01-May-2011
Category : Alpe d'Huez, Featured
Winter 2010/11 is finally over, and I don’t think I’m the only one who’s glad to see the back of it. Perhaps it was the lack of snow and the almost permanently sunny skies that made the ‘winter’ seem to last for ever.
Looking back at my reports over the season, it probably only snowed a total of ten times. And the sunshine – usually a welcome sight during the dark winter months – became monotonous, taunting us from the centre of clear blue skies devoid of snow-filled clouds.
07-Apr-2011
Category : Alpe d'Huez, Featured, Snowsports
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?
06-Apr-2011
Category : Featured, Les 2 Alpes, Snowsports
The resort is quiet, holiday sales are down and the tour operators are starting to close-up for the summer. Which is great if you’ve already booked as there’s still plenty of skiing in Les 2 Alpes so whatever you do… pack your ski stuff and don’t cancel your holiday!
There’s a lot of chat around town that the snow is finished and the season is over. It’s not true! The chat is coming from seasonnaires who aren’t too impressed with current conditions and that’s partly because it’s warm in resort so everyone is more interested in BBQs and sunbathing than riding. Only the seriously keen – and the tourists – were on the mountain yesterday.
23-Mar-2011
Let’s face facts; it hasn’t snowed much this winter. But despite the clear skies and sunshine it’s been pretty cold for the past few weeks, meaning what snow has fallen should still be in good condition. Yesterday I skied Alpe d’Huez’s Grand Domaine to find out for myself.
I started with the usual warm-up run from the top of the Signal down to Villard Reculas. The Petit Prince piste is a safe bet for good snow so always a gentle start to the day. I found the snow here to be fresh, fast and grippy… who’d know we were suffering a snow drought?
15-Mar-2011
On the pistes today, conditions were a far cry from the balmy winter we’ve experienced so far. In the resort of Alpe d’Huez it’s been warm all day, with temperatures reaching 15ºC but get to the edge of town and you start to feel the wind that’s been blasting across the mountains this week.
It’s been a long time since I last skied, with the half-term crowds and lack of snow not doing much for my lack of enthusiasm. But true to form, my sprained wrist and the doctor’s resulting ban on skiing had me itching to hit the pistes.
12-Feb-2011
Is Alpe d’Huez well-suited to beginners? It’s not something I’d given much thought to until The Best Friend arrived in resort and asked me to show her the slopes.
Her first day in resort clashed with my work timetable so we booked her into a private lesson with an English-speaking instructor at the French ski school, the ESF (Ecole du Ski Français). New to skiing and with just a little experience on real snow (no, the snow dome in Dubai doesn’t count!), she spent her 90 minute lesson with Dom Marquis on the green slopes below 2100m.
25-Jan-2011
There may not be much snow on the forecast, but there’s plenty on the pistes. The cold weather of the past week has preserved the snow well and it’s just the lower, south-facing runs that are suffering. Higher up the mountain the snow is hard packed with a compressed top-layer.
Who knows what the coming weeks will bring. Hopefully we’ll get some more snow before the February holidays start in a few weeks, or maybe we’ll get the season’s worth of snow in our busiest period… Who knows? But it’s not worth worrying about. Sit back, relax, enjoy the sunshine and if you’re in the process of booking for February make sure you book your lift passes and ski school online to avoid the queues.
27-Nov-2010
It’s dumping again. As I write from Alpe d’Huez it’s -7ºC and falling, with a heavy snowstorm predicted for tonight.
I wasn’t expecting to be in Alpe d’Huez this afternoon, especially as it’s the first day of the season in Les 2 Alpes. But when the weather’s closing in and you have two steep, bendy roads to navigate it’s always worth getting home as soon as you can.
16-Jun-2010
We had a great morning on and off the pistes of the glacier, riding pow and trying to stay dry…
16-Jun-2010
Les 2 Alpes had a snowy opening today, with fresh powder both on and off the pistes of the glacier. The snow fell fresh and light above 3300m, warming to sleet and rain on the lower pistes. The large amount of snow that’s fallen since the resort closed at the end of April meant that pistes were open right down to the Jandri mid-station at 2600m, however the snow on the final part of this descent was heavy and slow.
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