A trip to Chamonix, French Alps, February 2026

Thunderous pouring of rain, all we’ve heard for weeks was the incessant noise of rain. Escape needed. The French Alps called, specifically Chamonix. An annual ski-trip in a must and we head off with a family of wonderful friends for a skiing escape.
I adore winter. The simplicity of snow, the clarity it brings my mind. Like a breathe of fresh air, snow and the mountains bring a sense of calm, if somewhat of a cold calm!

Season 25/26 started off in the Alps with little snowfall. However, the week before we flew there was a huge snowstorm, whick dropped nearly two metres of snow. When we arrived, another storm dropped a further 1.6 metres, which all sounds great, except of course, its not. For skiing, a solid base is needed. With a mixture of more snowfall, warm temperatures and more snow, for the first time in twenty years the it created perfect avalanche conditions. A very rare 5/5.

This was unprecedented. As a result, many of the high altitude ski areas were shut for 3-4 days. Not ideal.
The only benefit of this was more exploring time and photography. For those who have never visited the Chamonix Valley, just go. Surrounded on both sides by huge mountains, the classic Auguille du Midi, Mont Blanc and Les Drus, all stretch above 3500 metres. They glistine in the snow and the light that hits the jagged summits can be quite something.

Still