Chamonix Snow Report: 31st January 2006

Yesterday was similarly warm, and I spent the day boarding at Grands Montets. Combe de la Pendant was good. It's got plenty of rocks to watch out for but the snow was reasonably good considering how long it's been since the last snowfall. It was a little crusty in places, but there were also some soft spots. The moguls, of which there were many, weren't all icy and some were even soft. The section skier's left of the bowl was the most affected by the sun, with the previous day's soft snow frozen hard in the morning. Further skier's right, the snow was more shaded and generally in better nick. A run down through the middle of the dream forest found some untouched snow, light, cold and unaffected by either the raging Foehn wind or sun. Another run through the trees but further skier's left was generally more tracked with fewer powdery spots, although still some of the best snow I've found in the last week.

Today (Tuesday) Le Tour wasn't looking that promising. The wind had sculpted some pretty strange shapes out of the snow, making the off piste resemble waves. It all looked bumpy and crusty, and not all that inviting. We found that out the hard way: a ride down the bowl to the skier's right above the Vallorcine Gondola, took us over lumpy wind crust, stuff that looked like soft powder but was in fact concrete, and a few ridges where the wind had removed all the snow completely. Lower down it started to get good where the sun had softened it a little, but it was too little too late, maybe an hour or two later it would have been good. So, after that, for no real reason, we hiked up the Tete de Balme. We could see that there wasn't much snow on it but that just meant easier hiking. The top of the Tete de Balme should be renamed the Toilet de Balme as all you can see when you get there is yellow-stained snow, isn't that nice? Well after that we needed a drink so we rode down to the hut at the Col de Balme. The south-facing slope had started to catch the sun and for the first time this winter it felt like riding spring snow, you know, that soft slushy stuff that's so much fun. It was thin in places with a few jumps over grassy patches being necessary but it all adds to the fun. The restaurant at the Col de Balme is something special: unlike most of the self-service cafes in Chamonix this one makes you feel like you're up a mountain rather than at a motorway service station. Highly recommended.

It was about one o'clock after our coffee and we thought the off piste route from the top the Aiguillette drag lift down to the Le Tour car park would be worth a try (p. 114 in the Vamos Chamonix Off Piste book). I was hoping the sun would have softened it up enough to make it good to ride. The top section up until a little below the avalanche barriers was great, just a little soft on the surface, ideal spring type snow. Lower down it started to feel much warmer in the sun, and correspondingly the lower we went the snow became heavier, slushier, and stickier. Overall it was good run and really felt like spring riding. I was glad we didn't do the run any later in the afternoon as it felt uncomfortably hot and I'm sure the snow pack would have become less and less stable as those temperatures continued, the avalanche barriers are there for a reason!

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