 Poster: A snowHead
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Sunday 16 - Back in Val d'Isere for a few days skiing with Alpine Experience. Lots of snow here compared to the previous few years at this time. Pistes are very good. Off piste had some great soft snow down to Tignes Lavachet. The lifts to Aiguille Percee are closed so had a ten minute walk from the top of Aiguille Rouge and then across to the Sache Piste and then to the Red piste down to Les Breviere. Beautiful snow, quiet, no crowds. Lots of little avalanches all over the mountains, many clearing the snow down to the rocks and grass. Saw a small heard of Chamoix grazing where one avalanche had revealed the grass. Also disturbed a pheasant in dark plumage, it flew away from a bush by our route.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thanks for the update - am heading out on Friday and it's all looking rather excellent 
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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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Monday 17 - Just a touch of snow fell overnight. A cold day, -14c at 3000m, plus wind. Aiguille Percee lifts closed again today, but we saw about 10 pisteurs going up so its pistes may be being prepared. Had some nice snow of of Borsat on route to Tignes. Most pistes are in good condition but some are hard packed. The piste under the Boulin Fresse chair had a big blue shiny ice patch that even ski teachers (not ours!) failed to see and went tumbling at speed. Watch out for blue shine snow, it is unforgiving. Walked uphill again for 10 mins from Aiguille Rouge then had good snow, but with some surface tension, dow and across the Sache piste. The top of the piste has had no preparations. Rejoined the piste at the tree line, where it has been partially done, but the steep section has rat tracks and horrible hard packed ridges bumps grooves etc A really dark black run! Keep clear! On the way back had a few nice turns under the two mouses chair.
roga, may be there will be some fresh snow for when you arrive.
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Tuesday 18 - Warmer today, a mere -11c, and less wind. Some good turns of off the Borsat and then another walk from the Aiguille Rouge. We have had three days of great off piste snow in the area around the Sache piste. Other areas appear to have no lifts running or to have poor off piste snow cover at present. So the Sache today gave us four or five pitches of great snow, but with some tricky bits. It also gave us the views and the quiet of a great area of the mountains.
Then did a Tour de Charvet. The whole area seems to be well tracked so had to ski across and through them. And the snow was a bit stiff. The path out was OK but had more bumps and undulations than I have seen before. Either side of the Manchet Express chair and its pistes looked well skied, the pistes looked very hard. Plan down from Soliase is very hard packed.
stewart woodward, There is already a Tignes thread, it has 9 pages of Tignes info and IMVHO getting too long. I am staying in Val d'Isere and thought it worth another thread. Hence my calling the thread Val d'Isere. Hopefully we will ski more of this whole Espace in the next 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 19 - Another sunny day, warming up slightly and not much wind. Today we skinned from top of Aiguille Rouge to the pisterus hut at the Aiguille Percee and then did a high traverse from behind the hut crossing the ridge at the first easy place. The traverse was tricky being one track in a crusty snow face. Then a switch to walking, skis in hand, across some grass and rocks. Taking skis off on a steep slope is always risky. Down into Sache valley we had to slideslip and mess around past the rocks, but then 65 good turns in the first pitch in good snow. Not easy powder but good snow. One of our group messed up half way down and a rude word was heard across the valley! Lower we had a few more nice pitches. In all it was well worth 40 minutes of skinning.
Pistes are still in good condition. Prariond still has some big icy areas under snow blowers, but not as big as two days ago. The top section of Sache appears to have been pisted above the small SOS hut, but we only saw a small part of it from across the valley. Creux and down to La Dialle was great for cruising.
stewart woodward - I have thought more about your comments and I would be happy if you or a moderator renamed the thread to "Espace Killy". But I also think that threads that go on for more than a few pages are going on for too long.
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Thursday 20 - Did the long traverse from the Borsat Express, easy but needs a couple of short climbs. Then across the flats with a few short descents in good snow. The skin up Mont Roup took 45 minutes and it was cold enough that I kept on all of my layers and hats and gloves. Down the other side of Mont Roup we had some great snow, but the recent winds have made much of it difficult. Joined the tracks from the Tour de Charvet, lots more skiers have been through since Tuesday, flattening the paths and making them a little easier. A piste basher was busy near the river crossing between the path and the bottom of the Manchet Express. It has been moving snow over a big area so that area should be easier to cross soon. Skied down Plan and S, both very hard packed but as there were few poeple about they were great fun to ski fast.
