 Poster: A snowHead
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Yesterday morning it was -12 and glorious, this morning it was +4 and raining. Bonkers!
So, I went to Bourg for the last shop of the season, a few things and some heavy non perishable stuff for next season so I don't have to lug it through a snow drift. Quite what the bloke at Lidl though when I had a trolley full of wine, loo cleaner, tinned toms and loo roll is open to interpretation!
We had some snow this afternoon and more rain - its generally not pleasant. The local Firefighters had a demo of their boys (and girls) toys today on the Rosset Front. I had seen the relatively new turntable ladder appliance drive past but never seen it in action, but extended its an impressive 32m high. Which is more than enough to reach my balcony which is good to know!
It will stop raining later but start again sometime in the morning, not quite sure really its a LOOTFW morning. The snowline will be like today so soggy in the villages most of the day, till it clears up just after the lifts shut. Friday will be windy with precipitation most of the day and a lot of wind - so watch out for lift and link closures. As to the snowline it will definitely fall during the evening down towards Ste Foy, but during the day - place your bets. MF has it raining in Val at 1850m and snowing in Brev at 1550 in the afternoon - discuss! Saturday will be colder, windier with heavy snow showers and sunny spells, the snowline will be most of the way down the Hill, so get out Friday night or early doors before all the Clowns try to get out with no chains. I suspect the first and last few miles will be trying with the 'the roads are always clear at Easter" gang arrive. Sunday - who knows?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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And yet, despite the strange weather, (as one Yorkshire farmer once described as "a bit of a plain day" (Heriott strikes again!)) I would still rather be there than here. Yes its raining here too 
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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, You picked the right day to go down the valley. I thought filling a trolly with toilet rolls and cleaning products was normal down in Bourg. 40 chicken fillets did raise an eyebrow though the other week.
Initially it looked promising with about 5cm of fresh snow on the terrace, but we encountered snow, rain, hail, sleet, wind and sand. A layer of Sahara dust had fallen overnight and the pistes were heavy best run of the day was surprisingly Germain Mattis.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
How long is your car?
I do have an extra set of hands to help. But the car only just fits in most spaces E class estate. Unless the spaces are nice and long?
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It's a long Hyundai i800 but the roofbox is a thin/long one. We don't mind if we stick out a bit, traffic isn't fast around the inside!
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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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| muppet wrote: |
@chocksaway, You picked the right day to go down the valley. I thought filling a trolly with toilet rolls and cleaning products was normal down in Bourg. 40 chicken fillets did raise an eyebrow though the other week.
Initially it looked promising with about 5cm of fresh snow on the terrace, but we encountered snow, rain, hail, sleet, wind and sand. A layer of Sahara dust had fallen overnight and the pistes were heavy best run of the day was surprisingly Germain Mattis. |
Yes it was a very strange day weather wise wasnt it - a bit of everything!
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@muppet,
The Saharan sand fell earlier in the season and had simply been "washed up" to the surface again.
With the sand on the pistes it reminded me of the Hotel Moris end of season Beach Party! 
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| Extremophile wrote: |
| itsbeenawhile wrote: |
Please could I ask for advice on lift passes for Tignes Val d'Isère. I created a separate topic for this, but it was advised that I post on here.
I am trying to work out how easy it would be to buy our lift passes daily. We've always bought a full week pass before, but the price has gone up so much I am trying to save a few £ if possible (family of 4, so £1200+). Also, there is no discount for buying multiple days this year.
So say we bought a Tignes only pass for the first couple of days, could we extend this online to a Tignes Val d'Isère pass without going to the office? If it is easy to do this we'd probably buy our passes online each the morning as insurance against injury/tiredness/weather issues etc. If this is possible, do you know if there are any restrictions/hidden charges?
We are close to Grande Motte which I think is a click and collect point, so buying daily and collecting could be another option?
I obviously don't want to add too much hassle to our holiday, but interested to know your thoughts and if anyone else has done this before? |
There are pass machines at the grande motte pass office so you don’t have to queue up to get your passes. Not used them myself but when we went to pick up our season passes I waited outside while Mr E went in to the office, people seemed to be in and out the machine section within a couple of mins.
Might be easier, but as others have said it depends on whether your kids have ski school in the morning. |
Thanks for replying on this. I've been trying to get the Tignes app on my phone to check out recharging online options, but unfortunately it's not working. Very frustrating.
I'm still a bit confused about pass machines and click and collect. It says here that Grande Motte is not a pick up area? https://www.skipass-tignes.com/en/livraison-hiver
So my current thinking is we collect our initial passes from the Val Claret office and then hopefully recharge online daily (if I can get the app to download!) We don't have ski school so plenty of time to faff over breakfast.
