 Poster: A snowHead
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It is snowing very slightly in Tignes village (2100) at the moment 
The local forecast is for slight snow all afternoon and evening.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| stewart woodward wrote: |
It is snowing very slightly in Tignes village (2100) at the moment
The local forecast is for slight snow all afternoon and evening. |
Anything is better than nothing!!
A lot of cloud on the VT webcams... any snow there??
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Snow Hound, it's all in FI at this stage anyway so could move back and forward, the details could shift or it could not happen at all.
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| matfrazerz wrote: |
@rrd3718, will also be in Saalbach for a week from 2 January (also from South Africa). Been watching this thread with great interest, its a long way from South Africa to Saalbach for there to be no snow!!
Please let the updates continue to show snow in the not-too-distant future! |
There is currently a fair bit of skiing in Saalbach - have a look at the interactive piste map, including resort runs. Lots of white ribbons on green pasture...
Probably needs to get a bit colder so the cannon can run again (if they've refilled the reservoirs from Novembers snow making splurge)
Lots of south facing runs in Saalbach, though shouldn't matter that much in early January. Queues there are the best I've ever seen - hardly any even in Feb half term last year.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@matfrazerz, Hi, im also from South Africa... Seems there is quite a bunch of us. Please keep me updated on snow conditions in that area. I'm off to Ellmau on the 22nd of Jan. Saalbach will be on my ski pass, so keen to give it a bash. Thanks, cheers
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Looks like a total washout on the moutanins around Grenoble. FL is 2300 meters and a lot of the snow that was there yesterday has gone. Snow canon snow will resist better than natural stuff.
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Skiing was good at Alpe d'huez yesterday but mild day then and rain virtually all the way to 3000m this afternoon. Who knows what will be like tomorrow...
Any chance of this snow hitting Cervinia 28 December, or shortly thereafter?
Also enjoying following this thread
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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In Tignes.
Today had to be one of the worst days as far as conditions are concerned. Bare spots appearing in rapid succession, pistes are being closed because too many bare spots that can't be navigated, what snow is here, is a bit heavy, visibility was on and off white out, and it's too warm to turn on the snow cannons...
Add the amount of punters that have arrived, the skiing bit was stressful. Up around the glaciers it's better, but still too many punters making their way down in a reckless fashion.
Planting myself in a cafe with a coffee and just enjoying the wonder of the mountains was what made it feel like a holiday....
I hope for the New Years week, the colder temps come and they can turn on the cannons...and bring your rock ski's.
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2015 / 2016 is now shaping up to be one of the worst ever ski seasons for the European Alps in history.
Bookings down. Glaciers shrinking. Little snowfall. Heavy rain at all altitudes.
Only fake snow has saved the day (for some resorts).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Considering the season is barely a month old seems a bit hasty to say it is shaping up to be one of the worst on record.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Whitegold wrote: |
| 2015 / 2016 is now shaping up to be one of the worst ever ski seasons for the European Alps in history. |
I didn't ski today as I didn't fancy the weather, but I'm in to my 4th week of skiing this winter and I've had a very enjoyable time so far. Perfect? No, certainly not. The skiing has been more limited than you would hope, and there has not been any off-piste that I've fancied. But I've headed high and the piste skiing I've done has generally been decent, and often very good indeed. Couple that with mostly blue sky and mild temperatures and it's been a very enjoyable December so far. No doubt conditions will continue to deteriorate until the weather finally breaks, but to say it's one of the worst seasons in history doesn't chime wth my experience at all.
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| Quote: |
Whitegold
FreeRider
Posts: 5704
2015 / 2016 is now shaping up to be one of the worst ever ski seasons for the European Alps in history.
Bookings down. Glaciers shrinking. Little snowfall. Heavy rain at all altitudes.
Only fake snow has saved the day (for some resorts)
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Is it really? Or is it the worst week leading up to Christmas in a while.
I have been on a couple of shockers at the end of January in the past when it was T shirts and shorts weather with a couple of ice rinks winding their way through meadows, even then March was fantastic later the same season.
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You know it makes sense.
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@Whitegold, It's only Dec 21st, bit early to be calling the season "worst ever", I know your a glass half empty person but.......
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Is Whitegold related to Millom?
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Poster: A snowHead
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In terms of bookings, it is a bad Christmas, for sure. But the weather is only one component, change over day is Boxing Day... combine the two, and people just think.... nah, I'll pass.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| mheadbee wrote: |
| Or is it the worst week leading up to Christmas in a while. |
Conditions in Les Arcs better this year that the equivalent weeks last December. Not great this year, of course, but better than last year.
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Ischgl was good today, mind you there are more snow cannons than I've ever seen before. Was in Tignes Christmas week last year and it's better than that
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| rob@rar wrote: |
| mheadbee wrote: |
| Or is it the worst week leading up to Christmas in a while. |
Conditions in Les Arcs better this year that the equivalent weeks last December. Not great this year, of course, but better than last year. |
I recon you're saying it's worse than it is to get the place to yourself.
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I have skied 7 days this season so far but despite just arriving in resort for 3 weeks I think I am done skiing until it snows. It was enjoyable the first 2-3 days I skied this season because of the novelty of skiing after a summer break, plus conditions were better, but now that this worn off I struggle to find motivation to get the gear on. Nice to be in the mountains all the same, just a shame about the skiing.
