Courchevel Snow Report: 5th February 2013

Following an unseasonably warm week last week, when we endured a couple of days of rain, cheers could be heard around resort when the temperatures dropped once more and the snow returned.

It dropped 5 degrees overnight on Friday and is due to drop further throughout the week. It's snowed now fairly consistently over the last couple of days with around 30cms falling in resort and more further up.

This fresh snow is great news for anyone out this week so long as they don't mind donning goggles and braving the flakes. The pistes have been freshened up, covering the ice which built up at the tail end of last week following the rain. With another 30cms forecast and snow due daily throughout the week and temperatures between -10 and -15 degrees at 2,000m the pistes will be in optimum conditions.

Off-piste it's currently a bit hard, with a bit of crust on top following strong wind over the weekend. If it dumps as much as is forecast Tuesday night (around 15cms are expected) then Wednesday should be an epic day. If you're venturing off-piste though be sure to be equipped with transceivers and avalanche safety gear as the wind slab means it's a little unsettled out there.

Today we skied in and around Courchevel Moriond before heading over to La Tania. The sun threatened to break through the clouds for most of the day but never quite made it. There was a sprinkling of fresh snow last night and the pistes were in amazing condition, when you could see them. There was not only large banks of cloud but also mist moving up from the valley bottom which could drop the visibility down to a few yards. Chapelets was piste du jour and was one of the best runs of the day with better visibility amongst the trees.

We headed over to La Tania for lunch just as the wind began to pick up and skied Folyeres down to the village, which in great condition with no sign of ice. If you're after a cheap, fast lunch then the Chrome bar on the piste in La Tania serves burgers, chips and a drink for 10.50 Euros. They certainly won't win awards for appearance as everything is served in takeaway boxes but the burger is big and juicy. The menu is very limited but this was all about getting in and out so we could get back on the snow.

The wind really picked up in the afternoon, with gusts forcing the closure of some of the connecting lifts. The trees up around Dou des Lanches are plastered in snow showing signs of just how windy it was during the last snowfall.

Over the coming days the wind is set to stay, with a large storm rolling into resort. When the visibility isn't great stay low and head to the trees for the best conditions.

Enjoy and stay safe.