Portes du Soleil snow at march/april

Hi, Im a brazilian going to snowboard with girlfriend in late march (16 to 30 of march) and thinking in going to Avoriaz (Portes do Soleil) due to the good prices to "on the slope" studios for our stay.
Im also thinking in staying one more week in april there (my gf needs to come back but I could stay one more week).

Last season I went to Tignes - Val Claret in april (1st to 15th april) and had a good stay with good conditions and lots of snow.

Im choosing Avoriaz because I would like to know a new place and it looks like a great one, but Im worried about the snowfall.

Do you guys think there's good snow in Avoriaz late march / 1st week of april?

Should I just go to Tignes instead?

Any other sugestion of big resorts in the area? (arriving by plane in Geneve)

I would play it safe and go to Tignes/Val d'Isere. Avoriaz will almost certainly be OK for snow then but conditions could be decidedly dodgy in the surrounding, lower-lying resorts that are more exposed to the sun. If that's the case, every man and his dog in the Portes du Soleil area (650km) will be converging on Avoriaz.

I skied there about 10 years ago (based ourselves in Chatel) and loved the area. My mate is in Morzine as I type, seeing to a bit of 'unfinished business' with the Swiss Wall -) . We went the fourth week in March: it was getting slushy by mid-afternoon and some of the sunnier runs in the Super-Chatel/Morgins area were hanging on by the skin of their teeth. It really is a super area with loads of skiing for all abilities and I'd love to go back but I don't think I would chance it so late in the season.

Tignes, on the other hand, is about as snow-sure as it gets. The Espace Killy area, while only about half the size of the PdS, is still vast and, more importantly, the lowest villages are at about the same altitude as Avoriaz (the highest village in the PdS area). Val Claret is at 2300m and skiing on the glacier above it goes almost to 3500m.

Another option might be 3 Valleys. Val Thorens is right up there with Tignes in the snow-sure department. I'm sure someone who knows more than I do about that area will be more than happy to 'clue you up' about it.

Thanks for the advices Gaz. Will look for Val Thorens info!

Anyone with diferent opinions?

Im still hoping to go there LOL.

Im looking for Avoriaz for so long now... just forget this little "detail"

I'd concur with Gaz - much of the Portes Du Soleil is relatively low so can suffer when it warms up which in turn forces everyone to the high ground and the runs above Avoriaz and above Ardent get very crowded with lots of novices struggling to ski in the melting pudding which gets churned up on the narrower runs.

Early March fine, but late March one of the higher altitude resorts would be a better bet. You can get lucky and have fabulous snow in April but the reason the cost of the accommodation is less is because it's less snow sure.
If you are coming all the way from Brazil to ski you don't want to be disappointed by lack of snow so go high.

andymol2 wrote:

Early March fine, but late March one of the higher altitude resorts would be a better bet. You can get lucky and have fabulous snow in April but the reason the cost of the accommodation is less is because it's less snow sure.
If you are coming all the way from Brazil to ski you don't want to be disappointed by lack of snow so go high.

My thoughts exactly :thumbup:.

Thanks for the reply Andy.

U guys let me down but I still hoping to get to know a new place instead of going again to Tignes. (its a great place, much better than any place here in Chile or Argentina but I would like to know new places)

So I looked around 3 valleys and it looks like its very good but too expensive.

My choices come back to Tignes or Tignes hehehe

So I looked on snow predictions and history of Avoriaz and looks like this year is a great year for Avoriaz!

I looked at: http://www.igluski.com/france/avoriaz-snow-history_23520

Now my question is: Are these predictions realible?

If the snow this year is as deep as last year should I consider its going to stay this way till end of march?

Again, thanks for the precious info Andy and Gaz!

diogocyrineu wrote:

I looked at: http://www.igluski.com/france/avoriaz-snow-history_23520

Now my question is: Are these predictions realible?

The short answer to that one is, 'Who knows?' They are reflections of the snow conditions over the past four years as opposed to a prediction of the conditions of this coming year. I'd like to think they were accurate: I think that if they weren't, someone would have shot them down in flames by now. If you really want to ski Avoriaz, and you are flexible on your accommodation, you could just book your flights to Geneva and leave the choice of resort until nearer the time. This would leave the option to ski Avoriaz open until you are sure about the snow cover there, or allow you to go for one of the higher, more snow-sure areas.

I thought that you would have got a few more opinions on this by now; especially from the fans of the 3 Valleys. Perhaps they are all away skiing it right now -) . 3 Valleys doesn't have to be mega-expensive. La Tania and Les Menuires seem reasonable and there are sometimes good deals for Val Thorens. Also Brides-les-Bains (cheap as chips), if you don't mind being based in a working town in the valley and a 25-minute gondola ride up to Meribel every morning. Come on 3 Valleys fans! Give this guy some help :D !