Chamonix Snow Report: 30th March 2007

The snow at Brevent and Flegere wasn't bad, even without the top up that we were hoping for. It's been quite mild here and the snow has been softening up nicely in the afternoons. However, the cloudy, overcast weather has helped to prevent the snow tipping over into full-blown slush.

Our first runs of the day were at Brevent. Vioz, the main blue run below the Parsa chairlift, was a little firm below the thin, softened layer on top, but it was soft enough to hold an edge and made for some easy carving. We headed up the Cornu chairlift, which incidentally was closed later in the day for what reason I don't know, and rode down the Charlanon red piste. The top section is a little steep as red runs go and can often be a little icy, but today the snow was just on the right side of firm, and holding an edge was possible with some deliberate technique.

The Liaison was running so we headed over to Flegere where it always seems to be a little bit sunnier and warmer than Brevent; today was no exception. We had a few runs off of the Index, following the Pylones and Pic Janvier pistes. On piste the snow was very good and as the afternoon wore on the soft top layer became very easy to push around. Off piste things were a little too hard and lumpy for my liking, with some strong sun and some serious softening it could have been fun but I chose to keep to the groomed runs for my kicks; I even noticed a guy on a powder board today sticking to the pistes.

The snow on the Floria black run was just about the best of it today and I don't think I've ever seen the top half of the piste looking so good. The usual rocks are well buried under the deep snowpack, as are the dips that earlier in the season routinely trapped the unwary. The snow itself was colder and less slushed up than elsewhere, making it really easy to drive the edge of my board into the snow through my turns. The lower half was a different story but just as much fun, as the piste consisted of melted sugary snow crystals, hard to describe but like slush without the heaviness or stickiness.

Combe Lachenal is still very good but a little icy on the top section and if you're feeling tired it can be a bit of struggle, but below the top section the softened snow was much easier to deal with. Lower down as the piste bears back towards the Liaison the brown patches that appeared a couple of weeks ago are still there, although it seems that the pisteurs have it under control as it's not getting any worse.

One of the main things to note at the moment is the emptiness of the pistes: there's barely soul around. Queues are non-existent to minimal on the main lifts, and we only had to wait a few minutes to take the Brevent gondola down. The peace has been nice but it may all change the Easter holidays begin in earnest.

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

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