Snow report Chamonix, 12/18/2017

Snow condition

Well, what can I say. This December has been the best I've seen in 5 winters and some say it's been the best in their lifetime. 2012 was the last time I remember skiing so many runs down to the valley floor.Continuous snow fall over the past two weeks has delivered mega powder skiing all the way to the valley floor. This is quite unusual for Chamonix, especially over such a sustained period of time. Chamonix only lies at 1037m but has a base of 60cms. Index chair lift (2365m) has a base of 160cm with regular top ups of 30cm fresh over the last few days. It's bottomless pow wherever you ski and it's only been the locals here to enjoy it. Today they open the Plan de l'Aiguille mid station lift. So along with Montenvers, Flegere, Brevent, Grands Montets you have some epic choices to ride. And you can't go wrong with whichever you choose.

Snow quality

The snow is among the lightest and deepest powder I've ever skied. Light, fluffy and relatively stable with some wind effect in places. It's a shame I can only award the snow quality 5 stars.

There has been a consistent avalanche danger of 4/5 above 2200m and 3/5 below. That being said, all the hot spots around the lifts have been bombed and with the recent opening of the Index chair lift at Flegere and the Cornu chair lift in Brevent the free ride zones have been well skied. That's not to say that you won't find hidden pockets of pow. And with the constant snowfall the tracks disappear overnight leaving a fresh blanket for the next day.

Overall impression

In summary these have been incredible powder days just like you'd see in any Japan ski movie. There's more snowfall on the way over the next couple of days and then we should see a break in the clouds when ski touring will no doubt be on the menu. Stay safe and if you're close-ish to Chamonix, it's well worth the trip!

photo credit: @nadinemoore