Snow report La Grave, 01/20/2017

Snow condition

Below 2500m below average snow conditions. Descent to the middle station of the P1 gondola is only possible with some stone contact. Above that it is better, but the snow cover is quite unstable in places. There is only a lot of snow in hollows and gullies

Snow quality

Very mixed snow conditions. Snow surface marked by the wind and partly blown off areas. There was everything from slush to powder. The latter was only present in very sheltered areas. In the Trifide Couloir it was quite icy in places. But relatively good to ski. Unfortunately, there are still some stones sticking out and the entrances are often unsightly.

Relatively relaxed avalanche conditions. The snow cover has settled quite well. Nevertheless, some new drift snow fields have appeared and in steeper terrain you can quickly find yourself in unsafe terrain. It was quite stable in the couloir. Apart from superficial fluffy snow, nothing could be set in motion. According to the LLB, there was a triple.

Overall impression

Despite the poor snow conditions, it was a good sunny day in la Grave. We were still able to get the best out of it and record some good runs. The view of la Meije and its rugged glacier landscape alone is impressive. All in all, however, we need fresh snow as soon as possible to get things going here