Chamonix Snow Report: 22nd December 2011

Places that haven't been accessible for skiing for years are now covered, and it's possible to ski all the way down to the valley if you're game. Though be warned, the visibility has been quite bad with a lot of white outs, and avalanche danger is still high.

Last Saturday the 17th was the scheduled opening for all the remaining resorts, but due to high winds and a lot of snow, only Les Houches opened at the weekend. From Monday, the other resorts have begun partially opening, though mostly only the bottom lifts at this stage due to weather, snowfall and avalanche dangers.

On Saturday and Sunday I went riding at Les Houches. As the busy season has finally kicked in, I haven't managed to ride anywhere else this week, but am eagerly awaiting the weekend. Saturday and Sunday at Les Houches were great even though the visibility was poor. The tree lines are fun, and with over 2 metres of snow there are lots of powder turns to be found, and as the snow just keeps coming down, so do fresh tracks!

Most of this week has been cloudy and snowing in the valley, though on Monday we finally saw the clouds lift to reveal the Mont Blanc massif dusted in metres of fresh snow and sunlight. A truly inspiring sight.

Temperatures are currently -1 in the valley, though down to -16 at the Aiguille du Midi, a rise of a few degrees in the past few days. Temperatures are expected to continue to rise slightly for the rest of the week, and it looks like Friday will be sunny again.

Though the avalanche rating has been set at around 3 the last few days, it has again risen to 4 on the higher mountain. With a slight increase in temperature, we can possibly see it stay around 4 for awhile as the snow pack becomes less stable.

So get out there, but stay safe!