Early Season Snow Conditions in Meribel

Happy New Year to you all!!!!



Festive table at Chalet La Chouette

We have been busy bees at Delicious Mountain these past weeks with our very first guests arriving on the Friday 6th December ahead of opening day in Meribel, so they could get first lifts on the first day! We are now entering the New Year and after the Christmas festivities we are looking forward to sharing a great 2014 with you.

Groomers on the first day - 7th December

The snow conditions have been in the news recently so we thought we'd spend a few minutes on that as the theme of this blog post.

15th December - looking good up there at the top of Tougnete!

At the time of writing the cumulative snow  at top station in Meribel is 90/110cm and with over 2000 snow canons the pistes are in pretty good shape-not as good as they could be or will be ,but 95% of the runs are open (600km of runs in total in the Three Valleys ski area) there is still too much to take in on a weeks holiday.

27th December - view from the balcony looking down the valley

The very sad news that Michel Schumacher is in a Critical condition after sustaining a head injury whilst skiing in Meribel has hi-lighted the typical early season snow conditions we have at the moment. And although his injury could have happened at any time during the season, regardless of snow fall, a lot is being made of the snow coverage in the U.K. Press. We are in fact plumb average for snow depth at this time of year, with more on the way.

I'm writing this a few days after Mr Schumacher had his terrible accident and I feel slightly bad because quite possibly at the time of his fall I was enjoying some of the best powder turns I've ever had. The lesson, if there is one, is that you must always take care off-piste as a fall, is a fall in unprepared snow with all of the hazards that make it appealing waiting to bite you when you make a mistake.  Our thoughts are with Michael and his family and hoping he makes a full and speedy recovery.

So with a mind to move forward and leave the sobering reminders of our chosen sport behind and cast an eye to what we expect in the next week or so as far as snow fall is concerned. The beautiful white stuff will be gently floating down after New Year's Day with a forecasted 15cm to help turn our dreams and hopes into glorious moments of poise and turns of technical perfection.



All the best to you all for 2014, Peace and Love, Health and Happiness, Lou and Stu

The Chalet Chamois Shuffle: Lucky Goats Evade Alpine Avalanche

Avoiding an avalanche is pretty much the top priority of any off-piste skier, and learning to judge the risks can take a lot of careful training.  When your first mistake could be your last, you can be sure that trial and error might not be the best means of learning.

But when you live on the mountainside, avoiding an avalanche might not always be possible.  Here, a tribe of goats act out an anthropomorphic drama of which any screenwriter would be proud.

The snow forecast this winter for Meribel

Hello there to all you snow hounds, ski lovers, board riders and winter bunnies ! 

Our latest installment on the blog is all about SNOW....

Does snow feature in the most commonly asked questions by visitors to Meribel? Yes, of course it does! In no particular order, these are the questions on everyone's lips....

1. Will there be snow?  - Yes!

2. What is the snow like? -  Cold, good

3. How cold is it at the top? -  Colder than it is here!  The temperature       drops approximately 6.5C for every 1000 metres of elevation.

4. How many layers should I wear? - Errrrr?!

  

Snow -  it is one of the most important things about your holiday (apart from staying in our fabulous catered chalet and enjoying delicious food, wine and great service). You've come to ski or board in Meribel and the Three Valleys with blue skies and fluffy powder and/or beautifully groomed pistes.  In an ideal world we'd have snowy nights followed by sunny days throughout winter and we'd all be very happy.  However, this crucial element to your ski holiday is completely out of our hands.

Click to see full image

The recent snowfall last week (see picture below for what the resort is currently looking like) and predictions for more over this weekend has certainly spurred many people into booking a ski holiday. We've had many enquiries as a result thanks to the amount of neige falling from the sky.

So what are the long term predictions for snow this coming winter in Meribel?

The actual answer is anyone's guess in my opinion.  Various experts predict contradicting long range forecasts for this winter. From cold and dry to warm and wet - I've read it all.  I'd say the local elders studying the fauna and wildlife for 'signs' probably have more of an accurate idea and they are saying snowy which is great news.  We know one way to guarantee a great dump is if our good friend Andy comes to stay with us.  He definitely has some deal with the snow gods and a two week visit from him is always very exciting for that reason!  By the way, his dates this year are mid March ;-)

You'd do well to bear in mind that 85% of the ski area in the Three Valleys is above 1800 meters, making it very snow sure. In addition, there are just over 2000 snow canons, ensuring that even in the event of scant snow cover, you will still be able to enjoy the pistes.

During the build up to winter, and during the winter season, we are obsessively checking the forecasts to see what conditions are going to be like.  There are two forecast sites we use and I share them with you below. Whereas I tend to prefer the forecast with the most snow, Stu spends a but more time looking at the pressures, fronts and storm cycles, especially over the North Atlantic. He is looking for accuracy and validity.  Be warned - you might get a very complicated answer if you ask him what the forecast is.

http://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts/Meribel/6day/mid

and

http://www.metcheck.com/FR/today.asp?zipcode=45.38,6.51&locationID=&lat=45.38&lon=6.51&findtype=MAP

Something else you could do is look up the historical data for Meribel. 

The Ski Club holds some interesting data about the depth of snow on the pistes

http://www.skiclub.co.uk/skiclub/snowreports/historical/snowreport.aspx/Meribel#.Un0cUBU1jjo

As does myweather2

http://www.myweather2.com/Ski-Resorts/France/Meribel/historical-snow-data.aspx

Historical data can really only be a guide, the ever changing weather patterns are pretty unpredictable.  A cold and snowy New Year week one year can easily followed the following year by milder and sunny the next.

Whenever you decide to come and for whatever reason,  you can be sure of a very warm welcome from us, Delicious Mountain, in our luxury catered chalet. 

Just leaves me to say, à la neige et à la saison!  Lou