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?
Great snow in Les Angles yesterday and even some sun, almost all runs open. off to Espace c'Ambe d'Aze today with 100% open ski area advertised, should be fun! Anyone thinking of heading to Pyrenean resorts with loads of fresh snow but not too much to close the resorts, do come along to the Neiges Catalanes- even more sun forecast for later on in the week!
Significant dump yesterday and overnight resulting in a metre of fresh by 9am this morning here at Luchon-Superbagneres. Heavy snow continued all day and will continue through tonight and into tomorrow and probably until early Monday.
Still snowing and a lot colder today. The storm has passed that left us with 2 metres of fresh and since then a little more (20cm) has fallen. Teams are trying hard to secure and open high areas at Luchon-Superbagneres as with many other resorts however the risk of avalanche is now 4/5 making their jobs a little easier.
Yesterday there was a brief opening in the sky - and all is looking very good for the rest of the season.
I have to spend a couple of days in Barcelona in a couple of weeks... could anyone recommend somewhere I can reasonably get to with a hire care from there as a first time visit the Pyrenees? It'll just be a couple of days, so I'm looking for somewhere I can drive up to early morning mid-week, stay one night and ride a couple of days. I can see the names of the places from here, but I've no idea where to start really. I've no interest in parks, just piste or powder depending.. as it's just me, off piste isn't relevant. A suggestion or two of reasonable resorts with hotels in them would be great...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Alternatively you could goto Grandvalira or Valnord in Andorra, it's a 3 hour drive, there is good hotel/ski pass deals here http://www.esquiades.com/
After all it is free
After all it is free
I'm off to Baqueira fairly soon, it will be good to get back to the Val d'aran.
@philwig, That could be an option from Barcalona ? Plenty of accommodation down the valley.
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.
In Madrid now, El Tarter tonight
Due a dump of sorts on Tuesday I believe
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Thanks - I'll try some of those. Masella may be too close but it's easy to get to and this is a couple of days mid week, so maybe that'll work.
Baqueira looks great but at 4 hours drive may be a bit too far. At 3h Andorra may be a good compromise. I will see how I go and report back..
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
philwig wrote:
Thanks - I'll try some of those. Masella may be too close but it's easy to get to and this is a couple of days mid week, so maybe that'll work.
Baqueira looks great but at 4 hours drive may be a bit too far. At 3h Andorra may be a good compromise. I will see how I go and report back..
Given that you're going alone, I'd second Grandvalira in Andorra since, although it's certainly not the most challenging resort, it's large with plenty of mellow off-piste which you have the knowledge to judge the risk of. On piste, make sure you ski the whole resort from end to end, and don't miss out the blacks down to Soldeu village, El Tarter village, and Canillo base-station.
Masella - La Molina is worth considering too.
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.
2-3 in of snow during the day at El Tarter today. Temp around 0, sometimes it was landing on the decking and just melting.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
10cm of fresh today with the snow level varying between 1400 and 1600m. The slopes were amazingly quiet for the first day of the biggest holiday (Bordeaux - Toulouse) though zero visibility was probably the cause.
Clear skies tomorrow, followed by more snow on Tuesday with snow down to 1000 - 1100 metres.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Snow forecast for the weekend in Cerler looks a bit heavy...http://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts/Cerler/6day/mid
We are staying near Benasque and driving from Barcelona on Friday evening, does anyone know if that road would need snow chains?
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Lovely conditions in Baqueira today. A stunning cloud inversion this morning and empty slopes for my pre work warm up run. Heavy snow forecast for Saturday so next week is looking good for pow pow
Have you seen what Snow-forecast has on offer for Baqueira over the next few days?!?!
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@wyspa, a lot. This morning only a few low lifts in operation. Windy with mixed visibility. Yesterday we mucked about over at beret but conditions were tough.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Cerler on Saturday was great, fresh snow and sun, yesterday we got snowed in and the station shut down pretty early due to winds...some pretty enormous snowfall predicted this week
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.
