@Steve Angus, do you know any stats on the snow cannon performance? For example if we got zero snow in the next 2 weeks but the temp remained low enough for the snow cannons to operate, how many pistes would be usable?
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?
PaulC1984 wrote:
hourly?! you lightweight, its practically my screen saver lol
Peter S - it's a 2 way thing as far as I know.... protects the tennis court surface but also lets people / piste bashers know when it is getting thin so as to protect them and their equipment/skis etc!
holidayloverxx - you're welcome!
trainee snowboard jedi - not 100% sure but there are three factors that sit over and above the 'how much' question. 1) amount of water available and budgeting of the water - they will not TOTALLY exhaust the water supply all now as they may need some more later in the winter 2) the logistics of having all cannons running at the same time and the strain on the system 3) flow of people - so for example they will prioritise main 'arteries' such as runs to get people on the 'up and over chair' to stop bottlenecks in town for example.... also greens and blues that get lots of traffic and need 'nicer' conditions will get their fair share. So for example somewhere like the Epaulet du Charvet will never get a look in but neither would some of the blues 'out wide' on the Val glacier... for example. But apart from that if temps remain low enough then they should be able to get a really decent amount open!
It is worth noting that the chances of our heli-boarding trip later this month is not looking rosy at present but we shall see how things go in due course!
...anyway back to today...
It really felt like the start of Winter for real today....
Virtually the whole of TDC were working today and it was full steam ahead. Clare took Olivia to the creche for 8.30 and I was down at La Dialle for then to help get all the 50 odd people in the Ski Club of Manchester group up to Fornet to start their sessions. On top of this there was a lot of 'normal' ski school groups as well as members of the French and British public AND the British Students and the Army lot..... so it was BUSY to get up the hill..... we did not get up there until about 10am.
It was fresh to say the least this morning but the snow was good once again although they are having to work hard to keep what is open functioning!
Not much snow on the pistes down to La Daille with less than 48 hours until FIS make their decision now!
Anyway my team of 4 did well and we made the most of the conditions before the lift queues for Cascade built up. We lapped around and around and developed the understanding of how and why to stand (more) on the outside ski and feel the difference it makes to their performance. I was even mean Steve and got them to ski on one ski whilst I carried their other ski.... this tired a few of them out a little more than I had anticipated so we had a chilled last 30 mins or so!
It was pretty hectic on the slopes it must be said and I really hope that they can get more open as it was pretty chaotic up there.
Despite the gondola window pink tint it was a nice sunny day and they are working hard to get the runs lower down open as soon as possible!
By the time we downloaded we got home about 2pm in the end which gave Clare and I a couple of hours to run a few errands.... Post Office, Val Service, pick Olivia up.... etc. A nice meal and then to be honest now we are both shattered and ready for bed.... not much else to report really this end.
Tomorrow we have a video de-brief evening in the Pacific Bar so not sure what time I will get to post but we shall see!
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Quote:
I was even mean Steve and got them to ski on one ski whilst I carried their other ski.... this tired a few of them out a little
would have tired me out a little, too..... I quite enjoy trying to ski on one ski for a few turns, but only if I have one on the other foot too!
trainee snowboard jedi - not 100% sure but there are three factors that sit over and above the 'how much' question. 1) amount of water available and budgeting of the water - they will not TOTALLY exhaust the water supply all now as they may need some more later in the winter 2) the logistics of having all cannons running at the same time and the strain on the system 3) flow of people - so for example they will prioritise main 'arteries' such as runs to get people on the 'up and over chair' to stop bottlenecks in town for example.... also greens and blues that get lots of traffic and need 'nicer' conditions will get their fair share. So for example somewhere like the Epaulet du Charvet will never get a look in but neither would some of the blues 'out wide' on the Val glacier... for example. But apart from that if temps remain low enough then they should be able to get a really decent amount open!
It is worth noting that the chances of our heli-boarding trip later this month is not looking rosy at present but we shall see how things go in due course!
Thanks for the insight on the snow cannons - let's hope with that & the snow that is forecast is enough to get most pistes open.
Noooooooooooooooooooo on the heliboarding news - that will be gutting, I will hope that once in your mountain career, you are wrong
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
A cold but glorious day up high above the clouds
The lift queues to get up the mountain really were horrendous this morning as everyone had the same plan to get up before 9am to Fornet and get the first cable car... I believe that those that arrived about 9.30/10am had an hour wait to get on the cable car and then the time taken to get up to the top. BUT before anyone starts worrying about this continuing for a few more days and into next week they have worked hard to get more open and not only did the blue to the Signal restaurant open this afternoon but they have also confirmed that they are opening more up the top of Solaise tomorrow.... so queues will be better but also there will be a LOT more open.... hooray! Still no word on the Bellevarde side of things yet!
