Poster: A snowHead
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David@traxvax, heard some more rumours (from the Bourg Mairie) about the possibility of doing a "Col de Montgenèvre", and endeavouring to keep the Petit St Bernard open through the winter sometime in the not too distant future.
Is that just so much "cold air"??
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I hope note. The traffic would ruin the winter ambiance of the place. Because it is a dead end the roads are very quiet. It would also cut through the middle of a few slopes.
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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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Would some sort of a tunnel be the answer - so the snow could lie on top and leave the slopes useable ? I'm thinking of maybe prefabricated arch sections - wouldn't need to hold much weight. Possibly a better solution than constantly ploughing. How long is the section which currently gets blocked ??
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Hard to say, from this photo!
More great photos of the snowploughed Petit St Bernard on this site. [scroll down]
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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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There a prehistoric stone circle on the pass too - probably partly destroyed by the road and often buried by snow.
More here
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Personally I'm with Frosty the Snowman. Keep it blocked and shut in winter, if necessary with a lie-down protest by snowmen.
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PG, I'd be very surprised if it was kept open as the accumulation of snow is huge, one of the photos posted by David Goldsmith shows 9m of snow. Apart from which we don't want more traffic on the N90 and we'd lose Pista 7 which follows the road down into La Thuile. Somehow I can't see the Savoie government wanting to spend more money on the road, they just about maintain it now, and have resisted expansion of La Rosiere on the grounds that it would cost too much to upgrade the road.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Tue 2-08-05 12:13; edited 1 time in total
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David Goldsmith, great photos, the Col doesn't usually open until the 1st week of June.
kuwait_ian, there's also a Roman road that runs straight down to Seez, it's only used by the local farmers to move their livestock up to the high pastures now. Just along from the Hospice is a lake that's stocked with trout, apparently the monks maintained the fish stock which are still there, they must hibernate in the Winter because several metres of snow cover the lake and the ice must get really thick to withstand the weight. One of the local Ski instructors claims to have found an elephant's tusk near the Col, rumoured to be where Hanibal crossed the Alps, but he won't tell anyone 'because he doesn't want all the archeologists from Paris coming down and closing the resort whilst they excavate' another local legend I'm sure.
Last edited by After all it is free on Tue 2-08-05 12:44; edited 1 time in total
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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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The one I'm really interested in is the Col de l'lseran (the D902 ) road running from Val D to the Haute Mauriene Valley I've never travelled it but know it's closed in the winter. Anyone care to comment if they think it could ever be made to be open for Ski season ?
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Type23, the reason the Petit St Bernard was ever considered was its relatively low altitude or so I understand, plus the road link into Italy.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Type23,
Given the resources in snow ploughs and avalanche protection I would guess you could keep most passes open but there has to be areason for this economic investemnt and I doubt there would be that much call for it. Besides it would deprive the helicopter operators of the money they get from ferrying Val d'Isere punters back over after having had their trip down to Bonneval.
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Wed 3-08-05 18:05; edited 1 time in total
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brian
brian
Guest
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Type23, Doesn't it run up through the Fornet sector of the ski area ? I think they'd lose some pistes !
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The main track down to Le Fornet from the cable car station is the road or crosses the road on a number of occaisions, even above the cable car station the pistes intersect the road all the way to the top, and remember the top of the gondola is nearly at 3000m!
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You know it makes sense.
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PG, ah the morning run accross the main road in montgenevre to get to the race piste, complete with 3 pairs of skis, rucksack etc. It made the "toadO" computer game i had as a kid seem easy. Thinking about just now, it really was the horace goes skiing!
Is the petit benard pass where the italian job was filmed?
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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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paulhothersall, only races I've been to there are the "Millepattes", a whole series of courses set over the road on the pistes facing the village, with 1,000 kids from about 4 to 9 years old all competing at once. Chaos!
Wasn't the Italian Job on the other one, the Gd St Bernard?
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Poster: A snowHead
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PG, brillant race piste though. They send the local kids out with carrier bags to collect any stones, and the lifties keep all the punters off it. The main local coach is also a great laugh, called "titus". Haven't been there in years, but last time i was there hs daughter "anuc" [sp?] was pretty much top rated in france. Not sure how they are getting on these days.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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paulhothersall, I've been told that the Italian Job was filmed around the Beaufort glacier area, not far away just above BSM. It was on the Tour de France route this year and is the only glacier I know that you can drive to. Someone is bound to prove me wrong now.
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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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David@traxvax, yep there's at least one in Switzerland or at least there used to be, I can remember getting off a coach and walking up to the glacier just a few yards away but that was probably almost 20 years ago and I can't remember which one it was
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I believe that the some of the early alpine shots in the film were shot in the Petite San Bernado pass, but that the "big loader/shovel" car destruction scene was shot between Cormayeur and La Thuille. Dont know where the bus crash was filmed.
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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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Frosty the Snowman, aren't there shots of hairpins and sheer drops though? Can't think of anywhere going across the PSB that would fit that scene, that's all.
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D G Orf, Furkapass, Sustenpass. The Rhonegletscher on the Furkapass featured in Goldfinger.
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It could be the Gran San Bernardo Pass, which is a different kettle of fish.
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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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neilswingler, that's it ! It must have been on the 4 passes round trip via post coach that I took (was dragged onto) all those years ago. Thanks for prompting my memory
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