Fresh snow and quiet black runs : 16th February 2012

What a relief! The Siberian cold snap has finally ended and the temperature in the resort rose above freezing today for the first time in weeks. After recent morning temperatures of minus 25C, this felt positively tropical. I skied without my usual down under-jacket, scarf, silk gloves or mittens today and still found myself feeling too warm - a very pleasant change indeed.

This milder, cloudier weather has brought around 10cm of fresh snow to the 3 Valleys. It snowed gently all day yesterday, refreshing the slopes, so this morning we enjoyed soft and silent snow underfoot. It’s amazing how much difference even this small amount of snow makes to the piste conditions.

Today, we we applied all our local knowledge to try to avoid the holiday traffic, choosing to ski over lunchtime while the slopes were quietest.

There were queues for all the lifts at the Chaudanne so we jumped on the quietest gondola, the Rhodos, and then enjoyed a tranquil first run down into Méribel Village. Not only is this run ideal in poor visibility thanks to its forest setting, but it also makes a lovely, easy first descent of the day to get your ski legs working. From here it only took three, queue-free chairlifts to reach Courchevel via the Loze link – a much less busy route than the main Saulire lifts.

Where should you go when the visibility is poor and you want to find quiet runs? I’d suggest the three black runs below la Loze; Dou des Lanches, Jockeys and Jean Blanc.

Why choose blacks? The harder runs are less popular, so they usually stay in good condition for longer than the more frequented reds and blues. These three pistes are hidden away from the main 3 Valley routes so most people don’t discover them. The last two are tree-lined, which helps in poor visibility. We enjoyed three long, steep and mogully descents on very quiet slopes before we turned home, feeling we’d done some real skiing in a short space of time.

I prefer to avoid the busy main runs into Méribel at the end of the afternoon so I skied to Méribel Village instead and took the free bus back to the resort. I love this last run of the day down the Lapin piste for several reasons:

a) it’s a very pretty, swooping run through the trees

b) there are far fewer people on it than the main Méribel pistes, so I’m less concerned about being run into by some out-of-control teenage tearaway

c) the excellent Village des Pains bakery is located by the bus stop, where you can pick up some fabulous goodies for tea.

Next week, the Parisian holidays begin so we expect the slopes will be even busier. Our top tips for next week: book your restaurant for lunch well in advance; avoid the main pistes; and bring warm clothing. The temperature is forecast to drop again and more snow is on its way.

• Date of last snowfall
  28/01/2012
• Depth of last snowfall
  Plus de 30 cm
• Highest temperature
  -3
• Depth of snow on upper slopes
  208
• Number of pistes open
  83
• Latest Conditions
  WEATHER FORECASTSUNDAY 19th of February: Cloudy weather with light snowfalls. Snow rain limit around 700m. Moderate wind. Maximal Temperatures: At 1000 meters: +3
• Depth of snow on lower slopes
  150

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