Sainte Foy

Sainte Foy should’ve been the answer to Sunday nights prayers. And it got tantalisingly close to perfection.

After nearly taking myself out in an attempt to squeeze a few more blind runs out of La Ros, all I wanted was a little visibility, and the gods provided in Sainte Foy. We pretty much had bluebird all day, and the off piste terrain looked perfect, at first glance at least…

We planned: Our day in Sainte Foy was all about getting up higher up the mountain.

Like a seemingly significant proportion of the clientele, we hoped that the recent snow might just be steady enough to explore lines down the pillowy fields and freeride areas up top.

We got: Heavy snow in tree lines lower down, and a slightly slow start to the morning, creeping up the lifts as each new station was opened (the pisteurs were busy blasting away with Catex explosives, gradually making new areas safe).

Sadly what powder there was higher up was covered in an inch of crust. Zig-zag lines pitted with person-sized bomb holes eventually scarred the landscape from riders who were happy to act as crash-test dummies, but unable to turn properly in the conditions – confirming that the pristine appearance was too good to be true.

“We pretty much had bluebird all day, and the off piste terrain looked perfect, at first glance…”

Luckily perfectly carvable hard-pack piste runs and a few lower sidecountry lanes were ripe for the taking, giving us plenty to do on the day. The initial (and apparently rare) queues for the bottom lift quickly dispersed once the mountain properly opened, but that overnight rain had done irreparable damage to the Sainte Foy dream.

The views of the lines available from up top, however, provided more than enough incentive to get back out there again…

Val D’Isere

On to Val D’Isere!

Which many will know has a well deserved reputation as a playground both on and off the mountain, frequently drawing crowds who seek a share in its heady delights.

Over the course of our stay, however, we found that those were just a small facet of what the area has to offer.

We planned: To sample as many of Val’s selection of hidden lines as possible. Steering away from the crowds thanks to the wealth of local knowledge that had been made available.

We got: Drunk.

For starters at least…

Our first day riding in Val itself came after our first night out in Val, which was suitably boozy, but we awoke to a beautifully clear, and refreshingly chilly morning. Although the weather didn’t allow for too much exploring, we had a great time charging around some softer patches of side-piste, sessioning a natural quarterpipe-like spot, and getting laps in through the park.

Queues were actually small and pretty insignificant on the mountain, with off-peak mid-week riding meaning we pretty much lapped as we wanted, albeit occasionally having to weave through traffic as people took in the views up top.

“Go-carting on snow: if I wasn’t bound by oath to hail snowboarding as the most fun thing on the planet, I might be tempted to put this at the top of my list.”

Apres-ski was as you might expect, crammed into the perspex housed outdoor space of Cocorico, tentatively standing on tables trying to find breathing space – but with all the atmosphere you might hope for given Val’s reputation, and a live band keeping spirits high.

Then, in the evening, go-carting on snow. If I wasn’t bound by oath to hail snowboarding as the most fun thing on the planet, I might be tempted to put this at the top of my list. Go do it.

Day Two: Finally, some proper off piste avenues were open to us!

A very decent dump welcomed us on the morning of our final day – with temperatures cold enough to stop the melt this time, meaning tree runs were most definitely on, as well as super deep side-piste spots higher up.

With a flight to catch in the afternoon, we lapped as much as possible right through till we broke for lunch, and even a few afterwards in a last blast dash around the good snow.

Yes the gondola rides up were occasionally reminiscent of the Central line at 8am on a humid summer morning, but once the crowds dispersed you could have been on a remote Alaskan catboarding mission and not noticed the difference.

In fact, a little further down from the bustle of La Folie Douce and the main resort, it was even possible to forget that you were in a big tourist area at all – and a short day was nowhere near enough time to explore a fraction of what Val has on offer outside the piste poles.

So, in summary, we had increasingly wet pow and no vis in La Rosiere, blue skies and treacherously deceptive crust on fluff in Sainte Foy; piste cruising, park laps and a tree run morning in Val D’Isere.

At the end of January, we weren’t exactly expecting spring melt conditions, but that was the hand that mother nature dealt. So which resort was best equipped for the unpredictable realities of weather in 2016?

Well, if you’re wise and lucky enough to be able to avoid peak times and school holidays, actual queues and crowds aren’t really an issue for any of them, but alternatives for bad weather days? That’s a different story.

After my initial doubts, I was surprised to find how much of a relief it was to have plenty of evening entertainment options when you’re not already knackered from endless powder lines, and for a fly by, no expense spared visit, this really gave Val D’Isere the edge. And even when it does dump Val is so expansive that you can find your own untracked corners without too much concern.

No doubt Sainte Foy and La Ros would have had those in spades too, possibly for days after fresh snow fall, and for that they really deserve a second chance. But if you’re off for a quick blast around without guaranteed pow and still want the full experience – there’s no harm in listening out for where the fires are always burning, the band’s about to play, and if you do your research you can still find that little slice of solitude.

Is busier always better? Not necessarily. But in this particular instance Val D’Isere won the fight hands down.