Les Deux Alpes - Winter 2008-2009

Again it was cold but sunny all day. There was some wind (very chilly) higher up but below 2,600m it was fine. I got around the mountain a fair bit today for a change and skied down from the glacier, Cretes, Top of Thuit, bottom of Valentin and Grande Pente. Everywhere had really nice snow. A few little ripples on the Pente of course, but not much yet - packed powder - yum!
Pic is looking out of the Jandri express into the top of the off piste part of the Gours or hidden valley.

Today was ....... cold (what's new?), but cloudier than the last couple of days. Also the wind had got up nastily this morning when I took this pic looking south from the Patache terrace at the Cretes.

I skied the combe du Thuit twice and down the Grande Pente at the end of the day - really lovely snow. Hopefully the promised rise in temps at the end of the week will happen.

We had a very nice day today, but the wind was apparently quite strong high up early. By the time we went up tot he top of the Bellecombe it was OK though. Wall to wall sunshine.

skied Bellecombe (great snow - when not?), Cretes, and Gours. All were good, but later I was skiing down int he village and was disappointed to find a good few scraped patches of quite hard snow - must just be all the people.

Pic didn't turn out all that well I'm afraid - it's looking up towards the glacier from the top of Bellecombe chair.

Once again it was sunny and cold, with a fairly nasty Northerly wind anywhere above about 2,400m. I was up to the glacier and it was brassic. Snow was good on Mura, Jandri, Toura, Grand Creux, and Cretes. OK on Gours and a bit hardpacked right up at the glacier - ditto low down. The bottom part of Posettes was OK, but is effectively a piste now complete with morons.

there have been a lot of young adults or big teenagers around this week, and the mornings have been very nice and quiet but the afternoons have been another matter - worth the helmet and armour, even though I haven't been thumped yet.

Pic taken from the waterfall on Gours looking across to the ADH side. The bottom of the Fee lift is in the middle of the pic.

Lovely day today and deffo warmer Once again blue skies. It was still cold, but the wind had dropped to almost nothing so the glacier was the place to go. Pic looking down to the resto from the top of dome.

I also skied Breche, Grand Nord, Signal, l'envers du Signal, Canyons, Jandri, Goulet du Grand Nord and Cretes + Grande Pente on the way home. Although there was some harder snow around, it was generally very good throughout. Oh yes and a couple of saunters down the easy bit of the Echines (windblown but hard crust sustrugi).

thank god! Finally a day that wasn't freezing.

wjohnm, Yes - toomuch wind and too cold for me, but no choice. I also found the train closed - no idea why - no time to find out! It was open later though. Actually it wasn't really warm, just by comparison!!

Snow Beard, Les Posettes used to be on the piste map in days of yore as a red, but it's not even marked as an itinerary now. I suspect one too many people landed on unfortunate beginners coming onto the path ... Grande Pente ditto - it used to be marked as a black itinerary - can't imagine why it no longer is. What guide?

today was much warmer, but I'm told it was deffo breezy high up. I was only on the Cretes, so it was positively hot there. It must have nearly reached freezing. In fact it was +5 deg on my balcony when I got home. Cretes snow top and bottom was good. Home via GP where the snow is still pretty good but the moguls are getting bigger.

Phone wouldn't play for photo earlier so I just took the pretty view from my balcony after I'd got it going again. Catkins on the willow tree already.

I didn't go very far today, and it was very windy closing the glacier, and I think everything above 2,900m. It was OK although not great on the Cretes, the snow was fine and it was much warmer but very cloudy all day. I skied down by the GP (where else?) and the snow had been soft and was starting to freeze on the top flatter bit, and then quite soft and mushy (as opposed to slushy) lower down. I wuite enjoyed it, but I suspect it will be nasty tomorrow morning.

My phone would not take a photo again (but neither would my student's) too cold I think. I got a moody one from the balcony on the camera when I got home.

We had a rather odd day today. It was clear and sunny in the morning, and very warm in the village - hat & gloves off! However a breeze at the Cretes (higher wind at altitude, but the 2nd leg of the Jandri Express was working today), made it very pleasant but still cold - I thought ..... then it clouded over about 14.30, the north wind got up and the temp dropped about 15 degs in 30 secs (well - it seemed like that)... bbbbrrrrrrraaaaasssssiiiiccc. Light went, Face was frozen ruts, so idiot me decided to toddle down the Chemin des Demoiselles ... not my best idea ever. I did take les Posettes top bit to avoid what I could, but it was not nice, Valentin was packed with morons, so the rest of the Chemin was endured.

Having said all that, the snow on the Cretes was fine, nursery slopes were hard, Top of the Thuyt very good and the little gully on the right of the lower part of the Thuit had lovely packed powder. I rode a chairlift with Damian Albert who said the condition in Diversoir was good. Oh yes - and I finally managed to make on of my cameras take a photo Quick one looking up the Cretes from the restaurant terrace.

It was much warmer today, and although the wind was high in the morning it did drop a lot by the afternoon. I went up to Toura and then back down. Unfortunately the whole place was overpopulated with complete morons trying to knock everyone flying out of their way. These started at about 5 years of age and went up.

the snow was fine at the 2,600 level but is really quite hard down in the village now, and getting harder on the Cretes daily. There wasn't any even vaguely slushy snow until right at the roadside.

It's really busy this week - obviously all the french were waiting until after the rest had gone home - oh boy - helmet coming back out tomorrow!

the pic is looking down at the town from the first bend of the Chemin des Demoiselles, which I always think is a very nice view. Camera again today - phone still refusing.

today was really fabulous, and if the snow had been softer all over the resort it would have been perfect. It was cold, but the wind had dropped and the sun shone all day. Unfortunately there are now quite extensive hard patches all over the mountain including on the glacier (although not on Signal). I wouldn't go so far as to call it hardpack yet, but it's getting close. Certainly the novice skiers are starting to complain about 'icy'.

I was all over the mountain and it was fine, but busy. I took care to avoid going high in the afternoon so we didn't get in the sort of crush we did yesterday, and at lunchtime it was OK. there are still far too many people skiing stupidly fast though.

Pic is looking up at the Diable just as I got home - neither machine playing while up there - still too cold.

Lovely and sunny most of the day. Positively hot int he village and pleasant at Cretes level. However it was windy higher up. I believe it was all open though, and the melt allowed the face off piste runs to be skied happily again. GP was still quite firm at 13.00 but Paul McK said Posettes was lovely later inthe afternoon.

Pretty pic of frozen waterfalls etc at the bottom of the combe du Thuit

Lovely warm day today with the exception of a really high wind at altitude - ugh! Snow warm and slightly mushy low down but very pleasant. I only skied Cretes and Demoiselles so I can't postulate about the other runs. Pic is from the first bend of the Demoiselles looking up towards Cretes and Rachas behind it.