Raring to go, desperate to hit the slopes… #WantToSki Now?
Well, we’ve got some good news for you! Thanks to the recent snowfall (50 cm at 2,300 metres and 70 cm at 3,200 metres), the drop in temperature and the work carried out on the slopes by our ski area maintenance teams, we’re thrilled to be able to offer you a nice warm up to the season with the first slopes and ski lifts opening tomorrow, Wednesday 25th November.
Planned openings for the ski area on Wednesday (to be updated before the weekend.)
- Lac Blanc
- Béranger
- Grenouillère
- Dalles
- Roc
- Voie lactée
Planned ski lift openings:
- Péclet Funitel
- Cascades chair lifts
- Castor and Polux / Musaraigne / Campagnols magic carpets
- Le Roc ski tow
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Throwing it down here ....
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?
Not only is there snow coming down on the VT web cams - there's also skiers! What a glorious sight!
Just checked the forecast fire the next month on various sites - zilch in December
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Just checked the forecast fire the next month on various sites - zilch in December
After all it is free
After all it is free
Blimey. I didn't post that 4 times. Technology, Pffft.
Sorry!
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.
@t40ora,
They are forecasts. If you looked at the forecasts for Nov a month ago nothing was forecast. Anything over a week in front is as likely to be wrong as right. After today the higher slopes in 3V and the EK will probably have had a metre. So Dec may be or or .
I am out in the next few days and am fairly happy with where we are at the mo.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
@t40ora, anything further than a few days isn't worth paying attention to.
There's snow today, then again at the weekend, a few days warming, then cooling again, major dumpage forecast out in FI 9th-11th.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
So maybe 19th December will be a goer..
Think I need to have a chat with my risk averse SWMBO.
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.
December will be fine in VT now regardless if you like piste skiing.
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
@emwmarine, I'll trust your superior knowledge. Just need to convince the boss!
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Bigger plans succumbed to family matters today, but I still managed to sneak out for a quick leg-stretcher up the hill in Courchevel.
At 2000m there is about 40cm of unconsolidated snow, at 2500m it was definitely deeper, but no base either way so slopes with grass underneath are definitely the way to go for touring or off piste until a base starts to set up. The main Courchevel pistes have a thin base now (the pisteurs have been busy!), and cannons were in full action getting more depth down on the main arteries today (Verdons, Chenus, Biollay, Coqs etc).
Grand Bec in the background:
Coqs:
Looking over to Biollay:
Top of Chenus:
Powder on a pisted base on Jantzen:
Good cover down to (and below) 1850:
A little top-up due over the weekend - fingers crossed!
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
looks awesome @offpisteskiing can't wait for January!
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Light snow this morning down to around 500m. Possibly more tomorrow. Still cold!
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Bit of very light snow today, not enough to make any difference...
Here is the view from Le Praz when I took offpisteskiing Jr for a bit of a slide earlier:
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?
the ensembles are pointing to a warm period, but it doesn't look like it's going to be too warm for long, looking out to FI the wiggles are beginning to get big in terms of precipitation around the 13-15th, I'm going to keep an eye on them and see if they start to come together, they popped up previously around the 9th-11th on a previous run.
60 days to go... I'm at that horrid stage where all I can think about is skiing but can do little about it! On the plus side, it looks like i'll be hitting VT twice this season. I'm just trying to rope my brother into the EOSB!
The recent cold weather must have given the pisteurs and the snow cannons a good shot at getting ahead of the warm spells though??
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
offpisteskiing, hi! I know pretty much nothing about this area, but I'm considering leaving my neck of the woods to go up to 3V this weekend (Saturday to Wednesday), just on a whim really, though I have mates who'll be there at the time. But I'm really unsure about the the conditions, especially as the front that was recently forecast to hit on Friday seems to be dispersing or disappearing! Your photos look great and make it look like there's snow everywhere, but given that I'm unlikely to go to 3V more than once or twice, I'd like it to be really nice conditions if I do go. It's the kind of bucket-list experience that doesn't have any great urgency. What do you think?... right now, Val Thorens is only half open (the lower slopes only, it seems).... when the whole 3V opens on Saturday, what % will be open, do you think? And is there likely to be (non-gnarly) off-piste available... nothing crazy, just for mucking about. Thanks for any insights!