Massive snowfall on the way, but with a lot of wind, unfortunately:
[/quote]
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
A lovely morning skiing with another Snowhead and his partner in Baqueira. Initially light snow higher up but the temps lifted during the day and a heavy thaw is in progress. This afternoon I lapped the Louis Arrias blacks and simple off piste and the snow was still pretty good considering. The resort itineraries are closed due to avi risk.
Cold temps due later this evening with snow, so we'll see what tomorrow brings.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@AndAnotherThing.., Nice to met you this morning,sitting in the chalet with a cold beer, legs
Are feeling it after the first day
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.
@AndAnotherThing.., Nice to met you this morning,sitting in the chalet with a cold beer, legs
Are feeling it after the first day
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
philwig wrote:
I have to spend a couple of days in Barcelona in a couple of weeks... could anyone recommend somewhere I can reasonably get to with a hire care from there as a first time visit the Pyrenees? It'll just be a couple of days, so I'm looking for somewhere I can drive up to early morning mid-week, stay one night and ride a couple of days. I can see the names of the places from here, but I've no idea where to start really. I've no interest in parks, just piste or powder depending.. as it's just me, off piste isn't relevant. A suggestion or two of reasonable resorts with hotels in them would be great...
I'm visiting Bacelona MWC from out of town as well. I'm driving up from Barcelona on Friday 27 Feb, returning Sunday afternoon. Back to the Pyrenees the following weekend. The forecast looks unreal-- I hope the roads stay open.
Questions:
1. How/where can I get chains for my rental car (a Nissan 4wd SUV) ?
2. Will the roads stay open ?
3. Any recommended powder stashes at BB ? slackcountry (I have my beacon/probe/shovel) ?
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@Ian L, Good to ski with you. They put me back to work today but conditions were a bit 'wintery' to say the least. Heavy snow all day with just the low lifts open. We scored some tree skiing in the afternoon so all was not lost
The forecast suggests the same again (with more snow) tomorrow. The fly in the ointment could be the forecast blip in the temperature.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Well, it's been snowing now for 36 hours solid! Here's what Benasque (Cerler) at 1150m looked like last night
The great thing here is that the predicted wind hasn't materialized yet, and so we're getting a decent amount of snow settling in the resort. I had to "hike" out of a wood yesterday with snow up to my waist! Today the visibility seems to be worse than yesterday (since it's snowing more heavily) but I expect I'll venture out to the trees again for a little while.
Here are some snaps from Sunday, which was a sunny powder day in the small but beautiful resort of Panticosa. It lies in the Valle de Tena in the western Spanish Pyrenees, near to Formigal which is very large resort by Spanish standards and which is very popular with Spaniards but seems to be a complete unknown elsewhere. The valley came as a very pleasant surprise to me; it's possibly the prettiest ski resort valley that I've been to so far in my explorations of the Pyrenees. And of course, we caught it on a good day...
The western side of the Pyrenees doesn't get much press here on sH, but I reckon I'll be working on that over the next season or so!
Last edited by Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name: on Wed 25-02-15 18:22; edited 2 times in total
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
AndAnotherThing.., glad to hear you've been having good conditions at Baqueira! I would have liked to have made it over there to join you for a day, but I've been pretty much tied to my desk for the last few weeks . Sunday at Panticosa has been my only proper day's skiing in ages! Hopefully next season will work out better.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Wed 25-02-15 9:30; edited 1 time in total
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
n0ah_fense, welcome to sH!
Quote:
I'm visiting Bacelona MWC from out of town as well. I'm driving up from Barcelona on Friday 27 Feb, returning Sunday afternoon. Back to the Pyrenees the following weekend. The forecast looks unreal-- I hope the roads stay open.
