Les Arcs Season 2014 - 2015, New Thread for this season starts on page 29.

Wednesday. What a day! The sun came out and there was fresh snow on the ground. Time to head for the glacier and see what powder we could find!!

As expected, the Aiguille Rouge Glacier was predicted to be late opening an therefore very busy so we headed over to the Bellecote glacier instead.

After a very fast ski across to Roche de Mio, headed over the cliffs and into the bowl. Fresh snow most of the way down. Light and soft. This was going to be a good day!

Then up top and made two more laps of the bowl in untracked powder most of the way and some steep gullies to test every ones nerve.

Then onto the North Face for more fresh track first in powder then spring snow. Finally hitting some breakable crust towards the finish.

After a late lunch took the bus back to Peisey and a ski over to the Waterslide above Arc 1600 for a bit of fun in the sun before a drink at the Arpette and home.

A really good day. The off piste was very good again after a little freshening up of the last few days. The piste were firm, but good to ski and held an edge well. They say the weather is on the change again. Shall have to wait and see in the morning!

Photos of the last few days will be posted later in the March 2013 Album Three of my Les Arcs Winter facebook page. Enjoy!

http://www.facebook.com/LesArcsWinter/photos

Awful snow recently, don't you think?????

Very sad news. These details are now confirmed. My thoughts go out to the family.

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Avalanche death of a skier at Les Arcs!

A 41 year old Russian skier died this morning (Saturday) after being swept away by an avalanche yesterday on a piste in the ski resort of Les Arcs (Savoie), it was learned from the police.

The skier was swept away by an avalanche yesterday around 4:20 p.m. when she was skiing with her daughter, her husband and a monitor on the Grand Renard red piste. The avalanche, 1.50 meters high cut across the piste 50 meters wide. Taken at 16:25, the rescue conducted by the ski patrol of the station discovered a skier at 16h52, according to a news station.

In cardiac arrest, the victim was supported by rescuers and a doctor of the station and transported by helicopter to hospital in Grenoble at 18:30. She died in hospital this morning. An investigation by the High Mountain Police (PGHM) Bourg-Saint-Maurice will determine the exact circumstances of the accident.

According Chelle Laurent, CEO of Les Arcs ski area, "this is an area which had been the subject of a preventive triggering of an avalanche in the morning." Such an event "is extremely rare," he told AFP. "Our job is to ensure that it never happens," he added. According PGHM, it had snowed 3 to 5 cm of snow in the station during the day.

An expert in snow stability will conduct the investigation. In addition, the police will interview all those who attended the avalanche.

Very sad information indeed!

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I had a day off today as the weather was not that great and it has been a busy week. I shall be back out tomorrow and will post details of the conditions in Les Arcs and the Paradiski in the evening. When further details of this sad accident are released I will update this post.

Stay safe out there everyone, the snow is quite unstable right now.

What a fun day Easter Sunday was. Despite the weather not really matching up to the forecast for today. Only a few sunny patches all day. We found plenty of untracked powder together with a real mix of crud, breakable crust and even a bit of hard packed snow on some pistes.

Skied around Les Arc domain all day on and off piste. We managed to hit a few spots just as the lifts were opened after a few delays so we had fresh tracks in many places.

If you are interested in seeing what the conditions were like. Take a look at the photos I have now posted in the 'March 2013 Album Three' of my 'Les Arcs Winter' facebook page. Enjoy!

https://www.facebook.com/LesArcsWinter/photos_albums

With all this fresh snow about, although a little heavy lower down. Everyone that is out for Easter week whether skiing 'on piste' or 'off piste' should be in for a good time. But do take care out there, it was 'level 4 avalanche warning' today so you need to know where you are going off piste and be equipped properly if you want to stay safe or go with a guide and have him supply the necessary safety equipment.

After the accident last week in Les Arcs, you can never be to well equipped. You can get a slide anywhere! Take care!

I just read the Chantel chairlift is free on sat and sun. Is it really the chairlift or is it just a rope next to the chairlift that is free? We are arriving sometime on sun and if we arrive too late to get a 4 hour pass then I thought this would be a great option to dust the cobwebs off and for me son to get his confidence. Any advice appreciated

Abcurtis, Yes, the lift is free and it is a chair. Good for a warm up, but as it is free can be big queues.

