Chamonix Snow Report: 18th April 2005

Yesterday the snow was nothing short of the best we've had all season. Thigh-deep at the top of Bochard and La Herse; knee-deep at Lognan. It was better quality than the day before as it was proper fluffy light snow. Even though the snow carried on falling through the day the visibility was actually better than on Saturday. However, I was caught out by a few hidden cat tracks resulting in some fairly heavy falls. There was barely anyone up there taking advantage of the powder so it was easy to find fresh tracks all day long. Some of the best lines we found were (like the day before) off the Herse chair. There were a few large rocks to look out for but generally it has filled in really well, with smaller rocks now buried. The black run Blanchot was a favourite: even at 3pm it was barely tracked with 2 feet of powder on it, absolutely superb.

This morning, powder exhaustion was really starting to kick in with my body feeling like it had taken a pounding over the last two days. So, despite the sun making an appearance for the first time in three days, I didn't make it up to Grands Montets until after lunch. It was much warmer this morning, up to 9ºc with the snow in town turning to slush and the sound of dripping water everywhere. Yesterday's 30cm in our garden is now down to 10cm as I type this afternoon. Up at Grands Montets the powder had ceased to be powder and instead had become heavy chop. The exception was the snow from the very top of the Grands Montets, which, according to my sources, who were there first thing this morning, was some of the best powder they've ever skied. Even though the top cable car is free for the rest of the season I couldn't be persuaded to queue for the 45 minutes to an hour that some were waiting to go up. Instead I stuck to the Bochard and Herse, where at the very top the snow was still hanging onto some semblance of lightness, but it definitely wasn't powder any more. The off piste was still fun to ride even though it was mostly tracked and choppy. It was still soft enough to cushion landings from jumps and rock drops, although the heaviness made it tough on the legs. The pistes were all in very good condition as far as I could tell, if a little heavy and hard work.

It was cloudy up there so visibility wasn't good and by the end of the day the cloud had moved lower and it was a complete whiteout down to Lognan. This was enough to send my tired body home down the Pierre a Ric, which has been given a last-minute stay of execution by the recent snowfall. It's in great condition to about halfway down, but then little stones start to rear their ugly heads. They are better covered than before the snowfall, but the snow is very wet lower down and looks like it won't last too long unless we get more.

Useful Links
Cross-country skiing is Closed
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.

Additional snow and weather information provided, with thanks, by meteo.chamonix.com and the Tourist Office