Les Arcs 2010 / 2011 Snow Reports

A snowHead

allanm, cheers for the link. Yea, not quite as promising on that one, but still heading in the right direction I guess!

A snowHead

here now runs are in pretty good shape even getting back to vallandry every day. Noticeably colder today

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rhsr, thorpedo, CP, If you go to my facebook group page (link below) you can get a daily report direct from the SMA/pisteurs which I try to post at 8.30am everyday. This will give you the most up-to-date weather and snow report possible each morning as I translate it and post what they say plus what it is doing outside my window to help you plan your days on the mountain.

Today the sky took longer to clear than was predicted but we still managed to find good snow off piste to ski. The pistes are still in good condition in most places with a hard packed base with icy patches and a light covering of sugar granules in many places. They are predicting a little snow in the next few days. We will all just have to wait and see how much arrives.

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Another powder day today! Yes, powder even a week after the last snow. It just goes to show if you do not mind a little hike ( I did complain whilst I was doing it mind!) there is still great snow to be found. I have loads of pics that need posting of the last week or so, will try to get them up on my facebook group page in the next couple of days. Trouble is I am having to much fun each day and when I get home after a few drinks and dinner it is time for bed. Such a hard life.

For those interested in the general conditions. The pistes around Les Arcs are holding up well higher on the mountain and even lower down into resort stations, although hard packed and icy in places. They are ok to ski. Just watch out for the ice on the narrow tracks where there is no choice but to ski across it. The off piste in resort is firm and has a good chalky covering in higher areas. Lower down it has melted and re-frozen, but if you ski lower down later in the day then it is not to bad as it get's soft again by then. Next few days might bring a little fresh snow, we will just have to wait and see.

News flash from Les Arcs. If you want to get a 20% discounted 6 or 7 day pass for the week 5th / 6th Feb go to this link, but hurry or look on my facebook group page first for further details.

http://lesarcs.paradiski.com/FlashSales.aspx

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Hope this forecast is true!!! >>http://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts/Les-Arcs/6day/mid snowHead

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no snow as yet but very cold today

After all it is free

Another classic day of soft bumps off piste and black runs. Blimey cold, but sun shining and a few brisk flaskes as we came home, with clouds in the valley. Good lunch at the Arpette, which now also shares French ownership and menu with the Altiport and La Poudreuse (previously dire). Plat du jour, Vin chaud & coffee 13.5 euros. Can't wait for tomorrow

Mountain Haddock, keep up, I posted the change of ownership ages ago and the three resturants are all supposed to have a similar menu although the Altiport is more for snacks, but the service in the Poudreuse needs to improve a great deal. Hope to see some changes next time I go there this coming week.

A very different day today. Minus 21 at the top of Bellecote and I think I got some frost bite in my big toe. Ouch!! Found a few places to put down fresh tracks again today, but only short 50 -100m stretches. Very mixed snow conditions with chalky firm hard packed snow on steeper slopes and softer snow with a little powder on the more gentle slopes. Then changing to quite heavy crud and breakable crust before back to lighter snow. The final exit of our last route off the North Face was the traverse from hell forest path. Ice, rocks, a little cruddy snow, hard pack and a final skiacross course by the river to test your nerve (which I thought was fun, not sure anyone else agreed mind).

Low temps expected for the next few days and the snow never came so could be interesting. Anyone coming out make sure you have good edges, you will need them. Now even I am starting to wonder about the weather during the next week if we do not get any fresh snow and it stays this cold. Evil or Very Mad

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Well, we're flying out tomorrow, and everyone is fully instructed in the art of doing a snow-dance. Really looking forwards to the trip, and thanks to all for the updates.

snow reports

Just back from one of our best non powder days in 10 years. Vis and views fantastic, snow good high up all over, and in pretty good nick in 1600 and P-V. A friend who went across the Vanoise on Tuesday said in general the snow is better on Les Arcs side. Montchavin and 1800 get the icy piste awards. The groomers are doing a very good job, and the snow is generally in excelent condition. If it stays like this anyone coming out will have a grest time as long as you aren't expecting a powder epic.
snowcrazy, wink

We spent the day on the pistes around and above 1800 and in the 2000 bowl. The snow everywhere we went is considerably hard packed, fairly well scraped in a number of places and the odd bit of ice showing through every now and again just to catch you out. It pays to watch where you ski as there are quite a few stones starting to pick up in places.

