Serre-Chevalier, France 2014-2015

A snowHead

What's the local view on snow expectations over the next 7 days. I know how fickle it can be there with its owns micro climates. Still looking good for a pasting?

A snowHead

@RetroBod, half way up a bird table, hopefully a lot more Toofy Grin

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

anybody's guess if the amounts I keep seeing are anything to go by. Amyhing from just 13cm to 130.

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Well I've probably initiated sods law!

Piste skis and kit now out of van in garage and replaced with Fat's.

Off down to super market to stock up some more.

And icing on the cake to mess things up will leave van when we get back down the hill.

Has worked out really well the past three days as a client has given me shed loads of work (insert sound FX of cash till ringing) and not as if the conditions up the hill have been that brilliant, so not missed anything.

Good news that clouds are now looking slowly promising, though can't quite bring myself to look at the rain radar yet.

Edit take the above back, almost looks as if it's now brightening up Puzzled

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Ok going to book my weeks skiing today. Serre Che it is. Unfortunately half term mayhem as OH works in school 😢

After all it is free

Been dribbling for the past five hours or so as not a lot going on when dogs wanted to go out at around 03:30, and we now must have all a couple of mm on the bird table, snow that is falling is very very fine temp is -3.5

Big white out up top from the looks of things and no wind.

Just been looking at the rain radar and there's a lot more behind this coming our way.

Here ye go

Whoop whoop COME ON SNOOOOOOOW Very Happy

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Been snowing since around 04:00 here, but light light light, and only around 10cm in the jardin atop the bird table.

Stayed in the trees so hardly went above 2300 and no wind, and did go through to bottom quite often, but better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick though skiing trees that's could always happen.

And it was so busy as you can see from the car park Smile

Heavier stuff hopefully later as forecast Confused

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Hopefully! 10cm isn't as much as hoped for.

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Going up the hill for first lifts, just dug the van out - reckon circa 25-30 though wind is smashing it all up.

Though wind does seem to be easing and then every now and again a huge gust comes through - hopefully some lifts will be working , will go to Pontiallas first.

Report laters.............

Have fun up there, looking forward to your update.
T-1 snowHead

You know it makes sense.

Well think that was fun Puzzled

It was surprisingly busy, probably due to conditions being pretty dire up top with many groups, especially UCPA on their last day (sorry kat.ryb) sniffing out stashes as well, but I'm being fussy.

In the end was quite easy to get away from them and as a result found some nice new lines, as groups are not taken through tight, steep and deep trees Cool

As for the snow, was a good 50cm (over the knee) in the trees and in some bowls was deeper, and unlike yesterday didn't go through to the surface apart from hitting the odd stump etc.

At times viz / conditions were outrageous as huge gusts came through resulting in instantaneous blizzards, and a few times on the Cretes drag lift you could not see a meter or so in front of you.

Vallons was open, but we chose to stay low and I did notice that by lunch time, as viz cleared a little, groups were going further afield coming down above Frejus, and did see some Avalanche Poodles on a slope that was a bit stupid to attempt given the conditons, but hey we all did stuff like that once.

Sometimes it's quite good to have the OH with you, as she's more sensible and safety conscious just as I'm thinking "Mmmmm that might be good" but she's still gung ho and was skiing really well on her Fat Mothers (Armada VJJ's 115 wide) today and quicker than usual.

Anyway some pics and this was very steep but looks flat, and a very nice line

Out of focus but shows depth

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Nice photos!

Hope we get a bit more though snowHead

A snowHead

Anything in the forecast for the next week?

A snowHead

Nice looking dump in progress on Weathercam's cam!!

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

For info of anyone travelling that way, the Col de Montgenevre was completely clear today. Not a sniff of snow or ice on either side. No live sightings of snow chains. Great.

Of course you think, maybe we should have waited til 6am tomorrow to make the journey but that would have been tempting fate. Instead we are now installed in a nice functional but friendly hotel 7 km from Casselle airport for the knockdown price of €68 for 2X B&B. Room service at 7am for no extra. (Turin Airport Hotel & Residence).

Wasn't a great week ski wise but it still sure beats being in the office.

Great early evening's entertainment in the Saloon Bar (bottom of Prorel Lift) on Wed complete with local band who were just super. Everyone dancing and happy hour pints. What's not to like. Worth checking out. Worth supporting.

For those beginning their week(s), looks like some low temperatures ahead to keep the powder in good nick. Oh and to freeze your diesel if it's not winter grade.

