We finally got a break in the weather on our departure day from Portes du Soleil. We drove 55 minutes to Ardent, which has the most efficient access to Avoriaz' alpine terrain and also gave us a half hour head start on our relocation drive to Flaine.
We ascended Les Cases with a nicer view this time.
That big bowl behind Brochaux was almost untouched but requires a hike from Pointe de Vorlaz and discretion to minimize the obvious avy exposure.
First run from top of Les Cases to poma lift:
Back up top the illuminated slope is the infamous Swiss Wall, usually a 1,000+ vertical 37 degree slope of SE facing moguls.
We stayed on the Avoriaz side for the powder.
Next we ascended Mossettes. Liz skied off skier’s right of Frontaliere similar to Tuesday. Meanhile I spotted from the lift a skier on the other side and followed his track. This is why we make these trips to the Alps!
Turning the corner is more fresh pow.
We skied down to Brochaux, then through Avoriaz. View of Les Intrets/Grandes Combes sectors of Avoriaz which we had never set foot upon during six prior days in Portes du Soleil.
The Les Intrets chair ride was windy. We skied to Grandes Combes and discovered where the wind had blown that snow.
That Combe de Machon bowl had about 1500 vertical of Mammoth/Castle Mt. quality windsift. I insisted on taking Liz in there for an encore.
Liz about to rejoin the Jean Vuarnet piste:
Above and slightly right of Liz was an instructor with a class of kids. We saw lots of these this week with British and some French school holidays. FYI there’s another big bowl Crozets on skier’s left of the Jean Vuarnet piste, but it goes all the way down to the Prodains base. I was concerned that the bottom would be tedious, and we still had another alpine sector to explore.
On the way out of Grandes Combes we passed by the obligatory French sign
We skied down Les Intrets to a cutoff catwalk that leads to a tunnel and the Choucas and Fornets lifts. The first Fornet run skier’s left near the Marmottes skiroute was mix of powder and skier pack and it was clouding over. Liz decoded to call it a day, so I sent her over the Cubore lift so she could ski directly to Les Lindarets and find a worthy dinner spot to celebrate a great ski day.
Meanwhile here was my view down Choucas.
I could still find some powder on the upper part, then ski the packed powder pistes back to the lift. The Fornet off piste was better skier’s right though I did not navigate the best line there. But when I rode Cubore, there was wide open powder available from a modest traverse skier’s left.
There are a couple of skiers visible as specks on that traverse.
I cruised down to La Terrasse, which had a DJ and lively après ski scene.
It was a Corsican restaurant and the outstanding daily special was a wild boar pasta. We had a blueberry crumble for dessert. Blueberries in the French Alps are very small and delicate, similar to wild Maine blueberries, highly recommended.
I skied 25,500 vertical, about 4K of powder, in contention for my best lift served day of the season. It took until this, our 7th day in Portes du Soleil, to ski its overall best terrain.
We ascended Les Cases with a nicer view this time.
That big bowl behind Brochaux was almost untouched but requires a hike from Pointe de Vorlaz and discretion to minimize the obvious avy exposure.
First run from top of Les Cases to poma lift:
Back up top the illuminated slope is the infamous Swiss Wall, usually a 1,000+ vertical 37 degree slope of SE facing moguls.
We stayed on the Avoriaz side for the powder.
Next we ascended Mossettes. Liz skied off skier’s right of Frontaliere similar to Tuesday. Meanhile I spotted from the lift a skier on the other side and followed his track. This is why we make these trips to the Alps!
Turning the corner is more fresh pow.
We skied down to Brochaux, then through Avoriaz. View of Les Intrets/Grandes Combes sectors of Avoriaz which we had never set foot upon during six prior days in Portes du Soleil.
The Les Intrets chair ride was windy. We skied to Grandes Combes and discovered where the wind had blown that snow.
That Combe de Machon bowl had about 1500 vertical of Mammoth/Castle Mt. quality windsift. I insisted on taking Liz in there for an encore.
Liz about to rejoin the Jean Vuarnet piste:
Above and slightly right of Liz was an instructor with a class of kids. We saw lots of these this week with British and some French school holidays. FYI there’s another big bowl Crozets on skier’s left of the Jean Vuarnet piste, but it goes all the way down to the Prodains base. I was concerned that the bottom would be tedious, and we still had another alpine sector to explore.
On the way out of Grandes Combes we passed by the obligatory French sign
We skied down Les Intrets to a cutoff catwalk that leads to a tunnel and the Choucas and Fornets lifts. The first Fornet run skier’s left near the Marmottes skiroute was mix of powder and skier pack and it was clouding over. Liz decoded to call it a day, so I sent her over the Cubore lift so she could ski directly to Les Lindarets and find a worthy dinner spot to celebrate a great ski day.
Meanwhile here was my view down Choucas.
I could still find some powder on the upper part, then ski the packed powder pistes back to the lift. The Fornet off piste was better skier’s right though I did not navigate the best line there. But when I rode Cubore, there was wide open powder available from a modest traverse skier’s left.
There are a couple of skiers visible as specks on that traverse.
I cruised down to La Terrasse, which had a DJ and lively après ski scene.
It was a Corsican restaurant and the outstanding daily special was a wild boar pasta. We had a blueberry crumble for dessert. Blueberries in the French Alps are very small and delicate, similar to wild Maine blueberries, highly recommended.
I skied 25,500 vertical, about 4K of powder, in contention for my best lift served day of the season. It took until this, our 7th day in Portes du Soleil, to ski its overall best terrain.