Chamonix Snow Report: 20th January 2016

On Monday I met up with some friends for some relaxed skiing around Brevent/Flegere. The Savoy poma is now open so it was an easy trip up to the Planpraz gondola and then up to midstation. The Brevent top lift still wasn't open, presumably due to avalanche risk above the pistes, but everything else was running so there was still a lot of terrain to ski and no queues for lifts.

The pistes were skiing well but we had our eyes on some safe and easy-access off piste. First up the Keyhole, skier's-right off the Cornu chairlift - a very quick sidestep up and through a small col to access the bowl between Cornu and Hotel Face. The snow was a little tracked but in such a large bowl there were still fresh lines to be had. Mellow angles and boot-top powder meant that long fast turns were the order of the day, very nice as a warm-up.

Next up, the Cornu ridge. I don't ski here all that often but have had some really fun descents in the past and my friends had skied one line the previous day. The ski along the ridge itself is fairly narrow in places and some of the descents have steep entrances so this isn't an area for intermediates, but for experienced skiers there are some nice lines and there are a good easy-access training ground before tackling some of the more serious classic steeps in the Chamonix valley. The early lines off the left side of the ridge are steeper than the later ones and I have seen large avalanches come down them in the past so we played it safe and took some mellower-angled descents further towards the end of the ridge including one wide couloir which was still untracked from the day before for a good fast descent.

Across at Flegere via the Liason cablecar, the top Floria drag lift had still not opened although it has been open from Wednesday onwards. Off piste the snow seemed a little deeper than it was on Brevent as it had gathered in Flegere's trademark rolls and gullies. The best skiing was found by traversing past the bottom of Floria and exploring with a few two-minute hikes, and over in Lachenal Bowl on the way home the snow was a little heavier but still fun to ski.

Wednesday saw a trip to Megeve to ski the Portes du Mont Blanc ski area (Megeve, Combloux and Giettaz), included on Chamonix's Mont Blanc Unlimited lift passes for the first time this year - just activate your MBU card at the ticket desk. We skied mostly pistes and they were in prime condition: wide, long and groomed smooth with barely any ski traffic. Even on our last runs of the day the corduroy pattern was still showing on most pistes! The clouds rolled in towards the end of the day but a lot of the pistes are cut between forested areas so visibility wasn't a problem.

There's a nice selection of runs from mellow greens and blues to some blacks with a good gradient to them. I'll definitely go back on my new race skis sometime just to ski the pistes and whenever my parents visit next we'll try to get a day here too.

A few people have mentioned Combloux for short ski tours and I can see the potential; there is a lot of quick access terrain just a little away from the lifts or some descents from the lifts that would require a hike out. I think we'll ask around for some information and head back armed with touring skis and a map sometime for some exploring.

Sunnier weather is on its way for the rest of the week so get out and enjoy some sunny piste skiing or ski touring everyone!

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NB: Off piste skiing can be dangerous. The opinions expressed in these articles are very much time and condition specific and the content is not intended in any way to be a substitute for hiring a mountain guide, undergoing professional off piste training and/or the individual's own back country decision making.