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@Pyremaniac, depends how keen you are to ski... Haven't been higher than 2500m on the couple of outings i have done, and from chatting to those who have been higher there is a bit more snow, but it is still very much the first snowfall or two of winter. I wouldn't expect masses to be open this weekend or next week - in Courchevel normally only Verdons, Saulire, Chenus, Biollay and maybe a few more, similarly Meribel/Mottaret normally kick off on partial opening. Val T will have a bit more. (Would imagine exact details can be tracked down online somewhere...). There is definitely some soft stuff to ski up higher, but at your risks and perils - no base = plenty of sharks lurking. I may be out for a play above Val T tomorrow so will report back if I do go up... Whatever pistes do open should be in good condition, but away from the cannons the compacted snow is not all that deep...
Had a quick blast from Le Praz up to 1850 this afternoon. Brigues is 'skiable', but quite thin in places, and Boulevard des Amoureux is nearly there but has 3 or 4 'straight line' sections between the stones.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Thanks a lot! I'll make the call today. Closer to home, I'd call that as skiable, but it's just a question of whether it's worth the journey!
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.
That probably sums it up quite well.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Pyremaniac wrote:
Val Thorens is only half open (the lower slopes only, it seems)....
Agreed, VT is looking pretty healthy bearing in mind the time of year, and recent weather.
19 out of 31 lifts open
29 out of 81 runs open
Decent variety of areas - quite a bit of the Peclet area is open, there's a few runs down from Grand Fond open, lots of the smaller runs in and around the resort, the runs from Col De Rosael down into the Orelle area are open, and numerous other runs(Plein Sud, Moraine).
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
according to the Courchevel site there's 118cm at the top of saulire and 34cm at resort - this is pretty much the same as christmas last year from what I remember, but this year they've had more natural snow and they have had more time to build up a stock pile of cannon snow as the temps have stayed low over the last few weeks so the ground should be pretty cold still.
imho, this is a lot better than last season, so should see more open this weekend than at christmas last year, but even then christmas wasn't that bad, just had to avoid the rocks every now again again, and be aware of pistes disappearing and turning to grass
La Tania blue back to the village is definitely going to be open, christmas last year it was lifts, so this is much better.
06Z showing the warm temps with gradual drop off still, barring the exceptional temps* the next few days, returning to a few degrees above average for the foreseeable future. Wiggles have separated in terms of precipitation, so will see what the 12Z brings.
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.
sssh, don't tell those in the southern alps who don't have snow yet but those wiggles in the 06Z around the 13th have popped up again, but this time BIGGER, with temps dropping off.
FI rules apply
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
The new piste La Chase in VAL Thorens was at its finish meant to join the Boulevard Cumin via a bridge that crossed the river Doron. I have now heard that it has not been possible to build the bridge for this season. They are proposing for this season to cross the river by filling the gap with snow.
We may have a bit of a wait for this piste to open
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
There are lots of bits of the river where they just stick some planks across and that becomes the piste in the winter. Walking round in the summer it's quite amazing that some of the bits become pistes.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
The bridge over the river is already there as part of the Blvd Cumin perhaps the issue is the bridge over the main road up to Val T.
http://youtube.com/v/Qflu6MTcOy8
Crossing road @ 8:20
Joining Blvd Cumin at bridge @ 9:20
La Chase appears to open up an alternative route across the V.T. area without having to go through the village.
