 Poster: A snowHead
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@GeorgeVII, So pleasant it was time for the last shop in Bourg. Windy and miserable now, raining to the Dam.
The Lavachet thing has been in the melting pot for the last 2 years. It is a complete reorg of Lavachet and requires changes to the local plan, which should be completed this year after a final round of consultation. In a nutshell we get a new Hauts de Tov Hotel, a new restaurant behind the bus stop and 3 new chalet hotels on the road that loops behind the carpark. In addition the tunnel will be extended to the Roche Rouges exit to allow the construction of a whole new dedicated beginners area with a couple of magic carpets and a proper snow front for Lavachet. As ever there are people crying foul over land deals and more traffic but virtually every developer and landowner is behind it as far as I can gather 
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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, up high on Aiguille Percee there is about 8cm of fresh snow over the hard frozen base. Happily, the weather is keeping the piste quiet so it's not all been ploughed into bumps yet. So I was mostly able to pick my way down by feel without my board skidding away too much.
Down at 1550 it was sleeting, but better early on than the ice high up.
Thanks to whoever recommended the Oakley Prizm goggles on the Val thread, I was better able to see than any other snowy day I've known before. Judging by the radar, it might stop soon, so back out this afternoon to find some more powder high up.
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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, Thanks for that. It looks quite an undertaking.
@alr1970, It may have been me who mentioned the pink prizm lenses on this thread. They're the best thing that I've tried to date.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@alr1970, It may have been me who mentioned the pink prizm lenses on this thread. They're the best thing that I've tried to date.[/quote]
Thanks for that, they're much better than my old pair. I used to moan like mad on bad light days.
But the sun's out now, so back to sunnies.
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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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Well there is no better track than Disposition by Tool to describe the weather today:
Mention this to me
Mention this to me
And watch the weather change
The day started cloudy windy and snowy so I hopped down the hill to stock up. As I came back it was raining to Brevieres and the wind was blowing. So I opted for the gym, as I walked across we had a full-on giboulée - the term for a heavy spring time shower. About 8cm fell in an hour up at Le Fornet. After an hour the sun came out and it is now a beautiful but windy afternoon. As this snow did fall on a refrozen surface I did see a number of folks triggering small slips and we have had one come down onto the road between Le Lac and Tignes 1800 (just to the left of the Alpaka's chimney!):
I think you would have to go very high to find anything but heavy snow off piste - I suspect that most of it will be heavily windblown but maybe, just maybe in the gullies it might be nice.
There will be a lot of showers over the next few days. the atmosphere is in a stroppy mood though so timings may be a bit off! Tomorrow will be overcast but the wind will have been gusty overnight and this is likely to increase through the day. So the pisteurs will be facing a toxic mix of wind, fresh snow, temperature swings and poor light. So give them a chance to sort things out, if the wind speed reaches the forecast then a lot of lifts will be closed. You can expect some snow showers moving quickly from around Happy Hour. Thursday will still be windy but there is likely to be sunny periods in the morning, some showers will kick off in the afternoon. The wind should abate a bit of Friday when there will be an eclectic mix of sunshine and showers (snow down to 1600m or so). Saturday looks similar, but the showers look light. As the next few days will see the wind from the east there is likely to be more snow towards the Le Fornet ends of the resorts.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Another bigger slip onto the road near the Glattier Tunnel. Nobody underneath! So we are still cut off from the outside world.
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The road was already closed due to an avalanche.
This was set off by the pisteurs. Just shows how powerful avalanches can be.
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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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@chocksaway, Just seen the video filmed from the other side of the tunnel. It looks like they were lucky not to lose some kit in the lake!!
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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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Those are massive slides.
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You know it makes sense.
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It was mostly cloudy today with a few patches of blue this morning. However, the cloud was not that thick so until mid afternoon there was enough light; intermittent light snow showers hardly bothered us. The wind was an issie though closing quite a few of the high lifts. To describe the piste conditions there is no better album than Kate Bush's:
50 Words for Snow!!!!
We had everything from the odd turn in light fluffy snow (near Vanoise) to ice (half way down Sache) with everything else in between! I hardly saw a soul off piste - not surprising given the light the conditions and the avalanche risk - which rises to 4 tomorrow, in a highly complex picture that varies with altitude.
