Weather
At last the glorious sunshine will return to us today after a rather overcast week. And a fantastic last day it will be for you if today is your last day on the slopes, but a shame if you are packing up and driving down the hill.We are expecting full sunshine from dawn until dusk today, an unbeatable 10 hours is expected with not a cloud in sight! Winds this morning will be light and Northeasterly, shifting round to East South easterly this afternoon.
Temperatures are absolutely baltic, sitting at -12 in town at 8 o clock, -4 on Bellevarde, and -7 on Pisaillas. We are expecting a maximum of 1 degree in town around lunchtime.
And finally, Val is going to treat us to a Bluebird ski day.
In Le Fornet, everything is open except the piste tunnel
On the Pissaillas glacier everything is open with no exceptions
Up in Solaise everything is open except, you guessed it, the 3000 drag lift which remains closed
Similarly on Bellevarde, everything is open including both Liasons with Tignes, chairs Tommeuse and Borsat.
All walking and ski touring trails are also open.
As is the beginners area, including the tobogganing area.
I am sure you are all itching to enjoy the fresh powder under the blue sky, and may be thinking about heading off piste. But dont let your excitement overcome your sense, The avalanche risk is 3/5 today, which is a very significant risk and to be taken seriously.
If you are heading off piste be sure to take the right equipment with you, including a transiever, shovel and probe, and if you can pack an experienced person take one of those too, or even better hire a guide if you are not sure what you are doing.
Roads
The road is clear of ice if you are on wheels, but following the snowfall we have had recently you may have noticed if you have slipped as many times as I have over the last few days, that the ice has returned to our pavements.
This weekend is expected to be the busiest travel time of the February holidays, with 73,000 vehicles expected to come up to Tarentaise and 66,000 heading down. Today, travel will be disrupted on the Savoie road network from 8 AM to 8 PM for arrivals, drivers going up the hill. For departures, it will only be difficult in the morning until 1 o Clock this afternoon. Tomorrow, traffic will be smooth all day, unless something unexpected happens.
News
Yesterday morning, shockingly, there was an accident on the hill between Tignes and Val d'Isère in the downhill direction at around 6 AM. A car with three passengers ended up on its side in the middle of the road. Firefighters helped with the rescue, and on the scene there were three gendarms alongside road assistance. To manage the traffic, a temporary traffic change was put in place for just over an hour. The driver was found to be drunk and consequently had his license taken away. Luckily, and amazingly, no one was injured.
This week is seeing the highest number of visitors during the February holidays, with an occupancy rate of 93.3%, meaning 114,000 overnight stays in town. Many French guests are here, especially from Zones B and C, but there are also a lot of foreign visitors. The British make up a whopping 35%, followed by Australians and Poles at 7% respectively, and Brazilians at 5%. There are also an abundance of young Scandinavian tourists, who have come here to learn about how to live together in a respectful way, as shared by Cécile Ferrando, Marketing and Communications Director at Val d'Isère Tourisme.
Cecile told us that during this week, searches were carried out, and the police has even had to ask them to clean certain areas where waste had been left on the snow front. In addition to the numerous exchanges with the relevant tour operators, Val d'Isère Tourism also collaborates with local professionals to guide the youngsters and remind them of the rules of good conduct. They may be young but I am sure we will all agree they must learn how to behave like adults.
This weekend is expected to be the busiest travel time of the February holidays, with 73,000 vehicles expected to come up to Tarentaise and 66,000 heading down. Today, travel will be disrupted on the Savoie road network from 8 AM to 8 PM for arrivals, drivers going up the hill. For departures, it will only be difficult in the morning until 1 o Clock this afternoon. Tomorrow, traffic will be smooth all day, unless something unexpected happens.
The atmosphere was on point last night during the Dynastar Trophy. About a hundred holidaymakers lined up for a face-to-face parallel slalom on the Savonnette slope (see photo). In the junior category, Sacha Muzeau took the win, followed by Antoine de Tonquedec and Ambroise Finel. For the women, Margot Durand Perdriel triumphed over Victoria Flipo and Elisa Lucas. Finally, in the men's category, Paul Belain secured the victory, with Jean-Baptiste Finel and Sacha Belain finishing in second and third. The next Dynastar Trophy will take place next Friday.
**Iserane Event** And one for your diary if you are a keen cyclist, its just been made official that The Iserane event will take place on June 22. This is a cycle race along the highest paved road pass in Europe. Cyclists will start from Val D’ISere and race over europes highest road pass sitting at 2770m, finishing their race in Bonneval sur arc. The race starts mid morning on sunday 22nd June, with a concert and a raffle.
The Col de L’Iseran road will be closed for the event, from Val to BonneVal Sur Arc in Maurienne.
**Agenda:**
The reservation center is open from 8:30 AM to 7 PM
The Tourist Office is open from 8:30 AM to 8 PM
The Aquasport Center is open from 10 AM to 9 PM
**Upcoming Events:** -
9:30 AM: EA7 Winter Tour 2025 on the snow front. Free to attend. -
6:00 PM: Badminton Tournament at the Aquasport Center.
**Transport Info:** - **Red Train (La Daille – Le Fornet):** First train at 7 AM, running every 5 minutes until 6 PM. Night buses from La Daille run from 7:50 PM to 2:10 AM, and from Fornet from 8:10 PM to 2:30 AM. A shuttle runs every 10 minutes until 8 PM, then every 20 minutes until 2:30 AM. - **Blue Train (Rond-point des Pistes – Legettaz):** From 8:30 AM to 11 PM, every 15 minutes. - **Yellow Train (Le Coin – Le Manchet):** First train at 8:28 AM, last arrival at 11:20 PM, every 20 minutes. - **Purple Train (Val d'Isère – Tignes):** First train at 7:55 AM, last train at 6:20 PM. Stops at La Reculaz and Villaret du Nial, but not at La Daille.
