Chamonix Snow Report: 13th April 2010

If you're out here to find some nice powder stashes you will be in luck this week with new snow about. However, great care should be taken at this time of year with the heat of the day affecting many slopes especially south facing ones where you may find large, heavy wet slides occurring, so heading out earlier in the morning can sometimes be a good idea. There are a number of ways you can get to the best stashes that few know about - the best but probably the most expensive being hiring a guide for the day who will take you to the best and safest spots to hit on any given day. You can also use a map and look at weather conditions every day to work out for yourself where the best stashes could be and possible danger spots. There are also a number of quite handy books translated in to English dotted around the valley which have a lot of information on different routes you can do in the area.

The most expensive book being the book reserved mainly for the most extreme skiers and snowboarders is the “Mont Blanc and Aguilles Rouges - a guide for skiers” where it details some of the most extreme rides in the valley with some great and very steep descents detailed within it, some at almost 65 degrees! This book would be good for you if you have had a lot of experience touring and riding some fairly steep exposed terrain.

If you have been doing a lot of off piste riding and are looking at getting in to some touring, a good book to grab is “ Mont-Blanc ski tours” which details some of the classic routes possible in the valley and has a good detailed description of the routes ranging in difficulty and steepness and will also advise you on the seriousness of the route. If you're not really in to your hiking for powder or are just starting to look in to the world off piste skiing or snowboarding then a good book would be “Chamonix off piste” which is a similar set up to the Mont Blanc book giving good advice on the difficulty level and good descriptions on how to enter and exit the routes. Combine one of these books with a map and all the right equipment for your tour then you will have a good day! All these book are very informative and if you come back to the valley often then you can slowly but surely start ticking off all the routes. All less than €30 and well worth having, they are available in many shops and the book store in Chamonix.

Even if you're not in to your off piste riding, this fresh snow has made the pistes and the parks turn in to good condition and with a hopeful mid-week dump it should top things up nicely for a great week for all who venture in to the Chamonix 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!