Chamonix Snow Report: 22nd November 2006

Oh Happy Days! There is great buzz of excitement in town today – it's snowed! First decent fall so far and although it hasn't quite reached street level in Cham, the snow line is only about 100m above us. It's cold today too (about -2) so any more precipitation overnight and tomorrow may be a whole different story!

It's a big relief to see the snow. After our last report detailing all the snow cannon action in the valley; the foehn wind had been blowing most of last week and melted much of the initial snow making efforts. However, looking out of my window at the moment, the trees and mountainsides are all dusted white and there is very little hint of autumn remaining.

Further up the valley is a completely different story. I went on an exploratory drive earlier to check out exactly how much snow has come down, and climbing up from Les Tines to Argentiere you drop into the depths of winter in the space of about 200m! From the turning to Le Lavacher (just before the avalanche tunnel) there was between 10 – 15cms settled on the ground the whole way up to Le Tour and it was obvious that the snow plough had been out earlier in the day clearing the way. Although it has been quite a lovely day today with the sun breaking through early afternoon, the clouds were not my friend when I was attempting to get you some good shots of the home runs so I hope the base stations and car parks give you the general idea!

Now the temperature has dropped again, the snow cannons will kick back into full swing, replenishing all that was lost last week. The Grand Montets has been making artificial snow since the beginning of the week and coverage on the Pierre a Ric home run looked quite good - the glimpses I got of it! Same at Le Tour, I had a glorious view of the Tête de Balme on the way up there, but by the time I found somewhere to pull over to take a snap (summer tyres limiting my options!)........it was gone :O( So you'll have to take my word on that one – it was looking good!

Elsewhere in the valley, reports are indicating as much as 40cms of snow at 2330m. At Lac Blanc (just above Flegere) it was a decidedly nippy -8 earlier this morning so with these temperatures, we remain hopeful that the ground will continue to chill down and that the snow at this altitude will settle into a nice base for the season ahead.

Note to self, get winter tyres fitted……and soon!

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