Clear skies, a dusting of fresh snow less than 24 hours old, crowds on the busier slopes... perfect conditions for the Tunnel. This Black run is perhaps the most challenging in Alpe d'Huez due to it's length, the gradient of the entry point and the fact that it consists of three distinct pitches of moguls. Piste bashers don't come up here and if you're looking for a taste of wilderness while remaining inside the marked terrain – and the rules of your insurance package – then the Tunnel is for you.
I took the DMC at midday from the centre of Alpe d'Huez, joining just a short queue as the lunchtime rush to the restaurants had already begun. This is the best time of day to ski or snowboard in February and of the four hours I spent on the mountain today, I only encountered one queue (at the Poutran lift in Oz en Oisans at 3pm). From the top of Pic Blanc at 3330m I took the Black piste signposted Tunnel. You actually have two options here: to take the steeper moguls to your immediate right after exiting the path from the cable car; or to continue down a little further and take a later right turn. I always think it's best to opt for the moguls early as it prepares you for the terrain ahead and if you struggle here then it's not too late to change your mind. If you are unsure about the Tunnel route, take a look down when you're in the Pic Blanc cable car as the 'piste' runs directly below the lift.
Within a few hundred metres you'll see the signpost for the Tunnel route, through a 200m passage hewn from the mountain. It's very flat here but there's a rope on the right hand side for snowboarders to haul themselves along, in the absence of a friendly skier. As you exit the tunnel it feels like you're going straight over the edge and the platform that allows you to turn right onto a narrow path is only a recent addition to the route. From here it's straight down. The moguls begin immediately with no gentle run-in to get you prepared.
The top of the route is the steepest and the moguls here tend to be the tallest. Today they were only about 60cm high and the fresh snow over the past two days meant the gulleys between the bumps weren't icy, as is sometimes the case. Once you're past the first fifteen turns the route widens and the gradient softens. From here it's plain sailing. The piste has a total of three mogul fields, joined by short traverses and ends at the bottom of the Lac Blanc chairlift. This lift doesn't always run, but if it's closed you'll be directed onto the exit route of Le Dôme. Both options bring you to the top of the DMC.
After my little foray into the bumps I joined the snowboard girls from Smithy's Tavern and Sphere Bar for a blast around the Alpette, Chalets and Edelweiss. The lower pistes are in great condition and it's only as you hit the final descent into Oz en Oisans that the snow becomes a little sticky. Some of the popular higher pistes, such as Les Rousses, Couloir and Clocher de Macle are a little icy but the patches of hard-packed base are easily avoidable and you can stay in the fresher snow if you prefer.
The sunshine started to recede into dark grey clouds at around 2pm, making a brief reappearance before disappearing for good by 3pm. The light became flat quite quickly and we made a tentative run home through the Snow Park. The forecast suggests that we'll see the sun once again tomorrow afternoon but that the rest of the week will be cloudy and snowy. The freeze level is predicted to rise to a high of 2350m on Friday, hovering around 1600m until then. A total of 29cm of snow is expected to fall at 3350m by Friday so it looks like the excellent on-piste conditions here in Alpe d'Huez will continue all week.
Vickie will be reporting on the snow conditions in Alpe d'Huez on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, throughout the season.
Check out what to do around town once the lifts have closed with our Apres Ski Report - a weekly round up of what's hot and where to party in Alpe d'Huez!