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Nice updates Adrian keep them coming. This thread is great. Plain facts....
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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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Friday 21 - Warmer today. At midday the roads in Val d'Isere centre looked wet and had small water filled puddles but there is still lots of snow at the road sides and on the roofs in town. On the mountain the wind was cold. Part of the traverse from the top of the Borsat Express climbs and polling up that into a head wind was hard, so we climbed straight up a little to give a descending traverse. Skinned up about 35 mins from the traverse. On the way down had several soft snow pitches. There are vast areas of untracked snow. Our guide looks around, sniffs the wind and then points out routes that will be awful, others that will be great tomorrow and one that will be perfect for us right now. The valley floor and joining the path from the Tour de Charvet are fine, almost pisted given that so many people have travelled that way. Down Madelaine and L, both in great shape. A couple of bare rocks near the route of the Datcha chair. But L was wide and had reasonable soft pistes. Then did a run down Diebold and Coupe de Monde, both have good snow cover but harder packed than L.
Thanks Alex A.
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Saturday 22 - Cloudy most of the morning, reduced visibility. Even had a little snow fall, but not enough to measure. Top of Col de Fresse piste has bare patches and loose stones. All the other pistes skied today were good but some very hard packed. All the pistes very quiet today. Still some big blue and shiny icy patches by snow blowers on Prariond, but all off of the piste. Traverse from Aiguille Percee to Sachette could do with more snow. We climbed up a little past the lowest point on the ridge and over the far couloir. Lots of rocks in small ridges going down the slope with snow passages between. Skiable but need to step carefully amoung the rocks. Several good pitches but snow a little stiffer than the good snow we found on previous days. Generally a nice run down. May have been better if we could have seen the snow. First time that I have seen the Boisses chair running this holiday, so no need to go all the wat to Breviere.
Had some small excitement on a chair lift today. Tried to get off at the top, failed. Tried again, failed. Abandoned rucksack and got off OK. Watched rucksac go around the top station as it dangled from the chair. When the chair stopped the liftie went towards it then thought her fur boots were wrong for walking through the deep snow so I had to rescue it. The metal tab on the longest waist strap had snagged between the seat's back and chair.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Sunday 23 - Warmer again today but cloudy and so poor visibility again. Tried the off piste west of Borsat towards Val Claret but it was thick and not easy. Col de Ves Chair was running, not known it running this early in the season previously. Did three runs in varied snow from this chair but on widely separated routes. From the bottom of the chair went across the airstip and had some good turns amoung the rocks. Generally some good snow today but mostly thick; big areas of crust waiting to snag a ski. Nice skiing off piste today but not easy. Pistes mostly very good, but a few places with bare patches, rocks or gravel. Many pistes are very hard packed and with the poor light it is easy to miss a ridge where the piste bashing is not even, or to hit a patch of "ball bearings".
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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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Monday 24 - What a beautiful day! Warm, sunny, hardly any wind. Long traverse from Borsat Express then skin for 35 mins. Great snow on the way down to join the Tour de Charvet. Hardly any other tracks than ours from the previous two trips this way. But hoards of people doing the easier T-D-C from Grand Pre. Skied down L, now it is just hard pack and has a few rocks showing. Easy to ski but not much fun. Then did part of the Spatule. Had just a few great turns in a steep part, but most of the area has been over skiied. Returned to the piste above the tree line. Three French people followed our group from the piste and into the Spatule. But they took one look at the steep snow after the entry traverse, then they turned around and walked out!
The pistes down from Belvarde to Las Dialle seemed very good today.
Have heard that Val d'Isere police are doing random breathalyser tests of car drivers after 6pm. Also heard of police speed checks on the mountain roads. Given the number of looney drivers we see on the roads I have to applaud the local police for cracking down. But if anyone is driving out here, be careful. I let our holiday company provide our transport.
