@jimbrake, yeah it's Chamonix, you have to play your cards right to get fresh tracks here! It was a funny start to a good powder day, there wasn't much accurate info available on what lifts were going to open and when... we've got five or six different areas here, so you've got to make a decision pretty early on as to where you want to go. The info for Plan d'Aiguille said opening at 11am, so most people would have decided straight away to go elsewhere, at least a bus ride away, but they actually opened at 0915. This attracted hundreds of coach-traveling tourists (here to see the view from 3800m for the bargain price of 50 euros), making a massive queue, and scaring off most skiers... so you just had to dive into the queue, really. I was there for about 40 minutes before getting on the lift.
So yeah, you've got to pay attention to the weather, the lifts, and the general mood to get the good snow here.
I'm going up on my regular rockers, the Pontoons, tomorrow, as there has been nearly three feet of snow in last 24 hours... tomorrow will be a good day.
@Chef23 They as good as regular skis for a different reason... they might not be very lively or have much pop in them, but they feel pretty bloody powerful, and I'm keen to see how far I can take them safely. I think they'd handle some speed very well indeed.