A person wearing a blue jacket and goggles is riding a ski lift

A ski lift is going down a snowy mountain

A person holding skis and a snowboard that says ' bec ' on it

A snowboarder is riding a ski lift in the snow

Chamonix Snow Report: 17th February 2011

featured in Snow report Author Kieran Sharp, Updated 24 October 2014

So the snow dance worked! Unfortunately only in Courmayeur where around 30cm of fresh fell in the last couple of days, while Chamonix only received a 10th of this amount, which did top the pistes up a little, but it didn't last long. The mountain workers are well on top of things still but with some cooler temperatures now arriving in the valley it has meant that the snow has felt a little bit like dust on crust.

In light of this news a lot of Chamonix locals made their way over to Courmayeur yesterday for their first experience of proper fresh this year! I was happily fortunate to be one of them, and enjoyed an amazing day over in Italy for some fine coffee, great pizza and fresh after fresh line of sweet lovely powder! If you purchase a Mont Blanc Unlimited pass you will be able to take benefit of having 3 countries on your pass, one of which Courmayeur in Italy which also includes a free bus journey through the tunnel du Mont Blanc, giving you access to some of the best conditions possible on this amazing pass. You could also take a car over and spend a little more time in this wonderful Italian mountain resort.

Cheap, great food, amazing service and great skiing await you just over the hill in Italy, if you happen to be in the valley this week make sure you pop over. There are loads of really wide open pistes within a large ski area, and plenty of off piste, just off the piste which rarely gets ridden. It is law in Italy that if you venture off piste you carry a probe, transceiver and shovel and with the unstable snow pack in the area at the moment it would be wise to make sure you have this equipment and know how to use it. Along with the great conditions on and off the piste there are a number of fantastic restaurants all over the hill, one of my favourites La Cristiana situated at the top of the main bubble accessible from the town is superb with great pizza some of the finest and strongest coffee and most amazing service on the hill.

After a long day on the hill riding powder, eating pizza, and drinking fine coffee, why not spend a bit of time exploring the town. There are many great fashion shops and delicatessens, along with more bars, restaurants and cafes. A great place to head for a bit of Après is Bar Roma located at the end of the main street which serve the most amazing platter of bar snacks you will ever see in your life, teamed with some antique furniture to lounge on throughout this massive two level exceptional bar.

If you are coming out this week, we still boast on the Mont Blanc Unlimited ski pass to have some of the best conditions currently possible in Europe so if you are planning on heading anywhere make sure its here!

Check out our Mountain Guide Listings for contact details of local guiding and activity companies.

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!