Everywhere we went was quite skiable - but after several hours your knees know that it is boilerplate that you have been skiing on and in many areas all you are aware of is a bone shaking surface and that horrid 'scraping' sound of edges on boilerplate. It could definitely benefit from several nights of a foot plus of fresh coming down, but we can't see forecast in the near future.

What is here will hang around though as it is damn cold now and for the near future.

Mountain Haddock, 'Excellent' isn't how I'd describe it - Hard packed, often scraped with patchy ice or odd patches of a chalky substance masquerading as snow would be a far better description IMV.

An accurate report from the 'best snow reporters' on the mountain G.N.A.R. Twisted Evil

You know it makes sense.

we go on sunday to 1950 ,shame no fresh snow on horizon, but you just ski whats in front of you then have a beer or two,see you in georges Shock

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Mountain Haddock, I agree with Megamum, not what I would call 'Excellent' conditions either. But it is all still very skiable with care. Bet I could still take you to some powder if you are willing to hike. Toofy Grin

Today was very much as they predicted. Very cold and blue sky but not as much wind as they expected. The pistes around Les Arcs are now becoming very hard packed and icy lower down coming into resort stations with some bare patches starting to show through in areas which are skied a great deal.

Higher up the snow is very firm, but quite good to ski with a hard surface. The off piste and many of the nature ride areas higher in resort are transforming into the smooth chalky surface which when skied well is great to turn on, but if you loose your edge and start sliding, it is hard to recover and on steeper slopes you could fall quite a long way so great care is needed.

With the prediction of similar weather over the next week, Les Arcs area is likely to become extremely hard packed and icy on lower slopes with the best skiing higher in the Arc 2000 bowl or in the early afternoon after the sun has softened the lower slopes but before they have started to harden again later in the day.

Despite all this, there is plenty of snow still in the ski area and for those coming out, as long as you have well serviced skis you should enjoy the skiing. The Boarder cross, snowpark, luge, nature pistes which are open and speed test area are all fun to ski.

If anyone is around Arc 1950, pop into George's to say hi and drink some wine or beer. I will try and keepthe daily updates coming in the evening and the morning weather and snow reports for the day direct from the mountain over on my facebook group page each morning around 8.30am.

A snowHead

snowcrazy, cut the crap, it's a nightmare out there Sad

A snowHead

snowcrazy, Where is Georges bar in 1950?

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Layne, No, at 1800+ from what we have seen yesterday it's not a nightmare either. I'd have a marked preference for skiing on a surface that was a tad softer (and so would my knees), and it would test the nerve of a real beginner (there are much easier surfaces to learn on). However, if your body is capable the hard packed, scraped surface is skiable and obviously easier with well serviced skis. The Arcs 2000 bowl seems to have the best snow - there are places where it seems not soooo hard - I think the sun works on it a bit. Obviously I'd enjoy skiing it much more if the surface was not so hard in general, and the sheer scraped surface causes me a second thought on steeper pitches, but I am coping. So not ideal, yes, could be much better, certainly, but Excellent, No! and a Nightmare, No! (I've skied worse). However, I think the higher you are probably the better (that said we haven't dipped below about 1800 yet).

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BMF_Skier, Don't know how well you know 1950, but it is next door to La Bolee, the crepe place. Opposite the entrance to Manoir Savoie if that helps!

in fact if you look at :http://www.arc1950.com/en/hiver/le-village/Village-map/menu-id-122.html it is bang smack in the middle.

As Megamum says, you'll have to make a special effort to get there for an Apres and back to 1800. The bus is your best bet, and you can either have a post drinkie ski down to Pre St Esprit to catch said transport or wait at the bus-stop on the road outside 1950 - I think George has a timetable.
Kids get cordials "on the house", so you could make it a bit of an evening: combine it with an afternoon pancake (with, according to SmallW, the best hot chocolate on the mountain), pop next door for a couple of glasses of vino, a quick chat with Snowcrazy and the gang, order a takeaway pizza from Nonna Lisa to nibble at the bar, and still be home in time for bed.

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Sitting at Southampton airport waiting for my flight to the sun - lunch on the terrace at La Ferme tomorrow snowHead

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Megamum, snowcrazy, you're right of course, but compared to Morzine 2 weeks ago its a greaat deal better. Another fine day, good fun had by all on the boardercross couse. sadly home first thing tomorrow. Best snow onm the Aguille Rouge, but the upper runs in Peisey and 1600 also very enjoyable, and almost everything inbetween.

