It’s not smooth, it’s quite mogul-y, but it is an absolute treat for the expert. The other notable black runs, Bosses and Ecureuils, are also relatively flat and fast, with only the “optional” mogul field before Ecureuils meets the Retour Plan Peisey (blue) being particularly technical.
