A large building is covered in scaffolding and a no parking sign is in front of it

Chamonix Snow Report: 20th May 2005

featured in Snow report Author Ellie Mahoney, Chamonix Editor Updated 26 May 2016

So after a few days rest and a trip to the UK we are back on the scene. Town has a quiet feel about it, the lifts are mainly closed, and plenty of shops are still closed - but by no means all. However, there is still quite a lot going on with a seemingly frantic amount of building work under way. Someone must have heard us complaining as we drunkenly stumbled up the Rue des Moulins stairs after one of the closing nights of the season a few weeks back.

May is actually not a bad time at all. Temperatures for sporting pursuits are ideal: warmish but not unbearable. The sky is generally clear. Better dig out the old running shoes from the back of the wardrobe....

As there isn't a huge amount to report on we are going to be updating this report only every few days. Keep checking back as things pick up for the summer (in another 1-2 weeks).

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