Chamonix Winter 2012 Ski Conditions
Skiing the Vormaine Couloirs at Le Tour With the Chamonix Valley Beyond
Please use this page as a reference for Chamonix based off-piste and ski touring conditions for the winter 2011/12 season. Add your own ski conditions comments via the link at the base of the page.
10th February, Chamonix Couloirs
Strong winds are giving some impressive sastrugi formations around the Chamonix Valley and some equally impressively unpleasant off-piste conditions where the snow pack has been exposed to these biting winds. However many places still remain in powder and where popular runs and couloirs have been skied a lot there is some nice grippy / chalky hardpack to be had.
We skied some good runs and couloirs from the Planpraz Brevent lift right back to the valley. Higher up teams reported good conditions on the ENSA couloir and up at the Grands Montets similar conditions were reported on the couloirs Phillipe, Crus aux Favres and runs down to Lavancher and Glacier Snout. Up at Le Tour we enjoyed a great run down to Trient via the easiest of the east facing couloirs on the Pointe du Van and other teams descended the steeper couloirs further skiers right and reported mixed snow conditions ('character building!')
1st February, Great Off-Piste Skiing in Arctic Chamonix
The clouds parted on the Chamonix valley today making way for the onset of a Siberian air mass which is bringing arctic like temperatures to the valleys, never mind high in the mountains. This 'Siberian Front' is also preserving the fresh snow which fell on the already excellent base (450cms at the Grands Montets!). Teams reported great snow right down to valley level, even on the south faces like and quiet ski areas giving lots of fresh tracks. Folk enjoyed skiing the ENSA Couloir, Pas de Chevre and Valle Blanche today although tougher windblown snow was reported on the latter.
31st January, St. Gervais Powder & the Arctic Freeze Approaches
We have a full group of 6 for this weeks Chamonix Off-Piste & Mountain Skills course who, after a day of ski coaching with Alison at the Grands Montets enjoyed the experience of making fresh tracks in deep powder around the excellent varied resort of St. Gervais today. Although we spent some time discussing avalanche awarenes, emergency procedures and completed a micro ski tour the main focus of the day was enjoying the powder. High up and just below the ridge lines in the North and E facing valleys of Mont d'Arbois and Mont Joux some fresh windslab snow had formed and despite the category 2 avalanche risk it was easy for a single skier to release small areas of 30cm deep slab.
The weather forecast is now for very cold weather (down to -18C in Chamonix) but with increasingly clear skies and calm winds. These arctic like temperatures will help to preserve the currently excellent snow conditions.
26th January, North Facing Powder Ski Touring on the Quatre Tete, Aravis
Great ski touring conditions in the Aravis. We enjoyed superb powder snow on the North Face of the Quatre Tete. Between the summit and about 1700m the snow was light, smooth and lovely! Below 1700m there was a light crust and, lower down, sun warmed to almost spring snow. Teams out skiing throughout the Chamonix Valley reported widespread excellent off-piste and touring conditions today and several Guides reported that the Vallee Blanche conditions were the best that they had ever experienced! With more cool, snowy and cloudy weather on the way over the weekend snow conditions are set to get even better.
19th January, Ski Touring in the Italian Val Feret
Enjoyable day tour in very quiet hills above the Italian Val Feret. Passed a disappointingly closed Bonatti Hut and climbed steadily up to and over the Col des entre Sauts and Col du Sapin. After skiing off the Tete de la Tronche we had the whole of the North Face of Mont de la Saxe to choose from for fresh tracks. The snow was impressively variable, different from one turn to the next....but often a 'wee bit crusty'! But a great descent nonetheless and avoiding a second traverse of the flat valley bottoms ski de fond!
17th January Quiet off-piste in Courmayuer and busy ski touring in Chamonix
Grippy firm snow and no lift queues characterised the skiing in Courmayeur today, along with stunning views of the Italian side of the Mont Blanc massif. Some powder remains in the trees but you have to battle with branches, pine cones and snow crust to get to it! The descent from the Youla lift in to the Val Veny is currently a rocky walk to start below the station but then is well filled in. Much more snow on the way this weekend with cool temperatures should send things back in to good powder conditions. Over in Chamonix's Aiguilles Rouges many teams took to the Cols with the most popular choice, as ever, being the Crochues Berade traverse.