Yesterday Monday, was a POWDER day again. Blue sky and good snow.

We headed high early and were very lucky to arrive at the Varet gondola just after it had opened. Made a few laps of the area under the lift and beside the Robert Blanc piste nature.

Then were even more lucky and had first tracks down a number of routes around the Grand Col lift when that opened.

Finally we headed into the back valley and arrived in Nancoix after a great run down in more untracked powder to the track out which was very cruddy.

Back in Arc 2000 we had a quick lunch at the Mushroom before a run down from the top of the Varet to Plagnettes chair and then the Border cross and finally over to the snowpark and waterslide before heading for home.

A good day and very mixed conditions. Untracked powder most of the time off piste in the morning and fun in all the play areas in the afternoon.

Photos from yesterday will be posted later today.

What a day! Tuesday 2 April. Fresh powder mostly untracked and much better visibility than was predicted for most of the day.

When I left the station to go home it was snowing lightly at Arc 1600. I hope it kept going all evening.

Today we went across to the Bellecote bowl and played around making a couple of laps finding some fresh untracked snow and a few steeper sections. We then headed onto the Petit North Face of the Bellecote and down to the forest, finally out along the river path. Then a nice late lunch and back to George's Wine Bar in Arc 1950 for a well earned drink.

What a treat the conditions were today for one of the group who had his first trip over the back at the ripe old age of 13, He did very well.

The pistes we crossed on both sides of the Vanoise Express were in great condition after the resent snowfall. The snow was still a little unstable in the afternoon sun, but it was holding up well. More to come tomorrow we hope!

The photos from the last few days have been posted in the new April 2013 Album on my Les Arcs Winter facebook page if you are interested in seeing what conditions are like. Todays photos will be posted later. Enjoy!

https://www.facebook.com/LesArcsWinter/photos_albums

Here are a couple of photos so you can see what great snow we have right now.

Here is the report on the last couple of days.

Yesterday (Thursday) was a real mix. Started off by going up Aiguille Rouge with clouds about although the light was not to bad. Then decided to head over into the National Park as reports were that the snow high up was still ok. Saw a group heading for the Valdez Couloir. Hope they had fun.

We went down Genepy with good snow at the top, but it quickly became very mixed as you came out onto the meadow. Did not go lower and headed over to the Lanchette exit on a very cruddy traverse then a bit more ok snow before hitting the breakable crust lower down.

Quite an experience for some that are still learning to deal with the mixed conditions, but all made it down safely. Then up the lifts and through the forest to Pre St Esprit for Lunch.

Met up with others and had a little play in Malgovert before a run down Arolles on a very nice empty piste and then over to the Waterslide. A few wet people this time.

Finally back to George's in Arc 1950 for a drink. The off piste everywhere yesterday was very mixed with all kinds of snow to deal with. The pistes were in very good condition in most places although wind blown and hard packed on the exposed areas or coming into lifts and stations in the busier areas.

Today (Friday) , we had a fast ski over to La Plagne in poor visibility and then a fun play in the gullies going down to Plagne Bellecote. Then up to the top of the Roche de Mio and down the 'hidden valley' for a little off piste in very mixed snow on the way to the 'Tunnel of Dreams'.

Through the tunnel and back over to the 'Les Coches' side and into the 'Waterfall valley' for another fun off piste run all the way back to the Vanoise Express.

Finally back up the Peisey chair and a fast ski on the black ecureuils piste down to the Vache restaurant for lunch and a birthday party.

After quite a few drinks amongst many friends, old and new, some of us headed to the waterslide (no one fell in today) and then home. A really nice day was had by all and for the lucky ones another day tomorrow before late flights, the eurostar or a long drive home.

All the pistes we skied today have remained in good condition with only a few hard packed areas. The off piste is very mixed, but in the more well skied places it is now starting to turn to spring chalky snow which I like. They have forecast a little more snow in the coming days. I shall have to wait and see.


Just posted the photos from the last few days in the April 2013 Album on my Les Arcs Winter page. Only todays photos left to post now. Will try to catch up the rest later tonight. If you want to see what the conditions are like or have been out with us. Take a look. Enjoy.

https://www.facebook.com/LesArcsWinter/photos_albums