A person skiing down a snowy mountain with a sign that says 33

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

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

Two people skiing down a snow covered slope with mountains in the background

Chamonix Snow Report: 23rd April 2007

featured in Snow report Author Kevin Knox, Updated 26 May 2016

Since the last report the weather has been basically the same: clear skies and hot sunny afternoons with temperatures dropping overnight but not to below freezing. The ski areas have now partially closed down leaving only Grands Montets and the Aiguille du Midi running. Flegere is still open until the 1st May but just the Trappe, Index and Telepherique. Grands Montets is open but without all the usual lifts. The Herse, Plan Roujon and Retour Pendant chairlifts are now all closed for the season. On the 8th May Grands Montets finally closes for skiers so there are still a few more weeks left.

The hot weather has made it hard to be out just snowboarding or skiing and as temperatures have been hitting 25ºC in Chamonix we've been out cycling, and our housemates have been rock climbing at Les Gaillands. It's really one of the great things about spring in Chamonix as you can choose from a whole load of different activities: skiing, paragliding, climbing, walking, or mountain biking are all possible. As of the 1st May all the mountain bike trails are open in Chamonix, except the high up trails which still have snow on, but down in the valley it's dry and snow free.

Today we headed up to Grands Montets for a few hours of snowboarding. The sweet spot in terms of catching the snow when it's softened and not too slushy seems to be between 12:00 and 2:00pm. Too early and it's icy at the top of Bochard as my housemates complained when they got there at 11:00. Too late and the lower runs like Marmottons are soft, sticky, moguls of slush that seem to suck the energy straight out of your legs. At 12:00 though Marmottons was superb, just right and surprisingly quick given the heat; I have to admit to expecting the worst of it but it was fun.

The park has died, or rather seems to have been left to die. The jumps are rutted, and some have been removed altogether. The lower half of the park is getting pretty patchy, and some jumps have had poles put across them to stop them being used. There were a few hardcore freestylers hiking some jumps but it's looking like it's all over for the park. It's a shame really as the park has been getting better and better through the season, and it's sad to see it go.

Elsewhere on the mountain we found some good snow. My favourite was the Chamois piste, which had been smoothly groomed and was free of moguls and other people. It lent itself to a fast run laying down big carves on the still firm snow. Watch out for the run out at the bottom where you head under the bridge: it's flat and you need a lot of speed to avoid having to skate out. As Retour Pendant is shut this is the only way out of the Combe de la Pendant.

Up at the top the Point de Vue Piste was a very different experience as it was littered with moguls, irregularly space and some ludicrously big. It wasn't too hard to deal with though as the snow was fairly soft and a long way from being icy. The off piste was far less mogulled but I noticed that there are quite a few hollows and depressions forming as some of the snow bridges are starting to sink. Down on the Argentiere glacier the melting snow had formed little lakes of bright-blue water. There were plenty of ski tourers about up there too, with people heading over the Col du Chardonnet possibly starting the Haute Route or simply heading to the Trient hut, and quite a few others heading over the Col du Passon.

The Freeride Days end of season party is coming up on the 29th of April at Grands Montets. Don't miss it as it's a great way to see out the end of the season and if the weather stays like this I may even have a go on the water slide.

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