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| chocksaway wrote: |
@itsbeenawhile, The skipass thing is all new this year, it gave with one hand (up tp 18's get a discount and up to 8's free) but took with the other - no discount on a 6 day pass. But the 7th day is free ona 6 day pass. There is no difference between 1x6 or 6x1. Except you don't get free Lagon entrance on a 1 day pass (but its buttons to get in there and if the weather is poor you'd save cos you haven't paid for a lift pass. There is an off er if you buy 2 adult and 2 kids, but only to age 13.
So, how much faff are you prepared to endure? Buying on line means you have to go to the ATM style thing as far as I can work out, there is sometimes a short queue, or you can go to the Sales Offices where you will be welcomed, indeed they often recommend buying passes day by day as it keeps them in a job!
Tignes only passes are daily only and save you €5, by skiing after 12.45 (IIRC) you can save another €10 on a half day Tignes only pass. |
Thank you. This confirms what I thought so I definitely think this is worth pursuing for our trip and could be worth the faff. We want to get the most out of the holiday, but not waste money if we can't get full use out of our passes.
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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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A bit late in the day, but we're coming up on 8th April and one of our party is arriving into Chambery by air at 3pm (the rest of us are in cars). I'm getting nervous that waiting on her plane will mean we're all pretty late into resort and then we'll be rushed late that evening or in the morning sorting out skis / passes etc.
Anyone know of any shuttles or transfers that might have space for a talkative lady from Yorkshire who can pay her way?
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| Kenzie wrote: |
| Reports of a fire at Le Ski d'Or in Val Claret. 54 guests & staff looking for emergency accommodation according to one post. |
I've just heard about this from one of my colleagues. They got moved down to the Village Montana.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Another roller coaster day! It was dry this morning so a couple of us went out (via the shops for a new pair of goggles - somehow I had managed a big scuff mark right across the left eye  ). It was a bit gloomy with some sunny patches but it was warm and the snow was heavy right up to the top of the Bellvarde, so a bit more tiring on the legs. As the light was coming and going we stuck with La Daille, a coffee in the half sun was fine. Coming back up Tommeuses I had a look over to Ste Foy which prompted thoughts of Blake's dark satanic mills (well the Lancashire ones  ). So we decided to call it a day, we went up Palafour as as we dismounted the hail was rattling off my helmet and there was a huge clap of thunder. Retreat! So it was an early lunch and DIY. The vista wasn't made any more pretty by the new layer of sand which has blown in - kind of an ethereal gloom. I think that's enough poetic nonsense. It then rained, sleeted and snowed for 2 minutes this afternoon and cleared up just before the lifts shut. Oh and next door have started prep for La Scara - the international 14-16 year olds competition which starts on Monday. So expect runs like OK/Orange to be shut, intermittent stoppages of Marmottes lift perhaps and idiot teenage racers ignoring all the rules of the piste on the way to the start hut.
We may see a few sunny spells this evening, but the cloud will thicken and it will start precipitating until Sunday afternoon, it may stop occasionally and it will be light or moderate at times. Tomorrow will be windy and the snowline will start at 2300m or so descending to La Daille by lunchtime and Brev by the time tiffin is served. Expect the high lifts (and maybe the links) to be shut tomorrow and as the temperature is going to drop quickly after dark then chains will be required (or 4 x snow tyres) probably from early evening. On Saturday it will be snowy most of the way to Bourg, hopefully Les Flics will be out checking tyres. Saturday will be snowy all day and there will be a wind at altitude, there may be some sunny spells which might be OK to ski amongst. By the end of Sat we should have another 30-50cm of snow to top up what the rain has taken away. Sunday light snow showers and sunny spells all day, Monday looks like cloudy at first and sunny periods in the afternoon
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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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| larkim wrote: |
A bit late in the day, but we're coming up on 8th April and one of our party is arriving into Chambery by air at 3pm (the rest of us are in cars). I'm getting nervous that waiting on her plane will mean we're all pretty late into resort and then we'll be rushed late that evening or in the morning sorting out skis / passes etc.
Anyone know of any shuttles or transfers that might have space for a talkative lady from Yorkshire who can pay her way? |
Chambery is a really tricky airport at the best of times to get transfers from. Not a helpful reply sorry but if you leave her then she might be stuck there!
| chocksaway wrote: |
| ....La Scara - the international 14-16 year olds competition which starts on Monday. So expect runs like OK/Orange to be shut, intermittent stoppages of Marmottes lift perhaps and idiot teenage racers ignoring all the rules of the piste on the way to the start hut. |
DRIVES ME NUTTTTTTTTTTTTS!
