A snowboarder is going down a snowy slope with mountains in the background

A person on a snowboard that says descente on it

A person skiing down a snowy slope with mountains in the background

A man wearing a blue jacket with the word rossignol on it

Chamonix Snow Report: 9th March 2011

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

Some more amazing sunny days in this gorgeous valley and loads of dirty bearded goggle tans are being spotted throughout the valley. It's definitely spring time now, no denying it whatsoever, and its great! The sun is up for longer and riding in the afternoons is amazingly soft and motivating. There could be some more snow coming towards the end of the week which is required however after 2 months without snow at the beginning of the year we now know that although we would very much enjoy another dump, it isn't completely necessary just yet, and we can manage riding what we got for a while.

Yesterday was international women's day, and with this in mind some of the local Chamonix girls got together and went for a mass ride. It was a great day for all the girls that joined in and got involved, and also for the few guys which hung around on the hill to see this mass of women all in one place. Nikita had loads of prize give a ways to the girls for things like best trick of the day, best fall, most stylish rider and many more. There was some free Snowboard coaching session provided by Blue Mile Snowsports and DJ's on the hill at Les Chavants funky café/bar/restaurant, which set a great scene and atmosphere for the ladies. The party didn't stop there and there are more events and parties planned over the course of the next couple of days.

Right now as the temperatures have been a lot higher it has meant that even the Grand Montets is coming above freezing level even on the higher pistes. This is great as it does eventually warm up the slopes and makes a great opportunity for a beer up on the hill in the late afternoon sun. However it means that as the temperature drops at night it has turned a lot of the snow in to hard pack, and ice in areas which doesn't shift as easy as the south facing hills. The park is in good condition on the Grand Montets and is being well maintained by the park team, they have made some of the jumps a slightly bigger gap so a little more speed is necessary but still achievable to make the landing area, always check the speed you need to make the landing before take-off.

Flegere Brevent and Le Tour are all great hills to ride and get a fantastic amount of sun, and things have really been warming up on these slopes, making some softer riding conditions earlier on much softer and more enjoyable. However as it has been so warm on these slopes we will begin to see snow disappear from these hills well before Grand Montets, so hopefully we get more snow soon and can continue to enjoy all the hills in the valley!

With a thinner snow cover and icier conditions being felt in some places its necessary to take more caution on the slopes, so ensure if you are out this week that you're not resting in the middle of the slope especially after blind rollers, or natural or even man-made jumps, instead find a safe spot at the side of the piste to chill if you're legs are starting to feel the burn or you are simply waiting for your mates to catch up. Be well aware of other slope users and remember that everyone no matter if they are on one or two bits of wood, everyone just wants to have fun in the sun and on the snow.

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!