A snowy slope with a mountain in the background

A snowy mountain with trees and a cloudy sky

A ski lift going up a snow covered mountain

Chamonix Snow Report: 25th March 2010

featured in Snow report Author Kieran Sharp, Updated 24 October 2014

Well finally there is a decent amount of snow on the forecast and it looks like the forecast might just be right! The weather looks like it's moving in and the temperature has dropped a bit in the last couple of days, which hasn't made it that much fun for riding. We've had some very hard packed snow which inevitably happens during the change between hot slushy conditions and new snow arriving! The freezing level is still quite high but the snow that is arriving should lay around 50cm on slopes above 1800m over the next few days, so we are all patiently waiting for the next epic powder day which is well deserved after almost a month without any fresh. Even so, we've been making the most out of it by hiking far a field to get little slithers and enjoy slushy conditions; it will be graciously accepted when it does enter the valley!

The freeze thaw process should bring with it more stable snow and over all the snow pack should last longer from this process, especially with a large dump on top of it! So if you are pondering over the idea of coming out to Chamonix this weekend, I would seriously recommend booking your flight now before its too late and get some fresh stuff!

The past couple of days hasn't been great for chucking ourselves off features, and there has been a lot of avalanche activity in the backcountry so we have just been riding around sorting out carving technique around the pistes. It's good to take a bit of time really thinking about the way you ride and trying to look at skiing or snowboarding in a logical but scientific way. Small changes to the way you stand on your plank (or planks!) of wood can dramatically change the feeling you get when you carve and it can also prevent injury by standing in the correct way.

The basis of skiing or snowboarding or any sport for that matter is your stance; there are movements which need to be performed in order to get your skis or board to work correctly and these movements can not be performed if the rider is standing in the wrong position. For snowboarders a big thing about standing in the correct position will come from how a person stands on their feet. A lot people will find that they stand with more pressure on the inside of their feet and when they are snowboarding they might be standing on the inside of one and the outside of another (predominantly on the inside of their back foot). If a snowboarder can stand on the outside of both feet (standing on the bone that runs from the little toe to the heel) throughout the whole turn then a better body position will be found. This small thing alone will allow the rider to more easily push their knees apart and control more of the edge and will allow the rider to make effective movements in order to carve better.

We spent a lot of time the past couple of days looking at each others body positions and seeing if we could make changes to our riding. Iit was a great way to spend a day working on our technique in this way and everyone made some improvement. It's well worth booking yourself a lesson when you come out to the valley, no matter what level of rider you are there is always something that can be improved upon and you might be shocked at the results! For the girls why not look up WOW Chamonix (Women Of Winter) for a weekend of shredding, sliding, partying, and pampering between 9th - 11th April, where there will be snowboarding and skiing technique tips along with many other activities over the weekend!

Check out what to do around town once the lifts have closed with our Apres Ski Report - a weekly round up of what's hot and where to party in Chamonix!