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| chocksaway wrote: |
| idiot teenage racers ignoring all the rules of the piste on the way to the start hut. |
Had exactly that down Double M in VC with the freestyle kids from Launches to the big kicker. Buzzed by about 10 of them, utterly reckless. Only compensation was one v near wiping out another resulting in a v funny teenage hissy fit/argument between them. Unfortunately seems like a it will need a punter to be seriously inured for anyone in authority to take any notice.
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You know it makes sense.
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More entitled race brats in Tignes this morning than normal punters.
Elbows are sharpened and insults in many languages have been primed for next week.
It was raining in Lac as the thunder rolled in at midday so we quickly got back to our own valley but currently the skies are clear and minus temps in Val so the puddles in town have started to re-freeze 
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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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Its vile this morning! Its windy and sleety and the temps are rising. Currently thunder and lightning in Bourg. DIY or duvet day?
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
Chambery is a really tricky airport at the best of times to get transfers from. Not a helpful reply sorry but if you leave her then she might be stuck there!
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Lol at the thought of leaving here there!
Shame it is a hard / expensive one to transfer from, presume that's because it's mostly package tour flights into there.
Plan A is to pick her up anyway, was just thinking maybe we could get to resort a bit earlier if we could get a cheap alternative option. Fingers crossed the traffic is trouble free. Our route normally takes us right past the airport anyway so it's not a diversion anyway.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@larkim, taxi to Chambery train station, I paid 25 euros for that I think earlier this winter (not 100% sure) train to Bourg Saint Maurice, public coach to resort. You would have to check the various timetables that this works
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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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The Bellevarde sector in Val has been closed due to the lightning risk.
More coffee this morning then an afternoon of ski waxing I think.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Thanks for the suggestion rambotion, but knowing who is travelling the only viable option is get off plane, get into transfer service, arrive at door if resort 
In the past we've had a few hangers-on joining us by flying in so a transfer was the obvious option which we booked early on. Hadn't really considered her travelling alone up to resort until this week, but tbh even if I'd looked earlier I suspect we'd still have concluded that picking her up is the only practical and affordable option.
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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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| itsbeenawhile wrote: |
Please could I ask for advice on lift passes for Tignes Val d'Isère. I created a separate topic for this, but it was advised that I post on here.
I am trying to work out how easy it would be to buy our lift passes daily. We've always bought a full week pass before, but the price has gone up so much I am trying to save a few £ if possible (family of 4, so £1200+). Also, there is no discount for buying multiple days this year.
So say we bought a Tignes only pass for the first couple of days, could we extend this online to a Tignes Val d'Isère pass without going to the office? If it is easy to do this we'd probably buy our passes online each the morning as insurance against injury/tiredness/weather issues etc. If this is possible, do you know if there are any restrictions/hidden charges?
We are close to Grande Motte which I think is a click and collect point, so buying daily and collecting could be another option?
I obviously don't want to add too much hassle to our holiday, but interested to know your thoughts and if anyone else has done this before? |
It's really easy to top up online (once you have a pass). You don't use the app, use https://www.skipass-tignes.com/
You definitely don't need to collect new pass every day! Just get a pass the first day (if you don't already have an old one) and top it up via the website each morning when you've decided whether and where you are going to ski.
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Well it started bad and got worse. We have had strong winds from all points of the compass, rain, sleet, snow, hail, thunder (maybe lightning) and very few lifts open in both halves of the resort, not much more to say really. As I was fitting new door handles I did occasionally look outside and was really glad that I wasn't out there!
The roads are currently wet in Lac but it is going to cool down so by midnight I think we will be seeing snow on the roads down to the Dam and by morning down towards Ste Foy. It will still be windy in the morning and snowing down to below Brev, there may be the odd sunny spell. The thunderstorms will probably return in the afternoon, and it will turn sleety below the Dam, perhaps rain in the storms, all a bit tricky. It will cool down tomorrow evening when it will be snow all the way down again. Chains or snow tyres required! Sunday morning looks like being cloudy with light snow showers, these should stop and the cloud should break to give an afternoon of sunny periods. There may be some showers late afternoon and early evening. Monday looks benign, sunny spells and not that warm. As for Tuesday - its anybodies guess those large supercomputers are disagreeing as to whats going to happen. But I am keeping an eye on a low over Italy which may develop and give us a bit of a retour, or maybe not!
With only 21k cars coming up through the Tarentaise and 15k leaving there shouldn't be any volume created jams, but I suspect there will be issues in the final few miles with snow on the roads.
