Val d'Isere is scheduled to have re-opened this week, the first ski area in France to operate ski lifts since Tignes and Val Thorens ended their long 2013-14 winter seasons a month ago.
It's the first of the four French summer ski destinations to open for 2014, with the two 'big hitters' Les 2 Alpes, which claims to have Europe's largest skiable glacier, and Tignes (again) scheduled to open in just a week's time on June 21st.
Alpe d'Huez, which began occasional summer operations again last summer after about a decade of not opening in summer, says it also will open when conditions are good from early July.
In fact the period when all four French glacier areas are operational simultaneously looks likely to be less than a fortnight long, as the Pissaillas glacier above Val d'Isere has only a five week summer ski season again and closes again on July 13th, while the other three plan to open through July and much of August.
Les 2 Alpes just sent the picture above of how their glacier is currently looking – essentially good they say. Indeed all four areas have had substantial fresh snowfall since closing last month.
Les 2 Alpes is set to host around 1,500 skiers and snowboarders a day following good spring precipitation. The glacier is also a magnet for ski professionals who come to traint here in the summer. There are always plenty of slalom courses set up and for the freestylers there is an 18 hectare snow park for all levels of skiers and snowboarders.