Alpe d'Huez Snow Report: 4th April 2010
A good 20cm of snow fell in Alpe d'Huez overnight. The best conditions are on the lower slopes, as very little settled above 2800m.
The snowfall stopped at around 10am and the skies have slowly brightened, although they remain covered with clouds. The forecast suggests further dustings this evening before the weather changes to sunny for the majority of the week.
It seems that last night's storm clouds hung low in the sky as there was very little fresh at the top of Pic Blanc today. However, the area has a lot of low-altitude runs and the satellite resorts of Villard, Auris, Oz en Oisans and Vaujany received a welcome top-up of snow.
As the snowfall came late last night, the pistes today were pretty choppy and only the lowest beginner slopes were groomed during the day, mainly those in the Bergers area. It's also been reasonably warm on the pistes, meaning the fresh snow feels quite solid, as opposed to the light, fluffy powder we would expect in January.
The choppier pistes were hard-going and it was nearly impossible to gain any speed on the gentle runs into resort, such as the Rif Nel. Today was definitely a day to be racking up fresh tracks in the powder, rather than fighting your way down the pistes.
Avalanche blasting went on all morning, as the new, heavy snowfall destabilised the avalanche-prone slopes. The avalanche risk warning level remains at 3/5 but some pistes – such as Olympique – remain closed as they lie underneath risky faces.
Over the past 48 hours we've also seen the winds drop. A few storms blew in and out last week and we were left, yesterday, with a cold grey windy day. Today, however, we've felt no wind in resort and although the official statistics suggest 40km/hr winds at 3060m, it didn't feel too bad once the lifts opened mid-morning.
Today I took a quick dash around the pistes, starting – as usual – at Marmottes I. From there I made my way across to the DMC mid-station at 2100m and down to Oz en Oisans. The fresh snow on these lower pistes has made all the difference, as they were pretty hard last week, skiing on the base layer. Today the snow was grippy and a little slow, but we're so grateful for this late dump that it doesn't really matter.
From Oz en Oisans I took the Alpette gondola and the Alpette-Rousses cable car to 2800m. The Dôme piste was closed today but the snow on Le Belvédère was epic. In fact, it was so good that I took the Bartavelles piste back down to join Les Rousses and the Alpette piste down to Oz en Oisans.
This route is one of my favourites and gives you a long, uninterrupted run from 2800m to 1350m. The entire route consists of winding paths and is amazing on quiet days. However, today is Easter Sunday and the resort is awash with weekend visitors as well as week-long holidaymakers. This has meant the pistes across the mountain were busy today, even during the usually quiet lunch hours from 12.30pm to 2.30pm.
As I headed home, via the Poutran gondola and the pistes of Jeux and Rif Nel, I made a quick stop to watch the qualifying rounds of the French Boardercross Championships on Alpe d'Huez's world-class boarder/skier-cross course. The competitors were flying off the kickers and hurtling round the corners, making the most of their chance to compete on the World Cup track.
The outlook for the rest of Easter Week looks fantastic. We're expecting a dusting of a few centimetres on Wednesday, but with the freeze level due to climb to around 2000m there's every chance that could fall as rain. But don't be disheartened, other than that meteorological blip, it's blue skies and sunshine all the way to Friday. Happy Easter!
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!
