A snowy mountain range with a purple sky in the background

A snowy mountain with the sun shining through the clouds

A snowy mountain range with a blue sky in the background

Skiers on a snowy slope with a yellow sign that says ' altitude ' on it

Chamonix Snow Report: 11th April 2010

featured in Snow report Author Kieran Sharp, Updated 24 October 2014

We have had a fair amount of hot weather in the valley but the weather seems to be coming in now with some high cloud arriving this afternoon which will hopefully bring some snow with it. With the freezing level sitting quite high on the hill, it can be tricky finding some actual fresh powder but it can still be found if you take in to account altitude, wind direction and slope aspect.

Whatever the conditions are on your arrival to Chamonix there is always a way of making the most of your day, by choosing a different activity or type of riding depending on the weather, the condition of the snow and your motivation! So say it's powder you're in search of (hopefully there will be plenty on your arrival making it pretty easy to find!); but if there isn't, there are a number of things you can do to find little pockets of the white fluffy stuff. It's a good idea to look at a detailed weather forecast everyday and purchase a map. With these two tool,s if used properly you can identify wind direction and look for where snow could be deposited in to bowls, side of ridges, or one resort choice over an other. Chamonix has slopes facing in all directions so if you want to stay out of the wind and stay on the side where snow is being carried to, then check the weather forecast and look at wind direction to make your choice a little easier.

You could also utilise the services of one of the local guides, either through the bureau des guides, or a company who also provide qualified guides such as Evolution 2 who don't just do ski and board guiding but all sorts of activities like ice climbing, dog sledding, snow shoeing and many more. Taking the services of a guide you will be able to explore some of the best parts of the mountain for that particular day and with someone with many years of experience riding in Chamonix, taking you on an adventure they will know exactly where to go to get the best out of a day whatever the conditions!

If you take a bit of time to look in to the history of what has been happening to the snow over the course of the season and stir in a little knowledge, you'll be surprised at the powder you may find, even when there seems to be none around! I have personally had epic powder days when there has been no snow at all in town and it hasn't snowed for a week or more! You can do this by choosing a north facing slope or one that you know is in shade all the time. When the sun does its thing rising and setting the temperature differences transforms the snow slightly, going through a freeze thaw process. With this process happening you will see the snow become harder and less powdery as the days go by. So choosing a slope that has less temperature differences you will receive softer powdery snow sometimes weeks after a dump. Normally the colder you think a slope is, the better, as the snow stays cold and subsequently softer where most people will think colder means icy, which is not always the case.

Well there is a few little tips for you if you're coming out in search of some fluffy stuff, and I would recommend highly using the services of Evolution 2 as they have so many activities to do and if you speak to one of their reps they can help advise you what might be best to do during the week depending on your needs and the conditions, so be sure to look them up when you drop in to the valley!

Check out what to do around town once the lifts have closed with our Apres Ski Report - a weekly round up of what's hot and where to party in Chamonix!