Chamonix Mont Blanc Backcountry Ski Conditions

The Seracs du Geant of the Valley Blanche in Chamonix, France 4/14/2025 after a light refresh of new snow on 4/13. Photo by Zeb Blais.

Chamonix Mont Blanc Ski Conditions 2025-04-20

Backcountry Skiing & Ski Mountaineering Conditions in Chamonix Mont Blanc

It's been wild week! Unsettled weather throughout the week culminated with 30-45cm of snow falling IN TOWN in Chamonix on the evening of April 16 and throughout the morning on the 17th. Things got crazy in the mountains - well over a meter of snow landed on the Valley Blanche and the exit from the the Midi was well over head high after the storm cleared. Power was out in Centre Ville, roads were closed between Chamonix and Argentier and elsewhere, and lifts were all shut for the day.

Elsewhere in the Region, Zermatt in Switzerland got over a meter of snow IN TOWN. In Arolla, Switzerland occupants were buried under 140cm of snow and stuck for over 48 hours with no roads, no lifts and no way to leave. Avalanches, lifts closures, road closures and power outages were rampant across the western alps as the storm brought 20cm (8in) of rain in 36 hours to low towns and the equivalent in snow higher zones. In Piedmont valley Italy, 37 of 74 districts lost power.

Intense snow in town in Chamonix Sud on the morning of 4/17/2025. Photo by Zeb Blais.

The storm tapered off around mid-day on Thursday, but road crews and ski areas were still busy digging out infrastructure. Our team took advantage of the wild situation, by ski touring across town and to La Praz via the Petite Balcon Sud - a summer trail that was melted out to dirt before Thursday.

Descending the Aiguille du Midi to the Valley Blanche in Chamonix after a meter of new snow. 4/18/2025. Photo by Zeb Blais.

When the skies finally cleared - lifts were still in question. At first the Mayor and Companie du Mont Blanc decided not to open the Aiguille du Midi to skiers (tourists only), but at the last second they had a change of heart and allowed everyone up with a stern warning about extreme avalanche conditions.

We ventured onto the Valley Blanche, not committing to the full descent without the Montenveres train running. We were greeted with a blank slate of fresh snow and only a small number of skiers willing to undertake the exploratory mission, knowing we'd have to skin back to the Midi to descend (not wanting to walk back to town without the train running from the Mer de Glace). The snow skied significantly less deep than the storm total (100+cm)- with ski penetration between 15-25cm on the Valley Blanche.

Skiing the Valley Blanche with a guide in Chamonix after a meter of new snow. Photo by Zeb Blais.

The new snow was nice - fast, flowy and consistent. Just how we wanted it to be - especially since we had to skin back to the Midi instead of following the Valley Blanche down to the Montenvers train. It was glorious to be in the middle of the Mont Blanc massif with fresh snow and few people! Most of the people on the bins were speed flyers, and the few skiers that ventured out, didn't go very far.

Skinning up the Geant Glacier in Chamonix with a meter of fresh snow underfoot. Luckily the skis were only sinking 20cm! A large natural avalanche crown from the storm (somewhat covered with new snow) can be seen in the top left of the picture. Photo by Zeb Blais.

Some skiers were intent on pushing the limits and went straight for the Cosmiques Couloir. The Couloir was in incredible shape - skiable from the top with no rappel(s) required. Most of the new snow was cleaned out of the steep flutes above the couloir just after the storm ended, most likely naturally, which made an awful mess of the lowers of the couloir. The upper portion was reportedly skiing extremely well.

The Cosmiques Couloir - instantly made skiable from the top from 4/17 's storm. While the top was skiing well, avalanche debris cleaned the lower portions of the couloir and skiing was very firm on those sections on 4/19. Photo by Zeb Blais.

The best snow of the week was the following day on the Grands Montets. We toured up from the Bochard Telecabine to the Col du Grands Montets and skied and incredible fall line run directly onto the Argentier Glacier. The snow was boot top deep and was a perfect consistency of high-altitude cold glacier powder. Ski quality 10/10! Snow can get deeper than this, but not better!

Niklas skiing the Moraines des Rognons from the Grands Montets in Chamonix with a guide. Some of the best snow I've skied in Chamonix! Photo by Zeb Blais.

skiing moraines des Rognons with a guide in Chamonix

Daniel's turns on the Moraine des Rognons. Just awesome skiing with a guide in Chamonix! Photo by Zeb Blais.

Come Ski Chamonix with us!

Chamonix is the birthplace of ski mountaineering (ski alpinism) and boasts some of the easiest access to steep couloirs, massive glaciers and long runs in the world. The Aiguille du Midi cable car is the epicenter of access, gaining 9,000' from town to the top station, where skiers exit the terminal at well over 12,000'. Backcountry skiing with a guide in Chamonix means that you'll have access to massive descents, while expending relatively little energy climbing for many lines.

Also, access to more remote or bigger lines is also aided by Refuges. Spending a night in these comfortable lodges makes gear hauling unnecessary - mattresses, duvets and food are all part of the program, keeping your pack to almost the size of a day pack.

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About the Author

Zeb Blais is an IFMGA Mountain Guide and AIARE Avalanche Course Leader based in Truckee, California. He loves all the disciplines of mountain guiding - ski, rock and alpine climbing - but skiing is his first love. In the winter he enjoys backcountry skiing, guiding local and international ski trips, and teaching avalanche courses across the west coast, from Bishop, California to Mt Baker, Washington.