© Giles Towler
© Giles Towler
© Giles Towler
© Giles Towler
Plenty of snow in Les Gets
Les Gets opened for the day this Wednesday and did not disappoint with lots of fresh snow
It was a very limited opening with the Express de Chavannes providing the main access to the skiing and the Mouille au Roy and La Boule de Gomme drag lifts open, as well as the La Croix chairlift. The open pistes were Gentiane, Piste 64, Fougere and Stade de Carry.
Temperatures have remained low. Even with the sun out, in the morning the temperature was below zero, meaning that the snow is holding up well and the snow cannons have been running to keep supplies topped up. However, this has not really been necessary as there is over a metre of snow at altitude and over 50cm in town.
It’s snowed consistently since the weekend so conditions, which were already good, have improved further. There were a few hours of sunlight this morning but the weather has started to close in again, with more snow forecast for the next week. At the moment, it appears that there will be heavy snowfall for at least the next three or four days, which should provide a truly memorable opening weekend.
The Nauchets area is due to open at the weekend with Mt Chery opening the following weekend. It is a shame that Mt Chery is not opening earlier as conditions look perfect up there at the moment but it should be worth the wait when it finally does open!
The conditions off-piste are some of the best in the area for a long time. Although the parts of Les Gets that were open are not particularly steep, there was still plenty to ride just off the sides of the pistes. The pistes themselves have excellent snow cover and are well groomed with no icy patches to be found at the moment. The roads are getting cleared regularly ensuring that it is safe to get around, although snow chains and winter tyres are a good idea.
Avoriaz is due to open on Friday with the full Portes du Soleil area scheduled to open the following weekend, just in time for Christmas! Considering that for the last two years Mt Chery has opened for bikes at Christmas due to poor snow cover, this year has seen a dramatic change in the local snow conditions. With seemingly no end in sight for the snowfall, the resorts of the Portes du Soleil are building up an excellent base and we could be at the start of an all-time classic winter if things keep up like this!
