{"id":1799044,"date":"2026-02-28T15:22:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T12:22:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1799044"},"modified":"2026-02-28T15:22:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T12:22:14","slug":"les-arcs-france-report-last-run-of-the-trip-22-powder-days-in-a-row-here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1799044","title":{"rendered":"Les Arcs, France, Report: Last Run of the Trip\u2026 22 Powder Days in a Row Here!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Report from February 25, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n

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Yesterday was the last day of my ski trip to France.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Twenty-two powder days in a row.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m completely exhausted and utterly satisfied.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So much great terrain here. Image: SnowBrains<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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One of the best ski trips of my life, and maybe the most powder I\u2019ve ever skied in a 22-day stretch. Here, you don\u2019t have to hike backcountry. You just keep riding lifts and skiing sidecountry powder all day, every day.<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s simply more powder than can be skied.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The plan Pierre and I made the day before yesterday was to ski a big line off the back of the Aiguille Rouge at Les Arcs.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I lay awake at night thinking about it, going back and forth.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The avalanche danger here right now is no joke, and after reading the report carefully, it was clear we couldn\u2019t go up there.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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I texted Pierre early in the morning and said it was a no-go.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He wrote back saying he\u2019d fallen ill and wasn\u2019t going to make it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It felt like the universe was conspiring to help us.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Top of last pow run of the trip. Image: SnowBrains<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With no partner, there was no way I was heading anywhere scary.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So I made a quick plan to ski the last run we\u2019d skied the previous day and ran out the door.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It costs about $4 to park at the funicular, and the ride up is free.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Looking north. Image: SnowBrains<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I rode up, battled the crowds for two lift rides, slapped my skis onto my pack, and started bootpacking up to the north-facing chute zone we\u2019d explored the day before.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I studied my photos from that day and found a chute that didn\u2019t have tracks. Mostly.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It took two bootpacks and a long traverse to get there, and I took my time.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unreal terrain here. Image: SnowBrains<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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This was my third day in a row skiing in just base layers and a shell.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was hot.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I cooled off on the ridge and studied as much terrain as I could. The mountain is so damn big I found myself squinting, trying to make out which lines were most prized.<\/strong><\/p>\n

70+F\u00ba in town. Image: SnowBrains<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I dropped in and found pretty darn good powder right away, with a little sluffing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I crossed a couple of tracks midway down, then zagged hard left into the virgin chute.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The snow was tougher in there. Thin in spots, rocks showing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Views around here\u2026 Image: SnowBrains<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I tried to ski it like a golden god, and it backfired.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Too much speed in the choke in funky snow, and I had to throw on the brakes and shut it down for a split second.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cDamn!\u201d I yelled (and edited it out of the video, ha), then finished out the base of the chute onto the apron.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lake Annecy in Annecy. Image: SnowBrains<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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I was disappointed in myself and trying to give myself some grace. It was the last day, the last run, and I was beyond overtired.<\/strong><\/p>\n

After the chute, I glided down to the chair and was engulfed in a few massive lift lines. It\u2019s the busiest week of the year here. Eventually, I made my way back to the funicular and down to the parking lot.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was over 70\u00baF down there.<\/strong><\/p>\n

La Rosiere ski resort to the north is big too. Image: SnowBrains<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I stripped down to board shorts and flip-flops, reorganized my gear, packed my ski bag, and flowed like water downhill toward Geneva, Switzerland.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The drive was mesmerizing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Huge peaks. Deep snow. Raging rivers. Gorgeous hamlets. And even a dip in the bitterly cold waters of Lake Annecy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was glowing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019d made it through the trip without any avalanche scares, injuries, or bad situations.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  • 22 powder days<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • 8 ski resorts<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • 7 different lodgings<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • 2 old friends<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • 8 new friends<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • 1 great rental car<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • 1 speeding ticket<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • 2 lift tickets purchased (merci Les Arcs, Les 3 Vall\u00e9es, La Grave, Serre Chevalier, Sainte-Foy, Val d\u2019Is\u00e8re)<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • 73 French words butchered<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • 1 hell of a great time<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    Views around here\u2026 Image: SnowBrains<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    My motel in Geneva was a dump, and I couldn\u2019t have cared less.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    I was riding high off the trip and had one last baguette to devour.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Goat cheese, French blueberry jam, cucumber, pear, red bell pepper, avocado sandwiches.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    I\u2019ll be back here one month per year. And very soon, I\u2019ll be doing a full season.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    I\u2019m enchanted.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Merci, la France.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    Photos<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n
    The funicular is terrific. Image: SnowBrains<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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    Packing up for home. Image: SnowBrains<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    Views on the drive to Geneva. Image: SnowBrains<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    Last baugette of the trip\u2026 Image: SnowBrains<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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    Lake Annecy. Image: SnowBrains<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    Lake Annecy is dreamy. Image: SnowBrains<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    Last baugette sando. Image: SnowBrains<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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    Miles dropping into the last powder run of the trip in Les Arcs, France. Image: SnowBrains<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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    \n\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Report from February 25, 2026 Yesterday was the last day of my ski trip to France. Twenty-two powder days in a row. I\u2019m completely exhausted and utterly satisfied. So much great terrain here. Image: SnowBrains One of the best ski trips of my life, and maybe the most powder I\u2019ve ever skied in a 22-day […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,267],"class_list":["post-1799044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-snowbrains-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1799044","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1799044"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1799044\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1799044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1799044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1799044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}