Chamonix Snow Report: 23rd March 2005

Up at Grands Montets today there looked to be a little fresh snow, maybe 10cm at the top of Bochard. Higher up, below the top cable car, you could see the fresh tracks some of the early risers got, but unconvinced that there was very deep snow up there we didn't pay the 5 euros for the ride to the top (I'm sure someone will now tell me the snow was fantastic up there). It was still hot despite the lower forecast temperature – only a t-shirt needed under a shell jacket (I wore a fleece and was overheating as a result). The snow was pretty soft and slushy around Lognan, which was full of people soaking up the sun on the terraces there.

The lower runs looked the slushiest and most worn. Coqs below the Plan Roujon chair was brown and soft, with slushy moguls building up in places. The upper section of it appeared to have been covered with snow pushed from the off piste. Arolles and Remuaz at the bottom of the Combe de la Pendant were very worn and patchy, with quite a few rocks sticking though. I can't imagine that these runs have much life left in them without any significant new snow and a drop in temperature. Marmottons, however, is in very good shape despite being at the same altitude as Coqs; it must avoid the worst of the sun's effects.

Combes off La Herse is a little worn but generally not bad at all, a little slushy lower down and a little bumpy near the top. The snow was fairly firm underneath. Bochard is similar although in better condition and almost perfect with the exception of some rocks at the top narrow section, which were cleverly disguised as moguls. Bochard can get a little busy so my favourite piste of the day has to have been Chamois. Don't be tempted to go all the way down to the Retour Pendant lift as you'll end up on Arolles, which is in pretty poor condition. Instead head right and go under the bridge that takes you back to Plan Roujon. The snow on Chamois was very good today. It wasn't slushy at all on the top section and had a firm base with a little bit of fresh soft stuff on top; I'd almost forgotten what that felt like over the past few weeks of sunny weather. It's a little bumpy at the top but you couldn't really call them moguls. Mostly it was smoothly groomed with a few ledges here and there to jump and some nice piles of soft snow at the side of the piste to have fun with. The only minor quibble was a short, steep section half way down that was very icy. It was a case of controlled skidding until I encountered a little loose snow to turn on; it's all good as it keeps you paying attention. The run out to the tunnel under Arolles is fun as you have to go seriously fast to save having to walk the flat section under the bridge.

We finished off with a run over the jumps left over from the Cham Rock big air. They are a little intimidating but are good jumps if you want a decent amount of airtime. Instead of riding down the normally busy Pierre a Ric at the end of the day we took the Plan Joran chair down to Argentiere. This is pretty normal in the late season when Pierre a Ric eventually closes, but at the moment not really necessary unless you're feeling lazy like us.

Useful Links
Cross-country skiing is Open
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.

Additional snow and weather information provided, with thanks, by meteo.chamonix.com and the Tourist Office