After all it is free

Cut from our Trip report on The Piste board:

We went across on the VE today today:

The runs from 1800 to the VE through the trees are holding up ok. It's clear that the areas mostly in the shade are tending to ice less than those which enjoy the sunshine for longer in the day. There is a certain amount of made snow on the final run of retour plan peisey, but its still getting fairly scraped on the rat run down to the VE. The La Plagne side of things seems better. On lower slopes their is a copious amount of man made snow which is serving the area well, though you certainly realise it when you suddenly hit an area of it. Higher slopes above Belle Plagne (that lovely plateau area around the top of Arpette) seem softer and more skiable than anything else so far encountered. The Belle Plagne run down to Arpette has large areas of man made snow in places - its a bit churned up at one point, but on the whole I think they've done a good job with it (the Les Arcs side of things could benefit from similar attention). The run back to the VE was getting scraped in places, but on the whole quite OK (if you dodged the heaps of man made that had been left to trap the unwary Laughing ).

On the whole I was impressed with what we skied on the La Plagne in direct comparison with the Les Arcs side of things.

Once back on the Les Arcs side of things Foret held up well as did the first section of Maitaz. However, from the intersection with Reches onwards Maitaz was deadly - it was just a controlled sliding crash from one end to the other (heaven knows how beginners were coping as I doubt you could have snowploughed it). Coming across above the Transarc approach to access the Villards area was even worse. For such a popular area I really think that the resort should be doing better in terms of putting some made made down - after all they have done a stirling job in the La Plagne area. If you couldn't do a controlled side slip across the area you were in real bother - it was noticeable that even instructors and pisteurs were also using a side slip it was that bad. Chantel on the other hand seemed slightly easier than yesterday.

Today was a good day, see above. Lots of sun but again very, very cold. There were certainly well maintained pistes and those that are icy and difficult in both Les Arcs and the La Plagne side of the valley. It was noticeable that on the Plagne side of the valley that there seemed to have copious amounts of man-made snow either in use or, stacked and ready for use. That sort of preparation is noticeably lacking on this side and in particular in Arc 1800. Even the top part of the Chantel beginners piste is an ice rink. Maitaz was also mentioned by Megamum above. The last section is crazy, it has to be more than 1 km of ice, and it is a main path back to 1800! Is this the normal state of affairs in Les Arcs?

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Layne, Sorry to disagree, when I think the conditions are really bad I will say so. Right now there is still loads of snow on the mountain and you can get everywhere if you have the ability to do so. Are you perhaps a beginner or a snowboarder. For beginners, yes it must be quite difficult on the lower slopes into resorts. If you go higher then the snow is hard packed but not difficult to ski. You can always return to the bottom on a lift if it is to icy for you to come down the final runs into the stations.

For snowboarders, well, I have not bothered to use my board since it became hard packed. Not much fun on piste and hard work off piste in my view. On the other hand the parks, boarder cross and some nature ride areas are good fun even with a hard firm surface according to my mates that are boarding everyday. But they do hate the moguls.

But for those that can ski ok, the higher areas are still fine and the off piste is starting to turn into a quite easily skiable surface.

Megamum, BMF_Skier, good reports of the area and pleased to hear you made it over the other side today.

allanm, do not believe all the negative stuff, people are never happy unless there is half a metre of powder, still plenty of stuff here to improve and test your skiing. We were on the Bellecote yesterday and except for the final path it was good, although quite mixed.

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allanm, If all you are prepared to ski on is powder off piste and perfectly groomed and snow covered pistes, then I'd also advise you to stay away. I'm happy here and I have skied on much, much worse! I can see no reason to cancel any booked trip.

Maybe the reports of less than ideal conditions may just keep the hoi polloi and riff-raff away wink

Conditions are NOT 'really bad' but there are sections that require more TLC. (Maitaz in particular, but you can easily avoid that).
Megamum, isn't an overly confident skier (she is actually far better than she believes) and she is handling the poor sections without any issue. Our reports are honest and based on what we are experiencing.
For anyone arriving soon, on the approach to this area the surrounding fields and towns that I'd usually expect to see with snow on the ground are bare but it how the resorts manage their snow that's the real issue. IMHO, La Plagne is holding up better than Les Arcs. (certainly more snow cannon use).

charlie 26

You know it makes sense.

