Poster: A snowHead
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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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chocksaway, Great piccies
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Another day of Spring skiing and coffee drinking! Pistes varied from rock hard to great to knee deep slush - although the bus home from Val Claret was very comfortable and preferable to an afternoon Palafour! However, the weather is changing and its going to be changeable over the next few days. Very difficult to call what is going to happen as the pressure charts are quite complex with a number of troughs - so don't trust any single source App. Safe to say we will have snow/rain showers, who gets what will be a matter of chance, the snow line will be around 1800 - 2100m over the nest 3 days so again no promises other than it will be snow above the Panoramic restaurant!
provenjohn, Glad you liked them
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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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Great set of pictures chocksaway,
Lovely day today - went up the Grande Motte inc the cable car and did a few laps of the Leisse and Vanoise chairs. Then down to Le Lac via Genepy and subsequently Trolles (which was in a decent shape at around 2PM). Then a leisurely afternoon with the kids doing laps of the Mont Blanc, Grand Pre and Borsat chairs.
Beggars can't be choosers so I'd say that the conditions are pretty good for this time of year - all types of snow depending on aspect, time of day and traffic levels.
Absolutely superb and looking forward to tomorrow.
Superb lunch at the Edelweiss yesterday and La Bouida on Tuesday (thanks to chocksaway for checking the Sache out a few days back).
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High cloud this morning - which soon deteriorated and we have had a number of light flurries since which seem set to continue. So started the pack-up ahead of the renovation work on the roof this summer - unfortunately I have 3 velux so am expecting a lot of dust Also waiting for a surveyor to pop round................
Weather forecasts for next week pretty much as yesterday with the potential for some heavy falls mid week from mid mountain upwards - Le Lac is likely to be on the cusp.
Flying tomorrow - all set fair for aviation - might be a bit bumpy at GVA in the odd gust - much cooler than last weekend.
Tonight a gang of us are going to a Charity Dinner at Lo Terrachu in aid of SOLEA (a local cancer charity) so might be a bit fuzzy in the morning!
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Anyone know if you can still ski dowwn to Brev? Web cams stopped updating on Monday and were looking very patchy
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I skiied down to Brev last Saturday using Sache and the reds. Sache was patchy in places especially close to where it joins the red. The windy blue was not passable.
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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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smagsmith, Just to ensure the quality of the reports I trawled the bars of Tignes tonight and found some folk who had an enjoyable ski down to Brev today - just don't use the Sache - as you can see that is brown from the road. Stick to the red or the blue. Not sure what's up with the 2 lower webcams.
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chocksaway, thank you for going out of your way to all those awfull bars ( I bet you forced yourself to have a beer or too as well)
When you say 2 lower cams, which two do you mean? I know of this one http://www.tignes.co.uk/webcamlesbrevieres.htm but not aware of a second.
We fly tomorrow and can't wait to get there. So glad you can still ski down to Brev.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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Cool, I have not seen the 1800 one before.
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Back to a winter wonderland!!!
On Thursday I wrote:
"Very difficult to call what is going to happen as the pressure charts are quite complex with a number of troughs - so don't trust any single source App. Safe to say we will have snow/rain showers, who gets what will be a matter of chance, the snow line will be around 1800 - 2100m over the nest 3 days"
Well Lady Luck favoured the Espace Killy. As I walked to the Terrachu last night it was drizzling and miserable, it had turned to snow on the way back (much later having eaten and drunk for charity!). This morning there was a brief glimpse of the sun and 10cm of fresh in the village. Having taking another 40 winks it had started snowing heavily and has not let up since. Its difficult to say how much we have had as it has been wet snow in the village and it is melting quite quickly on the roofs and balconies but I suspect on high we will have had 20-30 over the last 24 hours. Quite localised though having looked at the weather radar the precipitation band was only a few miles across and from the Meribel webcam the roads still look dry. As there may be some sun in the morning it must be time for an early night - to enjoy the fresh - but do take care up here the avalanche risk for tomorrow is 3 and is a complex situation. As the forecaster said tomorrow is not a 'jour anodine'.
Flying tomorrow - wet, windy and bumpy down south, over here and up north no snags.
