Chamonix Mountain Report: 21st March 2013

It's past mid March, winter officially ended yesterday and normally we are getting the skins on and enjoying some spring ski touring conditions. Instead we are still powder skiing - how cool is that?

We have had some seriously cold snowy and windy conditions over the past week and the hills have been kept looking pretty wintery. I was at the Grand St Bernard Monastery for a few days last week which was as cold as I have been in the hills for a while. It was -17c outside the front door and blowing - the wind chill was about -35c. We managed to get some touring in but it was pretty limited by the wind.

The weekend saw a big dump of snow and everyone I have spoken to can’t believe how much came down for the time of year. This snow did create some amazing conditions but it also came in on a wind which created a high avalanche risk.

Wind and snow are a potentially dangerous combination creating unstable wind slabs and a classic place for this is the bowls on the back of La Tour which are notorious for avalanche accidents. As access is easy here, riders seem to head there to get the fresh snow not thinking about the terrain, wind and snow and how they interact. This was perfectly demonstrated when someone went in there on Tuesday and very sadly lost their life in an avalanche. The combination of wind, snow and a steep roll over leading into a terrain trap is lethal.

Enough preaching, lots of people have been out ski touring prior to the last snowfall and great conditions have been found in the Aiguilles Rouges and off the Midi, other classic tours like the col de Autanne have also given great skiing. The Aravis have also been great if you fancy a bit more solitude.

The high avalanche risk brought about by this last snowfall has led to a few tricky decisions but good touring at low angles has been found on Petite Croisse Baulet and the Pointe Andey in the Aravis. Through the tunnel Courmayeur has had loads of great skiing.

The half term holidays which have been really spread out this year are finally finishing so the valley is experiencing a welcome lull prior to the Easter break. The next few days look a bit showery and staying cold for the time of year so it should keep the skiing good.

Have fun

Bruce Goodlad
The Mountain Adventure Company

Bruce is sponsored by Haglofs and Dynafit

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.