For flying, its going to be drizzly over most of the UK but shouldn't cause too many problems, but Bristol are forecasting a chance of hill fog which would slow things up. All 4 airports over here are forecasting showers in the morning but thunderstorms building from lunchtime. If they are as lively as today, Biggles may opt to do a few holds whilst they pass through, especially at Chambery with the swirling winds exacerbated by the mountains and a short runway in heavy rain is something to be avoided.
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@chocksaway, how low (i.e. close to BSM) would you usually be required to 'chain up'?
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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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@rainman, There's a few chaining areas where the Police can enforce chaining as you don't want them on for too long before hitting snow and that can change dramatically if a few minutes, tomorrow morning somewhere after Viclaire (maybe!)
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Snow now settling on the road down to Boisses, just hope we can get to Val Claret for dinner.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| muppet wrote: |
More entitled race brats in Tignes this morning than normal punters.
Elbows are sharpened and insults in many languages have been primed for next week. |
Having 'been there done that' a bit as a racer, then coach and now instructor I have always tried to remind those entitled ones of their responsibilities out there but it so often falls on deaf ears... as such I avoid the Marmottes area like the plague (next week) as I fear I might regret my actions... but its a plague it really is. To be honest I get similar internal rage when I have slowly, slowly beginners getting on a lift (for example) for the first time and members of the public see a gap and pounce in the millisecond it has taken my client to attempt to fill said space in the lift queue. Doh!
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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 wrote: |
| Well it started bad and got worse. We have had strong winds from all points of the compass, rain, sleet, snow, hail, thunder (maybe lightning) and very few lifts open in both halves of the resort, not much more to say really. |
There was definately lightning as I saw it - was skiing 3J on Bellevarde at the time
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| chocksaway wrote: |
| Snow now settling on the road down to Boisses, just hope we can get to Val Claret for dinner. |
There is a lot of snow building up on roads down here in La Daille already - lots of it and it keeps on coming!
rainman - with the freezing level dropping quickly this evening there is a chance that they could insist on chains almost from down in Bourg.
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You know it makes sense.
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In Val at 9.30pm we now have very strong swirling winds and very fine snow, the temps must have dropped a lot since 1700 when we had no wind and big wet snow flakes.
Absolutely bonkers. There will be absolute chaos tomorrow on the road down to BSM.
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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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@Steve Angus, thanks - could be an interesting last few miles!
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Poster: A snowHead
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The storm has finished.
Woke up to 30cm of fresh light snow and clear skies. Should be an epic day
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@stewart woodward,
The winds have dropped but still snowing hard.
Pisteurs are working hard up on the mountains trying to make them safe for us. Hearing lots of big explosions one after another. There must be a hell a lot of new snow up there. It will be epic tomorrow when I am leaving.
Lifties will have to dig out all of the chairs. I can't see the lifts opening on time or any time soon.
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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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@stewart woodward, @welshflyer,
First on the Tufs chair and breaking out into the glorious sunshine - must still look whiteout in resort but up here it’s banging sunshine and blanketed clean powder - not a soul about - they must all think it’s still storming…
Have a great day
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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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Just turned 9 and we have had our first accident on the road, a minibus is straddling one of those low concrete barriers, half way down the hill. Traffic is moving slowly down to Ste Foy. There are a couple of lifts open both here and next door, the wind is howling and its still snowing. There will be a few more lifts open as the pisteurs do their stuff. Not sure how may though because of the winds. The airports are reporting Towering Cumulus which can give lively showers on their own, but they are forecasting that they will develop into thunderstorms by lunchtime.
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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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@Grinning,
Always better on the upper slopes 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Grinning, @stewart woodward,
There was clearly something in the absinthe last night or I have woken up into a parallel universe
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Roads are a bit tricky in the village. Bit of a hullabaloo outside my apt, which is on a slope. Got up to see a Brit Car sliding down the hill, 30 degrees off the correct heading, side swiping parked cars. He was being pursued by camera phone wielding locals. He finally cam e to a halt by the snow front 
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| chocksaway wrote: |
| Roads are a bit tricky in the village. Bit of a hullabaloo outside my apt, which is on a slope. Got up to see a Brit Car sliding down the hill, 30 degrees off the correct heading, side swiping parked cars. He was being pursued by camera phone wielding locals. He finally cam e to a halt by the snow front |
How not to start a family holiday …
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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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Tomorrow is the 2nd of April
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| franga wrote: |
| chocksaway wrote: |
| Roads are a bit tricky in the village. Bit of a hullabaloo outside my apt, which is on a slope. Got up to see a Brit Car sliding down the hill, 30 degrees off the correct heading, side swiping parked cars. He was being pursued by camera phone wielding locals. He finally cam e to a halt by the snow front |
How not to start a family holiday … |
Was gonna say that. If it were me I might just turn around and head straight home and cry for a week!
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FAQ
