Chamonix Snow Report: 3rd February 2008
Sundays have become a busy day now in the valley. This Sunday with a sunny forecast and fresh snow was a very busy day. This is just a taste of things to come as the school holidays approach. Friday night and to a lesser extent Saturday brought the first decent amount of new snow since the 22nd and had been eagerly anticipated.
Yet again an attempt to visit Flegere was stopped by the wind closing the lift. Plan “B” Grands Montets was doomed as soon as we saw the completely packed car park. The fall back on these days is always Vallorcine, and it did not let us down. Although the lift was late opening due to high winds, ample parking and no queue made this the best option.
Travelling upward in the fast gondola first impressions were that all was well, the fresh snow had covered everything nicely. Our first run down the red Belle Place however revealed that while most of the run was excellent on the steeper narrow sections the fresh snow had already started to be swept aside to uncover the harder old snow underneath.
The blue Esserts piste was similar, generally very good soft snow over a firm base, but with the odd patch of hard snow on the steeper sections. On the front side, the wider pistes were all excellent, with new soft snow giving good cover everywhere. There was some powder drifting onto the piste in the strong wind, which was quite nice, if you were expecting it!
Off piste it was the opposite with the best conditions on the Vallorcine side, although the area below the Tete de Balme was already getting tracked it was generally soft. The snow off piste on the Aiguillette de Posettes was fantastic, with lots of fresh lines to be had in the light 20cm+ of powder, the best we found being off the left side of the NE Ridge. The off piste on the front side had largely been spoiled by the wind.
The small Buvett (café) above the Charamillion has not yet opened this season, which is a shame as the facilities at Le Tour are limited on the hill. The large restaurant at Charamillion is supplemented by the quirky Col de Balme refuge, which is well worth the short walk if only for the amazing position. They serve steak and chips for 9€, but don't expect too much in the way of garnish. The new small private Buvett just above the Posettes drag, is a welcome high quality addition. If you want a good lunch at Le Tour there is always the option of skiing down the blue Foret Vert to Vallorcine and eating at the pleasant station restaurant, pre-booking essential.
The weather forecast for the next week is not entirely clear; a light fall of snow is expected on Monday together with continuing strong winds, with warmer temperatures towards the end of week.
The posted avalanche warning at Le Tour was slightly muddled today with level 2 moderate, being posted at the bottom and level 3, considerable being posted at most other lift stations, however they were all flying the solid yellow flags, which indicates level 2, moderate. Meteo France are giving a split avalanche forecast with level 2 below 2000m and level 3 above which might explain the confusion.
Useful Information
Useful Links
Additional snow and weather information provided, with thanks, by meteo.chamonix.com and the Tourist Office
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
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.
Stats
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Level 3
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0
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Total Pistes: 75
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Alt. Resort: 2000
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Alt. Summit: 2700
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Alt. Last Snow: 2700
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High Temp.: 4
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Alt. High Temp.: 1050
