 Poster: A snowHead
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Back in Val d'Isere for a little more skiing with Alpine Experience. Easy journey out via Gatwick and Chambery yesterday, only 2hrs on the coach from airport to chalet. Much nicer than some previous journeys via Geneva.
Sunday - A little snow overnight and snowing gently with clouds and poor visibility for most of the morning. Most pistes I skied today were fairly good, although Col De Fresse near top of Borsat Express was very bare. Lower down near Val Claret and near La Dialle the snow was wet and, at mid day, almost slushy. Skied off piste between Genepy and Leisse then traversed to Leisse chair, three times. Some nice snow higher up but only in small patches. Lots of crusty stuff and not enough new snow to make it easy. Traversing across crust is not a favourite of mine, I could not hold an edge and nearly lost the traverse several times. Also skied the glacier the other side of the Leisse piste. It was OK given the overal conditions.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Monday - Overcast all day but much better visibility. Vallon de Sache today. Traverse in was very grassy and rocky, had to step slowly along and then climb up (ski on sholder) to the ridge. The traverse across the top of the couloir just as the ridge starts rising was interesting. It was across very hard rain crust and very slippery, just above nasty rocks. One of the few places where our guide has said "you must not fall here". Sking down we had a mix of crusty snow types with a little wind blown soft stuff on top. The shallow slopes were wonderful, the soft on a supporting crust made the whole trip worthwhile. On the steeper parts there was not enough to soft snow to prevent scraping it to ice, or meeting wher a preceeding skier had already scraped it t oice. Then of course in places the crust would break. --- An interesting morning of skiing! Had some great crusing on the Bleuts, Creux and Diebold pistes on the way back at mid day. They are fairly hard packed but were very flat today and had few other users when we skied them.
Have been thinking of a new rucksack for a while. New Year had avalanche reports here on Snowheads, on Pistehors and elsewhere. Also spoke to our guides. So have bought a new grey and orange pack. Hope I never have to pull its handle.
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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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V. interesting. Keep it coming! Lots of snow on its way apparantly and i'm there in just under 2 weeks 
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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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Tuesday - Overcast all day and snowing very gently on and off. Snowing now ay 5:15pm. Off piste today between Grattalu and Aigle Percee, lower part of Chardonet, bits near the piste and the bottom of the Vallon de Sache. Mostly a little soft stuff on top of fragile crust. I can ski it a bit but not confidently as I break through the crust too often (smaller breakfasts may be a long term solution). Pistes are quite good, but with lots of icy that is barely covered. In many places the snow surface is blue coloured ice with a dusting of white snow. Top of Face was great this afternoon, lower section very hard packed.
lower, hopefully the forecast snow will actually arrive for me and for you.
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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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Wednesday - Wow! What a difference some snow makes. About 20cm fell last night and it continued, but very gently, on and off during the day. We skiied close to the Fontain Froid piste, then a Tour de Charvet, then the Arcelle. All in lovely fresh powder. Not very deep powder and from time to time the old crusty base could be felt. This afternoon went down Santon. The off piste above it seemed to have thickened up a little compared to this morning's snow. The piste itself was OK but still icy in places where the new snow has been scraped away.
Last night tried to visit Henry's Avalanche Talk but was too late and the room was crowded. It is good to see so many other people learning about snow safety. Will try and be earlier tomorrow when they talk about current conditions etc.
Now off to help a ski companion drink Champange to celibrate his new grandson's arrival.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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A bit more snow forecast today but looking at the webcams there's not much cloud in sight! More snow week after next apparantly which will be when we're there. Hopefully what's there now will last a week or so.
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Thursday - Very cold this morning but great snow in Fornet. Pay Desert area, but the drag not working so had to walk out! Col Pers had some really nice snow and the track down from Pont St Charles was OK so the poleing out was fairly easy. Had a ski through the Spatule, lots of rocks. Several places have a little new snow on top of the old crust and it can often be felt in the off piste. On one pitch in Spatule the crust broke for all of our group and all sat down! Bottom of Orange was good and was the only piste we skiied much of today. Talking to others, the pistes are great all over the resort.
