Good news for skiers as snowfall returns in French Alps

Since Monday this week (March 9), snow has fallen in Alpe d’Huez and higher-altitude resorts including Avoriaz, Val d’Isère, and Val Thorens.

More is expected over the weekend, from 1,200 metres and above on Saturday, March 14, and then from 1,000 metres and above on Sunday, March 15. 

The colder weather will come as welcome news for the ski stations that remain open, after several weeks of mild temperatures and sunnier days. For those that are still open, this could be the last major snowfall before spring sets in, and the last chance for skiers to hit the slopes.

At the end of the season, resorts tend to be less busy than over the peak winter period, with lower-priced accommodation and ski passes as a result (although often with the risk of less snow).

Several major resorts in the Alps are set to remain open until the April spring holidays are over. For example, Chamonix, Les Deux Alpes, Tignes, Val d'Isère, and Val Thorens will stay open until the first weekend of May.

Up to 42 cm of new snow

Snowfall predictions, as reported by mountain holiday website Mon Séjour en Montagne, include:

• Villard-de-Lans (Alps, Isère): 42 cm from an altitude of 1,050 metres and above

• La Colmiane (Alps, Alpes-Maritimes): 40 cm, 1,450 metres and above

France’s other mountain ranges are also expected to see snowfall, including the Pyrenees, Jura, Massif Central, and Vosges:

• La Pierre-Saint-Martin (Pyrenees, Pyrénées-Atlantiques): 37 cm from 1,640 metres and above

• Besse-Super-Besse (Massif Central, Puy-de-Dôme): 18 cm at 1,350 metres and above

• Les Rousses (Jura): 17 cm at 1,120 metres and above

• La Bresse-Hohneck (Vosges): 13 cm at 1,366 metres and above

It comes as many ski resorts in both the Pyrenees and Alps have been experiencing the best snow cover in years. However, changing conditions and climate change have also been blamed for the closure of some resorts in recent years, and a spike in avalanche deaths this year.