Current snow conditions can be summed up in one word: slushy. It has been unusually warm for the past few days and nights, and the snowpack has now transformed into spring snow at all altitudes.
The good news is there is still an unusual amount of snow on the mountain and very few closed pistes. In Méribel, just three of the lower pistes have closed and in Courchevel just five minor runs are shut.
Normally in April, the slopes tend to be hard first thing in the morning and gradually soften up. This week, however, the temperature has been so mild at night that the snow is soft from first lift. Personally, I love skiing on pistes that have turned into slushy fun fields. Swooping down a wide, empty, smooth piste with just a thin layer of slushy snow on top, is one of the joys of late season skiing.
To find the best conditions, you need to ski in the mornings, stay up high and stick to the groomed runs. The lowest runs are heavy and sticky in the afternoon, so now is a good time to take the lifts back down into the resort at the end of your day. Long, late lunches are recommended.
One of the reasons for the current warmth is a strong Foehn wind is blowing. Foehn winds are dry, downslope winds, that increase the local temperature dramatically. They are known as “snow-eaters” due to their ability to melt snow away. The current wind is gobbling the last remaining snow in my garden: each day the snow line regresses another metre or so.
In our part of the Alps, the Foehn winds come from the south east. A mild Foehn usually only affect the Val Thorens valley and Mont Vallon area of Méribel. A stronger Foehn can affect all the top lifts in the 3 Valleys, closing them at short notice. Today, winds of up to 120km/hr were forecast and the orange flags were out to warn skiers to stay in their own valleys so as not to get trapped. It’s a very good idea to ask the lift attendants about possible lift closures before you venture out of your own valley on windy days.
The Foehn can affect people too. Some people complain of headaches, lack of energy and concentration or irritability. Though of course, those symptoms could also be caused by all the end-of-season parties at the moment…..
The forecast is for some fresh snow at the end of the week and much lower temperatures. This bodes well for the last two weeks of the season.
![[itemref] lounge](https://cdm0lfbn.cloudimg.io/v7/_images_base_/image_uploader/photos/original/2103-1-eden-20_1_21030001_1000__wwatermark1363125858_1363125858.jpg?ua=1766709535&p=listing_summary_middle)