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Christmas Day Tuesday - Another lovely day, warm and just an occasional cloud. Started with 2cm of creamy snow on Prariond, from the snow cannons. A few turns on a steep face at the top of the Motte and a few more lower down, but a lot of walking. Some good snow on the steeps and the ridges on the Leisse side of Genepy then skinned up for an easy 30 minutes across the valley. (Imagine looking down the Leisse chair and up the other side of the valley, maybe a bit to the left.) The only tracks on that face of the mountain were ours and another group, both with Alpine Experience. Several gentle pitches before rejoining Genepy. The snow was quite varied. Some skied almost like spring snow, a few cms of snow on a hard base. Some was soft and easy. And some was breakable crust. Just for fun the snow type would change from turn to turn.
There are a few small queues building on the lifts. We had no wait for the Gd Motte Cable Car, but an hour later the steps outside were crowded. Yesterday mid afternoon there were queues on the Marmotte chair. But so far the resort seems fairly quiet. The pistes from Belvarde to La Dialle are excellent. Most pistes are good but there are a few bare patches.
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You know it makes sense.
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An update for the Weatherheads report of today. There is still some good off piste snow, but you have to do a bit of walking to access it.
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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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Hi - sounds like you are having a great time< Good to read all about it. all the best from the Heards and M & D. 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Wednesday 26 - Cloudy all day and poor visibility. Skied some nice snow in the trees near and below Lavachet, then had 20 minutes on skins to climb back to Lavachet. A few more good turns between Silene and Sache but much of the traverse from Bruyeres was horrible. Pistes are holding up well given no snow for two weeks but getting more bare patches etc. Top of Corniche hard packed and tricky in the light, had some unexpected air time where the piste just drops away prior to a small uphill section. Top of Silene is bumpy and has a few rocks. Grassy patches showing through on Sache after the SOS hut. Other pistes have places where piste bashing has removed all of the snow in a small area. Some problems are not marked with the usual black and yellow poles. Bad light led to difficult off piste skiing.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thursday 27 - Sunny day. Just for a change went to Fornet area. The glacier is shrinking. Under part of the Montets T-Bar the snow has been piled high to make a useable path for the lift, the path is maybe 10 metres above the surrounding natural surface. Short skin from the top of the T-Bar and into Pays Desert. Skiable snow at the top but hard work and changing textures. Most of the rest of the way down to the button lift was hard packed but supporting, except for the occasional break through! Saw a Perdrix Blanc flying, startled by our group. Then over Col Pers. No easy entry into the big valley, had to side step down, loads of rocks visible in the valley. Again skiable snow but hard work and often breaking through the supporting surface. Lower down, the steeper faces are very hard packed. They need to be skied lightly as one of the group broke through, he fell and slid a long way. Generally a great trip out but challenging skiing.
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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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great reports mate keep enjoying the snow 
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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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It's great reading about other people's experiences (much more adventurous than mine) in the resort where I learnt to ski and became addicted. Brings back memories reading reading the names of some of the areas which I recognise.
Thanks for all the brilliant information and day reports.
I want to go back
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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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Friday 28 - Overcast start but sunny for most of the day. Long traverse from Borsat Express then skin up for 30 mins. Why do so many other people skin up across prime skiing terrain spoiling it for later skiers? Saw one group of five people making five separate tracks up the mountain when there are good tracks already made by professionals. Expected Tour de Charvet to be a skied out race track by now so skied the flatter areas to the base of Grand Pre. Forgot to count the turns but had one long pitch that must have had over 60 turns in soft snow. Wonderful finish to the holiday. Then skied oddments off of the sides of the Belvarde pistes. These pistes are in great condition as was the whole way down to La Dialle.
This was the last skiing day of this holiday. Even though no snow fell during the two weeks we have skiied some great off piste snow. Generally the pistes have been good. Most days the snow making machines have been active. Our Alpine Experience guides have worked hard to find skiable and untracked snow off piste for us and they delivered the goods.
Pulled an edge out of my beautiful purple Salomon X-Mountain skis today. So, unfortunately, that is a pair of skis that will see no more snow. Still less to pack!
jase2472 and Mr.Si, thanks.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Anyone skied the Combe de Vallon yet, from the top of the Signal poma ?
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Peter S, we only went Fornet way once, on 2007-12-27. The reason being an apparant lack of snow. As far as I recell the Combe de Vallon area showed an awful lot of rocks and not much snow. Previous years I have been there in December and it was only just skiable. Whilst this year had a big snow fall early December there has also been an lot of wind scouring of the snow in exposed areas.
