Les Arcs Season Thread. (Where you can ask questions on Les Arcs , La Plagne or chat)

Sorry, did not get the time to post pics yesterday. Only just got home from dinner tonight so pics from the last few days will have to wait until tomorrow when I have more time. :)

I hope everyone leaving tomorrow has a good trip home. They have issued a black traffic warning day tomorrow in the valley with some 36,000 people leaving and arriving on Saturday. It will be busy on the roads. :evil:

Today the sun shinned, the sky was blue and by the afternoon it was even warm as long as you stayed out of the shaded areas. The snow on piste was in great condition in most places, but going into the stations and busy lifts did start to get quite tricky later in the day with a hard packed slippy surface in many places.

The queues on some lifts were also quite large at times, but they did move quickly so it was not as bad as I had expected on such a sunny day. :-D

We did manage to avoid the queues most of the day by doing some fun off piste routes including the Col de la Chal down to Nancroix and through the centre of the Arc 2000 bowl all the way to the Bois de l'ours Chair. The Border cross in Peisey Vallandry and the Arc 2000 bowl were fun, as was the snowpark which we visited one last time. The runs down through the trees in Peisey Nancroix and towards Arc 1800 were also fun. :D

Overall I would say the snow is holding up well on and off piste everywhere considering the number of people about so it should still be good during the coming week as more people arrive. :D

The pics from the last few days will be posted in the Feb 2012 Album of my Les Arcs Winter facebook page tomorrow morning. Enjoy! 8-)

Today the powder was back!!! :D

After a fast ski across to the La Plagne side of the Paradiski area, we headed up to the top of L'Arpette and off the back. Although the vis was very poor at times, with a bit of careful planning we were able to navigate across the meadows in a white out and drop down onto a face that turned out to have great powder, rather than just a little dusting. What an excellent reward for our efforts. :skele:

Having navigated a rather unstable face, we then headed down through a number of powder fields and into the forest, before arriving at La Roche. A quick lunch in Plagne Centre and back to the top and this time all the way down to Montchavin Les Coches. :-D

Two long off piste routes with a bit of everything and some tricky navigation. But also some great powder and better vis than we could have hoped for. :)

The pistes across Les Arcs and La Plagne were in excellent condition after the light snow that had fallen. Tomorrow should be even more fun if the sun does come out! Take a look at the pics of today in the Feb 2012 Album Two of my Les Arcs Winter page on facebook. Here is one pic I quite like :-D .

On my Snowboard again today. I do like riding the powder at high speed. We met up a little later to give the -14 forecast a chance to warm up and the clouds to clear. We were not disappointed. Headed over to the Arc 2000 bowl via the snowpark and a few short off piste runs to arrive at the Grand Col. Then spent some time in the off piste both sides of the chairlift finding some nice powder which was not to tracked out. :D

Then it was time to head into the back country. After going down in the direction of the Mont Pouri refuge we hiked up the ridge and rode all the way down to Nancroix on good powder and a fun track with plenty of banked bends to play on.Then back across Les Arcs from the top of the Derby by a slightly different route to normal arriving from the off piste only 50m above the Vagere chair. Finally stopping off at the Altiport for a drink before a last run down a gully to Arc 1600 and then the Violettes piste for a to Les Granges and home. :-D

The resent snow had stayed in good condition on the more sheltered off pistes areas which gave us some good powder and all the pistes we used were in excellent condition. The forecast is for this cold sunny spell to continue so the snow should remain good for the next few days. :)

Pics of today are posted in the Feb 2012 Album two of my Les Arcs Winter facebook page. Here is just one. Enjoy! 8-)


The Snowpark is in vey good condition! Feb 20

Easy day this morning. Went up and met some friends for a ski around the pistes in the morning. Did a little easy off piste with them just as a taster and then off to pick up the kids. :D

Time for me to have a little play and despite the flat light which was slowly clearing managed a little route with about 500m of untracked good snow and then into the 'secret forest' for a nice route before lunch. Sometimes it is just fun to be on your own away from everyone. :-D

Met up with others for lunch and headed up the Aiguille Rouge and down the glacier piste and then Robert Blanc couloir which had good chalky snow. Fun and not to busy. :)

Over to the Arc 1800 side and a few other little off piste routes before heading to the LA Session and some big air at Arc 1800. The tricks the jumpers on boards and skis were pulling looked good and the fireworks at the end were nice. But the buses back to the funi were crazy and I was pleased I did not stay for the party as getting home later would have been impossible. Riding down to Bourg in the dark is not my idea of fun these day. :evil:

Tomorrow the weather should be better, so hope to do some bigger routes. Although it was fun going to another ski area for a few day, it is good to be back. 8-)

Pics from today will be posted in the Feb 2012 Album Two of my Les Arcs Winter facebook page. Enjoy! 8)

Went up early today and met up with some friends for a play in the National Park before the snow warms up to much and starts to go off.

