Where is the flipping snow?!

[clam]

We're going again to a resort we've been to 4 years running. There's a reasonable base layer (180cm at the top, 40cm at village level) but no fresh snow for what seems like weeks, and temperatures reached 7 or 8 degrees last week, so am guessing what snow is there must be in a ropey old state.
Anyone heard any encouraging forecasts for between now and half term? J2Ski not saying much useful so far...

A HA
NOW it's beginning to look a little more like it!

It seems to be snowing heavily in Austria this week - so those of you going to skiing there next week (or this?) should have lots of fresh snow .

It looks positively foul on the web cam...hurrah!

www.lesorres.com/fr/webcams-hiver.html

Yes!!! But the weather station cam view (at the bottom of the page) looks pretty! That's where we'll be, up at Bois Mean.

Although it appears to have stopped actually snowing. I reckon that's just cloud on the main pistes.

Last day of skiing for us today in Courchevel 1850. We have had a good time,lots of sunshine, but.....no new snow apart from a couple of watery cenitmetres on Weds that did not lay. Luckily there is snow making here, so we have been able to ski, but by lunchtime very icy and bare patches, all the pistes down to 1550 and Le Praz shut, runs down to La Tania positively dangerous by mid-afternoon (ouch!).

greygirl as someone who hasn't really done much snow boarding (virtually non), what is better snow for boarding?

Just back from a week in Ellmau, where we saw a measly few flakes of snow on Friday and Saturday mornings, but nothing really worth mentioning. Thank goodness for snow cannons!

PT - agree about the snow cannons - will not now book a resort without.

We had snow flurries in Geneva this morning, so I would expect there to be quite a bit more up in the French Alps. More forecast over the weekend.

Just back from Vallorcine, it has snowed quite a few times in the Chamonix valley and I imagine elsewhere in the alps in the last few days, more predicted, not yet the best snow but better than nothing. Skiing at Vallorcine/Le Tour was not bad at all, only 2 runs closed but still people skiing on them, masses of off-piste there, very cheap to eat compared to central Chamonix, queues not enormous. It was my first time skiing there, I highly recommend it for beginners to advanced alike, especially if you are a large family as the family pass is the same price for 2 adults and 1 child as it is for 2 adults and 10 children!! We stay there for free but the Odalys apartments in Vallorcine called l'Ours Bleu are right next to the bubble lift and ski hire and ski school departure point and train station (trains and buses free between Vallorcine and Servoz) plus the garderie run in conunction with ESF ski school is also in the Odalys building. So if anyone is looking for a last minute place to stay not far from a Geneva flight with limited nightlife but everything else, Vallorcine is a great choice

snowboarders like fresh untracked snow best. When it is deep it is terrific (if you can ride ok) but if you are just learning, it is best about 3-4 cm on top of a piste (in my opinion). if it is too icy or hard packed your board slips a lot more on the ice, and it is harder to turn (skiers have 2 'edges' so it isn't so bad for them).

obviously the way to deal with said ice is to ride over it and try not to turn at that specific point, but beginners find it hard to deal with.

Where we were the snow was ok after it had been groomed in the morning, but after it has been used a bit the top snow sort of clumps up and you can see the icy patches with groomer tracks frozen in them.

Coffee are you going snowboarding? Drag lifts are also harder for boarders than chairs, it's worth considering avoiding those if you are a beginner (but they are do-able, just a bit harder to get the knack of)

NO I am sticking to skiing, although virtually all my friends snow board.

I love skiing on fresh snow!

When I was in Poland two years ago it was really icy and everyone was asking me why I was not skiing. When I responding that it is icy I was being told it is ideal skiing conditions.

I just hate skiing on ice, although it might be my skis, as when I hired skis in Finland they were much better on ice then my own skis

Just back from the area around Les Gets, Morzine, Avoriaz.

There is snow - we had 5 days skiing - but it wasn't the best. 80% of the runs were open where we were. OK in the morning, but a bit mushy by the afternoon, and getting bare in places. I have never seen so many visible bits of mountain (not on the pistes, obviously!)

OK, so we're back. It was fine! And I'm fussy about conditions. Snow cannons made all the difference and the snow was fabulous, best yet, up at the top of the mountains, although as someone else said, it was bare round the edges lower down. Friday pm was positively hot though - saw one nutter guy skiing bare-chested!- but I believe there is a bit forecast over the next few days.

I've only been skiiing in France the last few years and must have just been lucky with the conditions. Is this lack of fresh snow a problem often? We're wondering where to pick next year...

We've been skiing in the Les Gets area for the last 15 years and this is by far the worst we've seen.

Our friend who has lived there all his life said 1987 was poor. And the guy we rent the skis etc from said this is the worst in 40 years!

Fingers crossed for next year!