Fantastic Snow Across Chamonix

I’m talking, of course, about the travel ban currently in place, stopping the usual British hordes descending on the mountain for their festive getaway.

The whole team at SeeTheWorld is devastated by this news and so sorry to not see the usually smiling faces around the report. And whilst it is pretty awesome to have quiet mountains to enjoy some fantastic skiing and snowboarding, we’d much rather have the hustle and bustle that is to be expected over the Christmas period.

We hope the travel ban lifts soon and that you’re all staying safe and taking care of one another. Now, on with the snow report.

Snow Report
Since the incredible snowstorm across the alps at the start of December, no more snow has fallen. However, a combination of low temperatures, small crowds on the hill and good maintenance from our mountain groomers has kept the snow in excellent condition.

Our team have agreed that whilst it is FREEZING in the shade and on northern-facing slopes, especially in the morning, the snow on piste is much better than on the southern slopes. A few mornings, we chased the sun to try and warm up. And whilst we have been warmer, the snow has been noticeably worse. The pistes have clearly been melting and freezing again overnight on the southern slopes. So depending on what time you are out, the snow is soft and sugary, building into moguls throughout the day and very hard packed and icy. I think we hit all snow types within one run, well, apart from powder!

The air temperatures have stayed a lot colder on the northern slopes, meaning no freeze-thaw on the slopes. As a result, the snow is very hard packed but not icy. Perfect for digging into your rails and carving out nice cruisy turns.

Jen's top tips?

• Get out early each day before the ski schools start - usually, before 10am
• Ski through lunch. The time between 12 - 14his much quieter as the masses stop for lunch. Plus, then in reverse, you can enjoy lunch in a more peaceful restaurant later on.
• Try to find different routes to the ski schools as they can be swamped with children and their instructors. Explore the scenic trails, less taken by the organised lessons.

Forecast
We currently have a forecast for blue skies from today (Wednesday) through the end of the week. Then with a possible dusting on Sunday and Monday. But right now, the forecast is for 5-8cms and seems to keep being pushed back. So we reserved judgement right now to see whether it arrives or not!

Merry Christmas to all. I hope you have a great week!

Updates
If you head to the bottom of this page, you can see the day by day forecast of what to expect in your resort. But, we will also be updating this snow report page every Wednesday, so check back in with us next week to see how the pistes are doing and what you can expect from the snow forecast for the next 7 days.

We need you!
If you're in Chamonix this week, we want to see your images, especially videos, of what you've been up to. So when you post to Facebook or Instagram, tag us. Every week, we'll be posting our favourite and top videos here to share, along with our weekly resort snow report.

Bon Ski & we'll see you on the pistes!
Jen