 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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I haven't been to Serre Chevalier for a few seasons since the first time I went, always meant to go back as I got there late that week, so I think I may have to visit again quite 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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Weathercam, hi. Was interested in the image you posted from altus magazine. Is that airfield real or planned?
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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: |
I'm just thinking that many of these people now here own the residences
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People who "own the residence" will often be renting it out in peak price weeks and enjoying the skiing during the vast bulk of the season when the slopes aren't rammed. My experience of peak weeks here is that lift queues are very busy, especially at "ski school starting" times and especially if (as now) there are some pistes closed because of lack of snow, the crowds on piste are just not worth bothering with.
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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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Following yesterday's snow we woke to a beautiful sunny day, and the lift queues weren't too bad considering. Headed up to Cibouit, did a few circuits in fresh pow before heading down to Peyra Juana for an early lunch. Over to Cucumelle, but it was very busy, although there was no queue for the chair back up, Snow on the blue Eychauda was lovely, and the snow conditions are now pretty good, although avalanche risk remains 4/5 for the off-piste. Started to get a bit chilly around 3 so opted for an early finish and a couple of vin chauds with [b[MarjMJ[/b] and hubby who arrived on Saturday, Heading back home tomorrow.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hells Bells, glad you had such nice snow for your last day; hope the journey home goes smoothly.
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embers merino, that was in the 1960's !!!
All gone now, all that remains is the Sporting Hotel and swimming pool !
Th evening traffic jams are bonkers as everyone is on the move, basically all traffic at a crawl along the length of the valley!
Been told it's like that every night this week till they all go back.
Going with Mathieu the guide today with 5 others, so whole group including my Mrs - will not be so manic as last Friday - be interesting to see what we'll do - Mrs is mildly apprehensive 
Hells Bells, was chatting to someone yesterday who I think was the person you saw going off near Cibuit from what he was saying, he is actually a rep and has done quite a few seasons, but has no clue when it comes to off piste - he described to me what was an obvious "whooompf" and had no idea what that was - frighteningly naive
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Weathercam, Thanks that's fascinating. I'm glad it's a relic of the past rather than something planned for future! Was it just for recreational flying or used for anything commercial?
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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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The father and son who were avalanched were skiing on an open piste, a bit of a cock-up by the resort given the poor weather. Could have been very serious.
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Probably one of my best days ever in Serre yesterday, will post a more detailed blog/report laters, but last run of the day was a variation of Tête du Grand Pré which took a much higher route into the sector involving a fair amount of traversing, scrambing and then a long climb up, again to avoid being too exposed to the more usual route, though as Mathieu explained hardly anyone knows the route in, and don't think I could remember it 
Mathieu (guide) was explaining that everyone*, in his words "is very stressed" at the moment with what has happened.
As a result no groups such as UCIPA, ESF other instructors were skiing off piste because no one wanted to take the risk for fear of ending up being done for manslaughter, he was concerned and other guides that if this situation continued then laws could well end up being drawn up to forbid off piste.
I couldn't quite get my head around the logic of this, and was worried that something was lost in translation**, by the end of the day as we climbed Cucumelle for the second time another group ESF followed us up to descend down to Monetier.
*piste authorities
** maybe legal action / resort piste closure etc
davidof, think I mentioned that I couldn't get my head around why they had opened the Vallons lift up on that Thursday, viz was so bad along with 70km winds at the top and holiday families and the like were going up - which might all equate to the "stress" that is going on currently with questions being asked.
We went past the site of where the fatality occurred on Friday and the guide pointed out the hole where he was dug out from, and a hell of a lot of snow. The gulley is one that you regularly see ski schools taking clients down for a little bit of a follow the leader through the trees etc though it did look like from tracks that he descended down into the gulley from the top of one side of it rather than just board through the bottom of it hence the slide.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
were skiing on an open piste
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I thought the accident took place on the off-piste area adjoining the Cucumelle but not on the piste itself.
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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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The father and son accident was somewhere else, wasn't it?
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There was a father and son accident near the Cucumelle the day before the fatal slide. The fatality was reported as being near where the father and son were injured.
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You know it makes sense.
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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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as I learnt after the above, best to get out of the tracks before it starts to get steeper
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 I was XC skiing today too, but with an instructor, so he told us went we needed to get out of the tracks. He had us doing "petits pas tournant" whenever a suitable moment arose. I was pretty useless at them, but as the snow is so perfect at the moment still managed to slow down without falling over. Tomorrow we are going to the top of the Nordic domaine, at 1750 metres - thankfully by using a tire-fesses rather than our own puff.
