Weather
This morning the village is cloaked under a sea of low-hanging cloud, which is predicted to burn off quickly across the morning. Strong winds continue across our mountains, currently gusting up to 90 km/hr at Pisaillas, which should ease off later in the day. Currently for temperatures we have -2° in the village, -6° at the top of Solaise and -6° at Pisaillas. Temperatures remain mild in the local area, with a top of 1° predicted at 2000m.
Roads
There are currently no major difficulties on the RD902 between Val d'Isère and Bourg St Maurice. However, with 29,000 vehicles arriving in the area today, traffic can be expected between Albertville and Moutiers between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. with a peak at the end of the afternoon. With 12,000 vehicles planned for the descent, traffic should be fluid.
Ski Report
The incoming weather, and strong winds in the ski area will impact the status of certain lifts. There will be a progressive opening of the ski area, so please respect all closures.
As of 9:30 a.m. We have the following information :
The Pisaillas area will be impacted by the wind, and will not likely open for skiing today. In the Fornet sector, currently only the Fornet Cable car is open.
Over on Solaise, the majority of the terrain is expected to open throughout the day, with the Cugnai and Manchet lifts expected to open later on. The Piste L and the St. Jacques runs will remain closed.
In the Bellevarde sector, avalanche control is currently taking place in the Borsat area, and delays can be expected for the Loyes and Fontaine Froide lifts. The Santon, Epaule du Charvet and Border Crosses will be closed today. Skiing in Tignes can be accessed via Tommeuses this morning.
Cross Country skiers can head out to either the Manchet Valley or La Daille.
Pedestrians have most of the walking trails open apart from the Col de l'Iseran.
The avalanche risk is 3/5 today. Always ski with a partner, have the appropriate gear and know how to use it, and if in doubt hire a guide.
Local News
We start the morning with further information on the Météo France strike. The weather report published Thursday at midday on Thursday reported a strike movement, with a notice of limited information over the next couple of days. Yesterday morning, the bulletin returned to its normal form, that is not to say the strike is over. Over the last 15 years, Météo France has lost 1,200 positions at the national level, and as a result meteorologists are forced, due to lack of staff, to publish forecasts produced automatically without the time to correct them.
It is true that computer models have progressed a lot over recent years and are reliable in many scenarios, except locally, where the mountains complicate the forecasts. Automatic models still have a lot of difficulty predicting data such as a reliable rain/snow limit.
It is easy to imagine the problems that could be caused by such a lack of precision. Imagine the chaos on the road during heavy snowfall in winter, if snow clearing teams were not in place because the snowfall was predicted at a higher altitude. Météo France employees are ultimately asking for more resources, and in particular more staff, to be able to continue completing their forecasts correctly.
In more joyful news, the local children completed their last day of school yesterday. The preschoolers had the chance to receive a very special guest, Santa Claus. This tall gentleman dressed in red enjoyed the show that the children had prepared for him with songs and percussion. Gifts were then shared, including different books introducing them to the countries of the world. Magically, Santa Claus appeared at the same time at the daycare. Many photos of the happy moment shared together can be seen today on the Radio Val website.
Finally in World Cup racing news, yesterday's night slalom for the men at Madonna du Campiglio, saw local legend Clement Noel take out the second place. Christmas came early this year with an early gift for local ski enthusiasts, with the first French podium of the season. Only the Austrian Marco Schwartz was faster. Now a few days of rest for the champions of the white circus, next stop, in Bormio with downhill training on Tuesday.
The Elves magic workshop welcomes you for a Christmas decoration creation session. Meet up with Santa's elves in the main street square, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- The ice skating rink will be open from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
- The Tourism Office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- The Aqua Leisure complex is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- The Bookings centre is open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- The Post Office is open from 9 a.m. To 12 p.m.
- The Red Shuttle will be circulating between la Daille and the Fornet every 6 minutes from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and then every 20 minutes until 2 a.m.
- The Yellow shuttle, up to the Manchet Valley, leaves every 15 minutes between 8:30 a.m. and 11:20 p.m.
- The Blue shuttle going up to the Legattaz, is every 15 minutes between 8:30 a.m and 11:20 p.m.
- The free shuttle between Tignes and Val d'Isère runs 6 times a day :
Departures from La Daille at 7:55 a.m. 8:35 a.m. 10:50 a.m. 4:25 p.m. 5:25 p.m. and 6:20 p.m.
Departure from Tignes 1800 at 8:05 a.m. 8:45 a.m. 11 a.m. 4:35 p.m. 5:35 p.m. 6:30 p.m.
- Happy Hour at the Poya from 5:30 – 7 p.m. Reduced prices on all of their classic cocktails.
- Carole, Sébastien and their team, open the doors of Etincelle to you this evening, dont forget to book your table!
- Come and spend a pleasant evening at le Névé Restaurant at the Hôtel Mont Blanc, starting with a delicious cocktail by the fireplace!
- Tonight is Bananas Party time! Special evening for seasonaires with drink specials and a live DJ!
