 Poster: A snowHead
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thats very generous of you snowcrazy, I'm actually out there from this weekend. i will drop you a pm though
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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| Russeh wrote: |
| thefatcontroller, i think its luck of the draw on the instructor front. We had one that was very similar to person you described and that was with ESF in 2000. The next day we complained and moved and got a different instructor and she was very good. |
It was a one off private lesson so won't be asking for a change. We do have the odd lesson, we just won't be usng Evolution2 in Arc2000 again. However I have had ok instructors before but in ever case they have been nice people. However yesterday was just a case of a horrible person and crap instructor. Youngish lad too? Should I complain is the question, probably won't bother. 
Anyway its light and I can confirm the sun is visible today but looks freezing. The bashers are busy.
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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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| Quote: |
Anyway its light and I can confirm the sun is visible today but looks freezing.
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-7.8 down here in Les Granges, but it looks like THE day of the week to me!
http://grangedalice.blogspot.fr/
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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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araird, I can confirm in Arc 2000 it is very warm in my apartment. To scared to put a toe outside the door. Time for another coffee. Brrrrrrrrrrrr
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Of absolutely no relevence to Les Arcs other than we're there in 3 weeks, its really stacked it down in here in Stockholm yesterday and today. Just -4 at the moment and theres a possibility to go over to Ekebyhovsbacken tonight after work. Beats MK every time.
Oh and if you ever have any doubts about winter tyres.......................
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Right, going to go out. Looks like the free riding is happening judging by the amount of helicopters around. Filming for TV or the inquest, not quite sure. We can see the run from the apartment. Looks terrifying.
More later. enjoy work y'all.
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thefatcontroller, I really think you should complain about that instructor, who sounds appalling. You are local, you are potential repeat business. I'm not surprised he wouldn't postpone the lesson - that's standard practice. But rolling a fag on a chairlift with customers definitely isn't. My daughter, who has asthma, and is a teacher who takes no prisoners, would have smartly told him to stick it back in his pocket. She was deeply unimpressed by a windsurf instructor who still wasn't using the names of two of my grandkids, by the end of a two hour private lesson. Alex was helping, as it was a windy and choppy day and they were both complete beginners, and used their names constantly but the girl just didn't get the hint. Two names aren't hard to remember!
Sorry the lesson was so miserable. Hope today's epic conditions make up for it. 
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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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pam w, Thanks. I had made a decision before reading your post that I would e-mail them when I get back. Am on holiday so don't need confrontation but will sort when I get back. You are right, we paid 95 euro and got nowt.
Anyway back to better things. Went out about 10. We were going to go straight up to the glacier but got to Varet and it was busy so skied down to Bois, up it and then across to the lift that takes you to the top of Comborciere. Did Comborciere. Don't think I will ever do again in such perfect conditions, big moguls but so much powder and soft snow. Absolutely exhausting though. Was really glad of the 15 minutes on the Pre Saint Esprit chair. That chair is so slow we got to see 4 riders in the free style competition way in the distance. Looked terrifying enough from a distance.
Planned to go up Lanchettes to do the Villarogier run but Varet was quiet so up the glacier and did the 7km run. Jez, I was near crying by the end. Snow amazing, it was even snowing quite heavy towards the bottom. Only planned on coffee in la Ferme but saw the beef stew and we needed an energy boost. Back to the apartment by 12.15.
Thats it for today, taking a 1/2 day. The wife is tired and this is when accidents happen and we weren't out for long but we skied very hard this morning. Time for a rest.
We have never seen the snow line so low, trees covered in snow all the way to Villarogier. Its amazing and the run to Villarogier was powder and so soft the whole way. Exhausting but great. The sun may be shining but it is brutally cold.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| genepi wrote: |
chemistry, & all others coming to Peisey Vallandry soon - this is how it looks today |
Thanks - looks fab!
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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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| Quote: |
Back up top towards Arc 2000 and then down the right hand side of the Droset piste Nature in more great snow and up the Comborciere chair. When we were sitting on the chairs we started to realise just how protected we had been in the forest. It was very cold and windy.
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I've been writing about Comborciere in my blog today - " The Bear Facts"
http://grangedalice.blogspot.fr/
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You know it makes sense.
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araird, Really good blog. Keep it up. But I am glad I wasn't the 4th person on the chair lift with you 
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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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Really good blog. Keep it up. But I am glad I wasn't the 4th person on the chair lift with you
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Ok corrected, sorry about that. I was getting confused with the new one, which will be 4 man.
