Chamonix Snow Report: 14th March 2012

So I’m resting up the snowboard for a bit and I dug the old Pocket Rockets out of the darkest corner of my cellar. And immediately I was reminded of my first issue with skiing – too many things to carry! As I looked at my skis, issue number 2 arose: I’m really not very comfortable having a long plank attached to each foot knowing that they can go in completely opposite directions of their own accord. I’m sure if you’re a skier, then the thought of sliding sideways down the mountain with both legs strapped to something that doesn’t come off is equally perturbing, but I’m at home with that and it’s how I like to roll. Issue number 3 then being: I hope I don’t see anyone I know....

If, like me, you’re not a very good skier or you prefer to saunter around the pistes in a leisurely fashion, then Les Houches is the place for you. The bus stops at the base of both main lifts; the Bellevue Cable car and the Prarion gondola; although personally I’d always go for the gondola over the crush of a cable car. Despite wearing an entirely different outfit to what I would normally wear on the hill, I immediately bumped into a friend on arrival – my day was not beginning well... Declining his kind offer of going for a “quick blast round the hill” - on skis? Are you kidding?? I faked a phone call and let him go on ahead ;O)

The weather has continued to be absolutely beautiful for the last few days, not a cloud in the sky and temperatures well up in the teens. There has also been a temperature inversion from around 1400/1500m so it has felt really warm on the hill when there has still been quite a chill down in the valley in the morning. Even so, I was surprised as to just how quickly the snow had softened on the pistes – by 9.30-10am the morning crustiness had already burnt off on the south facing slopes down towards the Col de Voza and it didn’t take long for the snow to get pushed into slushy piles. If you decide to take the Bellevue cable car up to the area then this side stays harder for longer being less directly in the sun. Likewise over the back of the area, off to the right from the top of the Prarion lift, the Plancerts, Abbaye and Fontaines pistes were still crunchy corduroy at lunchtime. The Plancerts red run is one of my favourites in Les Houches; wide, smooth and invariably deserted (or quieter) because people get put off by the VERY prominent signage stating “Teleski difficile” (difficult drag lift) and “piste reserve aux tres bon skieurs” – I’m sure you get the drift. Whilst the piste itself isn’t difficult for a red – they aren’t lying about the drag lift – it’s really rather frisky at the start and for boarders in particular, if you aren’t comfortable on a drag lift, ending up down here could well ruin your day and may result in a long uphill walk if you can’t master the lift. However, if you’re up for the challenge, the views you get from this run along the Arve valley towards Geneva are just stunning and far outweigh the subsequent wrestle with the drag.

For me, part of the joy of skiing in Les Houches is the views, especially on a day like today when you can just see for miles and miles. I find that I care less that the lifts are a bit slow because you can just sit back and take in the surroundings. On a bad weather day when the views have gone but the lifts are still slow – well, invariably I’m grateful to be giving my legs a rest from the great tree skiing and powder stashes you can find here. The other plus point for Les Houches are the mountain restaurants; invariably independently run and oozing character and charm, they are a far more pleasurable experience than the “get ‘em in, get ‘em out” philosophy of several establishments elsewhere in the valley.

I’m going to stick with the skis for a few more days I think, at least while this beautiful weather holds out as clearly I would not waste a powder day on skis! Tomorrow is forecasting 20 degrees as the high (good grief!) and 100% sunshine until the weekend. The warm foehn wind is also making an appearance Friday and it isn’t called the “snow eater” for nothing. However, on the bright side, the foehn is inevitably followed by storms that maybe, just maybe, will give us a top up of snow early next week. In the mean time, I will be making the most of the deck chairs in the afternoon because honestly, after a few days on the skis, my legs are killing me!!