Chamonix Snow Report: 1st March 2008

This morning dawned very overcast accompanied with light rain. A look at the Compagnie du Montblanc Web Site showed that only 31 of the 43 lifts were running and only 33 of the 75 pistes were open. A look at the web cams revealed why, the wind sock at Le Tour was at right angles; all the higher lifts had been closed by wind. When the weather is poor its always worth a look at this site as it details the status of all the lifts, with projected opening times if appropriate, also details of any pistes that are closed will be found here.

By mid day the Bochard gondola had opened at Grands Montets and we headed up for an afternoons skiing. We used the chair to access Plan Joran which despite being slower I prefer to being crammed in the cable car plus you get to sit down. One word of warning when using the chair in wet weather, greasy water can drip from the cable on to the two middle seats so sit on the outside.

There was quite a scrum to get on the Bochard gondola as it was the only high lift running. As we approached the top the wind was buffeting the cabin and by the time we emerged the cloud had closed in, which made it difficult to see. It was hard to estimate the amount of new snow as the wind had been at work shifting it about, but it looked more like 5-10cm rather than the 25-35 forecast but I guess there was still a far bit of the day left. We descended a little way out of the cloud before venturing off piste. We found a pitch of fresh snow to put some lines in off the left side of the red Bochard piste but it was hard work in the poor light.

The snow on piste was the best it's been for a while with a layer of fresh snow on the hard base. Hopefully with some new snow to work with the pisteurs will be able to batter them into good shape again. The snow off piste was mixed, higher up, there would have been some fun to be had if it had not been for the poor light and high winds, lower down the snow was heavy and sticky. We felt a bit like Goldilocks, there was quite a narrow band of altitude where it was “just right”.

We finished off the day as usual when the weather is poor, playing around off piste in the trees and gullies above the Plan Joran where the snow and the visibility were good, plus we enjoyed some shelter from the wind.

The home run was in better condition than on Wednesday but is still not good. As we dropped below 1900m the snow had fallen as rain, and downloading might be the best option especially late in the afternoon.

It is a good idea to get your board or skis regularly waxed in these conditions and having the base structured can also help a lot when skiing and riding in wet snow.

The French Meteo has raised the avalanche threat level to 2/3, considerable. The higher level applies to altitudes over 2000m where slabs of up to 30cm may have been formed by the wind particularly above 2200m. Tomorrow is set to be fine which makes it the first fine day after snowfall, a day to take extra care!

Check out what to do around town once the lifts have closed with our latest Apres Ski Report - a weekly round up of what's hot and where to party in Chamonix!

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