Chamonix Snow Report: 16th April 2006

Friday's warm clear weather saw me touring to the Glacier Mort in the Aiguilles Rouges. We set off early and took the Floria lift to top of Flegere; from there it was a snowshoe hike up the Col des Crochues. The sun was blazing down on the south-facing col making the snow wet and heavy. It wasn't long before snow started sliding off the rocks above causing small wet-snow avalanches which knocked over one of our group. This is a hike to do as early as possible in the morning in the spring as you don't want to be caught in any large slides here. Within 40 minutes we were at the top and taking the traverse skier's right ready for the next climb. The climb to Glacier Mort is longer and steeper at the top than the Crochues, taking about 1:15 minutes. Again the snow was wet and heavy and the sun was heating things up rapidly so we weren't hanging around. There were a few small slides as we hiked up, one even caught me but I managed to hang on. At the top of the couloir, before the final steep section to the top, there was a large cornice overhanging the Berard Valley so we took care not to go too close to the edge of that. For the last section I used crampons as the footholds in the snow were crumbling away, and the rocks on the left provided useful handholds too. At the top, the strong northerly wind was bitter, and a total contrast to the hot sun we had whilst climbing the couloir. Because of its shady northerly aspect the snow up there was still powdery where elsewhere it had turned to slush or crust. The powder lasted until we were level with the Belvedere at which point it started to have a little crust, thin enough not to be too much of a problem. At the bottom of the valley though, in the full sun, the snow was sticky slush making the long run out by the river to Le Buet a bit of a slog.

Yesterday I tried skiing for the first time in 15 years. Le Tour was the obvious destination as it's got the gentlest slopes, mainly blues and reds. The soft, not quite slushy, snow wasn't bad for reintroducing my legs to skis, and there were even a few centimetres of fresh snow at the very top of the Tete de Balme chair. However, the rain and wet snow, which started at about noon, got the better of me by the middle of the afternoon as my spring gloves quickly became soaked through. Skiing down to Le Tour was interesting though, and the slushy moguls on the home run provided a good challenge, where normally on a board I'd be using them as little jumps, on skis even the small bumps were intimidating obstacles.

Overnight it rained in the valley so this morning I headed up to Grands Montets expecting some fresh snow. There was only a little at the level of Lognan, only a few centimetres, but higher up in the drifts it was deeper. Under the top of the Herse chair there was a rather nice stash of powder formed into a cornice, which was perfect for dropping. Likewise, along the ridge between Bochard and Combe de la Pendant there were some large drifts. The only drawback was the lack of visibility high up, as the cloud moved lower down the mountain bringing the snow with it through the afternoon. The snow on the pistes was pretty heavy and hard work on my legs: the lower down the hill, the heavier it became. The home run, Pierre a Ric, is starting to show signs of deterioration now: there were some large stony areas showing through. I noticed the snow cannons are starting to be removed so I guess it's running on borrowed time; how long it'll stay open though is hard to say but I doubt that it'll make it to closing day.

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