Anyway when we finally got up there and broke through the cloud cover it was COLD up there and there was a stiff breeze blowing into your face as you went up the Cascade lift which meant that it was REALLY COLD up there. Anyway my team battled through and we got some good stuff done including some video which we had a video feedback session in Pacific Bar an hour or two ago!
I picked a tired Olivia from the creche and gave her dinner whilst Clare was doing her video feedback then we swapped over!
Not much else to report really this evening.... feeling pretty tired so will make it a short one this evening. The good news is that the few cm's we received up high again last night, coupled with the continued cold temperatures (-10 C and dropping quickly as I type, here in town) means that they are going crazy making snow....
After all it is free
After all it is free
@Steve Angus, I could have sworn that you promised at least a foot of snow today........sadly it appears that I'm wrong
Good news on other runs being open though
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@Steve Angus, Yippeee on the crazy snow making and actual snow, albeit little
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
@Steve Angus, Yippeee on the crazy snow making and actual snow, albeit little
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@Steve Angus, Yippeee on the crazy snow making and actual snow, albeit little
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.
@FiFi_Trixibell, That excited you said it 3 times!
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
There must be an echo in here!
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@trainee snowboard jedi, we are in the mountains
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@PaulC1984, yo-de-lay-eeeee
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@trainee snowboard jedi, indeed - keep going you may make it snow! Ill keep danicng!
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@trainee snowboard jedi, indeed - keep going you may make it snow! Ill keep danicng! - Lets all try snow zumba and see if it works http://youtube.com/v/9g1h9TghV4g
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?
sorry, computer gremlins are attacking! either that or I need a homer-esq dialing wand to prevent keyboard mashing!
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Great thread which I am properly glued to as I'm heading out on Sunday. Great news on the extra runs and lifts opening. Let's just hope the snow forecast for the weekend that seems to change so much does actually arrive!
Looking at the Met Office surface pressure charts it seems the fronts that are battering the UK are coming up against high pressure and losing their identity before being able to generate enough precipitation. The Azores and med highs need to dissipate before much will change.
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Wed 10-12-14 10:03; edited 1 time in total
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Too much "ferme" on that map for my liking. We are over on the 21st though so still time I guess! Is it really as bad as it looks on there though? There's a few high runs on the EK map that I'd expect (well hope!) to be open, but I'm guessing not yet?
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.
PaulC1984 wrote:
@trainee snowboard jedi, indeed - keep going you may make it snow! Ill keep danicng! - Lets all try snow zumba and see if it works http://youtube.com/v/9g1h9TghV4g
Yes, I can see what you're doing wrong there. If you're doing a snow dance you need CENSORED BY THOSE IN THE SNOW KNOW & then you'll get a dump of snow!
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
@Kenzie, - I thought the Elvis in the background added a little humour
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
WHAT A DAY
Well it was one of those days that never ended and was go, go, go....
It was nice and sunny first up and was chilly at -12 BUT it would soon warm up a tad we hoped! Indeed we got to Fornet and there was barely a queue as Solaise Express was open. So it was lovely heading up to the glacier and we were treated to EMPTY pistes up there..... everyone had had the same idea to head to Solaise. Anyway as you can see from this picture there is no queue for the Cascade Chair and the snow was AMAZING up there too which helped.
My team (plus another couple extras) worked on off piste today and whilst we did not go too far from the pistes and it was hardly 'fresh' tracks, we found some lovely winter powder that was cut up but ankle deep.... we lapped around and around and it was a very enjoyable session all round. The sun was shining and there was only a hint of a breeze so in the direct sunshine it almost felt warm!.... even though it was minus something or other!
By lunchtime there was a cloud or two in the sky (although it thickened and thickened and thickened as the afternoon went on and we were virtually in a whiteout at the end of the day).
I managed a 15 min break at lunchtime then waited for my afternoon session but she had the wrong place for the meeting so we were a little late starting in the end. So with Poppy this afternoon I work on carving until the light stopped us from doing that - so we moved onto short radius turns again! It was a pleasant afternoon as we were able to cross over into the Solaise sector for the first this season. They had the Glacier Express, Madelaine Express as well as the Datcha and Lac lifts running and about 80% of the 'bowl' at the top there was open. Cugnai was not open and of course skiing down Arcelle / Plan M down the front was NOT an option and won't be for several more days. The snow conditions were excellent up there apart from a few areas of man-made snow that are rather firm but I was pleasantly surprised! The only problem was that it was rather busy on the slopes but the efficient lifts up there meant there was no queues!
