La Clusaz - Plenty snow ?????

Hi Folks
Heading to La Clusaz this weekend - Friday 15th January 2016.
Was there last year at same time and there was no snow. :cry:
However, Significant snow in recent days, and upto 60cm in the next few days. :-)
Should we be just mega excited or What do we need to watch out for?
Having only three days of skiing, not much room for novice mistakes.
Thank you

millstreet wrote:Should we be just mega excited

You could certainly start with that... :lol:

millstreet wrote:What do we need to watch out for?

Snow.

Looks like Friday and Saturday will be snowing most of both days, with a clear day on Sunday.

Good goggles (that don't fog up) and outer layers (gloves, jacket and pants) that are up to the job of keeping you warm and dry all day - if there are any "weak layers" in your kit then sort them out first.

Given the clear skies currently forecast for Sunday, half the population of Annecy will hit the slopes (and the other half will be stuck in the traffic).

Where are you staying and what sort of skiing do you like?

Admin Man
Thanks for your advice on the outer clothing and goggles.
I like to ski 'red pistes' typically.
We are staying in 'La Residence' self catering apartments very near to town centre.

One of my colleagues is on his third ski trip is a novice, but very competitive and physically fit.
He would like to organise a two hour private ski lesson for the Friday afternoon on which we arrive, can you recommend a good ski tutor with very good English?

Can you recommend a good ski equipment rental shop which is:
A) convenient to the ski lifts?
B) staff that are technically good?
c) where we can leave the equipment overnight?

I appreciate your insight to La Clusaz.

La Residence is "across the road" (the other side of the main drag through town) from the ski lifts so you've got a little bit of a walk from there. So leaving your kit in town is probably a good plan. You've got a choice of walking downhill (ish) - cross the road and head for the church - for a mixture of lifts out of the town or you can yomp uphill to the new Bossonet lift.

We've had our skis from Sport Boutique (on the main road, not far from La Residence and slightly lower than village centre - you'll see what I mean when you get there) at least half a dozen times and they're very good. They are one of the SkiSet shops (I think there are two in the town) so you can book any rentals in advance if you need them (linky to the left!) 8)

They know their stuff technically (as do most of the ski shops here; it's very much a town that loves its skiing, rather than a resort full of season workers...) and I'd be very surprised if you couldn't leave your skis/boots with them overnight.

There are ski shops closer to where the runs converge (and the lifts out of town) BUT you might want to use the bus to "get out of town" more easily at some point (see below) and IIRC there's a ski bus stop close to Sport Boutique (although they have changed the road layout a bit in recent years and that may have changed).

For private lessons; I've not used them myself (yet!) but have had Evolution2, in particular, recently recommended to me as having good instructors and good English speakers.

Friday will likely be the quietest day and the weather on the Saturday will determine the turnout; I'd not expect either of those to be busy TBH. The people out on those days will include a good proportion of the local hotshots - and there are quite a few, of whom Candide Thovex is probably best known.

Sunday, however, is looking like the first "Bluebird Day" of the season so will bring the locals out in force and from down the valley. Have a good look at the piste map and go exploring on the Friday!

If the traffic is rocking up on Sunday morning and you want to get the jump on the crowds then consider hopping on an early bus up to either La Balme or l'Etale. You can, of course, just uplift from the town and ski across to either. La Balme is a freeriders paradise and the car park will look busy on Sunday but there's loads of space and once up the mountain everyone spreads out. L'Etale is a nice area and usually less crowded than the runs immediately above the town. Both these areas have some nice reds. They also have some long blues for your novice.

HTH, enjoy!

Adders, have you ever been to La Clusaz? ;)

Iceman wrote:Adders, have you ever been to La Clusaz? ;)

Where? Never heard of it... 8)