Serre Chevalier- France 2015-2016

A snowHead

@KenX, Good to see that they are doing this again during the peak weeks, that's if we were to get fresh snow, means you can get first lifts before all the groups etc get their act together and get some untracked in for a few runs.

A snowHead

Day one. Stupid fall. Damaged shoulder. B*gger

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

@Seanyb74, Sad

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@Seanyb74, did you go to hospital / taken off the hill etc ?

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No. Managed to to ski down to Serre Ratier and download on the gondola. Heavy bruise rather than broken. Won't be up to much tomorrow and see how I do from there. Was such a fun day prior to that. Evil or Very Mad

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@Seanyb74, I do have some heavy prescription pain killers etc

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It doesn't hurt too much. Just got very limited mobility. Sling, cold compress and asprin are OK ATM. Might play on the baby lifts or have a stroll around the villages tomorrow. Thanks very much for the offer though.
Such a stupid fall. Caught an edge which threw me forwards and rather than faceplant took the full force on my shoulder. Wasn't even going fast. Probably wasn't concentrating fully.

After all it is free

Well those that are out here currently know how warm it was yesterday afternoon!

I moved the thermometer into the direct sunlight and it shot up to 29 degrees and then back in the shade 13.5.

We did not go up the hill as I suspected it might be busy with Italians and locals making the most of the conditions and from what I heard that was the case with some actual queues on the drags top of Frejus!

Have a few friends who came out Sat and they had a glorious afternoon up there.

I spent the morning checking on how the snow was transforming (melting), in that at what angle and what aspect (how it faces the sun) and at what time, basically it's happening three hours later than in March / April as the sun is not as powerful.

When the snow softened up a bit we spent an hour practicing kick turns (Back Country Garden Skiing) and skinning up to the trees and then back down on the skis with the skins still on, all good for the technique that's if you happen to be stupid and like earning your turns rolling eyes

So today might go and see what conditions are like for dropping off the back.

Enjoy if you're out here, will be a pleasant week, with a return to more normal temps mid to late in the week, but no real snow, outside chance of a dribble.

Did indeed go off the back and we encountered every type of snow pack, but we did find some nice Spring snow.

If truth be known I should have gone an hour earlier. So @KenX what are your plans for tomorrow, thinking of a couple of lines down through the trees, skin back up is 35mins.

When we arrived at the Rocher Blanc after skinning up to the chair lift some Swedeee FreeRiders arrived just as we were taking the skins of and one dude who I've seen in resort a fair bit asked what we'd been doing, so I explained a little, to which his response was to show me his touring boots skis and bindings, but said he had no skins, so I asked him if he'd read the instructions properly Laughing

And then just as we were leaving Chalet Serre Blanc another guy (Dutch) came up and asked about our kit and he too said he had boots and skis but no skins!!

So back in our playground in late Jan, it's usually March / April - will post some more pics laters.

Over the Rocher Blanc side pistes were indeed like end of the season and I was joking with the lifties, but skiing back to Villeneuve they're holding up really well, mainly as the sun is not too strong, and our friends had another great day Very Happy

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An enjoyable guided off-piste session this morning with the UCPA. Like Weathercam says, a real mix off snow but our guide showed us some nice tree and "Spring" lines. I was pleased he was also on a board leading our mixed group, hopefully no long traverses coming up!

Pistes seem to be holding up well, particularly good in the mornings.

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@leggyblonde, guide on a board, that really helps, at least he'll be thinking about traverses and walk outs!

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Few more pics from yesterday - came across a new French phrase I'd not hear before "bonne neige un peu trafolée" basically tracked out powder!

Twas on the Club Alpine Briancon FaceBook where they've now used one of my photos from Sat for their profile pic!

Not too sure about today, wispy cloud around but already (09:45) +0.5

OH was not too enamored with the snow pack yesterday though I reckon the woods will be a good option?

Her POV on yesterday on the link below

You know it makes sense.

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

Our guide found some deep soft, if heavy, snow on some steep lines through the tress off the Casse du Beouff yesterday. We then did a little walk from Vallons to hop a fence at the Creux du Loup. A very thin crust but otherwise good untracked snow in the shade back down to the Cucumelle piste.

A snowHead

More glowing reports from friends last evening as to how good the skiing is at the moment with no severe degradation even though temps are in double figs by the afternoon!

We went off to Val du Pres again, but this time for x-country as there is a route where you're allowed dogs and I don't think you have to pay as it is marked as a randonnee route.

OH was not best pleased as she stacked in twice on a gnarly descent with a bend, and then again a little later on. These would not even be construed as descents if you'd been on alpine skis and could have done them with your eyes shut, but these little narrow feckers are something else. I quite enjoy the challenge in a masochistic way!

