Spring Skiing in Chamonix

It takes a lot to get me to ditch my heavy winter ski wear. It has to be pretty much mid-summer in the mountains before I drop a few layers! But this week has done it. Skiing this morning, I had my coat open and by this afternoon, I had ditched my sweater, beanie hat from the helmet and my salopette vents were permanently open!

I wouldn’t go as far as to say I’m working on my goggle tan - but that’s a lifestyle choice! I’m starting to see plenty of happy goggle-tan-faces around the resort.

Snow Report
When you look at the forecast, the temperatures are currently reported to be sub-zero. But they definitely don't feel it in direct sunlight. It is warm enough to be sitting outside in the sun for lunch and for the snow to be turning slushy by later afternoon. Having said that, as soon as you are in the shade, it is immediately cold. And the slopes that are in the more shaded areas around the mountain are feeling very glass-icy right now.

Snow Forecast
The skies are clouding up from Thursday over the weekend, but there is no snow on the forecast. There is possibly something coming next week (Friday 18th!), but this is so far away we can't trust this right now.

I know there will be those of you coming out who are disappointed in the lack of snow on the forecast and those of you who will lament the lack of off-piste and powder opportunities. But I, for one, love this time of year. So I'd recommend that anyone thinking about booking a trip for March or April do it! Come and make the most of this spring skiing. We were lucky enough to have a healthy few weeks of snow before this warm weather came upon us, so we're now enjoying the sunshine on a mountain still exceptionally well covered with snow. The extremes of the piste map are all accessible.

Jen's Top Tips

• The temperature is really rising in the mountains as we move towards spring skiing. So layers, a shell jacket over a thicker winter coat, more lightweight gloves are a good idea, and open those vents!
• Don't forget the sunscreen! Even when the windchill is high, the sun in the mountains is still intense.
• Early morning the pistes are harder packed and then slushier later on. To coordinate your ski time to whichever conditions you prefer.

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