15th January Ski Mountaineering in the Contamines Valley
A bracing temperature of -10C greeted us in the Gorge at the road head of the Contamines Valley this morning creating the feeling of wanting to keep moving. Dave, Mark and I certainly did that and skinned rapidly round to the Col de Cicle. The track currently takes a high line giving a fairly exposed traverse on hard snow and ski crampons may be appreciated! The Cicle, like the Fenetre and numerous other steeper cols inbetween the two had been skied a lot and we put the skis on our packs and booted up to the Col des Chasseurs. This gave a couple of steepish (c.35-40 degree) short entry pitches before opening out in to fine, sustained slopes of smooth, creamy snow.
The subsequent skinning journey up to the Col de Bonhomme gave us ample time to eye up and spy our line on the Tete des Fours North Face. We chose the aesthetic and obvious 'Zub's Couloir' which is accessed from the Tete Nord summit and gives a highly aesthetic and satisfying ski line up to about 40 degrees. The video below shows Dave skiing one of the two steeper pitches and gives a feel for the beautiful ambiance it all takes place in. The head of the Contamine Valley is a highly strategic geographic location giving access and superb views to the Miage side of Mont Blanc, the Italian Val Veny, French Tarentaise and finally the Arve Valley to where we descended back in to the frosty shade.
The ski track back down the Gorge is currently in good shape and we did not use crampons or have to take the skis off.
14th January Powder Holding on in Beau Temps
Continuing stellar weather in the Chamonix Valley is giving an increasingly stable snow pack and folk are starting to spread out and get some of the classic Chamonix Ski Tours done. Teams have reported good snow conditions on the North Facing slopes of the Aiguilles Rouges including fine descents from the Col de Belvedere & Beaugent over the last couple of days. The descent in to Le Buet is in decent condition. Overnight winds blew more soft snow in to the Vallee Blanche today and teams reported good conditions on the Petit Envers variation.
13th January Good Soft Snow in the Vallee Blanche & Sublime Evening Light on the Argentiere Glacier
The Midi snow arete now has been made wider and with tough metal stakes linked by thick rope on either side the descent is now easier than usual. The arete is still described as 'not equipped' as the large snow terraces that appear later in the season are still under construction. However, along with lots of skiers, the Requin Hut being open for drinks the Vallee Blanche had more of an 'open for business feel' as good snow conditions prevailed with skiers on nearly all routes on the French side as well as the normal route on the Italian side. We found some good snow on variations to the Petit Envers variation and exited the Geant Icefall via the Salle a' Manger.
Good conditions on the 'James Bond' track gave a swift and easy descent to Chamonix which left time to nip up to the summit of the Grands Montets and enjoy a superb quiet descent of the Argentiere Galcier with sublime evening light. This route is not super well filled in at the moment but there is a good track and some interesting short passages require side stepping and some precise turns.
Fit skiers can complete both itineraries in a day giving a great experience of the high mountain glaciers of the Chamonix Valley. Enquire about this here.
11th January Vallee Blanche Italian Style
The Aiguille du Midi was closed today leaving empty pristine slopes on the French side of the Italian Vallee Blanche. We skied the route from the Italian side via Punta Hellbronner. As always the coffee was better over there but the snow not quite as good. The strong North Westerly winds had scoured the slopes leaving less powder and more windblown sastrugi and hardpack. There was still some good skiing and perfect weather for this great ski journey. The Glacier de Toule was getting skied a lot and there were various tracks on the steeper couloir lines coming off the Aiguille d' Entreves. Miles Smart & Glen Plake skied a steep and exposed line linking one of these cols with the Glacier de Brenva. Not for the faint hearted!
The Aiguille du Midi is also closed tomorrow.
9th January, Great Skiing in The Vallee Blanche
After several days of thick cloud engulfing the mountains there was finally a clearing today and the curtain dropped on masses of deep soft powder for the entire descent of the Vallee Blanche. We skied the Petit Envers variation whilst other teams also did the Grand Envers and Vrai Vallee Blanche. The descent to Chamonix via the 'James Bond' Track was in good shape.
To finish the day we also skied the Pre du Rocher off the Plan de l'Aiguille and, as is often the case. there was fine snow in the open meadows below the Plan but a tougher finish through the trees characterised by bumps and then a fast track crossing the 4 avalanche debris gullies.
