Chamonix Snow Report: 13th December 2007

But what about the slopes, I hear you say. Well, I popped up to Grands Montets earlier today and I can report that the skiing at the moment is in tip top condition. The recent storms have passed and for the last two days the sun has been shining brightly, but with temperatures remaining well below zero, the snow is still light and soft and packing down a treat on the pistes. In fact, the piste conditions today were some of the best I can remember up there. After hearing reports of lumpy, bumpy slopes yesterday, the bashers had obviously been hard at work overnight, preparing all the open runs to perfection. For a moment I thought I was in the 3 Valleys!! From the top of the Bochard (which is thankfully back up and running again after its initial teething problems earlier in the week) the red all the way back to Lognan is smooth, fast, grippy……and deserted!.....so we've had a couple of hours of proper hooning.

However, it's pretty much impossible to go Grands Montets and not at least dabble in some off piste action, there is just so much of it. I can't usually manage more than a couple of runs down the piste before my board veers off to sink some turns down the front face. Today, most of the off piste was already tracked out – nothing new there, you have to get up early in this town to beat those keeno Swedes! However, although it was chopped, we still found some really nice powder stashes when we traversed across from the Bochard red, about 1/3 of the way down, towards the Herse piste – the area in between still had decent patches of untouched snow, about 50cms deep, interspersed with choppy but forgiving sections that got the knees going. We then did a few turns on the Herse piste, which again was immaculate, before dropping down under the top cable car pylons and back to Lognan. Did this route over and over and each time still managed to find a few more fresh sections.

Back down to the base station, the Pierre a Ric, which you've probably gathered by now is one of my favourites, was just exceptional. As was the case higher up, there wasn't a bump in sight, the snow was super fast and grippy and nobody was there, so it was BIG GS turns all the way to the car park. If it wasn't for this slightly annoying affliction called “having to go back to work” – I would have definitely been up for a few more laps down there. Still I suppose, having a job that allows me to board at lunch time isn't really something that you want to hear me whinge about…!

The big excitement this weekend is that more lifts are opening; the Herse and Tabé chairlifts on Grands Montets (although most of the off-piste under the Herse has already been tracked – still nice, but tracked). Across the valley, Flegere will welcome its first skiers of the season onto the Index, Trappe and Evettes chairs, and from what I could see from GM today, things are looking pretty good over on the sunny side of the valley. Les Houches will also be opening up the Prarion gondola and…..awaiting confirmation of what else, but check out these pictures of the new Col de Voza chairlift (Under “Actualites”). Looking good! If you're longing to do your first descent of the Vallee Blanche, then the Midi is also re-opening on Saturday after its annual maintenance check. I don't know what conditions are like on this itinerary at the moment but bear in mind that the avalanche risk is currently 3/5 and the precarious arête descent is not equipped with the fixed line yet, so you need to know what your doing and definitely check out conditions with the Office de la Haute Montagne beforehand.

The Savoy nursery slopes will also be open for those taking their first turns on the snow. I might check them out too and get back on my skis for the first time in about 8 years! Mind you I've been saying that for years…….believe it when it happens! If you're coming out on holiday at the weekend, don't forget your thermals – the sun may be staying with us for the next few days but Jack Frost and a north-east wind are going to keep temperatures down as low as -10.

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