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Poster: A snowHead
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araird, Excellent blog, have subscribed. I thought Pre Saint Esprit chair was already down to be replaced this year or next? The guy who ran the bar opposite the chairs down there we knew from a few years ago when he ran a place in Montchavin. Bizarrely we just bumped into him an hour ago in Bourg. He has sold the place beside Pre Saint, business was lousy and not a great place and bought a bar in Bourg. He said it was much better in Bourg as Summer trade is better than Winter, so he can ski now.
Popped into Bourg and to the phone shop and go myself a pay as you go wireless modem. Excellent, 3G now up and running in the apartment.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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thefatcontroller, nah the poor instructor we had with ESF was middle aged.
We love that run down from 1950 to the bottom of Comborciere (i'm still not sure how you pronounce that  ) but that lift is very slow but it does lead up to the start of the Monc Blanc run which is another nice Blue
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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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| Quote: |
We love that run down from 1950 to the bottom of Comborciere (i'm still not sure how you pronounce that ) but that lift is very slow but it does lead up to the start of the Monc Blanc run which is another nice Blue
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It's pronounced Com - bor - si - air (no 's' at the end please). Actually the blue run at the top is called Belvedere (it goes all the way to Peisey), the new Mont Blanc pistes starts off to the right of the new MB lifts. Sorry to be such a train-spotter.....
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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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| Quote: |
It's pronounced Com - bor - si - air (no 's' at the end please). Actually the blue run at the top is called Belvedere (it goes all the way to Peisey), the new Mont Blanc pistes starts off to the right of the new MB lifts. Sorry to be such a train-spotter..... |
thanks for the pronunciation breakdown i'll remember that (i'm trying to learn french too, its going very slowly). yeah the run at the top of that we followed it round and down the tree line which then opened up into 1600? Only did a couple of times and that was a year ago is that not the Mont Blanc run?
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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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Blue Sky and Powder up above your knees, what more can you ask for. Well maybe that it could be a little warmer. It was the coldest day so far this season, but then that is what has kept the snow so good.
Went up today and headed straight over to the 'Red Bull Linecatcher Competition'. Now that we could see the course, it did look rather hard!!! Stayed there taking photos until my fingers could take know more and then headed to the Aiguille Rouge for some back country riding.
For those interested in the event today, take a look at the photos I have posted in the Jan 2013 Album Two on my Les Arcs Winter page, it was quite impressive. Sam Favret from Chamonix won with Parker White taking second place on the podium followed by Nicolas Vuignier in third. Many of the riders now move to Courmayeur this weekend for the World Free Ride Tour and in Chamonix the following weekend. Well worth watching if you are out on holiday in either of those resorts.
Now back to today. When we reached the top of the Aiguille Rouge we headed over to one of the higher couloirs and had an amazing ride down the steep gully onto the wide powder fields below. After a great ride all the way down to Villaroger making our own fresh tracks almost the whole way we headed back up to do it all again by another route. We did this three times, 'no time for lunch on a powder day'. Each run down was by a different route mostly on untracked snow, although I did manage to hit a few rocks with my new skis (very sad!).
After three great runs we headed down through the forest to Comborciere Chair and then down another Couloir (renamed Paulie's Couloir!, he knows why!!). Finally we headed over to the Altiport for a drink before heading home through the meadows of Arc 1600 in more untracked snow even at 5pm. What a day!!
The bad news, sorry no photos of the places we went today. After taking the shoots of the competition my camera did not like the cold weather anymore and refused to work for the rest of the day. The battery was dead, I hope after I have recharged it tonight it will be OK.
Another POWDER Day is promised for tomorrow!! I am very happy!!
The Bowl area.
Looking up at the whole area they used. (not mine)
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I was going to blog this later, but here's the info I have about new lifts planned for Les Arcs over the next few years. These dates are 'provisional' and probably depend on who many lifts passes the ADS manages to sell. The Mont Blanc lift (opened 2011/12) was a year late, for example.
1)TCP 16 Chantel (Arc 1800)- will be ready for December 2013. Mainly being done to serve the EdenArcs development above the Chantel buildings. But it will also provide a viable alternative route back to 1600.
2)TC 8 Villards – will replace existing v. slow Villards lift and Carreley. Aimed to take pressure on overcrowded Transarc. Also to open in 2014
3) PULSE FRONT DE NEIGE 1800 : at last a correction to Les Arcs greatest planning error (the 30m height difference between the lift departure area and the edge of the village where the shops and restaurants are. Will be operational in 2014.
