 Poster: A snowHead
|
From a previous visit many years ago, I remember the green "Trout" run back down to Meribel very fondly, largely for the time one of our party, a novice boarder (but old enough to know better), finally lost patience with his progress (and prowess) on that run first thing one day (having set out 15 minutes before everyone else to give himself a head start on the faster members of our party) and just laid down to "have a fag" in his fetching one piece emerald green "suit of legend" - apparently he was there so long even a passing piste basher stopped to offer him a lift 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
@Loganberry, Olympe takes <25 minutes. Then a short walk about 3 minutes to the lifts in the centre of the Chaudanne.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
Olympic Gondola is around 20 mins. Its fine and easy. Can get crowded at peak times, so dont leave it too late to come home
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
@Loganberry, as others have said, it's 25 mins. I think it also opens at 8.30am and there's a ticket office there so you can still be on first lift out of Meribel. If you do make first lift, I recommend the Saulire Express. It gets to the top of C1850 before any Courchevel lifts do so you can have first tracks down either the Saulire or Creux, both of which are magnificent first thing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| FlatPack wrote: |
Just back from an excellent week in Meribel, while there are some runs still closed the piste conditions up high were fantastic everywhere we went.
Meribel and to a lesser extent Mottaret are a bit scraped below mid station level and the green run into La Tania was worse (the blue was fine though and the red is shut from halfway down).
Lots of stones and brown patches in Courchevel 1650 below Bel Air, although the snow was still in nice condition.
We didn't make it all the way down to St Martin last week so I can't really comment on that.
As I said the piste conditions up high were almost without exception great. All of VT and Les Menuires were superb, the runs into resort there were the best I've seen them. Above mid station on both sides of Meribel and Mottaret excellent and the same goes for the Courchevel villages and La Tania too.
Basically avoid the lower resort centres and it's pretty hard to go wrong for piste skiing in the 3 Valleys at the moment  |
Thanks for the update. We're heading off to La Tania on Thursday morning. I think we'll ski the Courchevel valley Friday, then head over to VT & LM Saturday. Are the cannons running?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Looks to be warming up in St Martin. We fly out on Sunday, so hoping the weather changes and it stays cold. Got fingers crossed for snow as well.
Can't see Jerusalem being opened anytime soon then, from reading reports here its in pretty bad shape?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thank you to everyone who provided the info on the Olympe gondola & first tracks ideas. It may be a few years ago, but I do remember Sauilire as a good run to start on, hopefully before it gets too crowded too. We'll watch the forecast closely and hope for a bluebird day. From reports above, it sound like we could all do with a few more decent dumps to get the snowbase up to scratch.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
@Stevesold, Sounds good. Did they run the cannons whilst you were there?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Liam, First few days they were all going.
The whole 3V area was deserted no queues not even for the 'Cime Caron' & the snow on Masse 1 & 2 was brilliant.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
@rob.m I skied Jerusalem Monday 16Jan, then it closed & stayed that way.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
I only saw a couple of snow cannons running during the day in Les Menuires. There might have been more going at night and they've made a whole load of snow though, especially evident on Folyeres into La Tania for example.
It did seem very quiet everywhere we went last week, seemed like only a handful of times we didn't just walk straight onto a lift and certainly no real queues to speak of.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Evening all. A group of 6 of us are coming over to Les Menuires on 4th Feb (Crossing fingers that the tantalising long range forecast delivers a bit of fresh!). I'm aware that this is half term week for one of the French zones, but never having been out during a peak period, I've no idea how much busier its likely to be. Are we talking sharpened elbows in the lift queues or shouldn't it be too bad? My reasoning is that 3vs is so huge that the crowds tend to disperse, but would be interesting to hear the opinions of some 'old hands' so to speak.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
Can someone point me to a decent snow report for 3V? Coming over from the US in a couple weeks and haven't really found anything. Actually questioning my judgement heading to the Alps when the Rockies are having such an epic year... 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
@Gerbil007 - we are condemned to half term weeks because of the ankle biters.
