A Beautiful Powder Day in Meribel

We woke this morning to a layer of fresh snow to well below the resort. This was especially welcome as the last snowfalls fell mostly as rain and did no good to the lower runs at all. Thankfully, the icy lower slopes are now covered in a fresh layer of soft snow and conditions are transformed.

On powder days it’s worth the effort to be on the slopes early and having caught first lift, we were rewarded with a blissful couple of hours skiing fresh powder on a firm base. The sun was shining, the valley was looking gorgeous and there were many whoops of pleasure to be heard on the slopes – what a great way to end a week of otherwise very mixed conditions.

The French holidays start tomorrow so the resort will be busy for the next four weeks. During high season, some local knowledge comes in useful to avoid any queues. One tip is to circumvent the main Chaudanne lift area in the morning if you can, as this is where most ski school classes start from and queues can develop at peak periods.

If you are staying at the top of the resort, consider setting out on the Adret, Morel or Rhodos 2 lifts, or take a bus to the Altiport. If you are staying in Mussillon or Méribel centre, it can be worth starting from Méribel Village – simply jump on the free (and empty) bus to Méribel Village and take the Golf chair to the Altiport pistes.

Not only is this a great place to start your day, it’s a great one to end your day too, especially if you have tired legs. The pretty, tree-lined blue Lapin run to Méribel Village is much quieter than the main pistes into Méribel Centre. And if you have to kill a few minutes waiting for the bus back to Méribel centre, there’s a very nice boulangerie just opposite the bus stop where you can buy excellent tartes, quiches and sandwiches…

Do keep checking the webcams this weekend to see all the fresh snow, and if you’re driving out to Méribel this weekend, remember to bring snow chains and practise putting them on.