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Serre Chevalier- France 2015-2016

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Cucumelle webcam is switched on again, and the first signs of winter can be seen. http://serrechevalier.roundshot.com/cucumelle/ . Looks like a new picnic area up there.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@Hells Bells, the way the weather's been must be pretty grim working on that platform.

We might actually get a clear sunny day tomorrow !

Yesterday another one off the bucket list - Le Fort de la Croix de Bretagne at 2,000m - you can see the "road" winding its way up above Villar St Pancrace.

To be honest I was expecting the trail (old military road) to be in much better condition, and with the recent heavy rain huge gouges down the trail made for some tricky riding.

The fortress is superb, and it's all open, no health and safety signs, and you can still see all the old bed frames in the barracks. Once through the gates you can cycle all the way to the top just under a km ( you can view the Fort in satellite mode on my Strava track https://www.strava.com/activities/407480804 ).

Reckon if you were to walk it from where you could park up would be around 2hrs around 7km and 700m vertical






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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Nice, that's one fort we've yet to do!
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@KenX, I'll be walking up there with Elaine and the dogs next week, as I'm really keen for her to see it, so we'll touch base.

In fact I did suggest it as the walk for today, but Elaine said she'd like to walk in the woods, so I said ok, and decided on a change of route but forgot to tell her, plus did not really want to do a long one as I'm cycling with a Frenchie tomorrow who will probably tear my legs off.

It was only when we were way above you hiking up through the Bois de L'Ours and then started descending down a traverse to Le Poet Ollagnier did Elaine ask where the fort was rolling eyes

https://www.strava.com/activities/408128052





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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Are these colours for real?
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@Onnem, the autumn colours in Serre Chevalier are amazing, the largest larch forest in Europe ensures a wonderful autumn, and by the looks of the photos the larch isn't at its best yet.
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Wow those pics are really amazing...
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@Onnem, this morning's webcam pic is showing them off to perfection http://www.stylealtitude.com/serrechevalierweathercam.html
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B@Hells Bells, you beat me to it Very Happy

Does look like the larch are slowly changing (hopefully) as would be great to see them in all their glory as we don't go till the 16th.

Off to Italia this morning over Echelles dropping down to Bardonecchia, then Oulx and back up over Montgenevre - only trouble is might not be able to take any pics as I'll be trying to keep to my friend's wheel.

That's Club Med in Le Bez across the valley from us with the cam zoomed in.

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Off there in 2 weeks, so some good weather for walking would be nice.
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Still plenty of larches to change colour, should be stunning Very Happy
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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.
@Hells Bells, We'll try not to use all the nice weather up between now and then, 19 degrees today, great day to sign completion documents!!!
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 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
So rode with Eric this morning, he's third generation from the valley with his great grand parents born near Oulx and Bardonecchia.

Quite high up in the ESF and owns the Cocoon bar - he loves his cycling and only trouble is that usually when I'm over he's working and can't do a long ride. His knowledge of the mountains and animals I think surpasses most of the guides I know, he's also very cool at mimicking their "calls" which totally gets les chiens wound up. He's also been very helpful in giving me advice on various routes both for walking and cycling.

We did the ride in reverse to how I usually do it, that is going over Montgenevre first then down to Oulx and then Bardonecchia and over Echelles. Both Oulx and Bardonecchia seemed quite busy with folk walking around and cafes open.

Had a number of questions that I wanted to ask, and the most obvious one was "when will the larch start to change colour", and.......................

The answer being "that if we get three more cold clear nights & subsequent sunny days" then there will be a dramatic change.

I was also curious as to what state the larches would be in up on the plateau(s) either side of the Col de l'Echelle as it's very dry up there, and sure enough many were starting to change as you can see.



18.6 on the thermometer (in the shade) and a lot more in the sunshine, feel a nap coming on Cool
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Busy day yesterday!

