The Morznet.Com Morzine & Les Gets Snow Report

Chevreuil

Lots of fresh snow was around for this last weekend, which is clearly all good, the sky conditions were not blue but greyer, still we had some good skiing none the less. Today we have the blue skies but the powder from the weekend is pretty much tracked out so it was always going to be a predominantly piste day however we were thinking those pistes would be in A1 condition and so it proved.

The general consensus was to head for Mont Chery, a little satellite if you will, of the Portes du Soleil (PDS). I say a satellite but you only have to walk across the road form the bottom of the Chavannes in Les Gets to get to this great little ski area – your PDS pass is valid by the way – and it’s well worth the walk. The Chery has great blues, reds and a fair few blacks to keep you entertained and lots of moguls to hit if that is your want. When the off piste is on the go then the tree runs are fantastic and there is even a park with the usual assortment of kickers, rails and other features to hit – it’s got the lot.

As I was saying earlier we were hitting the pistes in the main today and after a cruise warm up we opted for a number of laps around the Chamois red using the TK Super Chery drag lift. Maybe the latter is not your thing but its’ the quickest way back to the top if you want to work some hard turns in down this red. The snow was mint, a condition maintained all day even when the sun was beating down hard. Normally this south facing aspect of the Chery can get overly slushy but the air temp was a cool +2 max today so the snow stayed soft but cold all day – perfect.

We headed over to Chery Nord using the telesiege de la Pointe and dropped down the back to Encrenaz on the Marmottes red, again really nice condition, super fast. From the TS Chery Nord we observed the condition of two if the Chery’s four black runs; Chevreuil and Mouflon. Basically the condition was lots of moguls, it’s not unusual for this to be the case but the snow looked good and why not, the red perfect with the same aspect. And sure enough the black runs were skiing well, the soft snow making life that little easier on the bumps.

It was time to return to the front of the Chery and stop for a breather. We opted for the Grand Ourse restaurant which has a great sun terrace with views of the surrounding mountains, Mont Blanc etc. There are lots of options on the menu offering something a little different to the usual Savoyard fair, pasties for example, don’t let that sound low rent though, lots of really good food and wine options if a good mid day dining experience is essential to your skiing holiday.

For the afternoon it was time to hit the park, the jumps are fairly small at the moment but fun none the less and I guess more accessible to beginners as such. If you’re new to the park game then be careful in there and exercise some common sense, don’t hang around under the jumps/features unsighted from riders above, somebody will land on your head. If you want to watch then stand off to the side out of the way. I like the Chery park as there is room for a few fast turns in between features. To return back to the top you need to ski to either the telesiege de Plenays or Grande Ourse, I prefer the former, meaning you get a good blast in between park runs.

Well that was us for the day, a nice quiet ski with a bit of variety all bathed in sunshine, the snow was fantastic, can’t get better really. Come to think of it the snow has been in really great condition all season long with regular top ups from the skies and cold temperatures to keep things in good order, long may it continue.

Bon ski!

I will endeavour to post reports Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday – tune in.

[1] Generally described in more detail in the resort avalanche bullettin (e.g. altitude, aspect, type of terrain etc.)
[2] Additional load:

• High: e.g. group of skiers, piste machine, avalanche blasting
• Low: e.g. skier, walker
• Steep slopes: Slopes with an incline of more than about 30°
• Steep extreme slopes: Particularly unfavourable in terms of the incline, terrain profile, proximity to ridge, smoothness of underlying ground surface.

This is an indication of status at time of writing. Please check latest situation at the lift stations before setting out.