La Tania Snow Reports 2001/2

Snow report archive for this season

Previous season snow reports are here

06 May
Typical - all the lifts are now shut and a foot of fresh covered the resort yesterday. Only a few people remain in town - most are off on their travels now escaping the winter!

30 Apr
All the Three Valleys lifts are now closed until summer when the lift system re-opens for mountain bikers and walkers. Nic & Karen were the last locals to board on the Courchevel side on the final day of the season - Biollay and Saulire still in great condition and Folyeres still skiable down to resort.

23 Apr
La Tania's lifts are now closed until summer when the lift system reopens for mountain bikers and walkers. Courchevel 1850 and Mottaret (and VT) are open for another week. I had my last day's ski of the season with Rob and Becks around 1850 / Saulire. Still good snow high up and classic spring conditions off piste. The Folyeres run down to La Tania has stayed open the entire season, is still in really good condition and there isn't a hint of any bare patches until you enter the Troika run right down at resort level - no doubt it will still be used this week with people coming back from 1850. Indeed the free Troika drag lift only closed 2 days before the end of the season - what a difference those snow cannons have made and well done to all the pisteurs for their hard work all season. All-in-all it's not been a bad season snow wise - certainly not a good one and those epic powder days were limited - but over 90% of the Three Valleys has been open ALL season and I can't remember getting up, going out and having a bad day... News of summer in La Tania coming soon with regular updates on what's happening over here and snow reports will return when the snow does!

17 Apr
Winter returned over the last few days and a fresh covering of snow from half-way up Folyeres reminded us of those powder days. Really cold weather too but surely the sun will shine tomorrow for the big, big charity day event. Still some good skiing to be had but more and more runs are beginning to close now (and the odd unimportant lift too). Tomorrows a big one (and today's the big Crystal bash) it's going to get messy....

12 Apr
We had some snow today! Only a few flakes though - nothing to get too excited about but the weather is changeable so who knows... There's still some decent skiing on empty pistes to be had high up and the run to resort is holding up well. Many lower runs and those that directly face the sun all day are now closed although it is possible to ski down to resort everywhere except Le Praz and Meribel Village - you may damage your board or skis mind!

5 Apr
Classic spring snow conditions continue - hard in the morning and softening in the afternoon in the glorious sunshine to slush lower down later. Run to resort is in excellent nick however, snow cannons were working every night last week so there's still loads of base. High up there's good skiing over on the 1650 side and high up above 1850, also good above Mottaret. Val Thorens has excellent cover and although busy the queues on those fast 6 seater lifts don't last long. Above Les Menuires is still good if you hit it at the right time and although the bottom of the runs down to St Martin are now looking worn and very heavy on the afternoon it's still worth the trip down for the hospitality at Brewskis. Closed runs include Meribel Village (go down on the chair!), the red & black down to Meribel from the top of the Col, the bottom track down from VT to Les Menuires and the red run down to La Tania.

19 Mar
Snow cover has deteriorated significantly over the past week with the usual direct sun facing slopes that are lower down becoming patchy and some piste closures have now occurred. Folyeres run to resort still has plenty of snow (slush at the bottom in late afternoon) on it though. That said we had some great skiing at the weekend, get out early and enjoy the Spring snow, and keep the faith there'll be some more fresh soon, April always delivers. Latest forecast is for more snow this week although it will rain at resort level.

12 Mar
Spring snow with rock hard pistes first thing. Great skiing during mid morning high up where the sun has shone becoming progressively heavier during the day and soft slushy runs into resort at the end of the afternoon. Ski in the morning, board in the afternoon - that's the solution!

06 Mar
Best conditions of the season - great piste skiing after the weekend dumps. We've had some fantastic off piste and sunshine too. The groomed pistes are like velvet first thing. Cutting up in heavy traffic areas in late afternoon but it doesn't get much better than this. Even Phil is using his new skis...

04 Mar
Yesterday (Sunday) was simply awesome. A foot of light fresh powder everywhere and massive drifts in the tree. Makes the wait for days like these all worthwhile. Avalanche danger remains at 4/5 - Take Care. All-in-all excellent.

27 Feb
More fresh snow high up but rain and wet snow in resort has put a damper on things. However the forecast is for the freezing level to drop and more snow to fall at all levels. Just about the whole Three Valleys ski area is now open with decent snow depths in most areas. When the weather clears there should be some great skiing and boarding everywhere.

