Val Thorens is to open for the ski season this weekend, and is reporting excellent snow conditions.
The 23rd and 24th will see the resort’s La Grande Première launch event which sees staff from leading ski brands all coming together to showcase their latest equipment, clothing and accessories – free of charge – at the Test Village. Around 15,000 skiers and boarders are expected to attend.
“Whether it’s taking advantage of the freshly groomed slopes, drinking mulled wine or enjoying the free entertainment, skiers will be spoiled as the resort has already had a decent snowfall in November – currently there’s around 90cm of fresh snow on the slopes.”
New for this year, members of the Club Val Thorens will also have the possibility to enjoy the snow with a special VIP opening event tomorrow, Friday, November 22, 2019.
(Val Thorens on 3 November)
Although French resorts have not seen the huge snowfalls of the first three weeks of November that some in Austria and Italy have it has still been a very positive start with some big snowfalls. In the past Val Thorens has had to delay or even cancel this opening weekend extravaganza due to lack of snow cover this early in the year, but this year it’s looking good.
Val Thorens will be about the sixth French resort to open with several smaller areas in the Alps and French Pyrenees already open due to the good early conditions. Glacier centre Tignes has been open for more than a month. This video was recorded a week ago:
[J-7] En direct dans les rues de #ValThorens avec la nouvelle GoPro HERO8 : on répond à toutes vos questions ! ❄️☀️?——[D-7] Follow us live in the streets of #Valthorens! We answer all your questions! ❄️☀️?
Posted by Val Thorens on Friday, 15 November 2019
The UCPA (Union des Centres Sportifs de Plein Air) – a non-profit French organisation that makes outdoor sports holidays available for people of ages 7 to 39 – is capitalising on this must-visit event to kick off their season, too. Several instructors from the UCPA centre will be at their stand from 9h to 16h30 to take people up on the slopes and help them discover the best spots to visit in the resort. They’ll also guide visitors about all the different snow sport options to be found in the Test Village.
Dynafit is organising a “ski touring initiation” on Saturday November 23 from 4 pm onwards to introduce the discipline to those curious and fit enough to forego the lifts and give it a go. The programme includes a leisurely tour towards Chalet de la Marine where a small Savoyard snack awaits participating skiers. Register at the Dynafit stand in the Test Village.
