Merinet Snow Report: 3rd February 2014

Now, a quick quiz to see how well you know the ski area. How many black runs are there in the Méribel Valley? There are two answers to this question. If you count on the lift map, there are eight, of which one is currently closed. According to the Tourist Office, there are only seven, all of which are open. The mysterious, non-officially existing black run is, of course, Couloir Tournier, Méribel’s most recent black under the Saulire Express gondola, which has been closed all season due to the exposed rocks at the top. I suspect the resort has decided it would rather not to admit to a permanently closed piste, so has opted not to include it in the official figures.

Méribel’s black runs have a habit of appearing and disappearing, especially the ones which are often closed through low snow cover. Do you remember the lovely Bouquetin run under Plattieres III which simply vanished from the ski area a few years back? The black run Ecureuil similarly went missing, only to reappear a few years later in a slightly different place. And Mauduit was downgraded to a red run without explanation. Clearly, black runs are an unloved and endangered species which need our support.

With this in mind, I decided to ski all of Méribel’s black runs in one morning. I like to have a goal or purpose on the slopes and this seemed as good as any. I discovered that the black vary enormously, some being vastly easier than others. Obviously, any run will vary according to whether it has been groomed recently or not, so this summary reflects the conditions I happened to find on the day.

First up was Face, created for the 1992 Women’s Olympic Downhill race. Face enjoys a spectacular views from the top of the Olympic chairlift. Despite its Olympic credentials, Face is not particularly steep and is regularly groomed. Enjoyment factor: 8/10

Next came Bosses, which means moguls in French and is always very bumpy. I hadn’t skied this run for several years and I now remember why. Bosses has a huge potential for embarrassment: it lies right under the busy Plan de l’homme chairlift so any wipeouts are humiliatingly public. This is not a popular run; the start is not well signposted and the snow is often rubbish due to the low altitude (it is the only black run located below the lift mid-stations). The moguls were separated by scraped hard snow so this was not particularly fun. Enjoyment factor: 3/10 (unless you are a champion mogul skiers who likes to show off).

Third on our list was Ecureuil. I’m not sure why this is graded black as the gradient feels more like a red. Long, swooping and with great snow, this was a joy from start to finish. For somebody who wants to ski a black run for the first time, this would be a good one to start with. Enjoyment factor: 9/10

Bartavelle, another mogul run, was our next target. Bartavelle is short and steep and north facing, so as usual it had wonderful snow. There’s a nice café at the bottom to recuperate in too. Enjoyment factor: 8/10

We then crossed the valley and headed for Grande rosiere. Nobody ever discovers this run as it’s so tucked away. I like this run a lot. It was full of friendly, powdery moguls and gave us a wonderful view over Mottaret. When the snow is good, this run is well worth hunting out. 9/10

Sanglier, a short run, was similarly quiet. Nine out of ten skiers take the parallel red run, Marcassin instead of the black, so the snow on this run tends to stay in better shape for longer. It is also regularly groomed, so easier to ski than most other blacks. 7/10

Finally, we skied Tetras, which was also very quiet. Sadly, there were quite a few stones lurking beneath the moguls so it only scored 6/10.

We weren’t able to complete our blacks challenge as Couloir Tournier was closed. I wasn’t too sad at missing this run as my legs were beginning to protest as all the unaccustomed mogul-skiing. As its name suggest, Couloir Tournier is a narrow couloir and completely different challenge from all the other runs in the valley. It is very definitely for good skiers only: the steepest part is a hair-raising 37 degrees and once you are in it there is no way out. For experts, this offers unparalleled opportunities for showing off: not only are you directly below the main Saulire Express gondola lift but you can also swipe your ski pass at the top to obtain a free film of yourself skiing it. Let’s hope with all the snow currently falling, this run opens soon as it represents the only seriously hard skiing challenge in the valley.