A long, hot autumn

It has been a dry and warm autumn with just a peppering of snow above 2800m. The glaciers of the Grandes Rousse (l’Alpe d’Huez) are bare below 3000 meters and crevasses are visible on the glacier d’Argentiere and Rocher Blanc in the Belledonne range (two of a handful of surviving large glaciers in this range).

mont blanc october 2006
Le Mont Blanc

grande casse october 2006
Grand Charnier and Grande Casse behind

The Grande Casse, highpoint of the Savoie department is looking fairly snowy but the Grand Charnier in front is completely bare. There is probably enough snow for the glaciers at les Deux Alpes and l’Alpe d’Huez to open for the half term holiday week but we are still waiting for the first real snowfall of the season.

glaciers grandes rousses, october 2006
Glaciers of the Grandes Rousses