Tomorrow will start windy again (some more early morning blasting) but that should abate. There will be a few more sunny patches I think but don't rule out the odd shower coming in from the east. Friday will again see sunny periods and less cloud, it will feel quite a bit warmer. The same on Saturday morning, but there is more of a chance of a light shower on Saturday afternoon. Sunday looks a bit warmer again, with light showers (of rain to 2300m) but mostly sunny.
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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 sky was mostly blue this morning before the lifts opened and it was windy. As we ventured out the clouds started to roll in and out from the east, this gradually got worse through the afternoon, it is now snowing lightly. To describe the snow conditions I defer to Emma Thompson:
Just a little change
Small to say the least
Both a little scared
Neither one prepared
Beauty and the Beast
A quick run into Val Claret showed the steeper slopes had been scoured back to the hard layer that formed before last nights 15-20cm of snow, the higher you were the more scoured that layer was. So we opted for Familial where the snow was soft, not powdery, and we had 2 very good runs before the low cloud forced us into Rosée Blanche for coffee. After that another gap appeared and we opted for the Grand Motte. The wind was strong and Leisse was virtually unskiable - boiler plate with a dusting on top, the wind on the ridge in was brutal. Trying to cross off piste to Genepy was awful so it was back to the piste and home. The pic shows typical conditions from this morning:
The wind will drop tomorrow thankfully, and the morning should be sunny periods, the cloud will thicken as the day progresses but it wont be that warm in the shade. there will probably be some work to do for the pisteurs before the top lifts can open. Saturday will be warmer, there will be a thin layer of cloud in the morning, this should break into bubbly cloud for the afternoon. Sunday, as befits, should be warm and sunny, perhaps a few clouds in the morning. Then its back to sunny periods and showers for Monday. During the day it will be warm so any showers will be drizzle to around 23 -2500m.
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Poster: A snowHead
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We found some amazing powder for the time of year this morning on the Dahu piste under the Vanoise chair. Even this afternoon there were pockets of powder all over Tignes but especially on the runs under the Toviere bubble and the Merles chair. More snow forecast tonight and it's snowing lightly in resort now.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The weather threw a bit of a surprise last night. There was heavy snow for about 90 minutes which left us with another 10-20cm of snow. So we when we woke up to blue skies and light winds this morning.......
It was Kodak that coined the phrase the gift that keeps on giving; this is the season that keeps on giving.
We piled out for the first lifts and the snow was fantastic above 2300m, boot deep and relatively light for April. We did a couple of laps of Creux (even the piste had fresh on it) off the sides was great:
We then went and did the same around Grand Pre and Jardins du Borsat, nothing too steep as the Avi Risk is still 4, but lots of great lines. The sky started to cloud over at lunchtime which made the terrace a bit chilly during lunch, by which time the new snow had consolidated and became much heavier.
After a warm and overcast night the clouds should break up tomorrow to leave sunny periods and a warm day. Sunday will be mostly sunny with the odd cloud on the peaks later on, the temperature will rise again. Monday looks like being mainly overcast with the odd sunny break before spring really arrives on Tuesday with warm temperatures, mainly sunny skies and the odd light shower, which will be drizzle to about 25500m if you catch one.
With only 19000 cars going down the hill and 20000 coming up the traffic in the Tarentaise should not present many problems; maybe the odd light queue at the lights at peak times. For those coming out by air the UK will be a bit dank early on, there is a reasonable chance of fog at any of the London airports, Birmingham, Bristol and Edinburgh. Not sure where it will form but where it does the odd delay will ensue. Over he it will be a lovely spring day, Geneva is forecasting 19 degs tomorrow afternoon, but don't despair there is enough good snow to last a good while yet!
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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, very jealous of that!!
I've just booked to come back out for the (Val) closing weekend. Last weekend was superb but if I get one day half as good as your photo looks, I will be happy.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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A brilliant day, I'm knackered! Lots of lovely lines to be had without venturing any distance from the pistes this morning. Even at half three there were still untouched patches on Genepi piste. For quite slushy low down, but that's to be expected. Quite busy in places too, but no real queues. And we finally made it up onto Grand Motte in the afternoon.
