 Poster: A snowHead
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To be brutally honest today was pretty miserable. But with a mate on his annual trip duty calls. So we did a few laps of Brev, anywhere above the treeline was very tricky and above 2500m the wind was quite strong. The only highlight was watching the avi dog training near the Marais chair. Bored with Brev we popped over to la Daille (it was a day for trees and gondolas), in the hour we were down there the thermometer at the top of the Tov rose by 3 degrees. It was getting very moist. Homeword bound we came via the Palet Sector, the snow was melting onto the gogs at the top of Grand Huit, if I need windscreen wipers its time for home!
Boing! Spring is back tomorrow! It will stop snowing/sleeting/raining just before midnight and the cloud should mostly clear by the time the lifts open. The mercury will then shoot up to leave a glorious day of sunshine with the odd fluffy cloud and light winds. Thursday will start warm and sunny but with a gusty wind. Cloud will start to build from lunchtime and depending on how quickly this builds we may get a few light showers in the afternoon (snowline above the villages). This will intensify and progressively turn to snow over the evening. The snow will probably have petered out by breakfast on Friday, the wind will also die down and we should have a day of sunny spells, but the temperature will drop by 8 degrees or so compared with tomorrow. Saturday, sunny spells and cooler.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hi @chocksway am due to arrive in neighbouring Val in sun my tour op is using Norwegian charter flight . In light of Norwegian announcement earlier cancelling 3000 flights what are the chances of my actually getting to Val this Sunday
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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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@vipul, I wouldn't be too worried about Norwegian. 3000 flights sounds like a big number, but it's only 15% of their scheduled flights. Many of the cancelled flights will be to/from Italy. I assume you're not flying via Italy, so that makes it less likely you will be affected. Other airlines are combining flights where they have multiple flights on the same day, but I'm not sure Norwegian have the frequency for this to be an option for them.
Other airlines are in a similar position. Qantas have cut capacity by 25% and Virgin have been flying "almost empty" planes to keep their slots. The EU have said they are going to relax the 'use it or lose it' rule for airport slots, so expect all airlines to announce more cancellations in the coming days.
You mention a tour operator, so you've presumably bought an ATOL-protected package. That means that if Norwegian were to cancel your flight or go bust then the tour operator would be responsible for finding you an alternative flight or refunding your booking in full. There are lots of empty seats at the moment, so they shouldn't have any trouble rebooking you.
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@thelem, thanks yes tour operator had atol certificate and
flying from Gatwick
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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's the story with Bollin/Fresse? Today we saw it is now labelled Bollin/Bollin at the bottom, with mandatory getting off at the mid station. Are they operating the two parts of this combined lift separately now? (We didn't go up)
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@moosepig,
Operating as 2 separate lifts. The combined lift kept breaking down due to engineering problems so easier to operate as 2 lifts.
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@chocksaway, "boing!" is right... crikey it's warm!
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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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@vipul, I think @thelem, has covered that one. Bonne Chance.
@moosepig, And since they disconnected it, it has rarely broken down and has reduced the flow on Bollin slope a bit.
Okey dokey, we were sat in cloud at breakfast (must remember to close the patio door!) but that soon cleared to leave a cloudless day and it soon warmed up and was very pleasant despite the breeze at altitude (which was blowing hard enough to close the Cable Car). The big story of the day was the number of natural avalanches. Its now time to get your spring avalanche hat on. With the wet snow (and rain last night in Chardo by the looks of the 'sillon' the snow was heavy and as it warmed off the triggers went. So expect L and Santons to be closed regularly, be out of Charvet by late morning etc. Even Chardo classique had gone big style with not hat much new snow.
So we opted for Laisinant to get to Fornet and as we skied down into the Pyramides chair it seemed really quiet, despite Val centre being rammed. The answer: t'up and over was having a morning off, so we had Pissailas virtually to ourselves! During lunch the genie got out of the bottle and suddenly it was rammed, so down to Fornet village (that's the whole of the piste map ticked off for the mate!) and then up to Solaise and Cugnai and then a ski home. By mid afternoon the pistes were bumping up in soft snow. It was 10 degs on the balcony (in shade) when we got back.
Tomorrow will start sunny and bright and warm. Some cloud will build up ahead of a front arriving, so a milky sky is likely from mid morning on, a few breezes at altitude. The sky will become progressively overcast and late afternoon/early evening light showers will start which could be rain up to 2500m. These will intensify and it wil be midnight or so before it turns to snow in the main villages. The snow should stop before lift opening for Friday and the cloud will progressively clear to leave a nice day, not quite so warm as today though. Saturday and Sunday will both start sunny and then fluffy clouds will form above the peaks in the afternoon. The weekend will be a bit cooler than today, but if you are sat on a terrace in the warm sun you will not notice.
Hacing loked at the Jetstream forecast, spring looks like it is here, there doesn't appear to be any really cold air heading our way for the next 10 days or so. after an unsettled Monday standby for a week or so of sunny days with the odd cloud abut. So spring snow conditions and good skiing, given the depth of the snowpack. It will still freeze overnight so its not going to vanish quickly.
