Posted on April 8, 2008 - by Rob

Morzine Snow Report – Monday, April 7, 2008

Another astounding day on the mountain!  Having not checked the snow forecast it was nice to wake up to a blanket of white snow about 5cm deep covering Morzine village along with a clear blue sky.  These kind of conditions do not come often, so we quickly headed up the mountain via the Prodains cable car that takes you directly into the heart of Avoriaz.

The snow conditions on piste were fantastic but the off piste areas were even better.  The level of snow in Morzine only hinted at how much actually fell on the upper slopes and it was good to find between 20 and 30 cm of fresh, light and fluffy powder.

Looking accross to Avoriaz village.

Knowing that many people would be heading off piste thanks to the glorious sunshine, choices had to be made as to where to go first.  First run was the Crozats bowl that is accessible from the top of Les Intrets Express chairlift.  The closed sign was still there but we followed the trail beaten around the fence to get access. Unbelievable conditions for this time in April and very few tracks already made.  The powder was easily deep enough to keep you afloat above the previous chopped up base and the snow was very light and airy making it easy work.  We descended all the way down, dropping some 800m until we eventually rejoined Le Crot piste bringing us back to the Prodains cable car.  Even nearer the bottom, the snow was still great although it was a little heavier than higher up.

Plenty of untracked lines in the Crozats bowl.

Only having time for a few runs, we decided to keep using the Verare (3 man chair) and the high speed Combe de Machon (6 man chair) for a speedy return to the top of the Crozats bowl.  Each time tasking a different line down wherever we found the fewest tracks and the best powder … great stuff.

The waterfall / cascade exit from the Crozats bowl to the base of the Prodains cable car.