The route was interesting as it follows the river and is in the avalanche valley, and there are various signs warning of that, and that is presumably why there is not an official x-country piste running through there.

At one point came across a runner on the other side of the river who had parked his car in some parking except the bridge across was on our side of the river (don't know if they take it down in advance of the Spring floods etc) so he kept looking to try and get across, in the end he made a brave decision.

We did around 10km out and back.

Off to meet KenX, and see if we can find some Spring snow later this morning.

A snowHead

Our guide found some deep soft, if heavy, snow on some steep lines through the tress off the Casse du Beouff yesterday. We then did a little walk from Vallons to hop a fence at the Creux du Loup. A very thin crust but otherwise good untracked snow in the shade back down to the Cucumelle piste.

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

@leggyblonde, these type of conditions are good for a board as the crust is not so much of an issue.

Can't think where you mean as you say a little walk?

Only fence I know is accessed from up on the ridge to the fence from the top of Vallons chair a good 25min hike?

Need to get out of here now as a client has just scared the bejeezus out of me this morning, could have gone so wrong !!!!

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How is it over there on piste? I ask because my son and about 30-40 other 12/13yr olds are off to SC on a school ski trip on Friday.

So if you happen to see a kid in green and black stripey coat on twin tips skiing backwards past his school friends please tap him on his (black) helmet and say "Hi Tyler, dad says stop showing off"

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@homers double, from a post a few above.........

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Took advantage of the Spring conditions today and went down one of our favorite "slack country" routes with KenX.

We skied the piste for a while waiting for temps to rise and sun to do it's job, then off the Yret chair (we did have a look at Montagnole and it looked dire) and down the piste for a while before cutting off, as reckoned up top would have been bad.

And after a few turns became obvious we were in for a very nice ski.

If we were to be hyper critical of the snow back it was not uber smooth, but never the less just to be out there away from the piste twas a lovely descent.

As I suspected the ascent was a tad demanding as the snow was very hard and icy (this time of year sun is not strong and a NW facing slope is not going to soften up a lot), at one point I took my skis off and boot packed a fair way.

Ken was having a bit of a mare as his skins were not the right size with a good cm of ski showing either side, but chapeau, and lesson learnt, with some subsequent retail therapy to buy some new skins when we got back down.

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@Weathercam and KenX, v nice!

After all it is free

Fantastic pics and a great day Gavin Very Happy

Sorry about the skin faff, but as you know, sorted now!

@Weathercam, the walk was along the ridge up to Tete de la Balme. Not sure how long it was, I was enjoying the scenery!

Lovely pistes today but very springlike in places.

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@leggyblonde, It's a nice hike, doesn't look that far, but seems to go on forever, I'm guessing around 30 minutes.......

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Did a wee bit of piste cruising yesterday with friends as it was their last day and conditions still very good, for sure the odd bare patch but some lovely snow on piste.

Fair amount of wispy cloud around yesterday but temps still high and cloud kept a cap on the FL but sky did clear and we had an overnight freeze (minus 2 at 1400) and this morning wispy cloud again.

Think it will be enough to take the Mrs off the back of Yret today hopefully.

Then the weekend Puzzled

Opting for the CAF "sortie cool" tomorrow, rather than the "technique" on Sunday - mainly because Sunday looks pants and Sat is easy so should be "cool" for dogs and OH wink

Left here around 10:30 aiming to get to bottom of Yret chair circa 11:15 but chair was closed for a rescue exercise, saying it would reopen at 13:00!

Various off-piste groups were also thrown by this setback as I saw a few groups at the top of Vallons looking at the cut through in the rocks and the ski down to Cucumelle chair.

Of concern to us was that any later than 13:00 and snow pack would be too heavy (off piste).

So we took Cibuit and then skied all the way back to Monetier, we were going to have a drink at the bottom but I suggested at the top in case they opened earlier and that's more or less what happened, but by then all the groups had disappeared back for lunch presumably.

So again another sublime descent, probably a little better than a few days ago, with OH saying best of the season so far!

And took a slightly different route back up on the climb and being that much later (13:15 as opposed to 12:35) snow was grippier and we got to the rocks below the Col in 30mins (took us slightly longer on Wed).

Few pics

Ken you can see the high traverse line we took rather than ski the shoulder, though we did drop down a little from that.

And we've now christened the new BBQ area at the top of Vallons, Punters Platform, on the ridge (Col de la Cucumelle) in the background below The Cucumelle.

You know it makes sense.

