Chamonix Snow Report: 15th December 2005

The snow at Plan-Praz looks superb. Underfoot it mostly felt soft with my boots sinking in a little, but in places it was crusty with the snow below that feeling sugary. Snow cover appears to be excellent with no brown patches or rocks visible anywhere on the pistes. There were two piste bashers hard at work grooming the runs ready for Saturday's opening. It looked like they were doing a good job with the snow as they created the perfect corduroy that you only normally see if you catch the first lift up in the morning. I spotted a few lucky pisteurs skiing about the place. There were also a couple of ski tourers skinning up – you don't often see that on the green run at Plan-Praz. As I looked across to Cornu I noticed two more piste bashers working to get it ready for opening: it was a real hive of activity. Overall it's looking very good up there and definitely far better than at this time last season when there were bushes, rocks and all kinds of nasties on the pistes.

The groomers were also busy down on the Savoy nursery slope area in Chamonix. When I was there today only the shortest button lift was running for learners having lessons; however, the longer run looks like it's ready to be opened so I imagine that will happen this weekend too.

Chamonix has more snow forecast for Friday and Saturday so I hope all of the grooming isn't in vain. Just think of it, all the piste basher's hard work covered by 40cm of powder. Let's hope so.

Useful Information
Cross-country skiing is Closed
Piste Maps for Chamonix (pdf format), Les Houches (jpg format), Cross-country skiing (pdf format), and Mountain-bike trails (pdf format)
Current status for opening of Pistes & Lifts
Chamonix Webcam Index

We will be keeping this Chamonix snow report updated often during the season, but if you want even more up-to-date news on the ski conditions, why not sign up for our Dump Alert? We'll email you each time it snows enough to significantly change the skiing conditions. It's great to know that the snow is falling in the run-up to your holiday, and it might even allow you to book a last-minute weekend when the snow is particularly good. The service is free, and you can unsubscribe whenever you like.

Useful Links
Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research
French Avalanche Research Institute
Meteo France - Mountain weather and avalanche conditions bulletins (in French)
Henry's Avalanche Talk - popular avalanche training sessions based in French Alps as well as translation of current avalanche conditions
PisteHors.com - Backcountry Skiing and Snowboarding News in English for the French Alps. Excellent coverage of avalanche safety and advice

Additional snow and weather information provided, with thanks, by meteo.chamonix.com and the Tourist Office