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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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Well folks its time for Roger Whittaker:
There's a ship lies rigged and ready in the harbor
Tomorrow for old England she sails
Yip, its my last full day today, it has been a warm and overcast day, the cloud was thicker this afternoon. Chatting to mates the snow has transformed and was quite sticky in places. Spring looks like it is here to stay. Tomorrow will be warm and sunny with a few clouds building in the afternoon. Monday looks like a day of April showers, with sunny periods in between, if you catch one it could well be drizzling to 2700m. Tuesday and Wednesday look better, sunny periods and fluffy clouds and beers on the terrace.
If you are flying tomorrow there is a chance of early fog around London, Leeds and Bristol. Likewise you could catch a shower any where just about. Over high might be a bit misty but in general a good day for flying.
So, that's it for another season. SO what will it be remembered for:
Snow: Just never ending record breaking amounts!
Epic Travel Odysseys: From 13 hour bus trips to nights in the gym - we've had it all.
Locked in: The first time I have been confined to the building!
Sun: Not very much of it unfortunately, so not much touring
But on the whole it has been great making new friends and meeting old ones and some fantastic skiing.
I'll still pop onto the site if anyone has any questions
Toodlepip!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@chocksaway, thanks for all the udpates and forecasts through the season. Looking forward to finding out what next years theme is!
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@chocksaway, safe trip home and many thanks for the forecasts- it was great catching up this year. We’re off to Canada tomorrow for a late season blast ..... and maybe some sun! Have a great summer.
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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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@chocksaway, Thanks for all your interesting reports and helpful flying forecasts. Have a safe trip home and a fine summer.
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@chocksaway, thanks for all the updates - always informative and a very enjoyable read. Glad you've had such a great season, here's to 2018/19!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@chocksaway, It's always good reading your updates. The sun might have been missing but you've posted up some amazing first tracks. I think we've all had a pretty good one, when we look back on it.
À la prochaine.
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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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@chocksaway, Thanks for all the updates throughout the season. Here's to 18/19, may we have just as much snow... but a bit more sunshine!
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Calling any  in Tignes!
We're there from 24 April after a couple of days in Val Thorens, so the question is how's the low-level snow?
We're looking to use a freebie car park at Les Brev or Les Boisses - so is there still skiable snow down to both?
And are runs to La Daille and Val D still complete?
Cheers.
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You know it makes sense.
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@mountainaddict, skied down to Brev late morning today. A bit mushy and the remains of some avalanche rubble on skier’s left right at the bottom, but perfectly skiable. I noticed they closed the blue run down at some point this afternoon due to avalanche risk. Also skied down to La Daille about 13:00, cover is great again getting mushy, but a lot better than I have seen it in previous years.
Car parks in Brev looked quiet those in Les Boisses a little busier.
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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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Cheers Ski lots - much obliged.
Sounds better than when we've skied strips down to La Daille etc in previous years. 
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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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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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@mountainaddict, into the lake below the dam at Les Brevieres
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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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| alr1970 wrote: |
| @mountainaddict, into the lake below the dam at Les Brevieres |
Yep.
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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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Surfs up!
Who needs the new surfing facility in Val Claret!!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Chocks thanks a million for your updates during the season, I'm never headed tignes way unfortunately but often check in to see some honest and detailed reports of snow conditions, safe home and looking forward to next season already
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| mountainaddict wrote: |
Cheers Ski lots - much obliged.
Sounds better than when we've skied strips down to La Daille etc in previous years. |
We are out this weekend, for the final trip of the season. Mates in Val say that the mornings are really good and they have true spring snow off piste.
We'll be cruising the empty pistes for this one and hopefully I'll get around to servicing all of our kit, on the balcony one afternoon.
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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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@GeorgeVII, got my two weeks but they took €40 admin fee 🤬
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@vipul, Ditto.... but between the two of us we got nearly 400 euros back. Not to be sniffed at
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FAQ