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Safe flight home Kevin

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Up early for first lifts and for a change we went from Chantemerle. Busy first thing with many racers going up but not too many other peeps.

Super start to the day but very very cold with temps -14 in the valley

Was a tad disappointed as to how much had been skied out even in the trees, should have gone back over to Vallons etc, but part of the mission was to suss out potential off piste and we did sniff out some nice stuff and with the Aiguillette still shut now pondering an idea as to might be worth packing skins next time and seeing what it's like trying to find potential routes down, though there is a green back down, but I'm thinking of going towards Briancon at the bottom of the Aiguillette chair skiing the trees and then picking up a chemin, but will wait for more snow on that one!

As snow cover still minimal below 1800 as we were skiing the trees between an old drag and Luc Alphond I did hit a few things as the subsequent gouges in my skis show.

OH was skiing well today and is slowly sussing speed is your friend in chopped up snow as the pic below shows, and that was quite steep (off the Bois des Coqs drag)

Then back in the trees

Started to get busy, so much for Saturdays being quiet with many obvious weekenders arriving judging by the car parks.

Was going up to Le Casset this afternoon to try my kite out, but now clouded over (hopefully the snow that is forecast) and it's too cold me thinks.

When my phone (that I take all the pics with) is on WiFi it syncs all the photos to my Google account and sometimes creates a "story book" of the day and then emails me saying your story is now online.

So this link is to the story from yesterday photos a bit out of focus but do show the nice line I skied in the trees Cool

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Woke up to light snow falling, looking at my van (via my cam) has around one cm of fresh. Viz looks bleak, not too sure what to do today ?

And on the bird table for quite a while did have a bag of nuts hanging off it as we have a five or six Bluetits in our vicinity, but they never felt safe (must be the dogs) on the bird table. So hung it in the trees and they love it!

So have set a new preset on the PTZ Cam in our garden, BlueTitFeeder so could someone please look and see if it is working over the internet as I can't see the cam image on the link above for some networking issue only via the cam software, so don't know if my coding this morning has worked?

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Works for me. Needs more birds.

After all it is free

Works for me too, needs more tits NehNeh

Walked home last night from the village across the field(s) at the back and with nigh on a full moon and clear sky we did wonder how wrong the forecast(s) had been for yesterday.

Waking up today however the forecast was right and conditions were a tad grim. Again it was very very light snow, and really makes you wonder how is it possible to snow for so long yet hardly actually get any substantial amounts.

We ended up watching the final of the Australian Murray, until it was obvious that Murray would not succeed. So leaving the OH and the dogs this time, I opted for a quick ski tour up from Le Villard Late just above Chantemerle on the South facing slope (Col de Granon road). I boot packed the first 200m vertical carrying skis on back pack as if you skin up the road it takes ages so better to hike up the foot path though is hard work!

Lovely powder but as I suspected not too deep, hence was not using my best touring skis. Only did around 500m as was getting late in the day, plus I'd left water and grub back on kitchen table Confused

Was quite lucky with the weather as sun decided to come out making for some picture postcard scenes.

That's Luc Alphond piste in the back ground

Made a mess of the descent at the top as there's too little snow cover, I was unable to cross a stream so had quite a long flat traverse until I could get over it, then some nice turns over the terraces but did hit some rocks.

Up the valley towards Lautaret does look bleak but here sun is trying to make an appearance amongst the snow flurries.

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Yesterday took my pistey skis out and attacked the tracked out inter-piste-off-piste to see what they were like.

Pistes which are in very good condition. Though after the weekend most off-piste (even the trees) quite tracked out, though there are areas of untracked but maybe a tad too dangerous to consider but did see various poodles going off.

The steep under the Clot Gaulthier chair was in good condition.

We went down the Aiguillette over at Chantemerle, which was still closed but it hadn't stopped people going down and trashing the powder, wish we'd gone down there on Friday Sad

Not too sure what to do today, we have two options so wait and see.

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Hello hello

Having a great time.

Eco what Weathercam says, pistes are in really lovely condition higher up. Home runs get icy towards the end of the day and lower slopes still v evident snowdepth is low. They have been blasting snow cannons from lift close to open and huge mounds of icy stuff everywhere on lower slopes.

Avi risk 4 so mainly playing in the trees where the snow is soft, the cold has kept it in good condition. Elsewhere more accessible faces are very tracked and flat lift this afternoon made it impossible to pick where to turn amongst the tracks.

