Chamonix Snow Report: 11th January 2015
Finally a real 'bluebird day' - blue skies and fresh powder snow!
It's taken a while to come and even this Sunday we were all up early and waiting for that moment when the snow stopped and it was finally time to hit the mountain for some fresh tracks!
However, things were looking worse than expected first thing on Sunday morning...with many lifts on hold due to high winds and miserable weather in town with driving rain rather than the fluffy flakes of snow we were hoping for. So instead we headed to MBC for brunch and to have a re-think on our plans for the day.
So after an hour and a half of coffee, eggs benedict, breakfast bagels and girlie banter we were rewarded with some clearing skies and calmer winds. The decision was made to stay close to home to try and escape the high winds that were affecting Grands Montets, so we made our way up to Brevent.
Straight on to the top cable car to see how much snow had actually fallen up high we were happily surprised. With some nice soft fresh snow just off the side of the pistes it was easy to pick a nice line and have some fun. There are still a few rocks up there that sneak up on you but mostly you can see them coming (just need to be able to avoid them!!) and under the new snow there were a few patches when you hit the icy moguls underneath. But on the whole we had some great turns and a few fresh tracks before the crowds arrived.
The pistes at Brevent have really benefited from the new snow and the Cornu is now looking like it has full coverage which is quite a change from last week. We managed to find some beautiful powder off to skiers right of Cornu and although it was a bit of a mission to get there and a bit of a battle with some rocks on the exit it was worth it for the silky soft powder we found up there.
A few piste runs before we headed back down to town and I can safely say that my first bluebird day of the season was pretty awesome and put a smile on all our faces.
With some good weather expected this week it should be good on the pistes in all parts of the resort. Hopefully the winds have died down and the top cable car of Grands Montets will offer not only some superb views but also some great conditions for skiing and snowboarding. Brevent and Flegere will still have a few areas where you can get some fresh tracks and enjoy the good coverage on the pistes. And with Le tour being shut yesterday due to high winds there will no doubt be plenty of folk heading there to find some powder!
Current ski area openings:
- Grands Montets 75% open
- Brevent - Flegere 85% open
- Balme / Le Tour 60% open
- Les HouchesL 88% of lifts open and 62% of pistes