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Phew, it was warm, even in the winds aloft. There was quite a bit of cloud about this morning, but enough sunny patches; the sky is now grey and there is a bit of drizzle in the air.
Because of the warm air and the wind exacerbating the softening effect we decided to do 'Bottom to Top' so down to Brev before it turned into a slushfest. As it happened they had pisted Sache so we popped back up to expose mate to his first black of the week, I am kindness personified  We then skied higher and higher until the light started to fade and the bumps were getting bigger. We have got the typical March skiers, lots of late middle aged French couples who want to travel on the chairlift alone so hog the middle 2 seats of a 4 pack, that doesn't work with 2 impatient Brits - Coming through! We also have a certain demographic on snow blades or short skis with no poles which are a menace on the slopes.
The drizzle will continue into the evening and gradually turn to snow as it cools. This means the pistes tomorrow and off piste avi risk will be tricky to call depending on where you are and how much rain vs snow. Up high there will be some slabs and the snow below will be heavy. Beware! The snow will stop sometime around 4 am and then the cloud will progressively break up and by lift opening we should have a day of sunny spells. It wllbe about 4 degrees cooler than today. Saturday will be cooler again by a couple of degrees and again a day of sun and fluffy clouds. So no hassle on the transfers and a great day on the slopes for us lucky enough not to be travelling. The temperature will rise by a couple of degrees on Sunday which will be predominantly sunny, maybe a bit of cloud. Monday now looks mostly cloudy, maybe the odd glimpse of the sun, but the light precipitation is now stopping over the Pyrenees.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I’m driving from Geneva to Les Brevieres tomorrow evening. I’m assuming getting out of Geneva will be awful, but are there any tips/routes to suggest, or just follow google maps? Anyone know how much the tolls are each way?
Cheers
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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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Drive down the western side of annecy lake, Albertville, moutiers, Bourg etc....... not many tolls
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Thru Annecy is quicker and cheaper than via Chambery on tolls..
Follow signs for Albertville off the Mway at Annecy.
Beware of speed cameras on mway between Geneva and Annecy especially through the tunnels..
From Albertville to Moutier then Bourg-Saint-Maurice ...up the hill to Tignes Les Breviere...
3 hrs .
if in SC apartment shop at one of the supermarkets on route..
You pass two Lidl’s!
Eating in Brev try La Sachette ...
Cheers
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You know it makes sense.
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@lunch mike, it is NOT quicker or easier to go via Annecy!! It's at least 45 mins more and the cost is minimal in the grand scheme of things.
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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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@Alex A, which way would you go? i have done it every which way and have found that they quickest, cheapest and most pleasant but am always happy to learn a new way, not sure about the caps and the exclamation marks though....? has annecy wronged you in the past? LOL
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Alex A wrote: |
| @lunch mike, it is NOT quicker or easier to go via Annecy!! It's at least 45 mins more and the cost is minimal in the grand scheme of things. |
Yes it is, no it isn’t... depends on traffic conditions, obvs and time of day, day of week. On a Tuesday lunchtime going through Annecy and west side of lake was super-clear with a total journey time to Tignes VC of 2.5 hrs pretty much obeying the speed limits religeuse-ly. Chambery motorway has not delivered me a sub-3 hr journey. I’m a fan of Annecy-route.
If you get traffic in Annecy or worse, all around the single-file lake - the Annecy route is a pig. No experience of those routes on transfer days but would imagine Mway would be more reliable and then it’s a common nightmare from Albertville up...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Leaving Geneva head for Cruseilles and then east side of Lake Annecy (Talloires etc) to miss a lot of the traffic that can build up on the west side. Rejoin the main route that runs along west side of annecy at Doussard and from there to Ugine, Albertville etc.. Used to take 2 hrs via this route from GVA to Bourg - but lots more roundabouts and building has added 30 mins. No tolls on this route. Talloires is a lovely lakeside village for a coffee stop. Saturday add an hour from Bourg to GVA. Bourg to Tignes Brevieres is 25 mins; Val and Tignes Lac about 40-50 mins - unless you are French with a 73 number plate, in which case you can do it in 2 or 3 minutes less (if you survive) Hope this helps.
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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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Austria is closing all ski resorts, France must be close to this soon surely? April skiing looking very unlikely atm I'm starting to think 
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@larkim, No sign of it yet. Though pressure on politicians from the worried well may have a bearing.
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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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Hope they don't close the resorts....I was hoping to self isolate in Tignes
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I was hoping to self isolate in Val for a week from Sunday 
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Fingers crossed eh!
Each insurance policy will pay out differently. We may lose travel / accommodation costs if the resort gets shut, but obviously ski hire / lessons etc would be claimable (subject to cover limtis).
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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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Looking at my cover if the resort is closed then the max I get is £500 which is laughable I have such a bad feeling about this now...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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This is the google translate....
According to the government recommendations expressed by the President of the Republic on March 12, 2020, the Tignes station makes every effort to maintain its activity in solidarity, while respecting the safety instructions transmitted by the official authorities. To date, no early closure is planned and the Tignes & Val d'Isère linked ski area will remain open until May 3, 2020. Tignes is ready to adapt its posture according to changes in official recommendations.
