Posted on February 9, 2009 - by Rob

Dry Powder Day

A unbelievable day on the mountain.

Having feared an overcast day dominated by flat light, it was welcome to see patches of blue sky and great visibility throughout the morning.  Powdery snow depths seemed to be well in excess of the official snowfall figures given in reports.  Pistes throughout the Portes du Soleil were in immaculte condition having been well groomed since the previous snowfalls.

Heading up from the base of Les Prodains

There were definitely fewer people on the mountain than we expected and the Fornet above Avoriaz still had masses of untracked powder.  Each run gave us knee deep light and fluffy powder keeping us well above the harder underlying crust.  Cutting through previous lines was fast and bouncy rather than a chore as it can be in heavier snow.

Unfortunately, the clouds bringing tomorrow’s stormy weather began to roll in during the early afternoon and flat light was returned.  So, not to be deterred, we headed over to the trees in Linderets just below Avoriaz.  Again, awesome snow conditions all throughout the trees and plenty of fresh lines to be had if you knew which entrances to take into the woods.

Last run of the day was the locally named Satellite run, a short hike of around 15 minutes but well worth the effort.  Very lightly tracked, stunning views and nobody around.

Les Linderets Trees