Generally the whole area is busier that the quiet weeks of January but it is unusual to have to queue for longer than 5-10 mins and lots of lifts have no queue at all. There are the usual bottlenecks (Caron in VT and the 3 Vallees lifts at the end of the day) I have found VT to be generally busier than the other resorts last few years.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
@nosefacekilla, stay in the states mate.... much better
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
I am heading out to St Martin on Sunday. How is the snow at the moment?
Looking at the available information, it looks like it is artificial snow at the bottom of the mountain, with most lower runs closed except for a single route to the village. I am hoping it will be good if we can gain some height though!?
At the moment I am starting to regret my decision for to ski in Late January instead of early March as I have done for the previous few years (which has been a bit of a slush fest by mid afternoon)!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
First day skiing today from 1650 and lovely day in sunshine. 1650 ok ish but 1850 really good in parts. So much better than I had thought it would be. Stay high and ski early. Pisteurs have done a marvellous job. Looking forward to a great week. I found a red run with no one on it ( lunchtime) and good snow! Can't ask any more than that, can you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Not, sadly
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Started snowing up high today. Very light and only about 10cms due tonight. Local councils are out filling up the salt bins and are gearing up for more snow towards the end of the week and the weekend. But the weather front is coming from the Med so no one seems too sure what the temperatures are going to do over the next few days. Precipitation almost guaranteed but snow or rain...?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@steph, lets hope for the snow, but looks like rain in La Tania where we will be in 3 weeks. Hopefully it will snow to resort level at least
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
There appears to be an almost unanimous forecast for lots of snow this weekend! Lets hope the freezing level drops enough for it to snow at resort level!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Looks like a lovely day across the 3V this morning - hopefully with snow to come over the weekend.
7 sleeps.......
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@jonathancarty, +1 and we're staying for 2 weeks 
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
A good layer of snow came in last night, fairly choppy on quite a lot of the pistes, and in some areas a bit slushier at resort level.
Saw them bulldozing snow that had fallen between the pistes below Saulire to the piste edge, presumably to be shifted onto the piste overnight tonight.
More to come over the weekend hopefully.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Snowing steadily in La Tania at the mo
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 weeks for us now before we go. Hoping the freezing level stays low and some snow keeps falling. Anyone out there at the moment?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
Was my last day skiing yesterday in Courchevel. Was snowing well, skiing in mid shin deep powder on m and pylonnes. It was very windy lots of lifts were shut including the three valley links. The main gondolas out of 1850 (apart from Chenus) and the cable car were open though and pistes not busy.
During our week there was lots of runs closed but loads open so did not affect our enjoyment at all. With recent snowfall I can see all these runs opening for your visit. We had a mixture of weather worst day was very hard packed due to rain the night before, the day after the pistes had been groomed beautifully. Three days had fresh snow and more forecast next week.
Should be great for your visit.
Conditions were always best in morning (get out early) snow got scraped off pistes by afternoon, but can always find good places.
Enjoy
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
been snowing down to the valley floor since 9am. Getting heavier as the temperature drops.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
Was snowing steadily when we woke up. It hasn't stopped all day and is still coming down. We've taken
it easy and stayed around Meribel as the light wasn't great higher up and it's only the first day. Stopped for the 6 Nations and Italy's try has just ended the 14 euro pitchers of Amstel 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
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?
|
Finally stopped snowing this afternoon. Spent the day trying and failing to dodge the low cloud. Visibility was pretty bad the higher up we went, but the pistes were in lovely condition so it wasn't that bad.
Lovely traditional Savoyard sausage just above St Martin for lunch. Jerusalem was open today, and I think that may be the first day this season. May be wrong, but it's certainly been closed most of January.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
The road between Les Menuires and Val Thorens will be closed this evening from 18.30 to 19.30 for avalanche control.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Just booked to Le Praz so now following the thread with interest until 12th March
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
We're back out the 23rd March. Keeping my hopes up for fine conditions in six weeks time!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cloud was high up enough yesterday to give us a lovely morning barrelling around Courcheval and La Tania. Pistes great condition overall. A bit icy in places where the volume of people is high. The blue from La Tania to Meribel was choppy and caused much carnage.
Snowing this morning and the cloud level looks very low.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
@Rhoobarb - that run is never blue! It's only nice after fresh snow and with no one else on it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
