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Chamonix Snow Report: 18th December 2005

featured in Snow report Author Ellie Mahoney, Chamonix Editor Updated

This weekend the season has finally got underway here in Chamonix with the opening of all of the ski areas on Saturday. The snow that fell since my last report has left the valley covered in more fresh powder and has given the slopes what they needed to make it an amazing start to the season.

We were up early on Saturday morning in order to be the first to Flegere, as we were expecting the snow there to be awesome. Our enthusiasm was tested as we were kept waiting until 10am for the first cable car up to the mountain. And again it was tested by the new Index lift, which didn't open until midday, and when it was running it was stopping so often it was almost funny. Hopefully, these teething problems, with what should be a fantastic new 6-person chairlift, will be sorted out soon; otherwise there will be quite a few unhappy skiers. Lift problems aside the snow was very good at Flegere, with the pistes in superb shape, and the off piste equally good. We stuck mainly to the off piste; either riding laps off the Evettes chair or the Index. There were plenty of deep stashes of powder but also some wind scoured ridges to watch out for. There's been a little modification to the pistes from last year including a widening of the cat track that ran below the old Index lift. As the afternoon wore on visibility came and went, until it went for good so we called it a day. The snow was so good that despite the home run being closed, we were able to ride back down to Les Praz without a single rock being hit.

On Sunday we awoke to blue skies and decided to see what Le Tour had to offer. Yesterday had been good but what we found at Le Tour was better still. It was bitterly cold as we rode up the Autannes chair (thermals recommended), but we could see that barely any of the off piste had been tracked. The extremely cold snow also had the effect of making our boards feel very sticky. We headed around to the back of Le Tour (after some pushing because of the sticky snow on the flat cat track) where there are some good off piste slopes up above the Vallorcine gondola. We were greeted by fields of untracked powder that were as light and dry as it gets, and this was enough to keep us doing lap after lap. We finished the day off with a few laps off the Autannes chairlift, bouncing in and out of the powder filled gullies that litter the front side of Le Tour. For those who prefer to stick to the pistes, I have one word, why? But if you really must they are in superb shape, fully covered in blankets of smooth corduroy. We really couldn't believe that the snow could be so good so early on the first big weekend of the season; the rest of the season now has a lot to live up to.

Useful Information
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.

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

Stats

Avalanche Risk
  • Level 3

Snow Report
  • 0

  • Total Pistes: 80

  • Alt. Resort: 1050

  • Alt. Summit: 3000

  • Alt. Last Snow: 1250

  • High Temp.: -5

  • Alt. High Temp.: 1050