Chamonix Snow Report: 13th March 2007

Temperatures have been reaching new highs this week: we've had up to 15ºC at our house in Chamonix. As soon as the sun goes down temperatures drop rapidly and overnight it is chilly with a heavy frost by the morning so we've been wrapping up warm in the evenings. Up on the ski areas it's a little cooler than the valley of course but not by much so it's been a case of putting away the thick fleeces and warm jackets and wearing just a shell jacket and first layer. Sunscreen and good goggles or sunglasses are essential too; unless you want to get seriously sunburnt like a few of the red-faced people we've noticed wandering around town.

We've been making the most of the sun by heading up to Brevent and Flegere, which have some of the sunniest slopes in Chamonix. If you don't like slushy snow then make sure you get to Flegere early in the morning and then move on to Grands Montets by midday where the snow is more sheltered from the sun and the slopes are at a higher altitude. The upper parts of Flegere accessed from the Floria offer some colder and shadier slopes too if you want to minimise slush skiing, however, you will have to deal with it as you descend to the Trappe or Chavannes chairlift. The top of Brevent also stays colder and firmer having a slightly more northerly aspect: the Charles Bozon piste was firm and almost icy this morning.

I have to admit that I love the slushy conditions that you find at Flegere this time of year so I'm happy to stay there all day pushing the slush around. The area under the Index chairlift has been so much fun over the past couple of days as the snow softens up by midday and turns smooth and creamy making it soft enough for trying out some new tricks off all the natural freestyle terrain. Flegere really is one big natural fun park, with cat tracks to jump off, several natural table tops, quarter pipes, gullies, rock drops and step-up jumps. Recently the unofficial kicker production at the top of the Index has gone into overdrive with several very, very large kickers being built. If you don't want to try them yourself, then watching others hit them still makes for good entertainment while you eat your baguette.

Combe Lachenal has offered some good snowboarding over the past few days: gone is the powder, but the off piste is still good once the top few centimetres soften in the sun. There have been some big avalanches in the bowl; they're old now, but watch out for the debris near the bottom as it's fairly lumpy and can catch you out. The snow cover is very good in the bowl and exceptionally deep at the top, but the very bottom section is starting to look a little brown and thin now.

It is quiet on the pistes and it feels so lazy in the sun, so this morning I was a little surprised to find a small queue for the Evettes chairlift. Evettes takes you up into Flegere from the Liaison cable car and I guess most of the people staying in Chamonix are choosing to ski across to Flegere rather than take the cable car up from Les Praz. Apart from that, the lifts are mostly empty with the usual exception of the Brevent gondola down to Chamonix; get there before 3:30pm to avoid a wait. The warm weather has almost melted all the snow in the valley but the Savoy nursery slope is still hanging in there (it is looking like it's on its last legs though); Les Planards is looking better, being on the shady side of the valley. The cross-country skiing is finished in Chamonix now; you'll have to go up to Argentiere for your skating or classic skiing.

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