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Friday - Some days I hate computers. Just typed a long report, pressed submit and I got a log in page for Snowheads. So all my words are lost. So here is a brief resume.
We skiied Charvet today. Once on the Face finishing near teh Epaule du Charvet. Next down to the narrow valley bottom. Great snow both times. Then via Solaise, Madelaine and between the pistes to Matis and below. Heavy and wet snow lower down so back to the pistes. Finsihed with a cruise down Orange.
Pistes are in very good condition, off piste is fine but much of the easy to access area are tracked out. We may soon have to start walking or skinning to get untracked snow.
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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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Saturday - Just a hint of snow fell yesterday, but not enough to make any difference, perhaps it was just a low cloud. Today was cold and windy but the sun shone most of the time. We traversed and skied a little for 45 mins from Borsat Express and then skinned up for another 45 mins to Mt Roup. The sking down from there was excellent, still some untracked space. But it is amazing how just a few people can criss cross a huge area and ruin it. With a little care hundreds could ski good snow in the same area. Very few other groups out skinning that area today so we had much of the mountain to ourselves. The route out joins the Tour du Charvet and its path is running well. The track has been heavily skied but is easy to use. Skied a little off piste between the Solaise pistes. Piste "M" was very hard packed, but not sheet ice, so was skiable. Had another good fast cruise down Orange.
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Sunday - Sun all day and warmer. Over Col Pers and the hardest part of he day was side stepping down the rockfield from the Col. Then we traversed right for ages and skinned up Glacier Pers. Great snow coming down, we did 25 then 58 then 28 turns on the glacier where the only previous track was from our skinning up. There were just 15 of us in three Alpine Experience groups with the whole area to ourselves. Bliss. Did not see another person doing Col Pers this morning. Rejoined the area more easily accessible from Col Pers and still found some untracked snow. Managed to avoid the pistes almost extirely today, just a short distance getting to the Col first thing this morning. The road from Pont St Charles back to the Fornet cable car is completely snow covered and with today's warmer weather was easy to pole and skate along.
Today the off piste snow seemed a litle stiffer than on the previous few days, but still easy to ski with a litle care. However I think I skied over more rocks today than in the rest of the holiday so far. But they were not too bad and I seemed to just ski over them without it upsetting my rythm too much. At eh end of he afternoon I spent most of an hour dripping pitex onto my ski bases and then tidying them up.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Adrian, You dont seem to be getting much feedback, but we are all reading it. 
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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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I have been reading everyday - excellent stuff.
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Adrian, Now that they have interrupted your flow  --- great reports, please keep them coming.
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You know it makes sense.
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all I can say is jealeous!
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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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High Adrian excellent to read M & D[/table][/url][/list][/list][/code][/quote][/u][/i][/b]
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Poster: A snowHead
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Hello Adrians M&D. Welcome to Codeheads [/table][/url][/list][/list][/code][/quote][/u][/i][/b]
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Me too. I've been reading every post with interest. we arrive in val on saturday this week. Starting to get really excited now. I can't wait to try out my new 1080's.
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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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Thanks for the kind words everyone. Only a few days left, I travel home on Saturday.
Monday - Just for a change, rather than doing something different, we did the same route today as we did yesterday. Col Pers and skin up to Glacier Pers. Today the snow was a little stiffer and a little less consistent. I think the wind had got to it producing some placky areas. (Is placky a valid word, I mean snow with plaque.) After 30 mins of skinning where the only tracks visible were the ones our groups made yesterday we skiied down and got 40 then 88 then another 40 turns in good snow. I found fewer rocks today but a friend did a great park and fly on a rock. He now has a 10cm gash to patch in the centre of one ski. Fro the road out spotter a few chamois and seven bouqetan. Most of them were close enough to the road to clearly see their colours and their huge horns.