After a fast ski to get to the top of the arpette chair we did one of the little side couloirs down to the marmotte chair and then to the top of the Aiguille Rouge, which with the crowds even first thing in the morning took a while.

Hiked a little and then headed down one of the couloirs in good snow on a less used route almost the whole way down to La Planay. Then round the lifts again and back up to make a run through the Lanchettes Valley on more good snow, this time firm and chalky rather than soft and untracked.

Had a late lunch at the Ferme in Villaroger and then did another off piste route before heading home.

The pistes today were still in good condition, but are becoming hard packed and slippy in the more well used areas, coming into lifts and going down into stations so take care and make sure you have plenty of room to stop. There have been a number of bad accidents reported this week where people have skied into each other.

The off piste conditions are changing rapidly. The higher areas are holding up well with good soft snow still to be found, although tracked in most places. Slightly lower down you can still find good snow if you get the aspect right, but coming down towards the pistes into stations the snow has become heavy or crusty and quite difficult to ski at times. Take care in the heavy snow, it is easy to damage a knee.

Hope to do another trip on the Bellecote tomorrow if the weather permits.

Pics of todays routes are posted in the Feb 2012 Album Two of my Les Arcs Winter page on facebook. Enjoy!!

Went up a little late today and after riding around a little to get the feel of my board again, headed up the top of the Arpette to have a look over into the Arc 2000 bowl. The vis was still not that great and the sun was only really shinning at the top so went over to the Blanche Murree to meet up with friends. We then headed off to ride around the Peisey Vallandry area where the light was better.

Finally going back towards Arc 1800 and then Arc 1600 trying a few off piste areas, but until we reached the Malgovert forest most of the snow was hard packed crud which had frozen last night and not really melted due to the clouds blocking out the sun for most of the day.

We managed to find a few lips to jump safely (well the others did, not with my knees any more unless I really have too) and then finally after a short route through the trees arrived back at Arc 1600 and home.

All the pistes were quite hard packed and slippy in places today where they had been re-frozen and not really melted again. The off piste was not that great unless we stayed in the shady areas and even then it was still very firm and bone rattling. Despite the conditions we still managed to have a fun time and I rode more pistes on my board today than I have all season, so good for the technique. I hope tomorrow the sun comes out again to soften the snow a little.

Pics from today are in the Feb 2012 Album Two of my Les Arcs Winter page. Enjoy!

http://www.facebook.com/LesArcsWinter

Hi, i'm planning a ski trip for March 31st. La Plagne is looking like a real possibility given the altitude and current conditions. Any thoughts on how long the season is likely to last given the current conditions?

FERGS: The lifts close around 28 April and it should be ok till then with so much snow now, but you can never be sure.

Just posted a few pics from yesterday. The new tunnel on the rodeo is fun, but best to do it on a sledge. Skiing down the course is not allowed.

The conditions today were very similar to yesterday. First thing this morning it was very hard, firm, slippy and on most pistes real boiler plate conditions. Where to go? After a ski across Les Arcs to Peisey Vallandry on piste we decided to head over to La Plagne and the Bellecote North Face.

After some rather large queues we made it to the top of the Roche de Mio. Time to try the off piste. A little worried that the conditions would be the same off piste, we headed down the the Rossets couloir and were relieved to discover firm chalky snow. Fun to turn on as long as you can keep your edge.

Then up to the top of the Bellecote Glacier and another route back down to the Chalet de Bellecote Chair in the unprotected off piste area. Managed to find some good stretches of snow, but not enough to be worth doing it twice. Time to go onto the north face. This time we opted for the classic Petit North Face route and found more firm chalky snow mixed in with some patches of good soft snow and lower down, crud and breakable crust. After a long decent including the tricky path in the forest we made it to the restaurant for a well earned drink. A good trip and we saw almost nobody. Just what we like!

Finally it was back to Les Arcs to join the queues and busy pistes. After a few pistes made it to the top of the Derby Chair and then off piste all the way down to Arc 1800 before heading over to Arc 1600 and home.

Another fun day comes to an end. Conditions are very mixed on and off piste. The best advice, follow the sun, but take care in the afternoons if you go off piste. Pics from today will be posted in the Feb 2012 Album Two of my facebook page. Enjoy!