Chamonix Mountain Report: 14th January 2013

Where to start!? In a winter that keeps on giving we are starting to run out of superlatives, so I will ration myself here. Suffice to say the high mountain skiing has been, quite good....

Last week saw the powder delivering storms give way to ‘Grand Beau Temps’ and we have been reaping the benefits of this classic winter combination ever since. Whilst all the usual venues for Chamonix off-piste have been in primo condition. it was the high mountain skiing that really caught the attention. Runs down the Vallée Blanche variants consisted of powder turn after powder turn. Great snow, on an apparently very well filled in glacier, all the way to the James Bond Track and café Buvette (which opened early this year to equally profit from the great conditions).

The steeper Col du Plan, Grand Envers and Italian icefall Vallee Blanche variations all received a lot of attention and provided great skiing. The ‘classic route’ less so as the volumes of powder gave slow progress, non-existent at times for boarders!
As the good weather continued, and the snowpack settled down, skiers started venturing further afield on to ski touring routes more commonly associated with much later in the season. Many teams were seen skinning up the impressive Periades Glacier to climb over the classic ‘Breche Puiseux’ to access the remote and beautiful Mont Mallet Glacier.

The great early season snow base, recent powder storms and then, critically, settled weather, also sent the ever Chamonix keen and faithful in search of steep skiing. At the more mellow end of this spectrum we enjoyed quality, grippy hard pack snow in the popular ‘Couloir Marbrées’ whilst on the same day many teams enjoyed the classic Glacier de Toule and a lot less skied the wilder ‘Brenva’ Glacier, all on the Italian side of the Mont Blanc Massif. The La Pulud ‘Caffè Della Funivia’, as always, is a mine of useful information, not to mention cappuccino and Panini.

Just a few of the other steeper slopes and couloirs that received descents during this period were the Ensa at Brevent; Rectiligne on the West (Pas de Chevre) side of the Grands Montets, Cosmiques Couloir on the North Face of the Midi, Capucin Couloir from the Col du Tacul and, on the other side of the valley, the North East face of Mont Buet.

As this feast of good skiing coincided with the end of the Christmas holidays the hills were alive with skiers profiting from it all. And, then, suddenly, the hills were quiet again and, whilst the sun remained, much of the accessible high mountain snow was wind & skier battered. For what felt like the first time of the season a few murmurs were heard…’When will the next dump of powder arrive?’

As a response, from the winter that keeps giving, on Thursday night, it started snowing again - big flakes, coming down hard and fast. Friday morning was then characterised by traffic chaos and shut lifts. As is often the case, the joker on these wild card days was Les Houches with voices heard in the side country murmuring, ‘blimey – I didn’t know you could have this much fun at the Houches.’

And on Saturday, just another, ‘business as usual’ (truly brilliant) day's off-piste skiing in Chamonix at the Grands Montets. The top Telecabine was running from the off and the 2 skiers down first, viewed by the whole resort, looked to be having a GOOD time. We were not far behind.

The cool showery & mixed week ahead looks set to build the fine mid-winter conditions even further and may include both a bit of stormy powder in the trees as well as glacier cruising under blue skies. Whatever it brings, bon ski & see you out there...

Rob Jarvis
High Mountain Guides

NB: Off piste skiing and mountaineering are dangerous. The opinions expressed in these articles are very much time and condition specific and the content is not intended in any way to be a substitute for hiring a mountain guide, undergoing professional mountaineering training and/or the individual's own backcountry decision making.