There's a Rjukan group on Facebook for route conditions. If current posts are anything to go by it's shaping up well. We're off to Hemsedal a month after for a change.
I am hearing that the autumn has been mild and wet in the southern Alps (at least in the Ubaye) and there are suggestions that the ice should come along nicely. This should work for ceillac as well as l’argentière if fully accurate. I should be there by next week so could let you know if nobody else pipes up on here.
Here in the Champsaur we had a warm period, with rain up to >2000m, just before Christmas & lots of snow melted (see https://www.ledauphine.com/societe/2022/12/28/manque-de-neige-en-stations-d... ). There's an icefall close to my local XC area which was starting to form nicely but is now a waterfall. And the forecast for the next few days is for warm & wet, with 12° & rain forecast for New Year's Eve for my village which is at 1250m.
But could, hopefully will, change by the end of January.
There is no ice in the northern alps, somehow there does still appear to be stuff getting done further south, but i cant see how it will last given the current forecast i wouldnt be commiting any money to an alpine ice climbing holliday this year, it will take a mega freeze to turn this season around...
So there’s snow still compared to most places. It freezes every night ( though not hard) but highs of up to low teens most days. I haven’t ventured out yet to check ice but it doesn’t fill me with hope so far. things can change but end of January being only 3 weeks away I would check Norway.
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