Looks nice Weathercam! Our guide took us up the hike to the Cucumelle peak and then we descended down by the Roches des Carnets on some nice chalky snow followed by some very (for me anyway) steep stuff through the trees on soft, hardly touched but quite heavy snow. An added bit of excitement was that one of the skiers broke a binding and had to be rescued by heli!

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

@leggyblonde, do you mean Roche Corneille before the trees which are quite nice at first then gets steep but very good (if snow pack is not bad) then bit of a gnarly traverse to come out on the piste at Monetier?

Those trees and that run can be excellent when snow pack is good.

Today set off early on a long tour to the Crête de la Ponsonnière 2,824 from Pont de l'Alpe.

Encountered every type of snow pack and as a bit chilly than of late together with hazy cloud and chilly breeze snow did not transform much above 2,300.

On the way up as ever in that area we were observed by boquetin and chamois, wish I'd taken my proper camera!

There are around eight on the ridge in two different places if you look closely

Belle is slightly faster tham my Rando Chiens!

A snowHead

It's meant to be raining............
Not that I'm complaining Very Happy

A snowHead

What altitude is that ?

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

About 1250m, just above Briancon

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Slightly higher up the valley 1,400 - see the link below for live WebCam.

Seems to be windy but from the South ?????

Glad I did the tour today rather than the one planned for today, which was / is probably cancelled.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Wind was / is indeed turbulent in the valley this morning!

Went to do a shop in Briancon and sure enough wind blowing from the South.

As we were driving back weather seemed to be clearing with glimpses of blue sky and the sun, so carried on past Monetier and parked up just outside Le Casset and commented to the OH that maybe I should have bought my kite, so we took les chiens out for a nice walk.

Then as we were walking up near Le Casset I noticed the wind at altitude was coming down the valley with the clouds skudding across the sky from N/NW, and there was a point when the low cloud being blown up the valley from the South was pulled up into the NW'ly stream and then blown back down the valley, if that makes sense?

Did video it but not that clear Crying or Very sad

As we arrived back at the van there were a couple of kiters preparing to launch into the wind coming up the valley and it was classic, in that just as one was about to launch the wind veered 180 degrees and kite blew inside out.

He tried again only to get the kite up and then wind veered and dropped like a stone with his kite nearly falling on the post.

And ironically I see that a few from the CAF did go out this morning in the Bois des Bergers just above Le Casset - looking at it on the map seems like a good option.

So we have not had the rain as per forecast, but all the snow that fell this morning has disappeared very quickly!

Further Edit 16:30 howling down the valley now from the N/NW can't make out up top of Eychauda drag if that's cloud or snow ripping over the ridge, I suspect the later.

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Glass half empty............

Less than 24hrs from webcam image above Crying or Very sad

Glass half full.............

Next weekend and on into next week Cool

Just in time for start of French hols, in fact brilliant as looks like snow and white outs most days which will limit numbers on the hill Twisted Evil

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Is the route from Le Monetier to Les Deux Alpes open now as I heard there was some issue with a tunnel being shut etc.? Looking at Google Maps it seems that I can go from Monetier to L2A in about an hour but vice versa the route takes me south and adds on about 3 hours. Reason I ask is that I will be in SC and my friends in L2A in a couple of weeks and fancied driving to see them one day if it was only about an hour away. 3 hours, forget it! Many thanks for any info.

After all it is free

@joshuaharrison, there is a relief road, the tunnel is still closed. It would be very weather dependent.

@Hells Bells, this morning it's actually been "officially" closed today for avalanche work - and it's now open but in a sort of closed way rolling eyes

La RS1091 sera fermée le lundi 1.02 au plus tôt à 12h00 pour opération de déclenchement d’avalanches. L'horaire de réouverture sera communiqué dans la journée .

Et

Retour à la normale, la route est réouverte après la sécurisation avalanches.
Donc en pratique, elle est bien évidemment indiquée fermée pour ne pas induire les touristes en erreur. Elle n'est plus fermée fermée, mais ouverte fermée. rolling eyes

Conditions in the valley are dire after the wind and warm temps. Where it melted it did freeze a little and was pretty tricky to walk / run on - I was due to meet OH in Le Casset whist she ran up there, though she opted for the road.

The field where yesterday a couple of guys were trying to kite, resembled a pond in a few places - hopefully more than the dribble forecast mid week ?

Don't know what the pistes are like, might be ok though very heavy lower down I'd imagine.

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@Weathercam, I did mean Roche Corneille, we made the local news....

http://www.lemedia05.com/2016/31955/deux-skieurs-evacues-par-helicoptere-apres-avoir-casse-une-fixation/

As we drove back to Turin on Saturday the Via Lattea looked very sorry for itself

Help!!

Serre Chevalier- France 2015-2016

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