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Poster: A snowHead
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pam w, "petits pas tournant" - very impressive - had to google that
Might have to look to YouTube for some instruction at some point !
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Weathercam, we also did several different ways of combining gliding and poleing, and covered breathing, and how to go uphill with "pas toniques" (I don't know the vocab in English) rather than trudging. Also climbing "en canard" (herringbone) on steep bits and "en escalier" (side-stepping) on the most steep bits. And some powder skiing which was fun. Lots of "demi chasse-neige" on moderate descents in the traces. On steeper descents the traces disappear altogether, but as relative beginners we can't be trusted on some of the tighter downhill bends and were advised to get out and do snowplough turns down the skating section.
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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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As a result no groups such as UCIPA, ESF other instructors were skiing off piste
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Not sure that is correct, we saw ESF instructors off-piste with groups on Sunday. There was a group with an instructpr in Chalet Peyra Juana with avvy packs at lunchtime, and their conversations certainly suggested off-piste was being done. We saw them heading off to the right of Cibouit towards (eventually) Tabuc.
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Weathercam, it wasn't on teh Cucumelle, sorry I possibly misunderstood you, but there were certainly stil lmany skiing down there on Sunday in the area where the avalanche occurred. Yret was closed entirely until Monday I believe so most of the off=piste had been inaccessible.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Just dropping in to say hello for now. I'm in Serre Chevalier (Club Med) for the last week Jan. Nearer the time I'll be interested in weather/conditions etc but for now I'll just read and pick up any tips about good places to ski etc.
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Woke up to snow this morning down in Chante Merle. A welcome top up. We have had a great week so far. 3 great days of weather and some good piste skiing admittedly best between 10am and 1pm with a bit of sun on the snow, yes the queues have been there but no worse than I have experienced in Feb half term, and yesterday everyone was too hungover so all was quiet until about 3pm! Sadly the green track to the village has become icy on the corners but today's snow will help that temporarily. Very cold at night so huge piles of man made everywhere but they have performed what can only be described as a miracle given that 14 days ago the lower pistes were green. We'll done Serre Che pisties!!
Ps if I could work out how to attach photos I would. Maybe when I get home!!
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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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9:30am heavy snow now just heading out. Prob 10 cm already down here. Tree ski today I think as via poor. But who cares?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Weathercam wrote: |
Higs, we have a weather cam from our apartment (if you don't already know) and it looks across to Le Bez and Club Med, though you can't really see it this morning
Also we do a daily resport/blog and a link to local seven day forecast
Link to Serre WeatherCam Page |
Super - I'll start looking in more detail nearer the time.
I reckon it's 15 years since I was last in Serre Chevalier but liked it a lot then. I'm planning to take advantage of the Club Med tuition for at least the first four days - I have any plenty of bad habits for them to go at.
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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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OMG fan-tas-tic! Skies cleared and it was a powder rest over and over and over again. +3 in village on return and I'm bushed. Ski-ing Montgenevre tomorrow with TO, not sure why now! But hey sure it will be fab.
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You know it makes sense.
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Weathercam, what does your mate in Monty say about the amount of snowfall they've had today?
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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RetroBod, would be interested in how your day goes in Monty, will be there next week.
Dan
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I'm out on the 18th for a week with UCPA. Doing the 'grand traces' course same as last year where you do 3 days in SC and 3 days in La Grave, Monty or other near and suitable area so fingers massivley crosed for some snowfall and then a settling of conditions so w can actually get off piste! Last year (in Jan, a week later than this year) the conditions were super amazing and I had such a good week!
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Rain overnight now turning to sleety snow must be snowing higher up. Just summoning up the motivation to get up. Last day today. 
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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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Does look pretty grim out there, might well pass on today, or grab and hour or two of white out powder this afternoon, but does looks like some form of precipitation all day.
rain radar
Think either way will be mayhem on the roads with the hordes going home over the course of the weekend.
And more of the same Sunday maybe?
Next week I'm commuting back and forth to La Grave and forecast is not too bad for driving that is 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Temps gone up to +1.5 and raining now
Think the snow level is circa 1850 when we're able to see up that far, though will probably rise, this is more like weather we see in Spring!
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*** Game Over ***
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No...just paused until Sun 12th....
Dan
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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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| Weathercam wrote: |
Wind quite strong and we were stuck Oree du Bois chair 50m from the top for about 12mins or more.
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We spoke to someone who had timed the lift stopped for 1/2 hour with skiers on!!
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FAQ
