A person skiing down a snowy mountain with the sun shining through the clouds

A person is skiing down a snowy mountain

A person wearing a hat that says ' salomon ' on it

A person skiing down a snow covered slope with mountains in the background

Chamonix Snow Report: 4th April 2011

featured in Snow report Author Kieran Sharp, Updated 24 October 2014

Some absolutely crazy hot weather has been passing through the Alps where it has felt closer to summer temperatures even at night than anything which could possibly still resemble what would commonly be known as winter. With this hot weather system, there seems to be a lot of cumulous cloud growing and we could be in for some thunder storms quite soon, which should be dumping snow up fairly high, and an unfortunate amount of rain on some of the lower slopes. This will most likely spell the end of the season for a lot of other resorts in the Alps, but if there is one that will hold on to at least the hope of winter it will surely be the fantastic Grand Montets in the Chamonix valley!

Having some of the highest lifts in Europe and a season which commonly ends around mid-May you have the best possibility at scoring some fresh in this fantastic excuse for a valley, and with a lot of holiday deals and discounts going on, why not come out and see what's on offer? Believe it or not even though there is a lot of bad press going around about the European winter this season, it is still possible and enjoyable to ride. The snow is soft and playful, and having so many great sunny days makes snowboarding or skiing a great pleasure to the heart and soul. If you do come out, I guarantee you will have a great time.

With some of the outstandingly warm weather we have been receiving it has made it possible to begin performing some of the activities normally performed in the summer. Climbers are getting out on the lower crags in the valley, cross country runners and hikers are getting on the trails, and there is a heck of a lot of bikers kicking around! Just being out in the mountains at the moment you will find a huge amount of activities to get into, and a lot of chalet companies are beginning to show clients some of the summer activities possible and most have been pleasantly surprised at the fun they are having even without massive amounts of powder to ride!

If you are a keen skier or snowboarder and are thinking its best to just leave it for next season, it can sometimes be a good idea to get some expert coaching, where you will find you can improve your understanding of the sport and how to ride better, in order to enjoy more snow next season, or even over the summer on one of the glaciers. Getting in touch with the likes of All Mountain Performance, Blue Mile Snowsports, McNab Snowsports, BASS, and Evolution 2 can all help in improving your snowboarding or skiing and get you enjoying even the worst of snow conditions!

If you haven't checked it out already then get on to easyjet for some cracking flight deals, Cham Van for some quality transfers and any number of chalet and hotels in the valley with loads of availability and great discounts! Get out before it's gone!

Check out our Mountain Guide Listings for contact details of local guiding and activity companies.

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