Snow report Belledonne, 01/30/2019

Snow condition

Snow has fallen to below 1000 m and it finally looks like winter. Nevertheless, one should not forget that 2 weeks ago the western side of the Belledonne still looked like a pebble pit. The last snowfalls have improved the situation considerably, but bushes and the treacherous rocks are still not snowed in hard enough. My skis really felt the edge. This was probably their last day of the season...

Snow quality

In addition to the rare but then massive and extremely annoying stone contact, you have to bear in mind that the snow swirled fluffily through the air, untouched by the wind in places. In other places, however, the ground was also noticeable in the form of a crusty crust from the previous snowfall.

The wind, the wind... it was definitely at work. On the surface you could see a lot and there were few areas that were completely untouched. In the northern sector it was very easy to trigger as there was poor cohesion with the ground. In other exposures there were small loose snow slides. The activity has increased due to the warming. The upper lifts of 7 Laux were closed because they couldn't keep up with the blasting. It was definitely more of a 3 in the high alpine.

Overall impression

It was worth it. However, it's frightening how quickly everything is tracked here, even during the week. Even steep slopes with overly obvious danger signs are skied without batting an eyelid. With the massive snowfall for the next few days, it will probably be really good in the forest at the weekend. I would recommend les Arcs, Val d'Isere, Areche Beaufort or la Norma due to good treeruns with the hope that the rain stays down..