The Merinet.Com Meribel Snow Report

1 May Meribel and a snowy Saulire

Another season has ended and Méribel has slipped into its interseason slumber. In May the resort is almost deserted; the seasonnaires have all gone home and the locals leave for a well-earned holiday. The snow gradually melts, the first flush of green slowly moves up the valley and the first crocus and alpine snowbells start to push through the earth. After six long months of winter we are always absurdly glad to see these first flowers which show the land is coming back to life again.

After this brilliantly snowy season there is still a vast amount of snow on the slopes and it is frustrating not to be able to reach it now all the lifts have closed. There is, however, one way to continue enjoying the snow in May and that is to go ski touring (ski de randonnée). During April and May many of the mountain refuges open for ski tourers and this is a wonderful time of year to explore from hut to hut. I’ve just returned from an exciting three days touring above Val d’Isere. There is something very elemental and pure in this sort skiing. You escape all the manufactured aspects of a big ski area – lifts, noise, crowds, groomed runs - and enter a quieter and more untouched area of nature. High up in the Vanoise National Park we were privileged to see rare Alpine Ptarmigan still in their white winter plumage, a group of chamois peering down at us from craggy heights and young marmots playing in the snow. We left the only tracks on virgin snow in deserted valleys, coped with all snow conditions from slush to powder, and whizzed joyfully down perfect spring snow miles from the nearest people. Walking uphill for several hours certainly makes you appreciate the descents, and we returned sunburned, unwashed, tired but curiously elated by our brief ‘back to nature’ ski trip. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to ski on the wild side.

If you would like to know what is happening in your favourite resort during the rest of the year then please do keep reading. We keep this Meribel snow report updated every week or so during the summer as well as every other day during the winter season. We also offer you free Video Snow Reports, so you can see and hear exactly what conditions are like. If you want even more up-to-date news on the ski conditions, why not sign up for our Dump Alert? We'll email you each time it snows enough to significantly change the skiing conditions. It's great to know that the snow is falling in the run-up to your holiday, and it might even allow you to book a last-minute weekend when the snow is particularly good. The service is free, and you can unsubscribe whenever you like.