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was there from 22nd to 29th
espace killy was pretty awsome there were some bad points such as the ice down to Val d and a few pistes where you could easily tell it was heavily wind blown
Best skiing i had was on the grande motte if you head up early morning the reds down are very nice you just want them to go on forever
I got as far down as brevieres on the tignes side, lots of ice on the red route down, and the blue wasnt particularly nice but was good to see a wide spread snow across the mountain a complete contrast to that of last year where it was very green to look at
i didnt manage the la fornet route, and glacier was alittle dificult as i was staying in tignes, would be nice to know if it was any good up there
another good run from tignes is as you go up towards the grande motte either via funicular or the two chairs the red run down is pretty nice
either way this year restored my faith in the december skiing was one of the best years snow wise ever
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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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Good snow to be had today on the Pays Desert (Fornet), top section of Tour du Charvet also had plenty of fresh, bit crustier down the steep section, but stay where its skied off and its OK. Cugnai bowl was excellent, still room for some fresh tracks far left of the bowl, but watch out for rocks.... Pistes all starting to get a bit scraped again...
Possibly more snow tomorrow night but doesn't sound like loads...
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Sunday 20 Jan – Sunny and warm all day, hardly a cloud in the sky. Low traverse into the Sachette was on refrozen snow but with gaps so we had to take our skis of and carry them over four sections of grass or rocks or climbs. Snow on the first pitches down was stiff but not stiff enough to stay on top of it - difficult snow. Lower down it softened up and gave some good skiing. Finished with some good turns on the Familial.
Generally the pistes we skied today were in great condition, no ice or rocks. They seemed recently bashed and so fairly smooth
Monday 21 - Cloudy start and colder than expected but by mid morning warm and sunny. Did a long traverse from Borsat Express then some stiff power before a 40 minute skin up Mt Roup. We were the first of several groups who skinned up today, but we were overtaken on the ascent by three (under 40?) youngsters. The descent was great with nice soft snow, until we met the tracks of the millions who have skied down from Grand Pre. Had a quick look at the off piste around "Piste S" but it was tracked out. So we cruised down the piste. To finish the morning we did part of the Spatule. Not so good as we skied earlier today.
The pistes are dangerous places. From the Manchet Express chair we saw two lads racing close together and pushing at each other. The piste had few other skiers but these two crashed into a young lady. All three went down and slid some distance. The lady stayed down for 3 or 4 minutes, but happily she did stand up. Some people just don't look where they are going and they don't care about other slope users.
The pistes are in good condition. No rocks etc and no ice, although Plan and "M" are quite hard packed.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Tuesday 22 - About 20 cm of new snow outside the chalet, more falling all day. Complete cloud cover but quite bright. Few lifts running. We took the 9:15 Funival, one of the very few taking skiers today. Very strong winds at the top where our guide had a chat with a pisteur and he said we should go home and go back to bed today! But as we were out he said we must stick to the pistes. Diebold and Orange were fine, powder on piste although the winds had moved the snow around and so in places we skied from powder to wind scraped hard pack and back from turn to turn. The visibility was poor and gave no clues as to what sort of snow the next turn would give. But there was some great powder skiing to be had.
One of our group had a bad fall on one turn and so had a sledge ride off of the mountain. The Pisteurs were very efficient, one arrived within a few minutes, the second with the sledge soon after, then a third. They quickly assessed matters and called, by radio, for a different sort of inflatable splint. It took a few minutes to arrive, but we were very near the bottom of the OK. Then our friend was quickly put in the sledge and wisked away. Initial report is that he is hurt but OK and will spend a couple of days in Moutiers hospital.
We then had an early lunch followed by some transceiver practice. We should practice more often! We did better as the session progressed.
The Belvarde Express chair was running much of the day but had hardly any queue. The Solaise cable car had big queues and appeared to be running slowly. The Solaise Express chair started mid afternoon. The free lifts on the nursery slopes were very popular, the free lift at La Dialle was busy but had no queues.
