Snow report Briancon, 11/26/2016

Snow condition

Closed snow cover from 1800 m. Below that, it's autumnal again and bare. On the Col de Lautaret at 2000 m, however, there are already considerable amounts of snow. The southerly flow until Friday seems to have arrived here too.

Snow quality

Powder snow from the parking lot, partly with thin cover but easy to ski. At 3000m the snow cover was somewhat irregular due to the wind. Mostly, however, good powder which was able to settle well in places. South-facing slopes not so ideal in the late afternoon. Descent to the parking lot possible again without any problems.

Medium to large losses can be observed on slopes of all exposures. Mostly from the previous day. Wet snow avalanches and sliding snow mouths in southern exposures. The amount of snow is already considerable in places and you should be vigilant. The wind is mainly blowing from the south-west and there is some drift snow and spontaneous avalanches on the north side. I think the overall situation will be more relaxed from today onwards as the snow was able to settle quite well over the weekend with the radiation.

Overall impression

Impressive scenic tour to the Pic des Trois Évêchés. Good news for la Grave: coming from the west, there is an adventurous "Route de Secours" along the southern shore of Lac du Chambon to get to la Grave, and the old route, which was destroyed by a rockslide, is being worked on day and night to get it ready for the winter season.