Chamonix Snow Report

Kandahar Fever : 3rd February 2012

Well, Kandahar fever is well and truly here – the competition is underway, the expo and the big screen are all set up in Place Mont Blanc (the market has been bumped a little down the way this week to Place Whymper) and there are convoys of sponsored team vehicles at every turn.  It was the Swiss team caught my eye in particular yesterday in their matching silver Audi Quattro’s, although I can’t imagine that they can “Fire up the Quattro!” quite like Gene Hunt could....

Anyway, I popped down to Les Houches to see how things were shaping up before the world and their wife descends on the place this weekend.  Truth be told, it’s shaped up very nicely indeed and I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Verte piste, where the races take place, looking in such fabulous condition.  Obviously it’s been cordoned off for several days now to keep your average Joe off it and there was lots of fluffing and preening of snowflakes going on as I passed.  All this before they inject it with water (or whatever they do) to make it so bulletproof that only a sturdy pair of thighs and a racer’s edge can hold a turn on it.

Having heard that Graeme Bell and Ed Leigh from Ski Sunday were enjoying a bit of ice hockey on Tuesday night, I was rather hoping that I might spot a famous face or two at Les Houches.  In fact I was really hoping that I might catch a glimpse of Jean Baptiste Grange doing some lunges or something as he’s a total hottie... eerm, I mean, a totally amazing skier and I’m a bit of a fan.  Sadly he put his back out again in Austria last week and will not be partaking in the Kandahar events this year....

Instead, I got over my lack of ‘seleb spotting with a few runs over the back of the area, underneath the Le Crozat chairlift, and within moments all thoughts of Monsieur Grange evaporated as I found myself knee deep in the lightest, fluffiest powder you can imagine.  There is definitely a bonus to these Siberian temperatures we are experiencing at the moment! Floating on air through the trees and above the clouds yet again and we enjoyed another cloud inversion. 

It’s quite tempting to follow the line that goes directly underneath the Crozat chair as the top section is just so inviting.  However, be aware the you will most likely grind to a halt at the short, steep (inevitably rocky) section directly below the lift, where many a struggling skier or boarder finds themselves tearing the base off their equipment to the jeers of the overhead chairlifters.  There are ways down through the trees (snow cover permitting) but the enjoyment may not outweigh the repair bill at the end of the day.

Elsewhere, much of the Bellevue area (particularly around the Schuss des Dames lift) all seemed to be soft bumps with the odd scratchy, almost icy patch in places. I don’t wish to imply that Les Houches had been a bit slack with it piste preparation when I was there; I appreciate that they have other priorities on at the moment what with the entire world’s sporting press descending on them, but there was certainly more terrain than usual had not been groomed.  However, when there is lighter than air powder in the trees, I barely gave it a second thought.

I did take a quick turn on the Table Orientation drag lift which I don’t often see running, and then I swiftly remembered why I don’t take it that much – it’s quite “frisky”!  If there are any male boarders reading this, you want to be certain that the button tow is correctly in position before it takes off.... if you get my drift.....  Several of the Les Houches drag lifts are quite lively actually (Plancerts being another that springs to mind), but they usually mark these pistes as “only for good skiers” or “teleski difficile” before you have gone beyond the point of no return and are faced with being catapaulted skywards on takeoff or a long uphill walk.  There is nearly always a chairlift option available though, so if you are allergic to drag lifts, grab yourself a piste map at the lift station and plan your route accordingly.

It’s snowing everso lightly as I type this evening and a very fine dusting is settling on the road.  I don’t imagine anything significant will settle and the next few days are forecast to be mainly sunny with scattered snow flurries.  It’s the temperatures that everyone is talking about at the moment – cold, cold, cold.  I haven’t experienced cold like this since my days working in North America and there isn’t even any wind to speak of either.  However, it is doing wonders for keeping the snow in tip top condition, so if you’re not going to be watching the racing this weekend, it might be a good time to hire yourself a guide and go blast some backcountry powder.  Enjoy! 

• Latest Conditions
  clear high up - changeable low stratocumulus cloud layer persisting below 2000 m in the morning, then vanishing towards the middle of the day. Period of sunshine close to 50%. PRECIPITATION : scattered snow flurries or frost at times from low cloud. WIND - ground level : variable light. WIND - mid mountain : N light -> NNE moderate. WIND - high mountain : variable light -> NE light to moderate. TEMPERATURE : low -14
• Depth of snow on lower slopes
  80
• Date of last snowfall
  31/01/2011
• Depth of last snowfall
  De 20
• Highest temperature
  -6
• Depth of snow on upper slopes
  170
• Number of pistes open
  21

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