A person skiing down a snowy slope with mountains in the background

A group of people are walking up a snowy mountain

A man in a blue jacket is holding skis in front of a snowy mountain

A sign on a fence that says service point

A man wearing a red jacket that says mammut on it

Chamonix Snow Report: 1st May 2011

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

So there we have it, all pistes in the valley have officially closed, the pisteurs have finished work, the café is closed, and all the lift staff are beginning to pack up, and make preparations for a summer of fun. There is still hope for the keen mountaineer, ski or snowboard tourer, with the lift at Grand Montets opening for this clientele in the morning at 0830 and 0930 to go up and complete routes accessible off the Argenitere glacier, then also a couple of afternoon lifts to return the satisfied to town at 1300, 1600 and 1630.

The Aiguille du Midi is open for business throughout and there are many high altitude opportunities available throughout the summer months as well for mountaineers and sightseers alike from the top of this very high cable car. It will be slightly difficult to return to the bottom of the glacier to get the train down to Chamonix centre as there is a bit of a walk out where the snow ends, and you will need to be roped up with crampons and ice axes in your possession teamed with glacial rescue knowledge, to arrive at the end of the glacier. The guides are still operating toured routes for the experienced riders out there, however skiing and snowboarding certainly isn't the only thing to do in the valley at this time!

If you are out soon, then get down one of the many bike shops in the valley (most of whom are packing up their ski and snowboard stuff till next year), and rent out a couple of bikes suitable to your style of riding. You can get on a road bike and explore some of the many routes in and around the valley taken by the tour de France. Or get yourself on a cross country bike and ride for free around the many lower accessible trails and explore the Mont Blanc Massif. Or why not get yourself kitted out to the max on a full suspension bike and full body armour, and head over to Flegere or Le Tour for some great downhill mountain biking adventures!

There are plenty more activities to explore in the valley so if you love the outdoors and mountain life then get out here for the best inter-season adventures you could dream of!

Friday was the last piste riding day of the season, they had it advertised all week for this, and even with reports coming in of snow to fall the lift company took a the decision of early closure due to the difficulties and safety implications of keeping the resort open with so little coverage. Needless to say the last day was a spectacular powder day explosion! We got up fairly early as we witnessed the snow fall high up the previous day, and we were very surprised to see that there was no queue for the top lift, no queue for the bubble, and only a queue to get back down to the town for the royal wedding celebrations! We stayed up the entire day to make the most of the amazing snow and end the season on a high riding fresh amazing powder!

There was an effort to put on a party on the hill, but it did not compare to end of season parties previously put on the hill. With poor marketing thus a poor turnout left the DJ's wondering where have all the lovely people gone! A bit of a disappointment compared to previous seasons, however to have powder on the last day of the season was enough to satisfy all those who made the effort to get up there.

So that's pretty much it, we enter about a month of quiet inter-season period before the hills come in to action for the summer, why not come out during this period to see what the summer can have to offer, and with so many deals on offer it shouldn't put you out of pocket!

Editor's note: So, that's it for winter 2010/2011 then! We hope you've enjoyed reading our reports as much as we've enjoyed writing them and we look forward to bringing you more up-to-date info next season.

You can read all of our reports from this season and previous ones by using the “Archived Reports” box in the top right-hand corner. In the meantime, there will occasional interseason updates and be sure to check back around the beginning of June when our summer reports start up again, bringing you regular updates on local events and activities.

Chamonet.com is one of the Skinets.com ski resort websites; we are looking for enthusiastic and reliable reporters who will be in the Alps all season to produce written reports and/or present video reports. If you are planning on spending next winter in one of the following resorts and are interested in working for us please send an email to alison@skinets.com.

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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!