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There are certainly some glass half empty people on here. I'm in Samoens and skied today surrounded by grass in the rain and had a great time. Yes it would be better if there was loads of snow but what can you do? It's the weather.
If it bothers you that much maybe don't book early in the season.
I count myself lucky to be in the Alps on holiday full stop.
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| Ghanny wrote: |
There are certainly some glass half empty people on here. I'm in Samoens and skied today surrounded by grass in the rain and had a great time. Yes it would be better if there was loads of snow but what can you do? It's the weather.
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Sounds like scotland sking 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| jbob wrote: |
| I recon you're saying it's worse than it is to get the place to yourself. |
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It is better than last season in the French Northern Alps because we didn't get a 2 day foehn after the season opening snows fell so there is still skiable snow as well as some man made from when it was colder but it is a slow death at the moment.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| rob@rar wrote: |
| Whitegold wrote: |
| 2015 / 2016 is now shaping up to be one of the worst ever ski seasons for the European Alps in history. |
I didn't ski today as I didn't fancy the weather, but I'm in to my 4th week of skiing this winter and I've had a very enjoyable time so far. Perfect? No, certainly not. The skiing has been more limited than you would hope, and there has not been any off-piste that I've fancied. But I've headed high and the piste skiing I've done has generally been decent, and often very good indeed. Couple that with mostly blue sky and mild temperatures and it's been a very enjoyable December so far. No doubt conditions will continue to deteriorate until the weather finally breaks, but to say it's one of the worst seasons in history doesn't chime wth my experience at all. |
This. I've just got back from the 3vs and the skiing was much better than this time last year with lots more open. The rule has to be go high before Christmas and in April. All we need is for the weather to break in January and it could be very good season. I suspect we will look back in ten years time and dream of the good old days when you could ski reliably before xmas.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| davidof wrote: |
| It is better than last season in the French Northern Alps because we didn't get a 2 day foehn after the season opening snows fell so there is still skiable snow as well as some man made from when it was colder but it is a slow death at the moment. |
agree. and the slow death is gaining momentum with the number of skiers that have arrived.
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Not scientific as I'm not comparing the same two areas... but this Christmas skiing so far has been a whole lot better than last year (Wagrain-Alpendorf-Flachau this year v Skiwelt last year). There's a fair amount open round here and it's holding up very well even if it might be mostly artificial.
Last year at Christmas a total of 45km of piste were open in the Skiwelt - it all got a bit tedious after a while as so many people were packed in to such a small area.
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You know it makes sense.
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Every year I read this forum and every year it's doom and gloom in December, then the January snow comes and all is forgotten.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Certainly is. Can't imagine there's a single run in the Eastern Alps in non-glacier areas that would be open without the aid of artificial.
Sportgastein opens tomorrow and is the highest non-glacier area in Salzburg but will only have the one run which has cannons on open.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@emwmarine, point taken about your altitude. But most places you could never reliably ski before, at or just after xmas...
What we are seeing now is NORMAL!!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| under a new name wrote: |
@emwmarine, point taken about your altitude. But most places you could never reliably ski before, at or just after xmas...
What we are seeing now is NORMAL!!! |
Perhaps that's the real problem then. All the reports on this and the other threads from people coming back from high altitude resorts are happy sunburnt skiers. All the doom and gloom posters either haven't been or have booked somewhere in the Vosges foothills.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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It's been pretty good in Tignes, but that's with the benefit of a certain amount of experience and technical skill. I have sympathy for the people I was talking to in a bar earlier who were on their second week of skiing and were finding it very difficult. I'm not surprised.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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In 2010 and 2011 here in NE England there was huge amounts of snow, particularly in 2010 when you could chat to the kids mid week if they fancied sledging at the weekend as you knew the snow would still be there. There was pretty decent early snow in Dec 2011 and 2012 from what I remember, so I think we were due a couple of poor starts - see earlier in this thread with videos from 1994. With Boxing Day being a main transfer day and last year's lack of early snow fresh in the memory I am not surprised by fewer people booking this year.
Those of us who have been lucky enough to go at least one week each season over the past 10 to 15 years will recall good and bad points in most seasons. I was in Austria in Jan 2002 and from what I recall many of the lower resorts were struggling that year - we were in Obertaun and it was busy with people being bused in.
Is this the new normal? Not sure that two poor starts will be a pattern yet but this is not going to help bookings next year for Christmas, especially how the week falls next year.
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Shortest day of the year today in the Alps (Grenoble), days getting longer from tomorrow, #springiscoming
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| davidof wrote: |
| Shortest day of the year today in the Alps (Grenoble), days getting longer from tomorrow, #springiscoming |
Silence - Weve not had winter yet
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| under a new name wrote: |
@emwmarine, point taken about your altitude. But most places you could never reliably ski before, at or just after xmas...
What we are seeing now is NORMAL!!! |
http://www.weathertoski.co.uk/weather-snow/season-progress-report/mid-december-2015/
"Yes, there is a little fresh snow at altitude across the northern Alps today, but there is no doubt that snow levels across the Alps are considerably below where they should be for mid-December."
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I wouldn't bet on this but predictions show the high pressure zone breaking down at the end of the week and 'shiver me timbers' storm rolling in on NYE.
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Yep, our resident weather forecaster Nozza was pointing out the potentially impending pattern change December end on the previous page. Fingers crossed!
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