We’ve seen a real mix of weather over the past week here in Chamonix. Last Saturday brought a fresh top-up of snow, setting us up for a great powder day with sunshine on Sunday. Since then, we’ve had a bit of everything; sunshine, strong winds at higher altitudes, rain, and more snowfall.
Lately, the weather has been quite unpredictable, with some days originally forecast to be sunny ending up snowy instead! This uncertainty has largely been due to the influence of the Foehn wind.
The next few days
At the moment, it looks like we have a spell of dry, sunny weather ahead. With the snow melting more quickly due to slightly higher-than-average temperatures, the best skiing is now above 2,000m. You may still find some powder on high, sheltered north-facing slopes.
Although it has felt cold at times, and the freezing level briefly dropped to around 1,400m on Tuesday helping to preserve lower slopes, temperatures are now on the rise. The freezing level is expected to climb between 2,000m and 2,900m over the next few days, with temperatures struggling to dip below freezing. This is due to a northern high-pressure system bringing in milder weather. So, make the most of the spring skiing.
Avalanche risk
After recent strong winds, rain, and snowfall, there has been some avalanche instability across the Northern Alps, mainly due to glide cracks and cold, dry slab avalanches, often triggered by skiers. The current avalanche risk is 3 out of 5 above 2,200m, with an additional danger of wet snow avalanches. Be sure to check the avalanche warnings in Chamonix before even thinking about heading off-piste.