24 Feb
More fresh snow and excellent skiing at all levels. Beautiful soft groomed pistes and significant depth off piste. Avalanche risk is very high at present with the fresh snow so TAKE CARE. Alain Baxter got a bronze medal for GB in the skiing slalom, Newcastle beat Sunderland and more snow is forecast - what a weekend! On the downside we have heard reports of an avalanche fatality in the 3 Valleys, please respect the mountain.

20 Feb
It's snowing! A big dump is forecast for tonight and tomorrow. High up there should be significant falls and some decent powder to have fun in at last. In resort the snow is just beginning to lie and looks rather wet but the freezing level should drop overnight and we should wake up to plenty of fresh powder tomorrow (although high winds and poor visibility should mean that skiing and boarding won't be that great until the weather clears). Pistes should improve no end and there's plenty of quiet spots in 1650 or above St Martin to escape the crowds.

14 Feb
Great piste skiing continues with light snowfall at night and sunny days at the moment. Some icy patches and thin cover in heavy traffic areas but overall pretty good. Off-piste is poor and the new snow deteriorated quickly with wind blown snow and crusty surface caused by the rise in temperatures. Mardi Gras celebrations make for a massive night tonight with Shibboleth and Dan's birthday too, there'll be some bad heads tomorrow. There's still some more snow forecast over the next few days and Nic's still got apartments to flog

10 Feb
Great piste skiing with the new snow but off-piste has turned heavy already due to a rise in temperatures - some sheltered spots high up still have powder but you'll have to trek for it. Sympathy for Poundy who had a half hour walk out of the Saulire bowl after he got stuck - there's nothing like walking through heavy deep snow to work up a thirst! The trees above La Tania have seen some great sport over the last few days, though most is tracked out now.

8 Feb
Fresh snowfall has transformed the skiing conditions. La Tania woke up to 4 inches of fresh on Wednesday morning (and large hangovers after monster gig in the Ski Lodge from alpine megaband Shibboleth the previous evening). Snow continued for most of the day with over 6 inches in resort and up to 2 feet of powder in the trees high up above La Tania - a great day out for those lucky enough to be here, especially after an almost snowless January. More snow is forcast over the next few days so get yersel oot here...

5 Feb
Mild temperatures have led to spring snow like conditions - in January? Hard pistes continue first thing which soften in the sun during the day - most pistes still open and plenty of good skiing to be had high up. Why not ski on the fast pistes in the morning and switch to a board in the softer conditions in the afternoon? All the major weather sites are predicting some snow over the next couple of days.

28 Jan
Some rain in resort this weekend but snow higher up. Pistes now in good shape with the recent snowfall but off-piste is mostly still very thin, crusty, wind blown and not recommended. High avalanche risk with the wind & rain so take extreme care and all the usual precautions before venturing anywhere off piste. Today the resort is in cloud but the sun is beginning to poke through so you can probably ski above it and in sunshine. The footpaths in resort are really slippery this morning (due to the rainfall freezing overnight) and there's a problem with the hot water too - Life is tough...

24 Jan
Snow at last! Around 3 inches of fresh snow fell overnight and this morning. This has freshened things up considerably in resort and higher up there should be quite a bit more. All the trees are looking white again and it's currently snowing on and off with big flakes and then small flakes - not sure what that means though! Let's hope this continues in to the weekend (20cm is supposed to be forecast but they've promised and not delivered before) the clouds look like they've some more white stuff left in them yet!

16 Jan
The promised snow has at last started but only about 10cm is forecast - lets keep everything crossed. We really do need some more snow now although the pistes high up are still in excellent condition where they don't directly face the sun. The runs above 1650 are still very good and Saulire & Suisse are also perfect first thing in the morning when freshly groomed, the cold temperature really preserving the snow. Forget off-piste for the moment unless you're prepared to trek for it - cover on most of the popular routes is very thin. Runs down to Meribel are now very rocky and very icy (watch that entrance to the Rond Point). The runs straight down from the top of Col de Loze are closed, so access is via the Boulevard run. Officially Meribel Village run is closed - the final section has rocks poking through (but worth skiing or getting the lift down to the sunniest balcony in the Three Valleys at Lodge Du Village - still sunny at 3:27pm). The Le Praz red run did open, was very icy and then was closed again. St Martin resort run is open and in surprisingly good condition - access is via the Tougnette on the Jerusalem run not the Olympic Express though.

