Val Thorens Snow Report: 31st March 2014

Luckily for me I managed to jump forwards and grab it, otherwise it would have been a long walk down to fetch it.. The wind at the top was ridiculously strong, and had me bracing myself to try and stay upright, one of those Upski parachute things could have come in quite handy!

There's not been any fresh snow for a while, so up high the pistes are pretty bullet-proof with patches of sugary snow blown around on top. Lower down it's a slightly different story, with the blue Cumin piste that takes you to Les Menuires getting quite slushy in places (and not snowboarder friendly.. where did I leave thos retractable poles?!) The bottom of the Bruyeres telecabine was also getting a bit slushy, but the snow canons are keeping it well covered for now.

The park is looking good, for those of you with a penchant for jumping massive kickers or sliding boxes & rails.. the shapers have obviously been keeping busy and must be very proud of their work :-)

For the off-piste lovers out there, I wouldn't stray from the pistes until at least Thursday or Friday until there's a tad more snow. At the moment all you'll get is a thick crust that bucks you onto your backside. Underneath this layer it's quite soft, but I really wouldn't touch it until at least the end of the week.

As an alternative to skiing / boarding, or if you've got an early check out from your accommodation, the 6km toboggan run is well worth a look. With your ski pass you can get one descent for a little over 13 euros. Head to the 'Chalet du Luge' in resort centre (above the Peclet gondola and lift pass office) and hone a few turns on the way down before you take the gondola up to the top. The start of the toboggan run is around 500m down the piste (hang a right out of the gondola) so you'll be mixing in with the skiers & boarders on the way down.. quite amusing when you overtake a beginner snowboarder, but then not quite so amusing when you flip your sledge over and start sliding backwards down hill.. ahem..

Aside from the going backwards part, it's a really good way to kill an hour or so, and since there are a few flat bits here and there, and a few small uphill bits (?!) you'll get a bit of a work out pushing yourselves along at the same time. My arms were feeling the strain afterwards from braking so much & trying to steer, so be warned it's a bit physical - don't take your granny or your kid sister / brother on it unless they're strong enough..

The sun had come out again on Sunday, so we were pretty hot & bothered by the time we finished the luge.. all the more escuse to go and grab a cold drink and sit in a deck-chair before heading off!

If you've been on holiday here this season, don't forget you can send us your photos or videos via the usual social media channels.