After the brilliant start to the winter season and constant snow fall through early – mid December, things have calmed down a little with no fresh snow during most of the last week and the avalanche category in the Mont Blanc Massif being reduced from 4/5 to 2/5. This combined with good weather and the opening of the Aiguille du Midi lift has seen a small resumption in high mountain activity and with some teams even skiing the Vallee Blanche. However, conditions were described as well crevassed, hardly surprising for the time of year, and perhaps more surprising, not great snow either! Better snow was found on shady and sheltered slopes in the Aiguilles Rouges.
Snow quality has reduced somewhat overall for touring conditions also as the strong winds have ravaged things up high (including a foehn episode last week) and increasingly warm temperatures soar the 0C isotherm rise to nearly 3000m through the week. This has given some crusty surfaces in places and even some spring snow on well sunny aspects which have had a good blast of sun and decent re-freeze.
Reasonable spring snow was thus reported on the SE Couloir of the Col de la Forclaz above Sallanches although conditions on it’s neighbouring Quatre Tete were more variable with wind and sun effects on the Voie Normale above the Refuge Doran. Likewise the classic ski tour above Combloux, the Petit Croise Baulet was pretty mixed in terms of snow quality today, with only odd pockets of powder.
However snow cover remains good for late December and lower tracks even down to Valley level, like the Roman Road in Les Contamines were reported to be good. Teams have been doing the Cols Cicle and Bonnehomme up there as well as other tours above Lac Jovet. The rain snow limit for the precipitation just after Christmas has come down to more like 1000m now, and even 500m from Wednesday with 15-25cms at 1500m forecast, so this looks quite promising for another little snowy top-up as a skiers powder present for Nöel.
Merry Christmas – Good Skiing…
Classic ascent (red) and descent lines on the Petit & Grand Croise Baulet. A popular short ski tour above the ski lifts of Combloux / Megeve
21st December 2017
Lots of fresh powder above Megève today with off piste teams enjoying fresh tracks in velvet powder – nearly everywhere! In and above the tree line with lots of tracks seen coming down off Mont Joly. As the Christmas ski holidays approach it’s great to see the hills looking so wintery and well covered, with many lifts in Chamonix, St. Gervais and Megeve already open and more opening this weekend including the Aiguille du Midi (tomorrow) and Grand Montets top station as well as Combloux & Les Contamines.
There are some great conditions for ski touring in the Aravis at the moment also, with departs from car parks being made down to as low as 700m but with more sustained cover of at least 40cms from 1000m and a highly respectable 150cms at 2000m on N aspects. At least one team has been over the classic Les Contamines touring cols of the Fenêtre and Cicle.
Equally excellent conditions were reported at the Grands Montets albeit rather more tracked out now! Stefano reported good piste skiing and ok off piste & touring in the upper Val d’Aosta but with considerable avalanche risk. Somewhat less good conditions reported in the Monte Rosa area.
Alison Thacker off piste skiing at Les Grands Montets. Photo Lukasz Warczecha
18th December 2017
Another 20cms of fresh snow this morning in Chamonix, after a snowy weekend…after a snowy couple of weeks!
It’s been a great wintery start to the season here with massive amounts of fresh powder, right down to valley level, all around the Mont Blanc Massif and much of the North Western Alps. Whilst a high avalanche risk prevails at the moment due to all the fresh snow and wind transportation there is plenty of superb off piste skiing to be had with careful venue selection. Where folk have been skiing steeper couloir lines it’s mainly been at lower altitude, right down to Chamonix Valley floor level and thus in the thicker lower altitude forest band.
Most of the Mont Blanc area lifts are now also open with the exception of the Midi, Montets top telecabine and Brevent this morning due to avalanche control:
https://www.montblancnaturalresort.com/fr/infos-live#b1
Nearby resorts of St. Gervais, Megeve, Les Contamines and Combloux (all now on the Ski Mt Blanc Unlimited Pass) are also steadily opening up and giving great conditions skiing below / around the tree line. Even the small & low resorts like Passy Plaine Joux & Cordon have given some great skiing – powder on the pistes – over the weekend.
Chamonix powder storm riding – not steep and deep – but deep and fun!
Ski touring activity has been generally more limited to the enjoyable tree line ‘powder touring’. Hard work going up, great fun going down, and steering clear of big open steep slopes and couloirs with the high avalanche risk.
A very wintery start to the winter on the St.Gervais side of Les Houches.