As for the rest of the week - showery and warming slightly. - A mixed bag for smagsmith, to enjoy.
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You know it makes sense.
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At least 30 cm in the village in the last 24 hours. Total whiteout today high up. And it's set to continue (I'm leaving tomorrow ) But without a freeze-thaw cycle, be careful off-piste (assuming the visibility improves enough) - the powder will be on a cocktail of rocks, soil and ice. It might look inviting, but you might get a surprise. As will the marmots when you ski on their heads!
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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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chocksaway wrote: |
A mixed bag for smagsmith, to enjoy. |
looks much better now than it did a couple of days ago. I was thinking we would not be getting much skiing in and would be sun bathing for 5 days
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Poster: A snowHead
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Tricky conditions today but fresh snow was very welcome - quite sticky in places but not a soul around.
Spent the AM cruising on greens and blues with the little ones and ended up in Val for lunch at the La Gourmandine, very nice indeed.
Wife had the last laugh late PM when I asked her to take kids to the chalet so that I coul have one last run down off the Palafour - stuck on the bloody thing for 25 mins in a whiteout, not very pleasant at all!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Brilliant last day today. About 30 cm of fresh by the time we left. Glacier in the morning and played off Aiguille percee all afternoon. Quite heavy lower down, but great up high.
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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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1st avalanche blasting for a month rocking the joint - stay safe folks!
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Looks superb out there - last few turns of the season today. Been a good one once again.
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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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About 35cm in total from midnight to midnight meant fresh tracks for most. A bit of cabin fever abounded this morning with people skiing/riding over what had been green/brown on Friday - I suspect the repair shops are busy! Also saw a guy skiing down Palafour with a deployed airbag at 9.15. As expected the snow was heavy at lower levels (lots of straightish lines off piste) and wind blown high up. I am sure that there were a few nice pitches somewhere - just didn't find any as the snow consolidates so quickly in the heat. However, the new snow has made a massive difference on piste - above 2000m the pistes were in great nick. Down below it has arrived a bit late to save the day - we did get down to La Daille - but my first question in the Rosée Blanche was "What is the French word for glue?!" - it was 'orrible down there.
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Arrived at 13:30 and had a cheeky ski from boisse to Brev. Not good at all this low down. Gave up after two laps as no fun. Had a walk to the dam and it is amazing to look at the old village. Can't wait to get higher up tomorrow.
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A walk round the webcams this morning showed a number of layers of clouds - so decided to start the preparation for the Grand Depart next Saturday. This involved a lot of boxes and packing tape - with the aim of keeping some of the dust put when they start on the new roof. It has been warm all day - lots of melting going on but as I type there are a few flocons going past the window. Its going to be a mixed week of showers so might just be a case of nipping out for a couple of hours in between them. Forecast is confused and complex -so no further detail than that. Last trip to the Alpaka and then the Jam Bar for this season tonight. Looking very quiet on the pistes out there.
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Great conditions firsth thing this morning, but fast turning to porridge lower down come lunch time. So headed up the Motte after lunch, but it was a white out up there. Lots of snow falling as we headed back down. Bottom half of double M was hard going by 2:30, so called it a day and headed back. I think this week will be skiing in the morning and chilling in the afternoon.
Anyone reading this in the Melezes?
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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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And its only just clouded over! Maybe some showers later and tomorrow may be very similar conditions. Decided on doing a Fornet Run today. La Daille was OK at 1030 as we opted for the bus rather than the Face in knee deep slush! They have sacrificed some of the lowers slopes to push snow onto the rest. But Le Fornet was just excellent - a dusting of new snow on and off piste meant conditions on piste were fabulous and off was a mixture - but fun! It was also not that busy so some hi speed mucking about was to be had. The only bad thing was I had to leave early to make a 1430 meeting in Le Lac (more expense!).
Looks showery for the rest of the week.
