 Poster: A snowHead
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edit.........double post.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Mon 6-11-17 18:53; edited 2 times in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@RichClark, is it the Mountain Pro Shop perhaps?
Esprit now runs two hotels in Val D'Isere centre named Ducs de Savoie and Le Savoie. The Ducs has been run by them at least 10 years and sits back from the main road down a short side lane, wide enough for vehicles to use.
The picture above in the post by @bar shaker, is Le Savoie, which Esprit only took on this year I think.
I think the 2 hotels are just a few doors apart, on the same side of the road.
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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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Edit - double post
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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@GeorgeVII, yes I reckon snow's got inside the cables.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@GeorgeVII, that would of been a much greater loss than the texas gun thread i thought I'd managed to delete 
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Last December they were doing a fantastic job with the snow cannons. All of the snow below 2000 metres or so had been washed away by rain, but the pistes were all complete down to the bottom.
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| intermediate wrote: |
@RichClark, is it the Mountain Pro Shop perhaps?
Esprit now runs two hotels in Val D'Isere centre named Ducs de Savoie and Le Savoie. The Ducs has been run by them at least 10 years and sits back from the main road down a short side lane, wide enough for vehicles to use.
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^ yep, that's the hotel.
I don't think that its Mountain Pro. Unfortunately, google street view hasn't been updated since 2014 so I can't tell. Perhaps I'll ping Steve in the VDI thread, but thought that one of you fine snowheads may know.
Rich
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Expensive to run the cannons Yes but then so is the price they charge for a week's ski pass. It is a balancing act for the powers that be. It is a trade off between cost of running, providing what the customer wants and the vagaries of the weather. The fact the temperature seems to be remaining low for time of year should sway them into use on the main routes. Us early birds may get grumpy if they choose to lose the opportunity to ensure some pistes are in decent nick come opening weekend.
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| Mark1863 wrote: |
| Expensive to run the cannons Yes but then so is the price they charge for a week's ski pass. It is a balancing act for the powers that be. It is a trade off between cost of running, providing what the customer wants and the vagaries of the weather. The fact the temperature seems to be remaining low for time of year should sway them into use on the main routes. Us early birds may get grumpy if they choose to lose the opportunity to ensure some pistes are in decent nick come opening weekend. |
Running costs are not all about money, they need to manage the water levels in the reservoirs through the season.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| bar shaker wrote: |
| RichClark wrote: |
| RichClark wrote: |
I'm staying at the Chalet Hotel Ducs De Savoie again, its down the alley way next to the Sherpa. Does anyone remember the name of the hire shop right next door (on the left as you look down the alley to the Ducs)
Cheers
Rich |
Just wanted to bump this question for those that may know.
Cheers |
Are you sure you have the hotel name right? Le Savoie is on the roundabout in Val but Le Ducs Des Savoie is in Brides Les Bains.
If Le Savoie, the shop down the alley is an Intersport. |
Chalet Hotel Ducs De Savoie is pretty much behind Le Savoie, down the small road/alleyway.
I reckon you're right though and its Intersport - Pitte Sports.
Thanks for your help @Bar Shaker
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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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@RichClark, Intersport is probably the one you are looking for but make sure you get the right one.
Intersport Mattis is on the snow front and they have 2 others, 1 is near the tourist office which has always been called Pitte (I still use the bags for supermarket shopping) and the other is opposite the bus station that just opened last season and near the Sherpa and your hotel. I've been in it a few times but unfortunately can't remember if its got a different name sorry.
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@muppet, that’s the one.
Thanks
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You know it makes sense.
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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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| nelly0168 wrote: |
| Mark1863 wrote: |
| Expensive to run the cannons Yes but then so is the price they charge for a week's ski pass. It is a balancing act for the powers that be. It is a trade off between cost of running, providing what the customer wants and the vagaries of the weather. The fact the temperature seems to be remaining low for time of year should sway them into use on the main routes. Us early birds may get grumpy if they choose to lose the opportunity to ensure some pistes are in decent nick come opening weekend. |
Running costs are not all about money, they need to manage the water levels in the reservoirs through the season. |
The latest accounts are for 2016 and they turned over €65m with a €6.6m profit. The cost of people not coming and buying lift passes because there is no snow can easily turn that profit into a loss.
Last year they ran the snow cannons every night from the start of Dec to the middle of January. Lac Chevril holds a vast amount of water and although it was low by the end of March (you could see the old bridge at Villaret du Nail), it was a long way from being empty.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Snow cannons running early this morning to help Double M along. Mixed weather this week with quite a lot of cloud and a few flocons now and again. Looks more snowy over the weekend, it will be unsettled but the confidence in the forecast is not great as it relies on a ridge of high pressure collapsing on time! Looks like the snow level over the weekend will shuttle between Lac and Boisses so expect a slush fest around the village but snow on all but the last bit of DM. Maybe just maybe there will be enough to open it next week (but I would be on renters!!)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@bar shaker,
Thanks for the info.
I think at the moment there will be thinking is the little that’s fallen going to stick. Probably yes above VC/Lac level given the forecast so I would hope that to get the main thoroughfares running they will use them. The counter argument is not that many punters for first few weeks so it is worth the expense.
It will become apparent shortly. My first run is in 18 days so I know where my vote would be.
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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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@Mark1863, I'm not so sure about the little that has fallen sticking around. Hasn't there been good snow in Nov in the past few years that has been wiped out by a warm spell prior to Xmas??
