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Chamonix Mountain Report: 31st December 2012

featured in Snow report Author Dee O'Neill - BASS Ski Instructor, Updated

New for this season is our series of High Mountain Snow Reports compiled by a team of pros - local mountain guides and ski instructors. The aim of these reports is to give you an idea of what is going on away from the resort and up in the high mountains for which Chamonix is internationally renowned.

Wow what an amazing start to the ski season we've had! Enormous amounts of snow has fallen in the valley throughout December, much to everyone’s delight - not least my own as the instructing season is now fully underway and conditions so far have been fantastic. 

Due to the huge snowfall around the Chamonix valley, it was decided that the starting area for the December Ski Performance for Mountaineers course would be in the Les Houches ski area. We had some epic powder runs with knee deep powder and it's hard not to enjoy those conditions.  After working on some technical aspects of off-piste skiing it was time put the new learned skills to the test and hit of slopes of the Grands Montets. With easily accessible off-piste terrain it’s a great place to go if you are seeking some off-piste thrills and it didn’t disappoint for our team. The group were challenged with steep & deep powder and judging by the smiles on their faces I think it was safe to say it was a very successful course. Taking a course early in the season can be very beneficial for people as they are able to get their ski legs early, take advantage of the great conditions and also the discounted ski passes.

On the 22nd of December however, things changed here in Chamonix as this was the official opening day and the quiet slopes became inundated with the annual influx of Christmas visitors. Christmas week generally tends to be families out for some alpine fun.  My clients this week were families all skiing together with different ranges of abilities and all looking to improve their skills. Instead of working totally off-piste which can be the norm, I was working with a variety of piste and off-piste, adults & children. I chose Le Tour as a good starting point for these groups as it’s the perfect place for getting your ski legs back at the beginning of a new season. It has such a wide variety of terrain to choose from, good long wide open pistes where everyone can work on technique and improve their confidence at every level and it also has some fabulous off-piste terrain and ski touring.  My clients became quickly acquainted with their skis and boots again so they decided it was time to try something a little more challenging so the next day we hit the slopes of the Grands Montets.

When skiing with skiers of different abilities and requirements sometimes it’s best to split my time with individuals which is exactly what we did at the Grands Montets. One of the parents wanted to rip up the off-piste which is exactly what we did in the morning after we'd warmed up the legs and got the blood flowing on piste. We took the Herse chairlift and headed for the Italian bowl  and with just two other tracks in the bowl, we were rewarded with some amazing snow and the whole area to ourselves!  After lunch I swapped to the piste and spent the afternoon working with the children and having fun on the pistes and the fun park.  

With changing weather conditions picking the best ski area is a very important decision to make sure my clients gain the maximum benefit from their ski lessons. As the Christmas week continued, the weather changed and the visibility deteriorated so the latter part of the week was spent back in Les Houches.  On Christmas Day I wasn’t working but was skiing for myself and after a late start we hit the slopes of Les Houches, met up wth some friends and had some really great skiing if only for a short time. It's definitely a bit of a tradition to get at least one run in on Christmas day.

With the New Year fast approaching, here’s hoping that the powder Gods will continue to be good to us and bring plenty of new snow. The New Year also sees the start of my Wednesday Seasonnaire Programme which I have been running for the past five years. The groups consists mainly of people living in the valley and many have been attending on and off over the years. Their skiing has improved incredibly over this time and they have all discovered the joys of off-piste skiing and touring as a result of these sessions and hopefully will continue to do so! They all have individual goals and aimsand I’m looking forward to working with them again and helping achieve their goals.

If you fancy joining me either on or off the piste, please do drop me a message - it's always great to hear from fellow powder lovers.

Dee O'Neill
BASS Ski Instructor


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.

 

Stats

Snow Report
  • Alt. Resort: 1035m

  • Alt. Summit: 3340m

  • High Temp.: Nord

  • Alt. High Temp.: 1035m

  • Latest Conditions: clear or partly cloudy - some high cloud crossing over at times. Period of sunshine close to 80%.PRECIPITATION : none.WIND - ground level : variable light.WIND - mid mountain : N light to moderate.WIND - high mountain : NNE moderate to strong -> N moderate.TEMPERATURE : low -8