Getting down on the other hand was a nightmare!!!!! The STVI have not thought ahead.... making a very small amount of snow so that the unload zone at the bottom of Solaise Express could be used had not been thought about. As a result the queue to download on the Solaise Cable Car took me at 4pm.... wait for it 1.5 HOURS to get down.... a colleague who got there at 4.15 did not get down until after 6pm!!!!! It was a nightmare.
Plenty of unamused people!
So the BIG news in town today was that they are going to try and run the Womens World Cup racing down to La Daille next week. So Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will be the requisite 'training' DH days with the racing on Saturday and Sunday - they have got a lot of work to do but should be able to get it done as they are making snow like crazy - some of the reservoirs look pretty low already, and the temps remain low.
'Yes' as someone has said above... the forecast websites sometimes are widely optimistic.... I generally look at Meteoblue, Snow-forecast.com (blue is pretty realistic I find generally, whereas S-F is good for the freezing levels but normally widely optimistic about snowfall amounts) BUT meteox is the best if you like looking at synoptic charts type things and reading that means you get a great overall idea!
Anyway I am shattered and off to bed - another full day tomorrow without standing in that crazy download queue again!
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.
Great reports Steve - much appreciated
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
appreciate the reports@Steve Angus, always a good read, up your way on the 19th, hoping for another few dumps.. was great when i was there same time last year..
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
We are on our way up on the 19th too ,if only i had time to get a snowheads sticker for the car window
We are on a 6.50am chunnel ....
Lets hope the snow comes ..... but whatever it will be a great christmas .
Also cheers Steve your daily updates are fab
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
On the 3 Vallees thread someone reports the the Peclet gondola to the top of Val Thorens was closed this morning because the cable was so cold the cars were sliding backwards
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
The typical view around the resorts slopes today!
It was one of those days when the weather really could not make up its mind and for the most part it was quite grim!
Solaise opened on time but as soon as we got to the top we were in thick cloud and I considered changing lesson plan totally to dealing with low vis conditions but about as soon as I was about to do that the clouds parted so we were able to work on carving. After a couple hours in the Solaise sector we moved over via the up and over into the Fornet area BUT the winds over there were horrendous... luckily we only had about 30 mins of the lesson over there.
The weather once again was coming and going and to be honest I was lacking inspiration in my lesson today and coupled with the wind I was somewhat cold up there! Must go back up to 7 layers again tomorrow (will save the 8, 9 and sometimes even 10 layer days for the January weeks!).
The afternoon was a bit of a write off as the promo lessons for the various chalet companies we offer did not work out as planned for those scheduled for today.... basically not many of them could be bothered to turn up for a free lesson that we offer. However I was not upset as I was able to get home and warm and spend time with Olivia which was nice. She really is tired after her first full week in the creche.
And that just about brings you up to date.
Still no sign of weather in the form of snow on the horizon but little by little more and more is opening up. There is talk that they may open Bellevarde - probably Saturday but possibly tomorrow... we shall see!
TTFN
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@Steve Angus, Thanks for the update Steve - that vis looks terrible!
If they do open Bellvarde, will you be able to link to Tignes?
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?
We are landing in Val D'isere on Sunday and just wanted to say thanks for all the updates here- this forum has been refreshed every hour for the past fortnight!
Quick question- are there good crowds out there yet or expected from this weekend? Ideally we would like a good balance of ski and apres-ski so hoping it's not too quite out there! I hear La Folie Douce has yet to open; any idea when it is due to?
@nu2ski, I've been out to Val D in the pre-Christmas week and the Folie Douce has been open. Not every day (depending on snow) but it's been open. Dicks T Bar and Cafe Face have been good, don't worry.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Echo above thanks to Steve for telling us like it really over recent days before I also arrive on Sunday. Think I'm a bit light on packed layers !
After all it is free
After all it is free
HoneyBunny wrote:
@nu2ski, I've been out to Val D in the pre-Christmas week and the Folie Douce has been open. Not every day (depending on snow) but it's been open. Dicks T Bar and Cafe Face have been good, don't worry.
Thanks! Getting very excited now.
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.
@ALQ, I dont think im overdosing - just like an alcoholic thinks hes sober
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
@Steve Angus, 7 layers? are you cold because your muscles do not work enough when you give lessons? I mostly spend the whole day during my week of skiing, but 7 or more layers would imobilse me completely. Does it have to do that you spend the whole season as opposed to one or two weeks?
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
would have tired me out a little, too..... I quite enjoy trying to ski on one ski for a few turns, but only if I have one on the other foot too!
either that or I need a homer-esq dialing wand to prevent keyboard mashing!
are you cold because your muscles do not work enough when you give lessons? I mostly spend the whole day during my week of skiing, but 7 or more layers would imobilse me completely. Does it have to do that you spend the whole season as opposed to one or two weeks?