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Chamonix Snow Report: 2nd February 2006

featured in Snow report Author Ellie Mahoney, Chamonix Editor Updated

It's still like spring here in Chamonix as the warm temperatures and sunny skies continue to prevail. Today wasn't quite as warm as yesterday's maximum of 10ºC but it has been pretty mild nonetheless: at 4:30pm this afternoon it's still 5ºC on our balcony.

Today I headed up to Flegere. Its sunny aspect makes it one of my favourite areas when it really is spring, so with the current conditions I was hoping for it to slush up nicely by the afternoon. I arrived about midday, no queue at the cable car up. I did notice on the way up that the Praz home run was looking very patchy. My decision to download at the end of the day on the cable car was reinforced later when I saw that Praz was in fact closed.

Once up I was initially disappointed to find that the slush from the day before was not at all slushy but hard and mostly still frozen. So, I killed a bit of time on the runs from the Floria lift. The black run Floria hasn't changed much over the last week: it's still hard packed and even a little icy at the top, followed by a narrow section of large moguls that seem to slow most people down. Then there's a wide, smooth section where it joins the red Crochues, which is in perfect condition: soft enough to get an edge on but not slushy even today. Then it's back onto Floria, an almost off piste section but with poles marking it. It was starting to turn slushy at this point and there were more moguls and rocks to negotiate. The lowest part of Floria was closed so I headed down on Remuaz, which was also fairly soft and almost slushy. It was hard work, the wet heavy snow made my legs beg for a rest. I did another lap on Crochues, which was very similar to Floria. Crochues was icier at the top because it's shadier. Again it had a mogulled, rocky section to navigate but it is a little less steep than Floria's bumps. Lower down as the run nears La Trappe it started to get a bit patchy, with foliage sticking through in places and the odd rock here and there to keep you on your toes. The snow was heavier and slushier the lower down I went, with it resembling the conditions you might expect to find in late March or early April.

Combe Lachenal was good and had softened up nicely, easy to ride but again hard work on the legs. The sun catches the skier's left of the bowl in the afternoon making it feel seriously warm, and I found myself having to resort to opening all of the vents on my outerwear. There were a few rocks starting to come through lower down on the run but not very many. Pylones and Index are looking like a little fresh snow wouldn't go amiss; in a few places brown snow has returned, elsewhere it's looking fairly good with a solid base that was refusing to soften up in the afternoon sun. The cat tracks below the lift were almost good enough for spinning off, but much to my annoyance the snow refused to soften up enough to make for easy landings, instead it was just a little too hard, at least that meant that the snow wouldn't be melting too quickly. The green runs under the Trappe chair are all in excellent condition, and as I rode up the Trappe chair I saw that the snow stick there measured 140cm, not bad considering how warm it's been. It was very quiet up on the mountain today, I suppose it'll get busier in February when the holidays start but at the moment I'm making the most of it.

Useful Information
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.

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

Stats

Avalanche Risk
  • Level 2

Snow Report
  • 0

  • Total Pistes: 80

  • Alt. Resort: 1050

  • Alt. Summit: 3000

  • Alt. Last Snow: 1250

  • High Temp.: 5

  • Alt. High Temp.: 1050