7th January, Snow Keeps Falling in Chamonix
After a mild and damp start to the week conditions have very much returned to winter again. Sub 1000m freezing levels, bucket loads of snow and category 5 avalanche risk have given some serious considerations about where to ski but also constant fresh tracks all day every day! With the huge accumulations of snow and strong winds closing the valley's high lifts there will be some serious powder skiing to be had once things open up this weekend. Next week looks to have stable weather so may provide a good opportunity to ski the Vallee Blanche
3rd January 2012, More Powder in Vallee Blanche
Excellent skiing in the Vallee Blanche today although the cloud descended a little in the afternoon preventing most teams from doing a second lap. We skied the Gros Rognon variation to the classic route and enjoyed good powder all the way down to the Salle a Manger which had a good track in providing a straightforward crossing. Teams had skied both the Grand and Petit Envers although not many on the latter and a helicopter was seen hovering over this route for much of the afternoon.
We also got some great turns heading north from the Plan de l'Aiguille and down the Pre du Rocher. Lower down in the trees the fresh powder gave way to the old rain crust and the track running back to the Midi car park gave a tussle!
Many teams were skiing the Pas de Chevre and the best exit looked to be the far skiers left option.
30th December, Big Powder Day at St. Gervais
Once the car had been dug out and super snowy roads negotiated the rest was easy. Point your fat skis downhill and enjoy the epic powder including face shots on the piste at one point! Strong winds and cool temperatures gave a real wintery feel and kept the powder light enough to enjoy all the way down to St. Gervais, Les Communailles and St. Nicholas.
29th December, Cool & Cloudy at Le Tour
Difficult route finding at Le Tour today before the striking sudden partings of the clouds in the afternoon. We skied the trees on the Vallorcine side and lower slopes around the Charmillon lift where visibility was a bit better. Decent home run right back to the car park from the top of the Posettes drag lift.
28th December Good Off-Piste at Le Tour
Good ski conditions today with many teams enjoying the pistes, off-piste and ski touring. We skied the Posettes & Vormaine Couloirs and back bowls. There was also a good looking skinning track heading up to the Col des Autannes.
27th December, The Pas de Chevre
To ski from the Grands Montets top station to the streets of Chamonix feels like a real journey and with 2200m of descent is sure to get a bit of lactic acid burning through the thighs. Tim and I enjoyed the classic Pas de Chevre route today whilst other teams skied both the Central and Rectiligne Couloirs. The exit on to the Mer de Glace is in good condition and the best descent is taken via the couloir exiting well left from the flat terrace at c. 1950m. This is the 'Couloir des Chaussettes' ('Sock Couloir') which takes its name from the woolen socks that tourists used to wear over their boots to make the ice of the Mer de Glace less slippery.
Tomorrow looks like the last day of sunny weather before a lot more snow arrives on thursday and, mainly, friday.
26th December, Classic Vallee Blanche
We went for a look at conditions on the Vallee Blanche 'normal route' this morning. Obviously it is still very early season and care is needed with negotiating crevasses. We skied one section on the skiers left of the Geant Icefall with a rope on. There were no tracks and whilst this gave an impressive 'lonely' early season feel there was some great skiing to be had on the Grosse Rognon variation. Some teams had exited the Petite Envers and Italian Route via the Salle a Manger and reported reasonable conditions. We traversed hard skiers left from the Requin Hut (as per for the whole of last season) to access the Envers du Plan exit couloirs. The furthest left and easiest couloir was fine but the traverse from the Hut is not yet filled in with snow and a short booting section across easy mixed terrain was required. The exit from the snout of the Mer de Glace; boot up to the Buvette and ski down the James Bond track were all pleasant and straightforward. A number of tracks were noted joining the Mer de Glace from the Grands Montets classic 'Pas de Chevre' route.
25th December, Megeve
Happy Christmas! I hope you got out on the slopes. We enjoyed some fine wide open pistes in Megeve as well as some powder hanging on off-piste above Les Communailles & St. Nicholas.
24th December, More Snow already than 2011 season & Teams Skiing the Vallee Blanche....
It's now official, according to Meteo France, we have now had more snowfall already this season (the last 2 weeks or so) than during the entire 2010/11 alpine season. The combination of the heavy snowfall, recent thaw and now prevailing cold stable weather has turned some Chamonix skiers attention towards checking out the conditions in the Vallee Blanche. Early grapevine reports are favourable. Stay tuned for more over the next few days and in the meantime check out our Ski Vallee Blanche page for more details.
Have a Very Merry Christmas and Excellent 2012....In the Mountains as much as possible...
