Chamonix Snow Report: 28th April 2015

April showers might mean rain in town but if you go high enough they usually drop some fresh snow. Hopes had been high in the valley that the series of disturbances forecast for the weekend past would result in some classic end of season powder, but instead they just put down 10-20 cm here and there. Still, it’s better than nothing and with low expectations we headed up GM this morning to poke about in the cloud.

The quick blast down the piste from the Plan Joran bubble to Logon showed that the rain/snow limit had been above 2100m for at least some time the evening before, even if it had had snowed lower afterwards, as the snow was quite heavy and sticky. Still, the queue for the top bin was short and presumably the snow would be better at 3000m.

Around the height of the second pylon (the tallest pylon in France according to the quiz playing on loop on the mid station televisions) the gondola burst through the cloud into perfect blue sky. Surprisingly the slopes weren't that tracked either.

Taking a lap down from the Point du Vue piste towards the Argentiere Glacier we found smooth and creamy fresh snow, not super deep but with a bit of speed you floated enough not to catch the harder old snow below.
The exit along the left bank of the Argentiere glacier is in fairly good condition, with only a few wee stones to avoid as you re-join the Point du Vue piste, however with the spring heat the snow was running quite slowly so in deference to the snowboarders, we headed onto the front face of Grand Montets for the next lap.

With a consistent steeper angle we could crank out big turns down the face, even if the snow was a little more tracked out, and use the pistes from the top of Herse chair to quickly get back to the mid station for more laps.
All of the riding from the top of Grand Montets is on glacier and even the areas with lots of tracks can go through some quite serious terrain. As ever, if you’re not sure about the risks, best stay on the secured pistes or hire a guide who can help you learn to enjoy the off piste in more safety.

With less than a week left before the pistes close for the winter, it’s now or never to get up the hill. The forecast could be better, but it looks like there’s a fair chance of both more snow and more sunshine before the closing party on Sunday. The question is, how much of which?