 Poster: A snowHead
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| archors wrote: |
Been in Valfrejus and Val Cenis, both pretty good! Snow good up top and a bit hard down below but much better than La Norma.
Valfrejus is great fun, especially off the Punta Bagna lift. |
If you have the chance pop up to Bonneval sur Arc where the snow conditions are usually pretty good.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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It's been a real mixed bag in Valmorel / St François these past couple of days. Ice, hard pack, a little slush, patchy areas, but also some pretty nice snow in places.
The best show has consistently been on runs that have all / most of the following attributes:
1. high
2. sunny (but not directly south facing)
3. not overly steep
The best sectors have therefore been Biollene on the Valmorel side, and Lune Bleue / Frêne on the St François side. Lovely snow in both these areas. Would imagine it's similar throughout the Maurienne.
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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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| Handy Turnip wrote: |
Thought I'd post some snow depths, as always a useful reference for anyone looking back.
Val Cenis
Base: 50cm
Summit: 110cm
Valmorel
Base: 30cm
Summit: 150cm
Valloire
Base: 30cm
Summit: 165cm
Valmeinier
Base: 75cm
Summit: 165cm |
Thought I'd give this an update as a reference point, to see how it changes in the warm run up to Feb half term. Figures all from onthesnow.com - not sure how up to date the lifts open stats are!
Val Cenis
Base: 55cm (wet snow)
Summit: 110cm (wet snow)
Lifts open: 19/29
Valmorel
Base: 20cm (machine groomed)
Summit: 160cm (hard packed)
Lifts open: 39/47
Valloire
Base: 30cm (hard packed)
Summit: 120cm (hard packed)
Lifts open: 14/30
Valmeinier
Base: 53cm (hard packed)
Summit: 180cm (hard packed)
Lifts open: 15/15
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Now back in the UK sadly but also went to Aussois, which was great slushy fun! So in a week we did La Norma, Valfrejus, Val Cenis and Aussois and loved it. Not the best snow, a mix of hard pack, ice, some soft up top and slush. Weather was nice and sunny all week and many bière classique were drunk.
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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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Only 10 days till our family trip to Valloire - if any one has any tips or tricks that they'd like to share, I would be grateful i.e. nice mountain restaurants, bottleneck lifts, pistes that are quieter, pistes that are busier or pistes to try and avoid etc etc
As it's a family trip, nice wide blues always go down well!
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| Handy Turnip wrote: |
Only 10 days till our family trip to Valloire - if any one has any tips or tricks that they'd like to share, I would be grateful i.e. nice mountain restaurants, bottleneck lifts, pistes that are quieter, pistes that are busier or pistes to try and avoid etc etc
As it's a family trip, nice wide blues always go down well! |
You will have a great time in Valloire. There are some lovely blue runs to look out for, particularly armera, Selles and Lutins on the Crey du Quart side and the Setaz and Les Airelles runs off the Setaz bubble. Have never really come across any bottlenecks though the Setaz bubble can get busy first thing and lunchtime. the blue runs over in Valmeinier are worth a look as well, namely myrtilles and violettes
For a nice lunch stop look out for Edelweiss restaurant on the Crey du Quart side, lovely food and a nice view.
Have a nice trip.
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Thanks @andmelffion, that's super useful. We'll definitely aim to try out all those runs.
Had a quick search for Edelweiss, wow you're right, those views look amazing - we'll definitely be heading there if we get a sunny day!!
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Only a 5 days till we head off to Valloire - looks like there's definitely some precipitation on the way, and some colder temperatures. Bergfex shows the FL down to 1100-1300m on Sat/Sun, but snow forecast is showing it up at 1700-1900m, which would mean rain. Hoping Bergfex is right!!
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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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| Handy Turnip wrote: |
| Only a 5 days till we head off to Valloire - looks like there's definitely some precipitation on the way, and some colder temperatures. Bergfex shows the FL down to 1100-1300m on Sat/Sun, but snow forecast is showing it up at 1700-1900m, which would mean rain. Hoping Bergfex is right!! |
Good luck, it looks like a huge dump could be on the way. Some of the reds are short that should really would be blue elsewhere. Valloire side of crey-de-quart - the run from the top of the that joins setaz to crey (think it is called rouge or rose or something red!…) all the way across to the mountain hut that also has a green run behind it.