4) TSD 6 Pré Saint Esprit: new 6 px for 2016. About time too.
5) TSD Comborcière : new 4 px chair for 2017 - see my blog about this
http://grangedalice.blogspot.com/2013/01/comborciere-bear-facts.html
What's left to do after that? Also, have you heard about new lift plans for La Rosiere? Sounds like they are going to virtually double the ski area....
http://grangedalice.blogspot.fr/
www.skiadventures.co.uk
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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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araird, Damn, I thought Pre Saint was a done deal for this Winter. I can understand now why Cryril sold up.
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The Pre st Espirit restaurant is one of my favourites for lunch or even a coffee break. The food is good the staff friendly and you can always get a table. And the prices are some of the best in any ski resort. On very cold days the open fire is a magnet for cold hands and on wet days for drying sodden gloves. I really like the place, but it is a bit off the side of the piste and for many people I suspect the trek back to the lifts was just too much.
The previous owners now run the Arcabuse in Arc 1600.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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araird's, reminisces about the old Comborciere drag got be thinking about the Les Arcs lift system when I first went there. It was very different than today.
My map shows a two stage chair lift from Bourg st Maurice but I can only recall the second stage from La Grange and the telepherique from the town. You can still see the telepherique stations at each end.
The chairlift dropped you off quite high above 1600 and from there you could either pick up the Cachette drag lift or the old Mont Blanc chair lift. The Mont Blanc drag which went up to the Belvarde piste had gone before I first visited Les Arcs but the gap in the trees is still visible and it is a popular off piste route.
Drag lifts were everywhere and since this was only my second or third ski trip I preferred chair lifts, so it was the now gone Gollet lift that was my favourite lift out of 1600. It is hard to think that the now crowded Arcabule lift used to be just a pair of drag lifts, as was the Marmotte chair. And for snowcrazy, and the others who drop over the Gand Col, the drag lifts that preceded the chair lift left you much closer to the summit, so far less walking to do if you wanted to do the then marked route down to Villaroger
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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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| thefatcontroller wrote: |
| Is it just us or are others finding the snow very 'grippy', nightmare at times on board. |
That's because it's cold and fresh snow. A cold wax would help your boards & skis glide more smoothly.
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You know it makes sense.
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rob@rar, Nee to invest in some. Feel like I am boarding on velcro. 
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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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The snow was like that for us last year, found it really weird. I asked the guy in the hire shop and he said they didnt have a wax that went down to the temps at that time (-22 to -1
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Poster: A snowHead
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Russeh, Yeah both boards and skis waxed in resort at start of week, crap 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| thefatcontroller wrote: |
| rob@rar, Nee to invest in some. Feel like I am boarding on velcro. |
Normally I only use a general purpose wax, but for conditions like these I will use a specialist wax if I can.
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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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rob@rar, does it make a difference even at minus 15+ ?
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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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Russeh, yes, I feel the difference in how the skis glide. I'm not very dedicated about servicing my skis, but some conditions (especially when very cold or very warm) are worth making the effort for.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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thefatcontroller, congratulations on an epic voyage on the boards.
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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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Evening all! Just got home so a very quick update tonight and I am off to bed.
Today was blue sky, very cold and great powder again. Despite the cold I managed to take a few photos today so I will post them tomorrow and I think they are worth waiting for!
Having spent the past few days on the Les Arcs side of the Paradiski area we went over to the La Plagne side today hunting for more untracked snow.
We found some, loads of the stuff in fact! After making our way down to Champagny via a long off piste route which was almost totally untracked, we headed over to Plagne Centre with a detour down the face under the Verdon Sud chair. Then back up and down the face on the other side finishing with the Indian gully into Plagne Centre for a bit of fun! We are all big kids at heart!
Headed back to Bellecote La Plagne and up above Les Coches before making a few runs on that side then down through the forest to the Vanoise Express.
A final quick route from the top of the Derby Chair above Peisey Vallandry all the way down to Arc 1800 then back up and down through the meadows above Arc 1600 finishing at the Mid station of the Funicular and home.
Another great day comes to an end. The many pistes we crossed today were all in great condition following the recent snow and anyone coming out is in for a treat. The off piste is amazing right now, the cold temps are keeping it light and fluffy everywhere.
Photos will be posted later tomorrow. Take a look at the waist deep powder at times. I am not joking!! Enjoy!!.
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FAQ