Finally the La Tania Folyeres resort run has an excellent base thanks to the new snow cannons with no bare patches yet. There are now several icy patches in the middle narrow section and on the final approach to Troika however so do take care. Above the Gondola station the cover is very poor although the top section of Dou des Lanches is in excellent condition - the second section immediately above the chair is closed so the return is over to the Boulevard des Arolles side. So All in all much the same to report - good piste skiing high up, take care on the lower runs (or even return via lifts?) and don't learn to snowboard in these conditions unless you've knee pads and wrist protectors!

10 Jan
Sunny skies continue and some more snow would be very welcome... The pistes high up are still in excellent condition where they don't directly face the sun. The runs above 1650 are as good as it gets on piste. Saulire and Suisse are also perfect first thing in the morning when freshly groomed, the cold temperature really preserving the snow. Forget off-piste for the moment unless you're prepared to trek for it - cover on most of the popular routes is very thin. Runs down to Meribel are becoming rocky and very icy (watch that entrance to the Rond Point). The runs straight down from the top of Col de Loze are closed, so access is via the Boulevard run. Officially Meribel Village run is closed - the final section has rocks poking through (but worth skiing or getting the lift down to the sunniest balcony in the Three Valleys at Lodge Du Village - still sunny at 3:27pm). The Le Praz red run did open, was very icy and then was closed again. St Martin resort run is open and in surprisingly good condition - access is via the Tougnette on the Jerusalem run not the Olympic Express though.

Finally the La Tania Folyeres resort run has an excellent base thanks to the new snow cannons with no bare patches yet. There are several icy patches in the middle narrow section and on the final approach to Troika however so do take care. Above the Gondola station the cover is very poor although the top section of Dou des Lanches is in excellent condition - the second section immediately above the chair is closed so the return is over to the Boulevard des Arolles side. All in all - good piste skiing high up, take care on the lower runs (or even return via lifts?) and don't learn to snowboard in these conditions unless you've knee pads and wrist protectors!

06 Jan
Skied the pistes around 1650 today which were in excellent condition and being a Saturday extremely quiet. The new 6-man Signal lift gives fast access to huge, wide groomed pistes. Lovely sunshine all day and really enjoyable skiing - can't believe how good it is considering the small amount of snow with no new snow for a week and so many people skiing over the New Year period. Certain lower pistes and lifts remain closed but there's still lots of good skiing throughout the Three Valleys to be had.

04 Jan
More beautiful sunny blue skies and enjoyable piste skiing throughout the Three Valleys. Pistes in general are holding up well due to the very cold temperatures (although it's T-shirt weather in the sun) but there are icy patches and some bare spots. Certain pistes remain closed but there's still lots of good skiing to be had.

01 Jan
More sunny skies and a snow covered resort make for a beautiful New Years Day. Pistes are in fairly good shape but some icy patches and thin cover areas remain. The classic off piste runs around the resort through the trees have been tackled by the locals but some holes haven't been filled in yet. Dan and myself took Lanches yesterday - first down this closed piste with a foot of fresh on it - lovely! I get the first lift award this week too - Folyeres was magnificent on the first run down. There's a good base on the resort run and lots of people enjoying the skiing - queues at the main lifts are to be expected this week of course.

31 Dec
The on-off snow of the past few days has improved the pistes substantially. However rain all day Saturday above resort level and a nightmare transfer day with huge flight delays along with the usual traffic problems into Moutiers (the police are now checking the back roads too) meant a pretty despondent Saturday evening. However: at 9:30pm the rain turned to snow and it has continued to fall ever since (it's now 2AM). Although wet at first a couple of inches has now covered the resort and lets hope when we make the first lift at 9AM we're talking freshies big time. Full report will follow tomorrow.

28 Dec
The Three Valleys links are now open and the recent snow fall has improved pistes but many hard and icy patches remain. Forecast is for more snow however - so lets hope for that Christmas present..

8 Dec 2001
Of course the locals are skiing down to La Tania via Boulevard des Arolles gaining access to the closed pistes from the top of Chenus. The snow cannoned Folyeres has an excellent hard base which should be great once there's some fresh snow on top of it. We do need more snow above the gondola however to open the reds - grass still poking through at present and with the Christmas crowds due to arrive next week it's not looking great. However, snow is forecast, Toffa.

Fergus of Ski Deep got first tracks this season. He skinned up (skied uphill!)to Chenus and skied down to 1850, a photo of Saulire last week is now here. Also, Nic & Karen of Accommodation in the Alps and Billy from Snow Safaris have bagged Troika - photos here.

9 Nov 2001

This seasons first real snowfall!