Snow cover off piste low down not great. Had to take our boards off and scramble/slide down a rock outcrop I remember boarding nicely over last year.

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Yesterday went for a recce ski tour in the Bois Noir woods above Nevache. I was told about this tour being the safe option when risk is high.

The only issue was that there is no recognised / identifiable route to take and going up was steep and along with quite deep powder and often trees / bushes roots underneath and along with plenty of kick turns was quite a challenging ascent and OH did really well, though did sense rattle was being prepared to be thrown out of the pram.

As it transpired was not to do with the ascent but the concern about the descent with was pretty gnarly as not only was it steep but there were plenty of obstructions, and not just trees.

So was 50 percent combat skiing avoiding rock, roots and low branches - and waiting for the Rando Dogs so they didn't take the wrong turn.

Again with another meter of snow this would be a great option and I will go back (probably sans OH and sans chiens) and especially now after some Googling and a further chat with the guy in the shop I now know where to go plus have found a GPS track!

Woke up to light snow falling and have probably had around 3-4cms on the bird table, forecast has light snow flurries all day and can see the occasional glimpse of the sun.

Looking like we're going to miss out on another storm with everywhere in the Southern Alps getting it bar us Sad

http://wepowder.com/playgrounds/region/7

Nice couple of hours up the hill sniffing out stashes and "experimenting" with different versions of a descent(s) that I had not taken before hoping they might deliver some nice fresh lines and mission accomplished, and they're now in the secret stash book Cool

Image below was earlier in the trees of the Crete drag

You know it makes sense.

Nice day today,
Another 10cm last night which freshened things up. Nice route off the back of Proel from the new chairlift with fresh tracks to be had in some mellow open terrain then a really fun decent through the trees, picking up that green run which goes past the base of the aiguillette to get back.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@kat.ryb, when does your group week finish, is last day Fri and are you still around Sat ?

A snowHead

A snowHead

My DW informs me you may have Great Tits Laughing

Nice to see them enjoying the nuts.

Have you got a Bird Box for them?[/quote]

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Really rad awesome extreme day today on the non existent x-country piste, down our end of the valley, just as well as dogs are not allowed on the ski de fond.

At one point started snowing quite heavily but that was for all of two or three minutes, rest of the day light has been flat, but viz not too bad.

Been looking at webcams in Via Lattea and they are getting some from the looks of things but not dumping http://www.sauzeonline.com/sauze-doulx-webcam/

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Snowing here this morning but you need a magnifying glass as it's so fine and think that's how it's going to be for the rest of the day.

Will go up the hill later to take a look, though look might be the wrong word to use judging by the conditions up there!

Sestriere, looking at the forecasts and the webcams this morning looks to be doing much better, though shame it's the weekend tomorrow as would go up there.

So hopefully will snow up that way tomorrow enough to put the Turin weekenders off going up (though I doubt it).

Then plan formulating in my mind is to ski up there next week with my mate who's arriving Sunday here (using our free passes) to avoid the French half termers here, then the following week (the really busy one) we're off touring, who know's where, could be the Pyrenees, Appenines so should get away from the hordes then the week after that in Kuthai, Austria !

So as ever in the Mountains, how to make God laugh, make a plan rolling eyes

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Mmmmm coming down a little better now than earlier - if bored in the office today you can have a look on the webcam (link below) and move it around to see what's occurring.

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Arrive with OH on 15th staying in Chantmerle. Weather looks fine but who knows when at 9 days out?Hope it's not pushing too warm although hopefully freezing at night. Could be rather spring like, shades and slap at the ready, if we can brave the queues!!

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Going up the hill now, has been snowing quite steady since my last update.

Have spent all morning doing this page all about the latest Gold ISPO awards

http://www.stylealtitude.com/newsandblog/2015/02/06/ispo-ski-gold-awards/

After all it is free

@Weathercam, guiding ends today, last afternoon.

We had la grave planned today but it's still shut. Yesterday in Monty playing in the trees as avi risk too high for the couloirs that were planned. Stayed down low to keep out of the wind also and snow cover wasn't super deep.

Snow is still coming down in SC although quite fine and vis is fine.

Having a small lie down after another big UCPA lunch before final afternoon.

Enjoy your afternoon @Weathercam.

Am I the only person who can't see @weathercam webcam using his links? It worked a while ago but the last few times I can't see the image to click...? Puzzled

3 weeks to go so the bird table cam is becoming more important Laughing

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Works fine for me..

Help!!

Serre-Chevalier, France 2014-2015

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