Chamonix Snow Report: 6th February 2008
I guess many people reading this will be checking conditions in advance of their half term holiday. Well the news is good, conditions in the Chamonix valley are excellent at the moment, and while no more snow is forecast for the next few days, the two recent snow falls of about 20cm each have refreshed the pistes and off piste nicely.
It snowed for most of the day on Monday, rain initially in the town, turning to snow later. Fortunately it all fell as snow on the mountain. Tuesday was glorious, and we headed up to Le Tour. My previous visit here on Sunday had been great fun but the conditions then despite a snowfall the day before were still a little thin, plus the strong wind had also done a bit of damage. Tuesday was different the 18cm of Monday on top of the 20cm of Saturday had made a big difference. All the pistes and off piste were excellent with powder everywhere, soft and lightly packed on piste, and weightless off piste, with fresh lines to be had both on the front side, and on the Vallorcine side, plus it was extremely quiet.
Wednesday's forecast was mixed, showers in the morning and brighter later. We headed to Grands Montets- we had heard from friends that the conditions were marvellous. Well unusually, the Chamonix Meteo got it slightly wrong; the weather on the mountain was reminiscent of a bad day in Scotland! The snow itself was superb but the strong wind and a mixture of falling snow and spindrift all day made it feel all a bit hardcore. Also the low cloud which boiled around us all day played havoc with the light.
The Herse chair had been closed by the high winds, which later also closed the Pendant chair. This was a pity as the snow conditions in the Lavancher bowl were great, soft on piste and tracked but still soft off piste. We also played around in the gullies above the Plan Joran which were more sheltered and again with soft new snow.
A fast run down the in condition home run, the Pierre a Ric, which was unusually quiet (probably something to do with the blizzard) finished off a tough but still enjoyable day. I did notice on the way down the splendid, red Variante Hotel run, had been marked with poles for the first time this season. This run is unpisted and very high in its grade, but as I said splendid.
One feature of Chamonix is that any new snow will quickly get flattened off piste, by enthusiastic boarders and skiers, more so than anywhere I have ever visited, however this is not a disaster as long as it remains soft.
It's hard to predict exactly what the snow will be like for the start of half term, there is no more snow forecast for the next six days or so, but it should be cold and the high winds are set to subside, which is good news. One thing that is easier to predict is that it will get awfully busy from Saturday onwards, if you are looking to hire equipment its best to book in advance. Details elsewhere on this site.
Today's snow was falling as what the French call “Graupel”, these small round pellets will often not bond well with adjacent layers.
The avalanche level today was set at 3, considerable.
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
