Chamonix Snow Report: 21st April 2012

Making the most of Brevent/Flegere before it closes (well Brevent at least; Flegere will remain partially open until the 29th) I’ve just stayed local for the last few days and had some of the best skiing of the last couple of months. Yesterday morning there was around 30cms of fresh snowfall and we awoke to the sound of avalanche blasts as the area was secured. On Brevent, the top cable car and the Cornu chairlift remained closed for the day, but the liaison cable car was open so we had easy access to the Flegere side as well. The Index was delayed in opening until around 10.30am so we tinkered around on Brevent for a few runs before heading over.

The light was initially a bit flat but the sun and the clouds were in constant battle with each other all day. I reckon the sun probably won out overall though as there was no trouble picking routes down the off-piste from the top of the Index. The snow was just fabulous, well up your shins, possibly a little bit heavy but still an absolute joy to carve through. The Floria drag lift was closed all day and so we were just traversing far skiers' left getting line after line of fresh spring pow! The most astonishing thing was just how deserted the area was; the masses (although I use that word very lightly) are all on Grands Montets mainly but even there, it’s still not getting tracked out at its usual rate. Anyway, on Flegere, we were still getting face shots through untracked powder even down the edge of the Floria piste at 2.30 in the afternoon! Gotta love April!

This morning I was back on Brevent but it was a bit of a different story. I was quite excited to see that the top cable car was open today after a day off and I thought that there would undoubtedly be some nice lines to be had off the edge of the piste. It was blowing a gale at the top though and the cloud was pretty well down so it was a case of relax those knees and head blindly into the mist! The snow was deep but really heavy. Maybe it wasn’t the best choice to head straight off piste on cold legs but I found it really hard work and it was much heavier snow than the lovely pow we’d had the day before. Although the liaison to Flegere was open today, as we got towards that side of the area, the 4 man chair was slowing to a stop and we wondered if it was going to end up closing due to the wind. I called it a day at that point which may have been a mistake as although the weather forecast said it would get progressively worse as the day went on, from town, it looked like it may have been quite nice in the end. Hey ho, some you win......

Now it has most definitely got progressively worse – it is absolutely tanking down with rain this evening and I’m steeling myself for a night on the tiles in town. I had rather hoped I might be able to wear something a bit fancy on my feet this evening (in the mountains days when you can totter around in ladies shoes are rather limited) however, as the rain is currently re-bounding about 6 inches back off the pavement, I think wellies are going to be most appropriate choice. Fur trimmed of course - we might not be in Courchevel but one has to make an effort! ;O)