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Chamonix Mountain Report: 7th January 2013

An Incredibly Busy Week in Chamonix

featured in Snow report Author Alison Culshaw - Off Piste Performance, 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.

Phew ... all the people are leaving. Or is that a good thing? It’s a hard one to juggle when you're working as a ski instructor or a guide; all these visitors are potential clients but it is preferable when the slopes are quieter and you can find a parking space. This has been one of the busiest New Year weeks that I can remember, frequently seeing all the car park signs in Chamonix saying “complet”. It took me one and a half hours to get back to Chamonix from Le Tour on Monday. Clients that skied in Les Contamines reported that the new road at St Gervais was making a big difference to the traffic flow and their journey home was quicker than mine from Le Tour!

There are however ways to escape the crowds; arrive early and make sure you are on the first lift, head to less well-known off-piste areas, or go on a ski tour that doesn’t require queuing up for busy lifts. Ski instructors and guides also have the luxury of being able to use the priority queues so you could always take a lesson. Some people avoid booking lessons and guiding in the holiday periods but in fact it can be a good way to get more skiing in than you normally would at that time.

It last snowed on the evening of the 1st of January 2013 and that was a day to be up early. We were able to ski fresh tracks in the off-piste at Le Tour until well into the afternoon. We were delighted, and surprised, to ski fresh tracks again the following morning off the top bin at Les Grands Montets. It is seriously unusual to be able to find untracked powder there 30 hours after the last snowfall. Although by the afternoon it had returned to its ever too familiar “golf ball” look, a white mountain covered in bumps. Soft bumps though... It is disappointing to see that Les Grands Montets is opening 15 minutes later than it did during the same month last year; 09:00 as opposed to 08:45. I have enquired as to why this is the case but as yet haven’t been able to get a definitive answer.

After lots of early season snow it was disappointing to have experienced the recent rise in temperature and for it to have rained high up. Even though it temporarily made the skiing challenging, a plus is that it is good for the long term stability of the snowpack. The avalanche rating for this area has been 2/5 for the last week. With a stable weather forecast persisting into next week this makes for ideal ski touring conditions.

I have received reports from people who have been ski touring in the Aosta Valley (Punta Croce and Tour deo Frati) and the Aravis (Le Mont de Vores and Pointe d’Areu) and have found fantastic untracked powder. Hopefully it will be quieter next week and there will still be untracked snow to be found. However you’ll probably have to skin to find it.

The Vallee Blanche has been skied regularly over the past week and conditions are reported to be excellent. It is beginning to get tracked out and while the snow might be a little sun and wind affected, recent cold temperatues mean that conditions are still pretty good. The arête has now been equipped which means 2 ropes have been established to help skiers descend the 'snow steps' onto the glacier. The exit couloirs are in good condition and generally the Vallee Blanche is well filled in. You can ski all the way to Chamonix but conditions on the James Bond track have been described as “sporting”.

I can’t help but notice the number of people that have been out skinning recently. The ski touring track at Les Houches seems to becoming ever more popular with ski tourers, randonee racers and people just wanting a little exercise. I wonder whether they are working off the mince pies or perhaps they all in training for the Relais des Chamois on 8th Jan?!

Alison Culshaw
Off Piste Performance

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

  • Alt. High Temp.: 1035m

  • Latest Conditions: Fairly sunny with temperature inversion - cold in the valley - mild in the afternoon high upSKY CONDITION : clear or partly cloudy - becoming locally cloudy towards the evening - thickening high cloud coming in from the northwest. Period of sunshine close to 80%.PRECIPITATION : none.WIND - ground level : variable light.WIND - mid mountain : variable -> SW light.WIND - high mountain : W light to moderate -> W moderate.TEMPERATURE : low -8