Chamonix Snow Report: 12th January 2005

We headed over to Flegere from Planpraz via the Voiz blue, which is now starting to resemble a bruised banana (thanks to Kelly for the description!). The pisteurs are doing a fair job of keeping it groomed but it really could use some fresh snow. The blue run Tetras is also similarly brown and worn but it is mostly covered and the snow not too bad considering how long it has been since the last big snowfall. Liaison Flegere leading to the cable car is better with a good covering of snow and no nasties. However, when we took the liason cable car it had a notice inside warning of the poor snow cover on the Evettes blue run in Flegere. It's necessary to use this run to return to the cable car from Flegere, so we expected it to be bad if the lift company were warning us about it, and it is quite poorly covered on the short section to the bottom of the Evettes chair although there is sufficient snow to ride it.

We headed up to the Index to our picnic spot. It appears that quite a few ski tourers have been heading up over the back of the Auguilles Rouges from here as there were a few skinning tracks visible. I also had a quick look down the Combe Lachenal run, which looked a bit like a pin cushion with lots of yellow and black warning poles sticking up. This run is great when the snow cover is good as it's consistently steep, but at moment it looks like it would be best avoided. We took the more sedate Index run down, but the route of the run is now mainly diverted onto cat tracks as the snow is patchy with rocks and bushes showing through on the steeper sections. The best snow is on the green run served by the Trappe chairlift; good snow coverage and a wide piste make it ideal for learners.

Our return to Brevent meant braving Evettes again and the top section of it was a bit rocky but not nearly as bad as I was expecting given the notice in the cable car. The stones on the piste were loose and the snow a bit brown but it was just a question of choosing a line around the obstacles. Retour Brevent piste was in better shape with good cover, white snow and no unpleasant surprises. Source was more like Evettes although less stony, but a bit brown and soft. Overall the snow here is suffering from the mild daytime temperatures, but the lack of crowds at the moment is sparing it a little and the pisteurs are doing a fair job of spreading around the available snow. There are some light snow flurries forecast for tonight; let's hope they are a bit heavier than predicted!

Useful Links
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.

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