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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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Wednesday 23 - Wonderful day. Sunny and with new snow. Did bits of off piste between Belvarde and Tignes. Grand Motte area closed at start of the day for avalanche prevention work, big queues on all remaining lifts out of Val Claret. Grattalu and Col du Palet also had big queues and then Grattalu was broken for a while. This is one of the days where being in a ski school group allows us to jump the queues a bit. Great snow around Col du Palet, then down and Les Lanches now running so had some more new soft snow off the side of Double M. Then twice up the Funiculaire to ski around the Genepy and Cairn areas. Todays snow was good powder, not deep but flattering to ski in.
To the left of Genepy (around piste markers 10 to 7) there is a snow covered lake with lots of nice looking snow slopes leadig to it. But with no way out except by walking back up to the piste. But today there are several tracks leading into the area and along the lake edge. Saw one lone boarder trudging out of the area.
Pistes are good with the new snow, although some places are hard packed where the wind removed the new snow. Creux was lovely although it has soft moguls building up.
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Following each day , and enjoying interesting reports, Love M & D 
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You know it makes sense.
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Thursday 24 - Cable ties save the day. Another beautiful sunny day. We started from La Fornet and then skinned up to the Col De Fours. Near the start of the climb we saw about twenty chamois grazing on slopes that the recent high wins had exposed. Halfway up the climb up a binding broke, not one of mine. These touring bindings have a square section metal tube from the hinged toe piece to a clamp behind the heel. The heel piece is then fixed onto the metal tube. The screws that clamp the heel piece in place had fallen out! The other ski had two screws but none of our Swiss Army knives or multi tools had a torx head drive suitable for these screws. Our eventual fix used three cable ties to make a loop to hold the heel piece the correct distance from the toe piece. This saved a very long walk back to the lift station. Including the repair stop the climb took eighty minutes. The ski down was great, lots of soft untracked snow. Then below the Refuge de Fours we skinned up to the left for about ten minutes to access some more great snow. From our route we could see most of the Cugnai off piste area, it looked to have been skied out, there were tracks everywhere.
In the afternoon Jamie and Roddy of Henry's Avalanche Talk led an avalanche transceiver training session. Finding the buried transceiver was relatively easy until they set up a timed competition between the four of us learners. Then it was easy to mess up. In my case not turning the transceiver (an Ortovox F1 Focus) to its closest range setting before doing the final stage of the search.
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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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Nice updates and a great bit of DIY
Are you working out there Adrian???
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Poster: A snowHead
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kitenski, have not figured out a sufficiently well paid job in the Alps yet. I work in Reading, UK, and am getting a total of four weeks skiing this winter.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Friday 25 - Another warm sunny day. Some creamy snow on a firm base after the long traverse from Borsat Express then skinned up Mt Roup. The walk seem long and hot in the sunshine today, but it was worth it. The skiing down was in good snow, it was a pity my legs had not fully recovered from yesterdays exertions. Lower down joined the track with the many poeple who have done a Tour de charvet. The paths out are good, fast and firm but with enough bumps and dips to make it interesting.
The pistes I have skied are still good, but have only skied a very small number of them. Tried the off piste off of Germain Matis but on the Fornet side of the Laisinant Express, but it was skiied out. Actually I enjoyed that area, soft but well tracked snow between the trees on an interesting terrain. Face of Belvarde is closed for preparations for the races. There is lots of equipment in piles at the bottom of the run, this morning a fence stretched from the Rogeney chair to the bottom of the ramp into L'Olympique to delimit the race area.
Saturday 26 - The sun keeps on shining. Car to Les Boisses to get an early lift up to Aiguille Percee. A short climb over the ridge and into the Sachette. The slopes here have been skied so much that they are like pistes. Then we skinned up under the Glacier Suspendu and then to the ENE. Most of the climb was fine but one section is a climbing traverse across a steep face of hard snow with the debris of a small avalanche. I disliked that part, even with coteau (spelling?) my footing felt insecure and my progress there was slow. From the top of our climb, about 2800m, had a whole different set of views of the area than those from the pistes. The only people in this vast area were our ten in two Alpine Experience groups, plus a group of four from another ski school. Then we turned north and skied to within a few hundred metres of the Refuge de la Martin and finally down through the trees to the shallow lake below Les Breviere. The ski down was in soft powder most of the way, then some crusty snow through the trees. After a bit of poling along the lake side we treated ourselves to a drink before returning to Val d'Isere and a late lunch.