PS The resort has just launched a series of 4 day packages for 4 nights accom plus lift pass plus Swimming pool - from €175. See Tigness.net or FB.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Well the forecasts were spectacularly wrong again - blue skies all round this morning. Just some big fluffy cumulus forming on the tops now - so may be the odd shower later. So pretty much the same as yesterday. This may become a theme for the rest of the week. Not much else to say really except there is a free concert in Tignespace tonight by the local choral society who are doing a mix of music in at least 3 languages - shame I can't sing in any!!
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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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A question for the locals:
I'm out for an end of season weekend (staying 1st - 5th May in Tignes) ... From memory last day of the season for the Espace Killy is the 4th May - so I assume the bulk of the runs (snow allowing) and the Tignes/Val link will be open until then?
After that, is it just the Grand Motte that stays open, or does the rest of the Tignes area stay open until the bitter end (10th)?
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abj, All the bumf I have seen says the Grand Motte Glacier from the 5th - so I would assume that it is everything Lanches and upwards - some 1351 metres vertical. I will ask around and see if I can find more - I've never stopped that late. Before then the links will be open but expect some sporadic closures of lifts (especially lower down).
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You know it makes sense.
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chocksaway, cool - thanks for the quick reply!
To be honest, I have an evening flight back from Geneva on the 5th, so I'll only have a morning's worth of skiing on the Monday - so the Glacier will be more than enough area for a couple of hours..
Do you know if the free buses will still be running? We'll be in Le Lac, so will need a way over the Glacier.
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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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If the lifts are open the buses will be running - but probably to a timetable rather than continuous - check the bus stops for this.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Firstly a quick resume of an incident on the North - Face of the Grand Motte at 1530hrs yesterday. Despite the warnings in the cable car not to ski the NW Face (to the right of the cable car looking uphill) which have been there since the massive ice fall some years ago and it being late afternoon in late April with some storms forecast a group set off down and a 20 year old fell 10 m into a crevasse. Luckily he was rescues with relatively minor injuries but a good number of pisteurs and CRS personnel had to put themselves at risk to achieve this. Don't think I need to put my feelings in writing!
To today - another glorious blue sky morning with fluffy clouds building through late morning. A great day for a last ski round good pistes - yes the hangar doors are closing for another season and the skis have gone for a final service. A day of 'brico' and cleaning tomorrow before the Grand Depart on Saturday.
Weather for tomorrow looks iffy - so good to finish on a high. I will post a weather report tomorrow.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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chocksaway, Thanks for the reports, have a good trip
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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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chocksaway,
As always thanks for all your insightful reports, have a safe trip back.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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chocksaway, thanks for the reports this season, hope to make it to Tignes again next season
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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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chocksaway, Thanks for the updates and photos. Always smiled and thought of you as I skied down Trolles and looked at Bec Rouge during my 3 trips this season.
We always had a very good idea of the weather and occupancy of the area due to the becrougeometer, poubelle measurements and your traffic updates each weekend up and down the valley.
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I am out with MountainSun Ltd on Sunday for three days. Ski hire is free! Is it worth bringing out my Brand new expensive 95 underfoot All- Mountain skis? Blizzard Bonafides which are a joy to ski. Concerned about damage to them if the snow is sparse.
Cost of transport not an issue. Only booking baggage one way with BA home as SwissAir free going out.
Bought the skis for off-piste but do not intend to venture off as coming with an intermediate friend.
Appreciate views regarding the conditions.
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hawkesbaynz: surely 'all-mountain' skis do just that!? Soil, rocks and marmots are you friend
Pistes should be fine - especially if you stay high. We were there last week and I can recommend the lower parts of Sache if you want some scratch marks on your new bases.
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hawkesbaynz, I'd leave them at home - to ski back to Boisses will involve all terrain! If renters are free then all the better.
Weather is going to be showery over the nest 5 days and a bit cooler so there may be some fresh up high where the snow depths are still good. Been a dreary morning with the odd spot of rain over lunchtime but it is brightening up, but there remains a chance of a storm.
For those aviating tomorrow - all should be fine (might be a bit of very early fog at Leeds) you could catch a shower at either end.
Cabin Crew - doors to automatic - I'm out of here!!
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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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chocksaway, Thanks for all your reports, pics and travel info. Much appreciated. Looking forward to more next season. Cheers.
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cad99uk, +1.
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