© S. Birch
© S. Birch
© S. Birch
Springtime in Les Arcs
A week of sunny weather and groomed pistes
March 20th is officially the first day of spring and there is no doubting the absolutely glorious weather we have been enjoying over the last few days. There is barely a cloud to be seen, temperatures are comfortable in resort and positively warm down in the valley. With only small flurries of snow since last week, the pistes are well groomed and in a generally excellent, consistent condition.
When the sun goes down, clear skies at night are keeping the freezing level below 1600 metres, firming up the pistes and reducing melt-off to a minimum. During the day, the mountain develops, with the lower-altitude slopes becoming slightly sandy in the afternoon due to exposure to the splendid spring sunshine. The snow depths are still very respectable, with around 3.3 metres of snow on top of the Aiguille Rouge and approximately 80cm in Arc 1600.
Still a lot of skiing to be done
We have a long season in Les Arcs, primarily because of the enviable proportion of high-altitude slopes, and there are still over five weeks snow-shredding fun to be had. At present there are a handful of very low pistes (under 1600 metres) which are closed, these are below Arc 1600 (Violettes, Granges and Bois de Saule) and just above Villaroger (Sollières, Pré and Lys). The Combe piste and lift at the far-fringe of Peisey-Vallandry are also currently closed but the next influx of snow could easily see it reopen.
That said, the rest of the mountain is a treat. The pistes are generally smooth and consistent, as there has been ample opportunity for the piste-bashers to get busy since the last gentle snowfall on Monday evening. The temperatures, whilst pleasantly warm, are by no means extreme, ensuring that the top layer is powdery enough to maintain grip and throw up some satisfying fine-snow spray without getting too icy or slushy. You might find the odd hard patch (particularly in the morning) or area of softer snow (particularly in the late afternoon) but, generally, you can predict what’s going to happen.
Current stand-out runs
The Aiguille Rouge gondola has felt busy this season. Maybe it is the bright-red livery that was unveiled in December, perhaps everyone wants to try out the brand-new top-of-the-world skywalk, or people may be just starting to understand exactly how epic this monster mountain run really is. Either way, despite having to queue a short while for the lift, “Aggy” was predictably a complete unbridled joy; from the vertiginous jump-off, through the quick-and-wide glacier, to the twisty rock-hugging chicanes, there really are few pistes in the world which can offer so much and still deliver on those promises.
Whether you pick a blue (like Plan des Eaux) or a red (Teppes or Plagnettes) there is plenty of delight to be found on the sunny runs descending from the Col de la Chal. Situated above Arc 2000, the snow is ideal and there are lots of options both on-piste and off.
Transferring to the other side of the Arpette ridge, Grand Renard and Petit Renard are always surprisingly quiet and in great order, or you might want to check out the vast array of blues and red running from the Arpette peak (or alternatively the Vagere lift) down towards Arc 1800. Be warned that the Transarc gondola has seen moderate queues at various stages in the last few days. March has been very popular this year and, with the state of the snow and the sun in the sky, that is hardly surprising.
The week ahead
Sunshine. Expect plenty of sunshine. We are anticipating at least five days of low winds, clear bluebird skies and sunny, sunny weather. Temperatures will rise into the weekend before dropping again at the start of next week. Trust me, it is going to be lovely.
Read more from our Les Arcs reporter Sam on his blog.
