Posted on April 4, 2008 - by Rob

Morzine Snow Report – Friday, April 4, 2008

The temperature dropped well below zero last night meaning the van had to be well defrosted before we could load up and set off for the lifts. Fortunately, those cold temperatures were the result of a cloudless night and we were blessed with clear blue skies. Not to be fooled, we layered up to counter the icy winds we expected up high.

Having decided to head into Avoriaz in the search of some off-piste, we started off by catching the Super Morzine bubble from the center of Morzine village and then jumped on the Zore chairlift. The snow on the flat run leading to the next lift was hard packed and fast, the opposite of what I expected for the way home after a day in direct sunlight.

Once in Avoriaz, the clear view helped us to see the best lines available from all the various peaks and the Crozats bowl was chosen for the first run of the day. Still plenty of untracked lines available, we were soon blasting down through the fresh powder dropped over the previous two days. Ranging from 20 – 30cm deep, we were able to float above the frozen crust underneath. We chose to take a line that brought us back onto the piste halfway down Le Crot run. The snow on the bottom half didn’t live up to the great conditions above, becoming heavier and wetter but it was still better to be off piste away from the crowds of the slopes.

With the aid of the slow but sure Verare (3 man chair) and the newly installed Combe de Machon (6 man chair), we were soon back up to the top of Avoriaz in search of more powder runs. A quick run through the Avoriaz Arare Snowpark , back on to the piste and through the tunnel brought us into the Fornay bowl. Both the park and piste were in fantastic well groomed condition. The intention had been to ride the Vallee de la Manche but heavy cloud had crept into the higher slopes, so we decided to head over to Chatel which was still completely clear. The run down down the Fornay was chopped up a fair bit but there was still some great powder to be had.

The pistes in Chatel were also in fantastic condition and the unhindered view helped us pick out some great off piste above Plaine Dranse under the Chaux des Rosees (6 man chair). Before descending, the choice was made for the next run from the top of the ancient Rochassons (2 man chair). We hiked left along the top of the ridge for ten minutes to find the drop in point we’d spied from the previous view point and were not disappointed. Both runs chock full of light fluffy powder.

The afternoon temperatures ranged between 0 and 10 degrees depending on our height and the time was spent enjoying a mix of piste and off piste action in and around the Happy Valley in Chatel around the Cornebois (4 man chair) and the Les Combes (6 man chair) chairlifts. The snow on piste remained in excellent condition and was surprisingly untouched. The lower off piste areas began to suffer a little under the heat of the afternoon sun but the upper areas were still light and dry.

Amazing snow conditions for early April, an amazing day!