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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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Sunday 27 - Cloudy and overcast all day. Took taxis to and from St Foy where we were almost the first passengers on each of the three chair lifts Then skinned up to the Foglietta. There are several entrances to the north facing bowl, we were taken down a narrow and steep entrance. While we were standing on the one metre wide ridge at the top our guide asked "is anyone scared of heights?" One by one we side stepped down the narrow entrance while admiring the long steep slopes and the rocks below us. Then a traverse followed by big slopes with good soft snow. Not perfect powder as the wind last night had compacted much of it, but easily skied. We had good snow almost all the way down to the trees where it stiffened up a little. The path out, it looks about four km on my map, starts as a steep track a little wider than skis in a wide snow plow, but there are twists and turns and bumps and a fallen tree. Then there is a flattish area through some buildings and then a long road. Today is was hard packed and fairly easy all the way to the barrier where our taxi was waiting.
Cannot say much about the St Foy pistes. From the chairs they looked fine and the very small sections we skied between the three chairs were freshly groomed corduroy. There are only a few tracks in the north facing bowl and we only saw maybe six other people today. Much lower down where there is easy access from St Foy's newest chair lift there were more tracks and that chair may explain why the paths out were so hard packed and so well skied.
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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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Monday 28 - Sunny day. Over Col pers and then a traverse to the right and a skin up Glacier Pers. But the snow did not seem good so it was only a short skin. Going down we mostly had supporting snow with just a couple of small areas of soft snow. Skied down past the normal walk up to the left hand shoulder to get more soft snow and then skinned up to that shoulder. (Radio Val d'Isere this morning said that the Gorges des Malpasset was closed. Some people think such an announcement is common after people have got stuck in the Gorges and have had to pay for an expensive helicopter ride.) The main routes from Col Pers seemed to have been frequently skied, the route down from the shoulder was hard packed like a piste. The road out from Pont St Charles is well covered and poling along it was easy. Saw four chamois from the road. Off piste in the Col Pers area was disapointing today, probably due to recent wind.
Skied some pistes in Fornet sector from Laisinant Express via Pyramides Express and Col to Cascade Express. All in good condition. A friend reported lots of big and badly shaped moguls on the Foret black under the Fornet cable car, plus a few rocks.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Tuesday 29 - Warm today and sunny. Skied around the Grande Motte, the off piste was either well skied and piste like or where unskied it was mostly hard packed and supporting. The sort of snow to be careful on. Skied near Rosolin then continued across the glacier and up to the Balme area. Walked across some rocky bits then down the big north facing slopes towards Carline. Saw several other groups crossing the glacier before us today. By midday the sun had softened some of the snow and so found some soft stuff in the Familial. The aircraft strip in that area (above the Trifolet piste and Vallee Perdue on the piste map) has been flattened and has some signs up suggesting that it is in use. I would recommend giving way to aircraft if skiing there.
Pistes are good. I saw no rocks or icy patches today, but some are hard packed. Mogul fans might like the Leisse or under Tommeuses.
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Wednesday 30 - Low cloud and cold today, even freezing fog. Started in Fornet but into clouds and fog by half way up Vallon de L'Iseran. By top of Montets in thick fog. Instruched to ski down the piste one by one with gaps big enough that the preceding skier is completely out of sight. Sking with no visual clues, ie no other skiers to show where the slopes go is quite fun! But it was cold and ice crystals were forming on our closthes and bags. So we treated ourselves to a hot chocolate stop. Then up, down and up again the L'Olympique to watch a bit of the race training. Lots of spectators and even more officials looking after the course. Continued our sking with some instruction around the Belvarde pistes. No off piste sking today, the snow is not great and the visibility is poor so prudence reigned.
Pistes are in great condition, but there are a few patches on the Vallon where the snow has been scraped away to show the earth underneath. Lots of small avalanches on the south facing slopes between Val d'Isere and Pont St Charles, including one that spread across the road.
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Adrian, You don't get much praise but I read all your reports last week from my phone whilst in Tignes. They are a great daily blog/diary/report, whatever you like to call it. Many thanks for the effort.
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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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Yes Frosty the Snowman, agreed. I read them too.
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We read them too , when you return on Saturday there could be a little snow in G.B. M & D
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