Courchevel Snow Report: 5th February 2012

-19.5°c on my balcony this morning and I’m certain that’s the coldest I’ve ever seen here. However, one major difference compared to last Thursday, was that the sun was blazing in the blue sky. Having taken on board a Swedish friend’s comment that ‘there is no such thing as cold weather, only inappropriate clothing’, I went out wearing everything I had. Michelin man goes skiing but by staying in the sunshine all day I really didn’t get (too) cold.

I could see from the list of pistes which had been groomed that, unusually, all of Courchevel’s black runs had been pisted. So Jockeys & Jean Blanc down to Le Praz. Combe Pylones, ‘M’ & Suisses at the top plus Chanrossa above 1650.

I took the giant cable car to the top as the Vizelle telecabine was not open first thing. A long ski down the back of the mountain in the sunshine on Les Creux and then the Marmottes chair brought me back up to the top of Vizelle. Combe Pylones in the sunshine on a piste as flat as flat can be.

It’s still low season and also being the weekend, when a lot of people are either going to the airport, at the airport or coming back from the airport, meant that I had the place to myself. No queues on any lifts and totally uncrowded pistes. Next weekend sees the UK half-term and also the start of the French holidays with one third of the departements on holiday for the first week. If you’re coming out for half term next weekend I think it will be one of the quietest half term weeks for a number of years (although still busy). It doesn’t coincide with the third of the country which includes Paris which is always the busiest time (Paris holiday is 18th February to 4th March inclusive this year).

I chose Jean Blanc over Jockeys for the ski home, only because I ‘did’ Jockeys the other day and even mid afternoon it still had Courchevel corduroy on it. It’s probably the steepest of our black runs so don’t try it if you don’t have confidence in your own ability. If you go up from Le Praz on the Praz gondola have a look and see if it appeals to you; it’s the piste you go over and cross at right angles about 200metres before you get off the gondola at the top.

There are immense depths of snow everywhere so conditions are as good as it gets. The short term forecast is for a little snow on Thursday then a very snowy weekend next Saturday and Sunday. Knowing France Meteo, all that of course could and probably will change so do come back here on Tuesday and Thursday and I’ll try and keep you up to date.