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La Chamoniarde mountain conditions report for 23 November 2023

Now the sun has come out it’s time for an update. 

The weather has calmed down a bit in the valley! The snow has melted down to around 1700m. It rained quite heavily last weekend.

For walkers venturing into Chamonix, we'd like to remind you that we're between seasons: too much snow at altitude for classic hikes and not enough for snowshoeing. The trails are heavily snow-covered from 1700m (and therefore impassable) and some have been damaged by the heavy rain of the past week. For instance access to the Chapeau buvette. (See photo below).

However, it's still possible to enjoy the sunshine (when it's there) and the beautiful colours on the paths near the valley floor. However, the footpaths are slippery and you need to be properly equipped.

The petit balcon sud between Chamonix and Argentière is still not recommended, nor is the petit balcon nord between Le Tour and Argentière (parts of the trail are eroded). Due to a major landslide, the paths in the tête de la Jorette area (Montagne des Posettes) are prohibited by decree. We'd like to take this opportunity to remind you how much we value your feedback from outings so that we can spread the word!

For those looking to climb a little higher, the Chailloux chalets or Loriaz are still a good options (with snow on the upper slopes).

The return of the sun means that ski tourers can get out their skins at La Flégère. With the rain-snow limit above the Index last Sunday, the surface of the snow cover is often hard and frozen. The road to the village of Le Tour is still closed, and there's no snow down there anyway! The ski areas are still closed (the Grands Montets is due to open on 2 December, snow permitting).

In the high mountains, there's been little or no activity, but there's plenty of snow and the wind has (as usual) been blowing hard (watch out for accumulations). Some of you will no doubt have taken advantage of this weather window to check out the mixed conditions.

 

 

Translated with kind permission from an original report by La Chamoniarde.

Readers are reminded that conditions in mountain environments are prone to (sometimes rapid) change and that they should use their own best judgement when visiting them.