Fantastic sunshine & great conditions : 5th February 2012
Mont Gele re-opens

Sunshine continued through the weekend providing superb conditions throughout the ski area of Verbier. Incredibly cold temperatures and recent snow showers have kept the powder in perfect condition. The cold temperatures have been making everybody wrap up well for the bitingly cold conditions. The risk of avalanche is stable at 2 out of 5 and the powder, although heavily tracked by Sunday, was in great condition in many places but very variable in others.

The Mont Gele lift finally opened on Sunday but, sadly, on Saturday it was still receiving maintenance. We decided to hike to the top because for almost a week we had watched as the faces were very slowly tracked. Eventually we could take it no more and hastened to the top where we drank in the incredible scenery and the peaceful surroundings. Powder lay in all directions and there was plenty to share.

On Sunday I arrived up the mountain in time for the first lift up to Gele and then rode down Gentianes to Siviez. Here I encountered very hard pistes, which were almost ice like, but to the sides of the piste there was plenty of snow. The Plan de Fou chairlift was closed on Sunday with no explanation so instead we returned to Verbier and rode over the back of Mont Fort, after taking in the incredible scenery and a bowl of delicious soup on the top decking. We then rode down a big face and found a real mix of everything from slab and wind crust to ice cold North face ‘caked powder.’

Down in La Chaux there was a really good vibe over the weekend as the park shared space with the COOP Ski Cross Tour. On Saturday the pros all raced down a course that is a mix between a freestyle run and a slalom one. On Sunday it was the turn of the amateurs. There were a lot of people in the park over the weekend as the kickers and rails were in perfect condition and the weather was great. There were also lots of people playing on the air bag jump and trying back flips and spins.

On Saturday there was a Snow Day for Bikes which saw the luge run close to allow bikers to ride down the snow from Savoleyres to Tzoumaz. Sadly I did not dust off my downhill bike to take part as the powder was just too good to miss. The event went on all day with bikers taking part in a torchlit descent after a massive fondue at the top of the mountain.

The temperatures on Saturday were very cold with -20 at mid station. Many people seemed to be wearing more clothing and there were a lot more face masks and balaclavas on show. By Saturday night it was down to more than -20 in resort but by Sunday the temperatures had bottomed out. Whilst it was still -14 at mid level it was much warmer out of the wind.

The cold temperatures look set to continue well into the middle of next week with clear skies and light winds forecast too, although there may be the occasional couple hours of cloud or haze. This weather will provide excellent conditions on any powder that is not yet tracked and great pistes, although you will need your edges to be sharp in order to enjoy the incredible pistes of Verbier.

• Latest Conditions
  sunny, very cold and quiet
• Depth of snow on lower slopes
  34cm
• Altitude of last snowfall
  +0m
• Date of last snowfall
  04.02.2012
• Depth of last snowfall
  2cm
• Total number of pistes
  37
• Highest temperature
  -17
• Altitude of lower slopes
  1550m
• Depth of snow on upper slopes
  290cm
• Avalanche risk
  2
• Altitude of upper slopes
  3330m
• Number of pistes open
  36
• Altitude of highest temperature
  1550m

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