23rd December Contamine Christmas Crust!
A glorious day to be out on the slopes but more for the atmosphere, great weather and superb views of the snow plastered mountains than the actual
Looking North East along the Contamines Skyline towards the Chamonix Valley
skiing. An overnight refreeze after yesterdays mild weather gave a variable crust ranging from comically edge grabbing to light and sun warmed that was fine to ski. Some teams were heading over the Col de Fenetre and kicking off the ski touring season in the Contamines.
21st December, North American Style Powder Skiing at Les Houches
An excellent day using both lifts and skins to access a lot of cruisy deep powder turns from both Bellevue and Prarion and skiing back down to St.Gervais, Bionnassay and Prarion via its fine East Face. Higher up the valley in Chamonix teams were enjoying excellent runs back to the valley from the plan de l'Aiguille & Brevent.
18th December, Powder in & out of the trees at Megeve / St. Gervais
Some great turns in smooth, light & fluffy powder above St. Gervais and Megeve today. The trees prooved handy when the clouds came in and we enjoyed some good runs in and out of the trees on the NE flanks of Mont Joux & Mont d'Arbois.
17th December, Limited Start to the Chamonix Ski Season due to Excess Snow!
A high avalanche hazard and general difficulty getting the lifts up and running resulted in a limited grand opening to the Chamonix ski season today. Like many teams we enjoyed some great powder at Les Houches which was the only resort open in the valley due to it's lower elevation and less steep terrain. Other resorts higher up the valley struggled to get slopes pisted, lifts unburied and most of all avalanche control in place.
8th December, Thick Heavy Snow on the Pistes
Another very snowy day in the Valley with heavy snowfall on the streets of Chamonix this evening adding a real buzz to the Christmas shopping atmosphere! At 'Le Bettex' above St. Gervais we skinned from the base of the pistes, which at 1400m had good cover, and on to the summits of Mont Arbois and Mont Joux (1958m). Here, nearly 90cm of fresh snow was measured on N and NE aspects. The ski down was remarkably hard work due to the thick and heavy consistency of the snow! However the pisteurs were out grooming all the fresh snow in to lovely velvet pistes and these gave great skiing. The jostling for position could start early on saturday when the Grands Montets opens its doors to the expectant ski & boarder crowds of the valley. Bon Ski!
6th December, Massive Dump of Snow in the Chamonix Valley Giving a High Avalanche Risk
A cool north westerly air stream has been dumping snow over the Northern Alps during the last couple of days. The snow line has crept down the Chamonix Valley to beneath the town and around 900m. Snow depths at 1500m will have increased by around 1m during this period and accumulations high up must be huge and are currently giving an avalanche risk of 'Fort' (High). Extreme prudence is advised for any trips in to the high mountains during the next 48 hours and click this link for a current Alpine Avalanche Forecast.
5th December, Wintery Skinning at Le Tour
Enthusiasm always runs high at the very start of the ski season and despite the less than appealing sleet and slushy snow in the car park Tim and I enjoyed a good skinning ascent through the trees at Le Tour. Strong north westerly winds and driving snow stopped play on the ascent to the Tete Balme (2321m) where, in poor visibility, we were glad to descend following the tracks of a piste basher out compacting all the fresh snow. Snow cover was patchy due to the strong winds and whilst the open slopes were still showing grass in places, the occasional deep pocket gave some fun powder turns and big early season grins! I wouldn't rush out with your brand new skis but if you're keen and have some rock skis, there are some fun turns to be had, especially with a lot more snow forecast for the next 3 days.
3rd December, The Wide Open Pistes of Cervinia...
Enjoyable easy piste skiing on offer today under the shadow of the Italian side of the Matterhorn (Cervin). With a max snow base of 130cms, Cervinia probably has about the most snow of any resort in the Alps right now. A perfect first day of the ski season with wide, open and quiet pistes with firm grippy snow. A carvers delight! The off-piste wasn't pretty and was mainly characterised by hard packed ruts giving a juddery ride. The exception seemed to be the couloir beneath the Theodulpass (3301m) which was well skied and gave a decent smooth run.
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Comments
Fresh snow at Villars - Saturday 24th Dec
Saturday 24 December 2011 5:03:38 pm
Sandy Paterson
Verbier - Friday 23rd Dec
Saturday 24 December 2011 4:59:38 pm
Sandy Paterson
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