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

AJMCA, there is snow in both places, but the lower kids area is looking a bit bare in places. When are you out, based on the recent snow fall, some lower areas might have a hard time with all the crowds arriving now.

Well, the snow came, and the snow went. Not much really. At most 3 cm to 5cm depending on where on the mountain you went. Tomorrow I shall do a tour around and see if any is still left after the winds today. Hope so. Mixed weather coming now, so will have to hope the predicted snow later next week turns into more than we got this time. Still I heard from my friends today that the park was fun.

Conditions today were very mixed as expected. A group of us did a lazy ski around the Arc 2000 bowl area and up the grand col. Snow is ok on the pistes at higher altitude, the fresh few cm's seemed to have improved the top layer, but only a little. There are a few stones being dragged onto the pistes by the basher each night when they use snow from the sides. Watch out for small stones in some places, very annoying. The lower pistes are getting well skied as it is starting to be busy now, but they are still holding up well. Take care at junctions and lifts, there are hard compacted icy patches.

The off piste has hardly changed, there is some soft patches but the little fresh snow that did fall has now been well skied and compacted into the old snow in most places that can be reached easily near to the pistes. Going further afield I did find better stretches of soft snow around lunch time The clouds came and went today quite often higher up the mountain so navigation when off piste was interesting. If anyone is coming out, take a guide, they should be able to find you good firm chalky snow to ski or ride, but there are rocks just below the surface just waiting to catch you out.

The snowpark is fun and busy. There is a skicross course under the Vagere chair lift at the moment, was built for a race, not sure how long it will stay for. There is also a new skicross beside the snow park and another over in the Arc 2000 bowl. The air bag was busy again today, but the waterslide was closed due to ice. It is getting colder again.

They are predicting more snow in the coming days, but not yet saying how much. Let us all hope for a BIG DUMP, but I fear it will be similar to the last one, just a few cm's. Hope I am wrong.

Another good day in the Paradiski. Started this morning from Arc 1600 and went across to the VE via the Derby chair for a change. Good pistes all the way and not many people. I do like Saturday changeovers!!

Across the VE onto the La Plagne side and then a fast ski all the way down to La Roche. Back up, over the top of Les Verdons and down to Champagny Village with a little off piste route down the ridge on the way in a short couloir, quite fun in chalky snow. All the pistes across La Plagne that we went down were in good condition, even to the low villages, but there are a few small stones on the pistes just to annoy you. Finally up Roche de Mio and down through the cliffs on good chalky snow to the chair and up to the Bellecote Glacier.

Our final route, off piste down the Canadian Couloir which was in the shade, firm chalky snow with a few patches of soft fresh snow from the recent snowfall still around.

Met a group of ESF near the bottom, they came down the Petit Face route. They had no safety kit, except the Instructor, what a good example to the youngsters.

Had a nice picnic in the sun on the way down, a quick coffee at the bottom (great place for lunch at the cross country course above Nancroix in the Cheval Restaurant).

Back into Peisey Vallandry and across to the snowpark and waterslide (open again today) for a bit of entertainment and home. Another good day out in the sun most of the day.

For those coming out, the clouds have now come over and there might be a little snow tomorrow, nothing yet. The pistes higher on the mountain are in good condition and if you stick to those pistes lower down where there are snow canons they are also holding up well. The off piste is very mixed, but still worth taking a guide to show you those quiet places away from the crowds. There are always the snowparks, waterslide, boadercross courses and luge runs to keep you busy as well. Have a fun holiday.

Take a look at todays photos that I have just posted in my facebook group.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=134900026541300&v=photos

Yes it snowed today, in fact it is still snowing a little outside right now. There was about 3 to 5cm of fresh snow which helped to take the pressure off the pistes a little as the crowds have arrived. We had to queue on most lifts.

The pistes this morning were covered with a nice layer of fresh snow, but the hard compacted surface was just underneath waiting to catch you out. In the busier places this surface quickly came through, but on the quieter runs there was some good skiing to be found. On the tree runs visibility was good, but on the open areas you spent most of your time trying to feel your way down the pistes, sometimes over moguls. Lot's of fun!