BTW It's not my video, just something I found.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Hmmm. Completely stuck in two minds. Have seen a reasonably cheap deal for La Tania from 19th and trying to work out if it's worthwhile. As a blue/red skier I don't need buckets of powder to enjoy myself (always nice to have something fresh though), but do I just gamble on there being a half decent amount of snow between now and then? Or do I wait it out and risk the price going up or the deal disappearing if there's a big dump?
Am thinking 3V on the Courchevel side is a good bet for a resort though, access to high slopes if the conditions are warm and tree lined stuff if it's snowed in further up. Would be unlikely to spend much time actually at La Tania level anyway, just would hope to be able to ski down each evening.
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?
@Andy4467, The bridge over the road is in place I was able to see that myself when I was there in October. They are also building a new bridge to join La Chasse to the Boulevard Cumin over the Doron just before the existing Doron bridge on the VT side. Again in October they had already shored up each side of the river with boulders and there was a pile of quite hefty RSJs nearby.
The gap across the Doron where the bridge was to go is quite substantial and deep it will be interesting to see how they manage. The difficulty I understand has been with permissions.
Hmmm. Completely stuck in two minds. Have seen a reasonably cheap deal for La Tania from 19th and trying to work out if it's worthwhile. As a blue/red skier I don't need buckets of powder to enjoy myself (always nice to have something fresh though), but do I just gamble on there being a half decent amount of snow between now and then? Or do I wait it out and risk the price going up or the deal disappearing if there's a big dump?
Am thinking 3V on the Courchevel side is a good bet for a resort though, access to high slopes if the conditions are warm and tree lined stuff if it's snowed in further up. Would be unlikely to spend much time actually at La Tania level anyway, just would hope to be able to ski down each evening.
If it doesn't get colder and snow in the next 10 days I would be tempted to go to Val Thorens. People will probably be getting bussed there from the rest of the 3vs soon anyway if it doesn't dump soon.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@Duster, I assumed they would just follow a similar route to the one in the vid. Thanks for the info.
Hmmm. Completely stuck in two minds. Have seen a reasonably cheap deal for La Tania from 19th and trying to work out if it's worthwhile. As a blue/red skier I don't need buckets of powder to enjoy myself (always nice to have something fresh though), but do I just gamble on there being a half decent amount of snow between now and then? Or do I wait it out and risk the price going up or the deal disappearing if there's a big dump?
Am thinking 3V on the Courchevel side is a good bet for a resort though, access to high slopes if the conditions are warm and tree lined stuff if it's snowed in further up. Would be unlikely to spend much time actually at La Tania level anyway, just would hope to be able to ski down each evening.
If it doesn't get colder and snow in the next 10 days I would be tempted to go to Val Thorens. People will probably be getting bussed there from the rest of the 3vs soon anyway if it doesn't dump soon.
VT would be considerably more expensive so probably out of budget
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@SnoodyMcFlude, I'll be in La Tania with family for our 4th Christmas in 5 that week, last year being the one out, and so far a Courchevel pass has delivered good skiing. Looks like they may need another decent snowfall before then to maintain that record though.
After all it is free
After all it is free
If Val Thorens were the only place in the 3V with good snow at Christmas I'd rather save my money for another time.
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.
pam w wrote:
If Val Thorens were the only place in the 3V with good snow at Christmas I'd rather save my money for another time.
I'm inclined to agree, but the lack of time available means that I'd rather ski poor conditions than no conditions I've only got 2 days left to take off work this side of Easter, so I either coincide a trip with Christmas or I've only got the MYAsH bash between now and April
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Had a bit of a blast around Courchevel today. Combe de la Saulire, Creux and Loze pick of the bunch (not a whole lot else open mind you...). Creux is open all the way down and was fine all the way. Top half of Biollay is good, bottom half a bit scratchy.
Dropped over towards Mottaret/Meribel, currently only Chamois open down towards Meribel, scratchy at top (as always) better once you get to the pitch under the cables of Saulire Express.
Any serious amounts of traffic will change all the above quite quickly. Off piste only recommended if you have a healthy disregard for the structural integrity of your skis and your body...
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
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