Skied the bottom of OK from the chair and the bubbles out of La Dialle. Most of the way down the piste was really nice. The bottom steep section is very hard and icy, the ice is visible and blue. Bodies falling all over it. I skied to the left through the trees and that was fine.
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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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Adrian, I have never seen a winter Chamois .. magic
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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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Tuesday - Arrived at the Fornet cable car before the doors opened at 9am, only about 8 people in the first car up. From the top of
the bubbles, skied down to the right then skinned up 440m in 92 mins to Col de Fours. Three people on snowshoes and with snowboards on their backs overtook me on the climb, but I don't feel bad because they each looked to be half my age. The sun was shining and the climb was warm. Had my coat and hat in my rucksack and even then the inside of my sunglasses were sweating. The ski down the other side was good, lots of untracked soft snow available. But lots of other tracks from other skiers from over the last few days. In the valley floor when we joined the area accessible from the Cugnai chair the track became hard and piste-like. Looking up into the Cugnai bowl there was very little untracked snow. Got to the base of the Manchet Express at 12:45, the first opportunity to sit down since about 09:30. Skied down the "M" and it is still a very hard packed piste, skiable but I do not find it fun. Some of our group chose to take the chair down. Then skied down Orange, it is still a good piste to ski. Orange has been smooth and quiet and fun to ski for the last few days.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Wednesday - Easier day today, warm and the sun was shining all day. Mostly skied small off piste sections near the pistes, there are still small patches available with some great snow and very close to the pistes. But only in 5 to 10 turn lengths! Skinned up gently for 30mins across the valley from the Leisse in Tignes and got some longer pitches.
Top of Col De Fresse piste is better than a few days back, but still has bare patches. Rest of pistes down to Val Claret and back via Fresse chair seem good, as does Creux and down to La Dialle - although we skipped some parts of these pistes for some off piste.
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Thursday - An exciting start to the day. From Borsat Express climbed up the ridge then continued south along its western side. Once I made the mistake of looking down the mountain. There were hundereds of metres of nasty looking rocks below me! Walking on ice and snow and scree and loose rocks with skis in one hand and poles in the other may appeal to mountaineers but I prefer skis properly attached to my feet. But we had some great snow of off the west of Borsat. Then via the Grand Motte and skinned up for a different aspect of the west Borsat area. Our tracks should be visible from the Leisse area and from the Tignes chairs up to Toviere.
Pistes are still good, but getting harder packed. Val d'Isere town has been warm and has had slush and running water in places. Some of the pedestrian areas in town are very slippery when it freezes. Have seen a few people slip and fall hard in the streets.
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Agenterre, meant to say this a few days ago. Chamois can often be seen from the road between Pont St Charles and Fornet, I have also seen then in the Vallon de Sache (possibly also visible from Sache piste) and just occasionally I have seen them while doing a Tour De Charvet. I have never seen them close up. In all cases they are just black moving things far far away, but after a while their legs and body shapes are distinguishable. The boqutan I saw a few days ago were relatively low down near Fornet, and visible from the Fornet bus stop.
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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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Thanks for all the reports adrian. I'll be there myself tomorrow so i'll see for myself.
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Friday - Another warm sunny day. Did the long traverse from Borsat Express along the eastern side of Borsat, then skinned up a little, only 170m climb to get to 2875m. Then skied lots of great slopes with a southern exposure, the sun had warmed the snow to have a few cm of soft on top. Unfortunately the sun for the rest of the day is expected to make the snow wet and then overnight it will likely freeze to a nasty hard crust. Skied out via the Tour de Charvet joining it near the refuge. The whole area there looks like a piste, there have been so many skiers. The path is extremely hard packed in places and has an almost icy appearance.
Pistes are still good but many are very hard packed.
Tomorrow - the journey home and then back to work to try and earn enough for some more skiing.
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