February finished with a brilliant day of spring touring weather. We skied the Grande Lance de Domene and Grand Colon, 2000 meters + over a couple of classic routes in the Belledonne mountains close to Grenoble. The skis almost climbed themselves.
March started with a grey day with some rain at altitude. Snow is melting fast at lower elevations. At 1000m we were skiing on something like salt in texture with water everywhere. Forecast is for more snow and colder temperatures. However the weather is a reminder to start earlier - there is still a lot of snow to purge on steeper slopes and with the arrival of spring it is time to remember those ski crampons / crampons in the ruck sack. We saw a few people having difficulties on one or two passages.
The most notable thing is how little snow there is on some routes. The strong winds we’ve experienced this winter have left some passages completely bare, notably the east side of the Grand Colon yesterday but also many summits and ridges. A real mixed bag with good conditions in sheltered valleys.