Chamonix Snow Report: 5th February 2005
We got up bright and early today, and were greeted by -9°C on our balcony and further shrinkage on our sophisticated snow-depth gauge (now down to 60cm). There was no new snow overnight, and instead there was blue sky this morning and the promise of a maximum of +4°C (this tempted one of our housemates to venture out without her long johns – a decision she almost immediately regretted! It did warm up later in the day but apparently it is not quite time to shed the thermals yet). We waited around until about 10.30am before setting off to Grand Montets as it is invariably cold, hard, and icy there in the mornings (in the past we have heard bus drivers advising visitors to go to La Flegere in the morning and Grand Montets in the afternoon).
All the omens were good – no wind, brilliant sunshine, no threatening signs about the state of the pistes, and only a minor queue – so we finally decided to pay our 5 euros each and take the Lognan-Grand Montets cable car up top. After a quick climb up to the viewing platform above the lift station, we chose the Point de vue piste as our route down. Of the two runs (both black, mainly unbashed, and on glacier so don't stray off piste unless you have the equipment, the know how, and/or a guide) from the top, the Point de vue offers the most for your money both in terms of distance and views. The Pylones run under the lift line can be stunning in fresh powder but the Point de vue is longest, has some challenging, steep sections, and offers a staggering, close-up view of the Argentiere glacier (about three-quarters of the way down where the moguls stop and the bashed piste begins you can scoot up onto a ridge skier's right of the piste and peek carefully down over the top into the dramatic ice fall). The snow was firm, and whilst it isn't exactly icy some sections haven't got much loose stuff on the surface so beware of slipping. The run has its fair share of moguls too and is long so can be tiring for some. Having implied in the last report that anyone who likes moguls is some kind of sick pervert, I found myself enjoying the challenge on the Point de Vue today. Not everyone in our group agreed, but the run did get the thumbs up from at least some skiers and snowboarders.
The boarder cross is open at Grand Montets now. You can get to it from the top of the Tabe or Marmottons chairs, and the Bochard gondola, and it runs alongside the Marmottons blue run. There are jumps, rollers, and a wicked step up but the less adventurous can take an air-free line and simply enjoy the banked turns. We had several runs through and even a couple of housemates who normally shun such things couldn't resist a go and had to admit it was fun!
The run down Pierre a Ric at the end of the day was icy in places. (Beware the bare patches that often seem to form in the middle of the piste just over every rise.) On a very busy day you need eyes in the back of your head for this run at hometime; whilst it wasn't too bad today the numbers of visitors are starting to pick up again after the lull in January.
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
Additional snow and weather information provided, with thanks, by meteo.chamonix.com and the Tourist Office
Stats
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Level 2
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0
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Total Pistes: 80
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Alt. Resort: 2000
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Alt. Summit: 3000
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Alt. Last Snow: 1042
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High Temp.: 4
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Alt. High Temp.: 1042
