We headed up to les Deux Alpes today, mainly for on piste skiing (skiing off piste on autumn glaciers is always something you need to think twice about). Just some beta on snow conditions. High winds on the 19th-20th had damaged the Lauze link over to la Grave but the snow on the Dome runs didn’t look great. Too much wind. The DAL (resort company) want to get the lift into running condition this week.

A look over to the Grandes Rousses and the Pic Bayle

here is a zoom on the Glaciers of the Grandes Rousses.

the glacier de la Sarenne is hard to make out, oriented south-east it only really exists on the south-west side of the bowl. Certainly the days of opening at autumn half term seem to be long behind it. Lots of open ice on under the Pic Bayle, as was the case at les Deux Alpes off the glacier runs.

Looking down to the Serre Palas there isn’t much left of last weeks snow, however someone had parked their car at the lac du Sautet (2300) m and had toured up from there (and skied down), it looked pretty marginal. Certainly one for the rock skis.

Roche de la Muzelle from the ski resort.

Here is a general view of the glacier de Mont de Lans runs. About 5-10cm of recent snow on a hard, sometimes icy, base. Good skiing but make sure your edges are good.

Nice to see some more snow. The lifts here in Leysin closed finally today along with the Isenau lift at Les Diablerets. Over in Villars one of the lifts will run a few more days and the tram up to Bretaye will run on a much reduced schedule which is handy for early season snowshoeing with people. Glacier 3000 should open 5th November, I’ll not bother on the weekend but I may just go in the week if they manage that.

Should be a couple of cm this week but nothing significant I think.

Is the Swiss half term out of sync with that in France? Les Deux Alpes stays open all this week with probably a bit of snow on Tuesday but nothing like we got last October (which is no bad thing I think, as it will all melt).

Depends on the canton for when and how long. And that depends, in part, on when the grapes are ready. But it was a very early harvest this year and pretty much over before any of the holidays started. I think Geneva & the Vaud are off this week.