Today I skied in Alpe d’Huez. This week’s warm weather has had a drastic effect on the snow at all altitudes and I’ve been curious about the state of the pistes since lift company SATA reduced the price of daily passes last weekend.

As I was uploading yesterday’s report on the snow conditions in Les 2 Alpes, news reached me that the cold, hard pistes above 2100m had turned soft overnight. Not quite slushy, but wet and soft. Hmmm… was I about to discover the same thing in Alpe d’Huez?

In the two weeks since my last proper ski here, the snow on the lower pistes has all but disappeared. The Rif Nel and most of the runs into Bergers are closed, as is the Signal. The Hirondelles piste remains open and – at 11am – it was in pretty good condition, wet for sure, but smooth so not too hard to navigate. In fact it was much harder at the bottom of the piste as we had to negotiate the muddy puddles and river that now runs down from the ESF hut, past the DMC and into the road at the Rond Point des Pistes.

In search of the coldest, hardest snow we took the DMC I and II, followed by the Pic Blanc cable car to the glacier. And found… uh oh… slush, at 3330m! That’s right; today, at the top of the mountain, the snow on the pistes was soft and wet. They’re not quite sticky, but they’re definitely slushy.

Conditions only got wetter and heavier as we made our way down the few runs that are open on the glacier, battling the slush bumps and pumping our legs to get through the heavy stuff. Back on my SX10s, I missed the width and length of the Bandits I’d been riding in Les 2 Alpes on Tuesday. After just three runs it felt like we’d been on the mountain for hours… thigh-burn was kicking in and we gave in to our apparent lack of fitness, taking the Marmottes III down to the lower pistes in search of a sunny terrace and a cold drink.

The pistes below 2800m still have good snow coverage but are softening rapidly. Clocher de Macle and Lievre Blanc were running surprisingly fast but with the soft snow getting choppy our legs took another battering. Down to the lower section of Couloir and the gentler gradient meant easier skiing but just over the brow of the lip you’ll find muddy patches and another little river to negotiate… it pays to watch your speed here!

More interested than ever in a sunny terrace, we swooped right under the bridge towards Oz en Oisans then bore left down to the Plage des Neiges. After a long and tasty lunch (salads were the best bet in the hot weather) we set off into the slush to make our way back home.

My friend Madeleine tells wonderful and hair-raising stories of getting lost and/or stranded on the mountain, so I’ve made it a personal rule never to follow her. But today, on the beginner slopes leading back into resort, I thought I’d be safe. Oh how wrong I can be. Within minutes I’d followed her turn across a nice flat section of soft but untouched snow onto… the grass.

Yes, the lower slopes of Alpe d’Huez now consist of white carpets of snow that cross the grass. Unfortunately, they’re not signposted at all so – in her defence – it is easy to get a little disoriented and end up in the mud.

After a slow and gentle traverse back onto the piste we made our way down the aforementioned track of snow, across another river and back to the Bucket Lift. The pistes down to the tourist office and the Grande Sure chairlift are snow-free zones so the only way to get home is to walk or take the lift. Ah well, at least we had a giggle…

But seriously, if you’re here for the season or live in the area, it’s probably not worth coming to Alpe d’Huez to ski. But the crazy golf is open and it looks like the mountain bike tracks will also be open within the next week or so. If you’re a tourist and your holiday is booked… don’t worry, you can still ski. And in fact, this might be a great opportunity to join ski school or book some private lessons as the instructors will know where to find the best snow and if you’ve not got access to the whole domain, you can at least make the most of what there is and work on your technique for next season.

Click on the link for more information about riding this winter in Alpe d’Huez, although you may be more interested in what goes on here in the summer!