The off piste was very limited due to flat light and poor vis in most places away from the trees. In the trees the snow cover is still quite thin so great care was needed to avoid rocks or tree roots. Some good open patches were found, but you were never to sure what you would hit next.

Still, it is snowing at last and not melting or raining. More to come tomorrow we hope.

Today there was powder, real powder to ski at last. At times 10cm or more. Even with the poor light at times is was possible to get away from the crowds into the untracked areas. After a little trip down the Deux Tetes off piste area for first tracks when the lifts opened, we crossed over to La Plagne via the forest above Peisey and up to the top of Roche du Mio. Then a careful route down to the valley on untracked powder the whole way.

After a few lifts back up to the ridge it was down the open area to the Chalet du Froilin Chair from the other side in more fresh snow. Finally back up to the ridge and even more powder through the meadows and forests above Les Coches and over the VE back to Les Arcs.

A quick trip back through the forest crossing some pistes to avoid the crowds to the Vagere chair in Arc 1800 and then over to the snowpark to watch some of the up-and-coming French free style riders taking air on the jumps before heading to the top of the Clocheret chair and down the Comborciere Valley. Another chance for fresh tracks. In fact it was such fun, went back up and did it again before finally heading to George's Wine Bar in Arc 1950 for some well earned beers.

Overall, the latest snowfall has done a good job of refreshing the 'on and off piste' areas with up to 10cm of fresh snow in places. However the hard compact surface is only just covered and is starting to come through again on busy pistes. With more snow forecast, conditions should continue to improve over the next few days.

Pics of today are on my facbook group page. Take a look!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=134900026541300&v=photos

Spent the day in Les Arcs. Conditions were very mixed with poor light at times and clouds overhead, but also a few sunny spells together with light snow on and off all day. The crowds at the main lifts were not to bad and in quieter places there was know waiting.

The pistes across the Arc 1800 and 1600 areas were ok, with a covering of fresh snow which made them fun to ski, but near the junctions the hard compacted icy snow was starting to come through again by the afternoon.

The pistes in the Arc 2000 bowl and down to Villaroger was also in good condition, but the blue piste lower down now has icy patches that need to be skied with care.

The off piste right across the Les Arcs domain was good fun. Although hard packed underneath, the top 10cm was fresh snow and provided a very enjoyable days off piste.

Our main routes included down from the Arpette ridge towards the bottom of the Arpette chair, then down the other side of the ridge to the bottom of the Marmottes chair. Later from the top of the Aiguille Rouge on the left side of the Glacier, then down the Robert Blanc Couloir, followed by going down the right hand side of the glacier off piste and then off piste on the left of the Genepy piste. Later another route off piste to Villaroger and back up to the Droset off piste area before finishing in the Malgovert forest.

And back to George's Wine Bar in Arc 1950 for light refreshments. Another good day on the hill! Sorry no photos today, need more batteries.

Today was a powder day. It turned out to be a blue sky cold day without much wind and few clouds. Sometimes the forecast is not always correct.

Managed to get over to the Roche du Mio and do one of the cliff runs again, with a few turns on untracked powder. Then up top of Bellecote Glacier just after the Traverse Chair opened and all the way back down the bowl in untracked powder from within 50m of the top to 100m before the bottom chair. Very nice. Finally up and over onto the North Face for even more untracked powder from just below the ridge to the forest far below. Had a GPS gadget with us today, it recorded 10,262m of vertical height completed today. Plus loads of other data. A fun toy to play with over lunch and at the end of the day in the bar.

Had a great late lunch at the bottom of the Bellecote at the Cheval Restaurant and then back across the pistes and through the forests with a few little detours to the Mushroom Bar in the Arc 2000 bowl for a drink and finally home. The pistes and lifts in the main resort areas are still in good condition in most places, but with the good weather, the lifts and pistes that we used were busy most of the time.

Another great day. It is good to have some powder again. Pics to follow, but not tonight. More to come tomorrow I hope.