I have no axe to grind, and no particular allegiance this area over and above any others. Conditions are far from ideal, but for holiday skiing pass muster. Could I suffer it being much better? Of course I damn well could, as could everyone else here, but I am coping (and learning lots in the process). I am still close enough to being a beginner to remember what it was like and I am hardly likely to post in a way that talks up conditions that don't exist in practice. People need to make their own decisions, but I feel my reports are honest and folks should make of them what they will.

If anyone doesn't like what I put I will see you behind Georges bar at 6pm to sort things out wink

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

BMF_Skier, Boris, Megamum, I agree with all your comments, do not take any notice of what allanm, is saying. If he has cancelled his trip, his mistake. We are all posting what it is really like whilst we are here, he is back home rolling eyes

sitting in his armchair looking at the webcams. As you have all said, skiers of all levels can manage and have fun. Enjoy the rest of your holiday.

Anyone Reading this thread about conditions should not read to much into the negative comments by some posters. If I thought the conditions were that bad I would say so. I am independent of everyone in Les Arcs so have know need to say anything that is not correct in my opinion. I have lived here many years and have known a great deal worse than right now even within the last few years. As many know, I can ski/board in almost any conditions and whilst it is not excellent as someone posted earlier, it is not that bad either. Yes, the snow is hard packed and there are icy patches or even larger icy stretches into the lower stations on the pistes developing, but this is the same in all the local resorts where I have been skiing in the last few days (see my trip report coming soon). Overall the pistes in Les Arcs are good and there is plenty of places to ski. You just need to control your speed.

The off piste is the place I love best and the changing conditions are fun (also challenging at times), well I think so. Chalky hard snow, sugar granule powder in places, breakable crust, hard pack and crud. This is what off piste skiing is all about. Most people can ski powder on a firm base, but that does not make you a good skier. You need to master all the conditions before you can consider yourself proficient. Maybe some posters on here need to think about there own ability before telling others not to come skiing right now or that the off piste is not any good to ski.

For those heading out, you will all have a good time right now. I am anyway. '6 ski areas in as many days'. Trip report coming soon. Very Happy

A snowHead

A snowHead

pam w, I think you are misunderstanding what is meant by ice. In most peoples eyes, hard packed snow that is very difficult to get an edge on is considered icy conditions, but it is not really 'blue ice' in the real sense. There is very little real ice 'blue ice' if any on the pistes and where there is it is very clearly marked.

When people give advice about cancelling going on a trip they really need to know what they are talking about not just speculating as many here always do. Those of us out here right now know what the conditions are really like. I am not sure where you got the idea of 'long stretches of ice'. Maybe in future, so that there is no misunderstanding we all need to choose our words more carefully. There is NO need for anyone to cancel anything, there are still plenty of places to ski and loads of snow.

pam w, May I ask, when was the last time you skied in Les Arcs, have you seen the conditions here? I would not give advice on Les Saisies this season as I have not skied there since last winter. It is a much lower area than Les Arcs with very different conditions in my opinion. Twisted Evil

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Good to hear above that La Plagne snowmaking is working and building up the stocks just in case the current drought becomes extended.
But as Snowcrazy Chris says (in a roundabout way) there is always good snow to be found, the knack is in finding it snowHead

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snowcrazy, IMV pam w was not giving advice about Les Arcs, not sure why you think she was, but then again you didn't know where she got the idea about long stretches of ice yet BMF_Skier cleary refers to more than 1km - even if it's not truly ice.

I can only speak for myself but I find this thread massively cliquey, and while I appreciate that those "out there" in any resort can add valuable advice I find your tone often hectoring and superior. You dislike it when folk post about Les Arcs separetely to this thread and make your displeasure quite obvious. I'm thinking it so I'm going to say it - who put you in charge?

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pam w, It wasn't blue ice (if it was I would have said so!) but the entire last section of Maitaz was icy. If you were not here you cannot know. It was a noticeable extreme but, if I have a choice, I will in future use another track to return to Arc 1800 and that's what was intended to be understood.

So... for the avoidance of any doubt......
We are here, we will be here until our holiday completes on Saturday. I can see no reason to leave early, nor could I see any reason to cancel if I was coming here next week. Is that clear enough?

Today's update will be posted later......

After all it is free

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Les Arcs 2010 / 2011 Snow Reports

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