Chamonix Snow Report: 5th January 2008
The last couple of days have seen major changes in the valley. Firstly there has been a mass exodus of New Year visitors; while the roads (out) have been busy, the slopes have been getting quieter by the day. The other major change has been in the weather. As I mentioned in my last report the Foehn wind has been blowing and blowing hard. It has started snowing today and another 30cm is forecast for tonight, the downside is that the wind has also brought with it warmer temperatures, the freezing level is 1400-1800m. but fortunately, is set to drop.
On Thursday my housemate and I set off to Le Tour, for a lesson. There are many excellent snow sport schools in Chamonix, and most are listed elsewhere on this site. We were having our lesson with Derek Tate, from BASS Chamonix. One thing you can rest assured of in France is that all instructors are required to be qualified to the highest standards and Derek is no exception holding the highest BASI qualifications. I am often asked “when should I stop having lessons” well I guess the answer for me is- when I don't want to get any better.
The weather although sunny and bright felt bitter cold in the strong wind, particularly on the lifts. The on piste snow conditions were good if a little peculiar; the strong winds had scoured the mountainside and while there were some bare sections of hardpack there were also large patches where soft powder snow had accumulated which was great fun to ski in. Off piste we saw the same thing again with some large accumulations of powder especially in the gullies, along with severely scoured areas. We had a great session and at the end of the afternoon headed down, pleasantly exhausted, and with quite a few things to work on.
The avalanche level had been raised to 3 (considerable), up from 2. Flegere/Brevent was closed (also on Friday) along with a few other lifts due to the strong winds.
Saturday dawned overcast and gloomy and the forecast was for snow during the afternoon. The best resort in the valley to ride or ski, when it is snowing is Les Houches. Its many tree lined runs give some protection and the trees act as reference points in poor visibility, and as I had not skied there yet, it was the obvious choice. The upgraded Prarion lift soon had us riding up into the near blizzard conditions, fortunately the wind had dropped. With the falling snow, the pistes on both sides of the mountain were improving by the hour. I had been told that the conditions at Les Houches were a little icy and bare in places, but the warmer weather and new snow is freshening things up nicely.
Later we ventured into the trees for a bit of transceiver practice, something I would strongly recommend, if you go off piste and carry one, as it improves search times dramatically. At the end of the afternoon we retreated, wet, tired, and slightly bedraggled, but had had a tough but educational day.
The outlook for the next few days is for more mixed weather, and possibly further snow. The avalanche level has been reduced to 2.
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 2
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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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0
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Alt. High Temp.: 1050
