Val d'Isere snow report weather forecast from Henry's Avalanche Talk

Big Snow Forecast

Just called into the Météo France 7 day forecast for the Northern Alps. They are very confident that a big storm is moving in for this weekend (Saturday through Tuesday). It sounds like a classic big storm with winds predicted to come in from the west then north-west. The rain/snow limit is predicted to be from 1300m to 2300m which is a bit wet, but at least it will be snowing up high!

Over the last week the HAT Team has been on the road promoting and presenting our new production 'Ride Hard ! Ride Safe' in Val d'Isère, Tignes Méribel and Chamonix. Further big events include our HAT Kick-off staff meeting in Val d'Isère this weekend where the whole HAT Team will be present and a party in Dicks Tea Bar with a FREE viewing of 'Ride Hard ! Ride Safe' for seasonal staff (please call Dicks to reserve 04 79 06 14 87 leave your name with Becca). See you soon! Henry

Feels Like Snow Again

When I took this photo of the Olympic Face to Belvarde in Val d’Isere (photo taken in front of the Fornet Cable car) on Sunday, it was freezing cold down to -20 at 2500 m now it is around +3 and pretty cloudy. There was some great skiing as you can see from our Chamonix page of Jonno getting some great turns in La Tour on the 15th Nov. But those of you who have been to our in-depth talk will know that the cold temperatures were turning the new thin snowpack quickly into depth hoar type snow (snow that can be an unstable layer after the next snowfall on top of it). So that it is why the warmer tempartures that we all-of-a-sudden have now...

... are a good thing. Actually, some rain up to high altitudes would be the best thing to start to stabalise this new layer. Rain and snow is what is predicted and what it feels like right now as Andreas and I prepare for our first staff talk in Val d'Isère tonight for the Dick's Tea Bar staff. It is windy up high especially along the boarder of Italy (these conditions are more or less similar all the way up the French Alps along the boarder areas). But the winds, generally out of the south and southwest, will be dying down a bit with the arrival of rain and snow tomorrow/Wednesday. The rain-snow limit is forecast between 2000-1500m through Friday when it will start clearing for what is predicted to be a very nice weekend. We're keeping an eye on what could be a weak layer developing at altitude though (above 2500-2700 metres).

HAT talk and party on 1st Dec in Dicks

What a great start to the season.  These are some of the best early season snow falls we have seen since 1996.

And if you come to Val d'isere for the opening weekend there is a free Henrys Avalanche Talk and a party to kick off the new season in Dicks at 1800 on Saturday 1st Dec.   (do let us know if you want to come hat@skioffpiste.co.uk it will help us prredict numbers

See you there?  or maybe later in the season?