SEASON 2018 - 2019
Update 08 JAN 2018

The crowds have now left and all the ski areas in the Chamonix valley are quiet, and all share the same conditions. A very light sprinkle of snow today has not changed things. In Les Houches there is good skiing on a very firm surface. Runs to the bottom of Prarion are open on extremely firm man-made snow. Cover is generally good, though some stones lie on the surface here and there.

The firm surface will be enjoyed by expert skiers. Less accomplished holiday-makers may find things quite demanding, but still fun. Snow making has continued apace during the last two weeks of low temperatures. But total snow depth is shallow and this means that terrain features are not filled with snow. In other words, the pistes are rough and bumpy here and there.

This year the Compagnie Mont Blanc is reeling under the impact of a catastrophic fire which destroyed the mid-station at Argentiere, multiple cable problems and the subsequent replacement costs, the deployment of the wonderful Russian heavy-lift helicopter (which can't be cheap), and the brutal fact that some race-teams have gone elsewhere to train. But the piste team is exceptional in Les Houches, as I've said before. The pistes are already well groomed , and as close to perfection as weather conditions allow until we are blessed with more snow. We should never forget how much our enjoyment of the snow depends on the hard work and dedication of the piste team.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to ski Les Houches myself this season because of an unfortunate snarl-up with my season pass.

Hopefully the Compagnie Mont-Blanc will eventually find its way to correct the problem, just as the huge snowfall which has buried Austria and Bavaria in the last few days might eventually come to the Chamonix valley. When it does the present very low avalanche risk will rocket upwards. So be careful, even if you took and survived stupid risks last season. Educate yourself: Atomic Skis sponsor an off-piste website which gives comprehensive modular instruction on minimising and assessing mountain risks. There is a small fee to sign up but it well worth paying, should help you enjoy the mountains, and might save your life or that of somebody close to you. Very highly recommended. The URL is:

mountainacademy.atomic.com/en

Check conditions on the webcams by copying this URL into your browser:

https://panocam.skiline.cc/chamonix/houches

Check the lift status everywhere in the Chamonix Valley here:

https://www.chamonix.com/lifts,88,en.html

General Information:

Although relatively low, Les Houches is deeply shaded in the early months of the season. In combination with extensive snow-making and excellent piste management this allows it to offer reliable skiing conditions which attract race teams and instructor-training groups. And it is part of the iconic Chamonix region of course.

Les Houches has many mountain restaurants. If you have gourmet inclinations you may like to sample the charming Vieille Luges, the cool and stylish L'Hors Piste, both of which serve first-class food, while La Taniere has a wonderful atmosphere and a unique Argentinian buzz. A surprisingly large number of other mountain restaurants offer alternatives at lower cost. At the bottom of the lifts there is the quirky Kitch Inn near the Bellevue cable-car, and the friendly and traditional bar-cafe Le Spot is just across the road. At the Prarion lift Eric Jaquier's very professional boulangerie-patisserie has expanded to become a welcome cafe-bar. Perhaps arrive early and breakfast at one of these places before riding the first lift up to make the most of the best snow and the quietest pistes. It's a very effective tactic in busy periods like Christmas, half-term, and the Easter holidays.

The Compagnie Mont Blanc website shows an accurate map and webcams for you to check the slopes of Les Houches and all the other areas. There have been several changes in the last few years with much-loved but aging drag lifts being removed and chairlifts installed. View or download the latest piste-map here:

https://www.leshouches.com/pdf/plan-hch-hiver.pdf.pdf

If you make irregular visits to the Chamonix valley for only a few days at a time you could benefit from buying a rapid card. This is an annual pass which debits your credit card automatically whenever you ski (or use the summer lifts). The daily rates are discounted and you avoid queuing at the ticket office. So it's not only very convenient, but it will pay for itself quite quickly if you visit frequently. In fact it almost pays for itself if you merely ride the Aguille du Midi lift once. And why wouldn't you? See here for details:

http://www.montblancrapidcard.com/en/

Finally, a reminder that the latest-style of lift passes can be re-used after paying online. This includes hands-free passes from other ski areas. They can all be re-charged for Chamonix or elsewhere by visiting the appropriate website. There is no discount given this way, but you will never have to queue at a ticket office again. A huge convenience at any time, and almost essential at peak periods.

Even more finally, this report comes without even the token reward of a Snow-Forecast calendar (albeit with a weirdly tilted design which made it impossible to relate a date to the correct day of the week in 2018), let alone backhanders from grateful local restaurateurs, or job-offers and bonuses from the superb piste and lift company. It's completely unbiased in other words. More's the pity...

Peter