Chamonix Snow Report: 19th April 2007

We headed up to Brevent today to check out exactly how it's faring in the heat. With temperatures hitting +23ºC it was a warm walk up to the Brevent gondola; it does feel odd wearing all the gear when it's so hot and everyone else is walking around in shorts and t-shirts. Once up at Planpraz it felt refreshing to be somewhere that was a little cooler, if not actually cold. We took the cable car up to the top of the Brevent, usually the coldest and iciest place in Brevent, but even here the snow had softened. Once around the Bozon piste, to the Chamonix-facing side where the sun had been on it, the snow really was getting quite heavy.

We followed Vioz all the way down to the Cornu chairlift. Vioz wasn't bad at all and is holding out very well with the exception of the lowest section through the trees by the Parsa chairlift where there are a couple of large grassy patches showing through, but there's enough snow to get through there without risking any base damage.

From the top of the Cornu chair the only option was to head back down the Cornu piste as the Charlanon bowl was fenced off; whether it's temporary because of avalanche risk or permanent and for the rest of the season I don't know. The Cornu was typically spring-like and thankfully not too mogulled, probably because of the lack of skiers out on the slopes: the ski area really was deserted today.

There was pretty limited skiing available up there today but enough to keep you amused for a few hours of slush bashing. The Liaison to Flegere is closed for the season and the Sources chairlift was also closed, so at Brevent you were limited to skiing on either the Cornu, the Parsa or the Brevent cable car, which isn't so bad when you consider that many resorts are now totally closed. The action really is at Grands Montets now, which stays open into May with its higher lift system and a shadier aspect that keeps the snow in better shape. The Pierre a Ric has finally closed at Grands Montets now and there is no skiing back to the valley at any of the ski areas, so it's a case of taking the Lognan cable car or Plan Joran chair down from there.

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