Questions:
1. How/where can I get chains for my rental car (a Nissan 4wd SUV) ?
2. Will the roads stay open ?
3. Any recommended powder stashes at BB ? slackcountry (I have my beacon/probe/shovel) ?
Further up this thread I posted a map link to Alcampo which is close to El Prat airport, which is good for chains. There's also an Alcampo in the Diagonal Mar shopping centre, at the Forum.
The main valley roads will stay open on the Spanish side (although the secondary passes, and perhaps the roads to France, might close). But you might well need chains - though Fridays isn't forecast to be snowy. The snowploughs are in overdrive at the moment!
I feel a bit uncomfortable recommending off-piste at BB at the moment, what with the avvy risk being pretty high. Obviously there's plenty of mellow stuff in between Orri and the Pla de Beret which is too shallow to avalanche, but there's also a great deal of riskier stuff all around the resort which you'll see for yourself but will have to make your own judgements on. (Avvy gear and a ski buddy are essential, of course.) That said, if the black pistes off of the Saument lift in Orri are open, then they'll be unpisted and will have been opened because the pisters believe them to be safe, so that (and the marked itineraries on the map) is a good first place to look.... and, in the case of the pistes at least, won't require a buddy.
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?
A bit of news from a month back that I completely missed: right from the start it seemed too strange that Baqueira's expansion would take it to precisely 99 pistes; after all, why not 100? Well, it turns out they were playing a bit of a joke with us!
For sure, once we found out they were turning the iconic Passarell coulour into a piste, and putting a lift up the Saumet peak, thoughts immediately turned to the coulour that runs straight down the "corner" of saumet to the Moët bar. It has always looked like an obvious and challenging option. Well, as soon as the first decent snowfall fell at the end of January, it was announced as the new addition to the piste map! Welcome to Piste 100, as announced on their Twitter account:
And as for current happenings, it's turning into a bit of a snowmageddon across the Pyrenees, with almost 48 hours of continuous snowfall! Check out the photos on sH's equivalent Spanish forum. Here are my snaps from Benasque village this afternoon, where the benefits of a covered car parking space are all too apparent:
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@Pyremaniac, It would be good to ski with you. The snow today in Baqueira was bonkers. Very heavy today and so much snow that people were skiing to the car park. On the drive down from Tanau to Salardu I've never seen so much snow here.
The avy risk for tomorrow is expected to be 5 and at Tanau they have closed the car park and path due to avy risk from above.
It's all getting a bit silly now. Sunshine please before I leave...... I stupidly didn't ski the piste Saumet lines last week when I had some spare time (and sunshine!)
A month ago during that previous big snowfall I saw people skiing all the way to Salardu:)
Shame you didn't do Saumet. Apart from that pisted red going back to the draglift all the blacks looked to me like avi controled off-piste rather than piste. Especially that line which Pyremaniac showed above. If this is how US resorts look like I am booking my flights for next winter tomorrow.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@Pyremaniac, if you happen to be heading back over Formigal or Panticosa again let me know as I am just in the valley on the other side. If the Col is open it would be great to have someone to ski with! And also an excuse to stock up on Ricard obviously!
After all it is free
After all it is free
AndAnotherThing.., sounds crazy over there too! Fingers crossed for a clear patch tomorrow and then sun on Friday. Unfortunately I've got too much work on to be able to make it over to BB though. (It's raining here in the village now, which is a bit of a relief to be honest because the rain is helping to clear the roads and pedestrian streets which were totally blocked up, but it should still be snow above 1800m.)
Pumba, sounds great - though I'll only be able to go on weekdays, and only in March, since my time is otherwise all booked up now, one way or another. The call of Ricard is strong though . I'll drop you a PM!
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.
Pyremaniac//// are you based in Benasque? Our ski club had an exchange with the local ski club if you are and had a race at Cerler last week. Always busy here but would love the chance of catching up some time.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
@wyspa, I reckon it was possible yesterday, although I didn't see anyone trying it on the main road. Raining now and feels warm....
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
. Sunday at Panticosa has been my only proper day's skiing in ages! Hopefully next season will work out better.
