Chamonix Snow Report: 4th April 2006

In the depths of winter, Grands Montets is shady all day but by this time of year it catches the sun, which makes it feel unusually warm. I had to lose a layer and ended up riding with just a first layer and shell jacket. The wind higher up on the Herse did have a chilly edge to it though but not enough to make me feel cold.

The snow at Grands Montets is still really good; the super-deep base is holding out well even low down on the Pierre a Ric, which is normally starting to suffer in April. At the moment it's still in good shape with only a few bits and pieces of vegetation starting to show through here and there. At about 1:00pm it was slushing up a little where the sun was on it but in the shade there was icy, frozen slush from the day before. The Bochard was consistently good, with a firm base and lots of loose snow on top. I noticed a few hard booters out today laying down some deep carves on the hard pack. To the sides of the Bochard I found a few small stashes of powder that had been overlooked; it was deep enough not to hit anything hard or icy underneath and very gentle on my injured ankle - I'd like more of that please!

The skier/boardercross area was being remodelled today, so it was closed. However, it didn't stop us using a banked turn near the bottom end of the coarse as a very well-shaped kicker. Good enough for one of us to learn backflips on (not me). The snow on the landing zone was deep and soft enough but just a little too heavy in the hot temperatures so the landing quickly got bombed out.

The Herse chair had a few technical problems this morning causing it to be closed temporarily. But, it reopened and we tried out the snow from there. The pistes were in good order with them firm with the usual loose soft stuff on top. You need to watch out for the mogulled runs (assuming they aren't what floats your boat) when you get off the Herse; the red run is mogul free. Lower down we found some good powder too, although the lower we went the more challenging it became - crustier and thinner as we approached Pierre a Ric. The nursery slopes at Chosalets appear to be closed today. There is still plenty of snow there so I hope that they aren't closed for good.

All in all April is shaping up very well indeed. We've more fairly heavy snow due tonight and tomorrow right down to the valley. It'll be great I'm sure, especially as it's so quiet up on the mountain at the moment.

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