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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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Well, that's a piece of good news for now at least. I wonder if any of that may get overruled at a higher/government level though.
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@Scam, No its following government advice, when that changes Tignes will react.
OK lets get back to skiing before this turns into another blinkin' C word thread. @Mrs W, has posted the latest advice, which replaces any word on the street!
With the rain and the bit of snow last night in the village coming as forecast I decided to join the Ski Club Instructor Led Guiding, not for the perfect powder, but to pick up tips on warm weather avalanche avoidance, which we got in spades. We also had a fabulous day as well which was nice. The hill fog came and went in the morning, also adding to the learning experience on the snowpack. We set off down Envers Campanules, which was promising. The plan was the Borsat, but again it was late (time for Val to update their only contribution to the links between the 2 resorts??). So we did the top half of Spatule and then onto the north face of Borsat, not powder but good skiing:
Next was an incident in lanches when an out of control skier managed to take me out whilst stood in the queue for Lanches. He got a lesson in Yarkshire and I have a stiff shoulder! Next Petite Balme, an easier entrance than normal, but good snow:
Me hiding behind the 'point of safety' lessens the angle somewhat! There then followed 3 laps of Grande Balme (which takes a while thanks to the venerable Col du Ves chair). On the second run we opened the couloir second from the left:
Lunch was taken at 2 and the rest was on piste as the heat had really picked up.
Tomorrow will be nice, sunny periods all day, a bit cooler than today out of the sun and perhaps a cheeky breeze in the afternoon aloft. Sunday will feel warmer as there will be less clouds about, but there will be a strong easterly wind in the afternoon, which may curtail the higher lifts. Monday should see a slight rise in temperature but it is likely to be a milky sky all day, as that weather over the Pyrenees gets a bit closer, but I still don't think it will get here. Tuesday looks grand, spring day!
For the travellers, I think the traffic numbers may be a bit optimistic as the V word is probably not in the algorithms. But we are expecting 31000 coming to the Tarentaise and 29k leaving, so queues at peak times. For the fliers grand over here, chance of a shower anywhere in the UK but nothing to curtail flying.
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You know it makes sense.
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Boarded Snowexpress coach at Victoria. Hoping to be in Valdisere tomorrow noon. Weather forecast looks promising.
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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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Just a quick whizz on piste today.. After a cold night, the pistes were hard and with the clouds blocking the sun half the time it was a while before they became softer. La Daille was perfect at about 1130. I did speak to a very experienced off piste instructor who had tried all morning to find a visiting mate some soft stuff, he summed it up as dire!
On a more cheery note we did see the first swallow of the season, so it must be spring. Also there is much excitement in La Daille, the egg laid in the Bearded Vultures nest has hatched and Mum and Dad are busy feeding. The rich and famous arriving by heli in Val now have to fly a bit further as flying is banned in the Gorge.
It will be a very cold night tonight so the pistes will take a long time to soften in the morning. But it will be a warm sunny day, there will still be a sharp gusty breeze in the afternoon and one or two clouds maybe bubble up after lunch. Bit of disagreement over Monday regarding the weather system over the Pyrenees, which cant make its mind up. But after a cold day it should be a nice day with some clouds, maybe a few more. Tuesday looks like being warm and sunny, the previous night may be less cold, so perhaps some spring snow on really sunny slopes?? Wednesday looks like a repeat of Tuesday.
For those flying tomorrow, it will be windy and showery in the UK, so bumpy (how many times this season?) and a bit wet at times. Over here will be fine for flying, maybe a bit bumpy if you have a mid afternoon arrival. The roads will be quiet (unlike this afternoon where there are some quite large queues!).
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Poster: A snowHead
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Another great day's skiing today with very quiet pistes.
Once the sun had softened the pistes up there was some really enjoyable turns 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@chocksaway, France just announced a level 3 lockdown bars, restaurants , cinemas to close as of midnight . Any more news due to fly out Sunday morning with YSE
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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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@chocksaway, France just announced a level 3 lockdown bars, restaurants , cinemas to close as of midnight . Any more news due to fly out Sunday morning with YSE
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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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@vipul, you’ll find out more on the other threads but sadly I wouldn’t bother going to the airport
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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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Yeah@vipul, I don't think you'll be going anywhere. Sad times.
That'll be my Val trip off, I will await news from Neilson.
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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 cannot see how a ski resort can keep lifts open when ski shops etc are closed , no skis, boots to hire etc @HoneyBunny, @Rob Mackley,
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I cannot see how a ski resort can keep lifts open when ski shops etc are closed , no skis, boots to hire etc @HoneyBunny, @Rob Mackley,
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I cannot see how a ski resort can keep lifts open when ski shops etc are closed , no skis, boots to hire etc @HoneyBunny, @Rob Mackley,
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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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I cannot see how a ski resort can keep lifts open when ski shops etc are closed , no skis, boots to hire etc @HoneyBunny, @Rob Mackley,
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They won’t. Resorts are all shutting down one by one.
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FAQ
