With all the recent snow in the Western Alps, we were getting excited and eager to use our new Chamonix Mont-Blanc lift passes, which allow us access to Courmayeur ski area too. Despite the low cloud hanging over Chamonix town, Saturday December 1st dawned clear over the border, with sunshine and a few scattered clouds. It was opening day at Courmayeur, and time to see how the conditions were looking.
It wasn't too busy over there, with a mix of Italian weekenders and some Chamonix locals, and the conditions were perfect. I don't know how much new snow there was, but the snowpack was plenty deep enough in most places on the upper mountain. It was a metre deep in places, and pretty supportive so I didn't hit too many rocks, though now is the time to ski a bit slowly as there are plenty of rocks around.
The snow was fluffy and soft, and untracked when we got there - it turned into a real powder day, and we did lap after lap of great snow. The pistes were also in great condition, smooth and fast, and with some man-made snow mixed in with the natural fluff. Not all of the lifts were running, but they will be progressively opening more as the snow gets deeper.
With more snow in the forecast for our region this week, and the Grands Montets due to open daily from this coming weekend, the 8th of December, we are off to a good start for this winter.