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Thanks @Gored, fingers crossed! Just looked at the piste map, and can see one called Rose, so we'll definitely give that a go!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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| davidof wrote: |
| https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ive-skied-in-170-resorts-and-this-one-is-my-favourite-6tn088dr8 |
Bonneval sur arc…one of my favourite places to ski and already looking forward to a trip there next week
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I wondered if anyone has an update on what conditions are like in Val Cenis? Taking four second-time kids and worried about it being terrifyingly icy. Thank you!
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You know it makes sense.
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For everyone heading out for half term, have a fantastic week and keep us updated on conditions!
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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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| licoriceallsort1 wrote: |
| I wondered if anyone has an update on what conditions are like in Val Cenis? Taking four second-time kids and worried about it being terrifyingly icy. Thank you! |
Hopefully a bit of snow on Saturday night/Sunday will freshen things up a little! Just take it easy and have a great time.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Arrived in Valloire to some soggy rainy weather - the resort centre and lower slopes are looking a bit sorry for themselves. However I'm confident that it'll look good on the upper slopes and the freezing levels are due to drop tonight. With a layer of snow, I can imagine Valloire would look quite magical!
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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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@Handy Turnip,
Thought it supposed to tump down tonight? So should be good for you tomorrow.
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@Handy Turnip, I got to ski GS this morning on Les melezes and snow conditions were quite good / decent actually ! It is a gorgeous place. Have a great week!
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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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@Gored, we've got everything crossed!!
@JulieAimeLeSki, great to hear, feels like the conditions should be good up high!
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Fantastic first day - a reasonable dusting of snow in resort overnight, and plenty more up higher. The snow resumed falling about 10am all the way down to the town and carried on till about 3pm.
Minimal queues most of the day and some lovely runs. We didn't quite manage to find the entrance to the snow park (we skied by it a few times) - in our defence, visibility was really bad at times!!!
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Cracking first day in Les Karellis on Saturday, was a bit windy but snow was love.y and quiet given it was changeover day.
Today we popped over to Valloire and skied the Setaz side, visibility up high was a bit hit and miss but the snow was nice and some lovely red and blue runs all way back down to the Setaz bubble.
May be off to Val Cenis tomorrow to see what that brings but will be checking webcams before setting off in case somewhere else looks a better bet.
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Lovely day at Val Cenis today. Plenty of soft snow high up and the lower slopes weren’t too bad with just a bit of hard pack here and there. Longest queue was 4 mins when the Solert lift stopped for some reason apart from that straight on to each lift without waiting.
Bonneval sur Arc tomorrow to make the most of the fresh snow at 3,000 meters.
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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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Sounds fantastic, @andmelffion. Never heard of Bonneval sur Arc up to about two weeks ago, now I keep hearing such good things about it might have to add it to the skiing bucket list.
Great day in Valloire, weather was fantastic. The reds are beautiful, and seem pretty quiet. Spent the day above 2000m and the pistes were in beautiful condition all day. They are some lovely long runs.
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| Handy Turnip wrote: |
Sounds fantastic, @andmelffion. Never heard of Bonneval sur Arc up to about two weeks ago, now I keep hearing such good things about it might have to add it to the skiing bucket list.
Great day in Valloire, weather was fantastic. The reds are beautiful, and seem pretty quiet. Spent the day above 2000m and the pistes were in beautiful condition all day. They are some lovely long runs. |
Shhhhh
dont want the rift raft going because its cheaper prices & better skiing 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Handy Turnip. If you have a 6 day Val Cenis pass it allows you a day at one of the other resorts in the valley such as Bonneval- sur- Arc..only a small place but well worth the visit, especially on a sunny day
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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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@andmelffion, thinking of val cenis for Easter. Is it easier to drive to the other resorts you mention and find parking as a day trip?
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@Boarderfarce, We've been in the area a couple of times at Easter and had no problem driving to and parking at other resorts in a nine seater van(Though the road up to Valfrejus is a bit swingy for the rear seat occupants.)
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You know it makes sense.
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@T Bar, cheers. Waiting for the weather to come good again before we book
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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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@Boarderfarce..sorry only just seen your post but yes they are all an easy drive from Val Cenis or indeed anywhere in the valley you want to stay. As mentioned above there are a few twists and turns up to Valfrejus but it’s not too bad
Had a cracking day at Bonneval today with clear blue skies and views from 3000meters to die for.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Gored 
@andmelffion, might have to look into that one of the days.
Another great day - temperatures are starting to creep up, so the slopes into cret de la brive were really softening up by about 2pm. Thankfully all the runs up top are holding up well, and the runs on the setaz side are also in great condition.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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TR: Valloire 10th-17th Feb
After a fantastic week away, thought I'd do a mini trip report just for reference.
