After a snowless start to the week, flakes fell on Thursday across all French massifs. Forecasts predict abundant snowfall until Sunday, heralding a prosperous winter for mountain resorts. From Val d'Isère to the Pyrenees, professionals are delighted by this timely return.
The meteorological uncertainty in the mountains ended on Thursday, as snow blanketed much of France following the passage of storm Goretti. According to La Chaîne Météo, abundant snow will continue until Sunday, with 15 cm already fallen in the Northern Alps at Les Saisies overnight. In the highest massifs of Mont Blanc, high Maurienne, and Beaufortain, up to one meter is expected this weekend, per Cyrille Duchesne, head of the Forecasting service.
In Val d'Isère, 60 cm of fresh snow transformed the landscape overnight. “It’s magnificent,” describes Cécile Ferrando from her snow-covered office, as teams prepare the ski lifts and implement the Avalanche Triggering Intervention Plan (PIDA). The risk is rated 4 out of 5 by Météo France, due to temperature swings destabilizing the snowpack.
At neighboring La Plagne, the risk is similar. “There we go, now we have the snow!” jokes Thomas Saison, director of the La Grande Plagne tourist office, anticipating increased crowds with Sunday's clear skies. This bodes well for the Combe Bénite event at the alpine world championships on January 25.
The Vosges and Jura will experience a remarkable episode, with 20 to 30 cm expected at 1000 m in the Vosges and up to 50 cm at 1400 m in the Jura. “Even if we're short 20 to 30 cm on pistes without cultured snow, our clients are happy,” confirms Claude Grosgurin, president of the Gex country tourist office.
In the Massif Central, Pyrenees, and southern Alps, 20 to 40 cm are forecast. At Font-Romeu, an additional 40 cm will bring the cumulative total over two meters, according to director Jacques Alvarez, coinciding with the week of kings. However, at Semnoz near Annecy, snow is absent despite the 1600 m altitude. “It's really bad luck,” laments Frédérique Lardet, president of the Grand Annecy agglomeration community, highlighting recent weather unpredictability.