Cycle up the infamous Col du Granon in the morning morning (the one that was blocked with snow last Sunday), large flock of sheep on the way up with two shepherds and two white guard dogs. On the way down flock was just off the road and as I cycled past both guard dogs came away from the flock having a "go" at me. Actually think I probably surprised them, but was a tad un-nerving but by the second one I could raise a smile and rode past the "hippy" shepherds laughing as they were too!

Then back home and the went with OH and dogs over to Nevache in the afternoon to the Grotte does Cinquante Anes, (worth a hike up to but do it with a trip to Nevache / Echelles) then over Col de l'Echelles to Italy to ski station of Melezet and Bardonecchia then back up to the Vallee Etroite to Refuge Magi, and then back over Echelles.

Nice little road trip and coffee Cool











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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Yesterday morning started off cloudless but the clouds quickly bubbled up.

Game plan was for me to cycle up towards Lautaret whilst OH would drive up with les chiens and park up pass the Gite where we go ski touring from, then I would ride up on the old track with her whilst she ran.

After a couple of km was too hard for me on my Cross Dresser so I left her to it and came back down and then went back up the road to the Galibier.

When I was cycling up past Monetier there were around ten or so tandems with some very old people cycling them, they had a couple of support vans as well. Turned out the people on the back of the tandems were partially sighted and or blind, and they'd be cycling all over Europe!!

I also cycled pass this lady who looked well into her 70's, (I thought she was with the same group), she explained how she was cycling to Morzine over the weekend hoping to arrive there on Monday.

So OH actually beat me up to the Cafe just before the tunnel and I did warn her about taking some extra layers as she was cold, she then ran back down whilst I headed on up to the Col.

Was a shame as Elaine could have run up to the Col with the dogs as the road is now closed with all traffic having to use the tunnel.

On the descent around a couple of km from the Lautaret I came across the woman I'd been speaking to, now walking up, pushing her heavily pannier laden bike explaining to me that she had a bad cramp in her thigh. So a few words of encouragement and I left her to find the support crew of the group I thought she was part of. So ended up with me confusing them all as they were all sitting at the Lautaret having lunch whilst I said one of their group was struggling further up the mountain with cramp, no wonder they looked at me with blank faces.

Arrived back at the van just as OH and dogs arrived, and even though I'd changed gloves / jacket I was very cold.









Fair frost this morning so now waiting for temps to rise as plan is to go back over Lautaret (hopefully find my gloves I left) and down to LG to hook up with Robin from Edelweiss (who funnily enough was on his motorbike yesterday and has just come through the tunnel and saw Elaine and the dogs) to go and take a look at the new road that is being built, as hopefully it being a Sunday we can make our way along there.

Saw that some cyclists yesterday came up from Bourg to the Galibier taking a return trip on the boat across the lake, actually wouldn't mind doing that.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Bedroom view this morning, the larches at the top of the pic have changed since yesterday, the colour's creeping down with the dropping temps!

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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@KenX, ticket arrived Saturday morning, can't believe it arrived so quickly. Planning some kitchen replacement for our next visit.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
@Hells Bells, Plan ours then while you're at it Very Happy
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There must be snow on the way? They've closed the Galibier again.
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Hells Bells wrote:
@KenX, ticket arrived Saturday morning, can't believe it arrived so quickly. Planning some kitchen replacement for our next visit.


Admin can probably help you with that, he's got an inside line to kitchen suppliers.
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@davidof, Laughing
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Definitely some on the Cucumelle webcam this evening.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
So Sunday did indeed cycle over the Lautaret down to La Grave, and I did meet up with Robin except I think there was a bit of confusion as to what I meant by "go down on the bikes" Laughing



I actually saw Robin coming up on his brute of a machine as I was coming down from the Lautaret, and what a playground it is, nigh on deserted roads.

We went down to where the new road starts, and as I hoped being a Sunday there was no work going on and I was able to slip past the barriers with my bike and see for myself what's going on.

Whatever happens to this route, it's pretty damn scenic - pic below shows the "old road" going into the tunnel and you can see where the slides happened in the summer.



I've done a report with loads more images etc here.

