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So much snow, but what to do with it?
When the snow the snow turned up about
three weeks ago many folks didn't know what to do with it all. Some
of us remembered big snow from winters past, but to most it was
fabled stuff never to be experienced. Getting around was a challenge
at first, Chamonix is so spread out you have to drive but once everyone
had got used to snow chains, with more than one broken pair along
the way. We got back to moving around freely, just watching other
folk slide and crash their way around.
But where to ski with so much snow? The local advice is always to
go to Les Houches and ski in the safety of the trees. But no, we
just ski where the snow is always best, up the Aiguille du Midi.
On a powder day, or for that matter for several days after the last
snow fall you can get runs up here to challenge helicopter skiing
anywhere in the world!
All the gear..
To play in these conditions you do need to know a bit about snow.
Avalanche awareness, the use of transceivers, shovels and probes
should not be unknown if you want to play here. We have all been
lucky here, no one as yet has got buried. There have been a few
good scares though when stuff slides that you thought was safe.
  
Now that the high pressure is
here, bringing with it cold temperatures, sunshine and no fresh
snow, things are changing a little. Most of the roads are now clear,
snow chains are only needed if you insist on driving right to your
chalet. On the hill all the ski outs to the valley floor are still
in good condition, avoiding the Chamonix problem of downloading
at the end of the day.
To get fresh tracks you have to look a little harder or put in a
bit more effort. With the snowpack becoming stable many are taking
to ski touring. Here in Chamonix you can catch the lifts, ski up
(walk uphill on skis) for an hour or so and get 1000's of meters
of fresh tracks back to a road or railway, spending a good few hours
away from the maddening crowds.
Words and Pictures from Tom Greenall
- Natives Resort Reporter
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