Chamonix Snow Report: 11th March 2007

Up at Grands Montets yesterday the wind was pretty horrendous bringing with it bizarre clouds that would blow in and then away again within minutes. The wind was also doing a sterling job of blowing the snow around too. We managed to find a few stashes of shallow windblown powder in the Combe de la Pendant but that was probably about the best we could manage. The rest of the off piste was lumpy but thankfully the cold temperatures have kept it mostly soft and snow-like. In fact, considering we haven't had any new snow for a while the off piste is in very good shape; obviously you'll have trouble finding fresh tracks but the chopped up snow is still really good fun. Lower down the Pierre a Ric was getting a little slushy later in the afternoon but just above there the lower parts of the Hotel Variant were still fairly hard and mogulled.

Today we were relieved to find that the cable car to Flegere from Les Praz had opened as we had planned to do some backcountry snowboarding to Le Buet on the Crochues–Berard route. When we arrived at Les Praz it seemed that everyone else had the same plan as the place was heaving at 8:30am. We later found out that the Aiguille du Midi was closed for the day; I guess it was a knock-on effect of people looking for other touring routes. Today was quite a bit less cloudy than yesterday and we had almost 100% sun. The wind had supposedly dropped a little but this was hard to believe as we snowshoed up to the Col des Crochues in the gusting wind. At the Col itself the wind seemed to reach a crescendo, as we organised ourselves for the long traverse that came next. It goes without saying that the snow down from the Col was windblown, on some sections it had been removed completely down to the ice below, but mostly it was uneven and crusty.

The second, short hike to the Col de Berard was far more sheltered, sunny and in fact very pleasant. There were people all over the mountains here: skiing down from the Col de Floria, hiking up to the Glacier Mort and to the Berard Breche. It was busy. It wasn't long before we were strapped in and riding down the Berard Valley. We stuck to the skier's right and found a few decent untracked sections of powder that weren't too affected by the wind. The powder was better and deeper at the top of the valley but became shallower as we dropped down; however, the snow was good all the way to the first flat section. The snow on the skier's left of the valley also looked good, going by the lines people were putting in; the sun must have softened it nicely. The run-out to Le Buet was a bit of a pain, through avalanche debris, bushes, up-and-down bumps, across streams etc.: much as it usually is. It's easier on skis, it must be said, but it's all character-building stuff and it's good to feel like you've earned the beer when you arrive at Le Buet.

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

Useful Information
Cross-country skiing is Open
Piste Maps for Chamonix (pdf format), Les Houches (jpg format), Cross-country skiing (pdf format), and Mountain-bike trails (pdf format)
Current status for opening of Pistes & Lifts
Chamonix Webcam Index

We will be keeping this Chamonix snow report updated often during the season, but if you want even more up-to-date news on the ski conditions, why not sign up for our Dump Alert? We'll email you each time it snows enough to significantly change the skiing conditions. It's great to know that the snow is falling in the run-up to your holiday, and it might even allow you to book a last-minute weekend when the snow is particularly good. The service is free, and you can unsubscribe whenever you like.

Useful Links
Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research
French Avalanche Research Institute
Meteo France - Mountain weather and avalanche conditions bulletins (in French)
Henry's Avalanche Talk - popular avalanche training sessions based in French Alps as well as translation of current avalanche conditions
PisteHors.com - Backcountry Skiing and Snowboarding News in English for the French Alps. Excellent coverage of avalanche safety and advice

Additional snow and weather information provided, with thanks, by meteo.chamonix.com and the Tourist Office