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Kitenski - last year there was a good fall in November which was washed away below 2000 metres by heavy rain (which fell as snow higher up). There was no further snow in December but temperatures remained cold, so there was good natural snow higher up and the pistes down to resort level were kept in good condition with artificial snow.
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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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What @john2 says.
The opening weekend last year was some of the very best skiing (well, I snowboarded for that trip) I have ever done. It actually started snowing late Oct and then didn't stop until the day before the opening weekend... at which point the sky turned blue.  On piste and off, it was incredible everywhere.
We live and hope!!
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| bar shaker wrote: |
Last year they ran the snow cannons every night from the start of Dec to the middle of January. Lac Chevril holds a vast amount of water and although it was low by the end of March (you could see the old bridge at Villaret du Nail), it was a long way from being empty. |
@bar shaker - Thats quite interesting, I didnt know they use water from lac du chevril in Tignes.
That would seem on the face of it incredibly costly even when the lake produces cheapish hydro power - i.e. to pump it a few miles up the road to Val Claret (say) and up to 1000 metres vertical to double m ??
I was under the impression that they only used the reservoirs on the mountain.
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The opening week last year was great then there was nothing for a month or so. However the EK is a big place and I was in resort throughout that time and though no real off-piste after week 1 I still enjoyed myself.
I do not worry about the weather as I cannot influence it. All scenarios before Xmas are possible. The current forecast is for reasonably cold weather to last another 10-12 days. So based on that I think the higher stuff will stick especially if it gets topped up by cannon. But it may not
If I get to mid Dec and I can only ski half the resort on piste I will still be a lot better off than the poor blighters stuck at work in blighty
I notice that there were pistebasher tracks going from the top of Bellevarde today - that implies some work may have been going on.
T minus 19 days
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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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| nelly0168 wrote: |
| bar shaker wrote: |
Last year they ran the snow cannons every night from the start of Dec to the middle of January. Lac Chevril holds a vast amount of water and although it was low by the end of March (you could see the old bridge at Villaret du Nail), it was a long way from being empty. |
@bar shaker - Thats quite interesting, I didnt know they use water from lac du chevril in Tignes.
That would seem on the face of it incredibly costly even when the lake produces cheapish hydro power - i.e. to pump it a few miles up the road to Val Claret (say) and up to 1000 metres vertical to double m ??
I was under the impression that they only used the reservoirs on the mountain. |
The water in the high farm reservoirs would be gone in a couple of nights! Just one of the cannons in front of our apartment in La Daille can produce a volume of snow over night the size of a small bungalow.
Using Lac Chevril is very sustainable. If the piste snow melts, it refills the lake... if not, it stays on the pistes. Espace Killy quotes itself as being entirely self sustaining as the electricity produced by the damn is enough to run the entire EK all winter, with a surplus in the summer. When it was built, it was the highest dam in Europe at 180m. It holds a lot of water!
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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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| Daishan wrote: |
| @bar shaker, That's interesting, impressive that they can make that much power and supply all the water. |
1 cubic metre of water can make up to 10 cubic metres of snow (this would be true champagne powder). Cannon snow is denser than that, but the ratio still means you get a lot of snow from a cubic metre of water.
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Any word on the streets regarding Double M?
Any sign of it opening 
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You know it makes sense.
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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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| mountainaddict wrote: |
Any word on the streets regarding Double M?
Any sign of it opening |
I was there in Nov 2013 when it looked skiable but they only opened the top and "saved" the lower section until the "full" opening day
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Poster: A snowHead
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I anyone with more experience than me able to give their divination on what they think the conditions are going to be like come the start of December? I can look at forecasts, but I'm not really sure what is normal.
I guess it's a bit early, but I'm just wondering.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@higthomas, welcome to snowHeads. Steady light snow overnight only, throughout last 2 weeks of November. Temperatures between 0c and -10c. Clearing to full sun around 2 Dec, with temperatures increasing slightly, to between 1c and 3c daytime. Followed by steady overnight snow each Wednesday until further notice.
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| higthomas wrote: |
I anyone with more experience than me able to give their divination on what they think the conditions are going to be like come the start of December? I can look at forecasts, but I'm not really sure what is normal.
I guess it's a bit early, but I'm just wondering. |
You'll have to wait and see, could be awesome if it stays cold and continues to snow, could be just skiing on the glacier if it warms up and melts, could be somewhere in between the two extremes (most likely given the investment in snow cannons, their height and historical record) 
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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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Most of any significant snow in this current period appears to be due tonight. Then looks like sunny weather for most of the working week.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Ok I can’t take it anymore.
Where the poubelle monitor? 😄
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Tyre monitor on the tennis courts etc is indicative. Clearly visible yesterday, gone this morning!
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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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| Mark1863 wrote: |
| Tyre monitor on the tennis courts etc is indicative. Clearly visible yesterday, gone this morning! |
I remember when I was out early in Val a few years back, watching the tyres disappear is very satisfying, and then skiing over them to get to the funi every day as they completely disappeared was great fun!!
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FAQ
The whole slope turned out to be a totally horrific rock fest - with no turns possible. (Worst of all, I didn't 'arf put some dings in my hire ski bases. I was dreading taking them back - but the shop man didn't check them when I was there. He will later though...and he's got my credit card details. I can have no complaints...)
?
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