It's my first time skiing at Feb half term for about 5 years (due to eldest daughter's GCSE's this year), so wanted to go somewhere off the beaten track to avoid at least some of the half term queues. We arrived into Geneva nice and early at about 10.30am, and was worried that we were going to get caught in a slow crawling snake of traffic for hours all the the way to resort. As it turned out, the 2.5hr trip took exactly that, and in fact we arrived too early to pick up our keys!
Valloire is a beautiful little town, but I have to admit it did feel like a bit of a soggy mess when we arrived. It was raining when we arrived with big puddles everywhere, the surrounding hills green with the odd patch of snow, and it just felt a bit damp and gloomy.
Day 1: thankfully that rain turned to snow overnight and the whole town was transformed into a little winter wonderland! It's a beautiful town with a layering of snow. Also all the lower slopes where nicely refreshed. We spent the morning firstly exploring the nearby slopes all around Setaz (so the kids are familiar with their route home) - we then discovered that we needed to avoid the green runs as they were narrow and chokka block with seemingly never ending ski school snakes. Spent the afternoon up on the Le Crey du Quart area in zero visibility, but the snow was great even if we had no idea where we were going! Thoroughly enjoyed the long blue Selles run home, which was deserted!
Day 2: another day exploring Le Crey du Quart mostly - we did attempt to head towards Valmeinier but we had a few false starts (armera had a warning of thin ice), then the detour on goulet led to a blue which was closed. So we had to head back to Valloire, and then the kids discovered the snow park/snow rocket etc and that was the rest of the day sorted!! We were also started to realise that all of the red runs were deserted - unbelievably quiet bearing in mind it was half term.
Day 3: finally made it to Valmeinier and had a great day there, including a lovely lunch at La Cabane d'en Haut - stunning views and fantastic food, although not particularly cheap. Beautifully hot day, which was great up high but the lower slopes were starting to get slushy from after lunch.
Day 4: thought we do something a little different, so we all did La Catelle zipwire, which runs from the top of the Brive2 chair. It apparently goes 100kph, but it really can't believe that's true. It's quite slow turn around, so with 4 people in front of us, it took about 40mins to get on it (maybe longer). Great fun, and the kids loved it but not sure if I'd do it again (or even recommend it). We had a lovely lunch at Edelweiss, again stunning views in the sun.
Day 5: things were really starting to warm up, and the slopes even above 2000m were struggling. On the route home, we went to the top of the Thimel area (which is above 2500m) and the reds were a slushly, sticky, mogully mess. Which led to a few comedy falls but hopefully demonstrated to the kids to stop focusing on the colour of the run and more on the condition of it (we breezed down a black the day before, because the conditions were perfect). By the time we got to the bottom it was almost like water skiing and even the greens were actually quite dangerous.
Day 6: a little cooler thankfully, and some great skiing in the morning but we had to cut short our day after lunch after a fall for Mrs HT, and a swollen knee. No real harm done, but I'm always conscious that getting everyone home in one piece is a key priority! And it had been such a great week!
All in all, it's a fantastic place - a big enough area to keep a family busy for a week. Lots of quiet runs (especially the red runs off the beaten track), no real lift queues. And we didn't hear an English voice all week - and not huge amounts of english spoken by the french, which was actually really refreshing.
Definitely on our list to go back.
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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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Is anyone is resort currently to comment on conditions? Thinking of booking somewhere in the next few days to come out at Easter.
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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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| Boarderfarce wrote: |
| Is anyone is resort currently to comment on conditions? Thinking of booking somewhere in the next few days to come out at Easter. |
Not there at present but we have guests staying in our apt and they are enjoying the fresh snow. Friends arrive on Sunday so can give you a more specific update from Monday onwards if you would like.
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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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@andmelffion, great thanks for the update.
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Big dump this week in Val Cenis, looks good.
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[quote="SHAP"]Big dump this week in Val Cenis, looks good.
120cms fell at the top of Val Cenis Sunday evening and 70 cms in the village, most lifts closed all day Monday but have reopened today so should be cracking on piste conditions though a high avalanche risk
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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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| archors wrote: |
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4H9C20rTld/?igsh=aG9jOXV1Y2pzNXZq
Avalanche yesterday on the Punta Bagna at Valfrejus. |
80cms fell up there on Sunday and it was closed yesterday….when we were there a couple of weeks ago loads of parapenters we’re launching themselves that very same spot.
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If your looking for lots of snow just the 180cms of fresh powder fell at the top of Bonneval sur Arc on Sunday, should be good once the avalanche risk drops a bit
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