Heavy snowfall on Wednesday and Thursday has allowed l’Alpe d’Huez to open its doors for the French half term holiday week. The few skiers on the pistes were pleasantly surprised by the conditions, fresh powder, cold temperatures and brilliant sunshine. The snowfall has closed a number of mountain passes, including the Petit St Bernard, the Iseran and Madelaine.
The skiing is on the Sarenne glacier which underwent significant work prior to the 2002 season. The Sarenne was badly affected in the summer heatwave losing over 3 meters according to Michel Gay, an expert with glaciers with the Cemagref in Grenoble.
The station will be open until the 2nd of November.