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More snowfalls in Meribel

Constant snowfalls increase snow depth to 330cm

featured in Snow report Author Caroline Sayer, Meribel Reporter Updated

Will it ever stop snowing? Snow has fallen every day for the past week in Méribel and I’m beginning to feel like Bill Murray’s character in the film Groundhog Day who wakes every morning to exactly the same, ceaselessly repeating, snowy day…

In the past week, we have seen epic snow falls, gales of wind, rain on the lower pistes, fog, then more and more snow. As you will see from these photos, Méribel is practically drowning in the stuff. I know this is a near-heretical thought, but with a massive 330cm (over 10 foot) on the summits, it can stop snowing now!

Yet more snowfalls in Meribel, Meribel - Centre

This weekend, I enjoyed one of the best powder days ever with deep, light and even powder at all altitudes. With expert guiding from High Mountain Guide Lionel Dench, we skied from the top of the Olympic chairlift to Raffort and then again all the way down to Les Allues at 1100m, and the snow was perfect the entire way down. When a blizzard began to blow we then skied through the trees beneath Col de la Loze in the same light and gorgeous powder. As a committed fair-weather skier, it was good for me to be reminded that you can have a fantastic day even when the weather is foul.

Yet more snowfalls in Meribel, Meribel - Centre

Since then, another 30cm of snow has fallen on the summits, but sadly it is now falling as rain on the lower slopes and in the resort. The top lifts are closed today while avalanche blasting takes place and the off-piste avalanche rating is at its highest, at 5 on the scale of 5. Please be super careful off-piste skiing right now. Heavy snowfalls, high winds and rapidly changing temperatures all lead to very unstable snow.

As for the pistes – well, conditions change from day to day and even hour to hour. I’ll go and check them out tomorrow, as the forecast is for some sunshine and dry weather at last.

Yet more snowfalls in Meribel, Meribel - Centre

One of the nicest things to do on a bad weather day is to indulge in a blowout lunch. One of my favourite places to go when the snow is falling is Le Clos Bernard. This restaurant opened a couple of years ago in the middle of the forest at Méribel’s Altiport area. Despite or perhaps because of its hidden location, it has rapidly become a very popular lunch destination. You can ski to it along a marked path starting at the bottom of the Loze chairlift, walk to it from the Altiport along the groomed walking paths or even be taken to it by horse-drawn sleigh from the Blanchot bus stop. This makes it a good place for skiers to meet up with non-skiers, as long as all members are a little adventurous and not fazed by venturing off the beaten track. The setting is gorgeous; the food good and there is something rather special about finding this ‘secret’ restaurant nestling in the trees. Service isn’t always speedy, so it’s a place to while away a good few hours rather than a bolt down a quick lunch.

Yet more snowfalls in Meribel, Meribel - Centre

I’ve also taken advantage of this week’s weather to finally get some much-needed new ski boots. Méribel is fortunate in having lots of good shops which offer specialist boot fitting. On friends’ recommendations, I went to the most recently opened, The Boot Lab. This British-run outfit offer a free assessment and a comfort guarantee (you can go back and have as many changes made as you want). I was impressed by Tom, my fitter’s professionalism and thorough knowledge of both feet and all the various equipment on offer.

Some of my previous ski boots have been so painful they have caused me to sob on chairlifts, so I’m amazed and delighted that my new boots have been comfortable from day one. Boot technology has obviously come on massively in the past decade and a good fitter who takes the time to get everything right makes all the difference.

I here pass on some top tips from The Boot Lab:

  • Have your boots fitted early in your holiday so there’s time to iron out any niggles
  • Be careful putting your boots on boot warmers – if they are turned up too high, it can damage the footbeds
  • If you suffer from cold feet, you can solve the problem with heat pads fitted in custom insoles or heated socks.
  • Wear thin socks for your fitting. Once the liners pad down after a few days, you can change back to thicker ski socks.
  • You shouldn’t wear your new boots indoors to pad them down – this is better done on skis so the boots adapt to your skiing position.

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