Yesterday was a day off the bike, though still energetic route marching up to the Fort Croix de Bretagne with OH and Les Chiens - in fact looking at my gps logs there was only a couple of minutes in it going up on the bike vs hiking.

Coming back down without the bike we took the much steeper path down through the Bois de Godichon - and it looked like some nutters had biked down there, and we were having trouble walking down at times !

And even though the weather was overcast (we missed the wet weather) was a lovely stroll in the woods.

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I am looking for a 5 bed apartment/chalet in Serre Che for 1 week from 26th March. Must be within walking distance to lifts. Any suggestions?
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@jzBun, have a look on www.eurekaski.com . If there isn't anything suitable on there, email Melanie she might be able to find you something she hasn't got on the site. http://eurekaski.com/accommodation/simone/ is a 5 bedroom one.
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Hells Bells wrote:
Cucumelle webcam is switched on again, and the first signs of winter can be seen. http://serrechevalier.roundshot.com/cucumelle/ . Looks like a new picnic area up there.


Think they need to calibrate their webcam compass - or I've lost the plot (most probably) rolling eyes
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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.
@Hells Bells, Thanks, that one is already on the short-list, but reassuring to know that you're familiar with it.
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 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
@jzBun, Melanie looks after my own apartment. The chalet Simone was previously one of the Ski Miquel chalets in the village, but has been taken back by the owners and refurbished over the summer.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
One for @Hells Bells,

This was from nigh on the top of the Izoard yesterday (very cold) - as you can see the Meleze are golden above 2,000m and now visibly changing down in the valley depending on the aspect. Yesterday morning we were walking the dogs along the river from Chantermerle and there in the cold shade they'd gone.



Had a nice drink in the Petite Serre Che bar last night (one of the few open outside the hols) just over the bridge opposite the Church with a few people, and sounds like many more will be open from this weekend for the next couple of holiday week and temps look to be a lot warmer.

Very strong cold N'ly wind today (was going cycling with a mate but we decided too cold, and my legs have nigh on finally given up) and snow expected later in the valley - be ironic having to dig the van out tomorrow when we leave rolling eyes
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@Weathercam, nice !! .
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Snowing almost heavily - check it out on the cam whilst still day light and you might even see me falling over as I'm loading the van up rolling eyes

Galibier closed !!

And went into tourist office today here and they said that discounted tickets will be able to be purchased online through a new website coming November but people will need proof where they are staying in the valley (contract etc) etc so don't know how that works for private people friends etc as she did not know the answer to that!
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@Weathercam, have you joined the owners scheme? That might be a help. pacti'cimes I think it is called.
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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?
@Hells Bells, yes I have those cards some where - that would seem like a logical way of doing it on a system.

There again Puzzled
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@Weathercam, I was told that you would need some proof of your accommodation or proof of home ownership. We've linked our card to our season pass purchases, and use it when we buy any lift passes for family. I've got quite a few euros to cash in if kids come out this winter to use for
lift passes.
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Left Serre at 06:30 this morning and although dark very clear starlight morning and very frosty windscreen.

Going up to Montgenevre saw a few cars coming down with snow on and then a snow plough - and by around 1700m snow on the road, had to take it very easy down (still on summer tyres and laden van) to Claviere tunnel with more snow on the road on that side of the Col in fact road was sketchy all the way down to Cesana, which could be the subject of a new thread - Do you need to put snow tyres on if coming out in October ?

Seemed to be a lot of road works on the auto routes at the moment, but we arrived at the dog check in at 16:00 - so 9.5hrs inc three stops totalling 20mins!

On the 16:50 and pulled up here in West Sussex at 18:30 local time, so 13hrs door to door !
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@Weathercam, winter tyres went on this afternoon.
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@Hells Bells, good move, that will ensure you'll get 25 degrees when you're out Very Happy
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After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@Weathercam, just what I was thinking. Very Happy
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@Hells Bells, Thanks for your help. Chalet Simone is booked for the 26th March. I'll tap into the collective Serre Che brains closer to the time for good restaurants etc.
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@jzBun, excellent.
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