Whistle stop around Brevent-Flegere, pistes all good. Fairly busy. Off piste looking a little shallow still in places.
Many many underequipped individuals ducking "Closed due Avalanche risk" barriers.
Some punchy lines being skied by very unpunchy skiers.
TBH much of the off piste was carnage.
And many weekend warriors out...
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Thinking about heading down tomorrow from Geneva for my first trip to Chamonix of the year. Has the top lift at GM been shut all season? There's no way of knowing if it'll be open tomorrow I guess. For those that have experienced the conditions are any of Brevent/Flegere, GM, Le Tour, or even Les Contamines worth picking over the others?
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?
Le Tour was pretty decent today and relatively quiet, but every inch of off piste has already been smashed. Really cold this AM, but still some decent skiing to be had
@Steve77, Top lift at GM was open for a time around Xmas/New Year period, I don't think it's been open since the 4th or whenever the new snow started to fall.
When it was operating the crevasses up there were very open, the first pitch onto PdV was closed off save for a narrow corridor on skiers right as the large rimaye that they spend so much effort protecting in the summer was wide open**. The lower part of PdV was closed and so you were forced over the ridge onto (is it) Pylones, as you crossed the ridge another crevasse (maybe rimaye) was wide open and so a fixed line had been installed in order that you could self belay past it.
Probably all changed up there now. Is it open again yet? Anyone been up?
** seeing it like that made it click that the snowcat activity you see evidence of up there is probably CdMB pushing snow off the higher slope into the rimaye to artificially fill it. I'm guessing there was so little surface snow up there prior to New Year that they hadn't been able to yet do that this season.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
In the end I'm up the Brevent/Flegere side. Snow is great, though heavily tracked. Viz keeps coming and going but when it clears you can still find a couple of fresh turns. The little chair that takes you from the liaison lift up to Index was shut so was forced to ski down to the bottom of Flegere and the cover is fine all the way down.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Er oops how do I embed a facebook video?
After all it is free
After all it is free
Quote:
to ski down to the bottom of Flegere and the cover is fine all the way down
We watched from the bubble on Saturday as some individuals skied down to the bottom of Brevent and it was very stony at the bottom. I wouldn't attempt it on my own skis.
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Had to go to Annecy to deal with bureaucratic issues today, so went for an evening ski instead, this is La Charme just off the back of the Prarion, below is Les Contamines
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@Idris, nice.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
A pleasant day at Le Tour yesterday. It was f cold but the pistes were in good nick, the off was fluffy but battered and hard to find anything. The Posettes drag was still closed so a bit to go at when that's safe.
Snow in Chamonix this morning.
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.
Skied GM this morning (with Evolution 2 - very impressed), conditions were exceptional. No queue to get up to the top, stuck mostly to the piste for the top section - proved to be utterly sublime.
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
@jbob,
out on saturday , its killing me , waiting to get there , but looks like it will be a great trip , what is the avi situation looking like atm , do you think the warmer front moving in at the weekend will calm things down a bit ??
@Dunny#1, very nice !!
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@Dunny#1, Nice. How did you get on with EV2 ?
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
I'm out on sunday, getting a bit giddy now
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@Dabber, first time up'top in GM, mind blown.
@AndAnotherThing.., good question! I was on a 3 day all mountain course yesterday which sucked. Some differing ability levels in the group and didn't feel like I got a lot out of it. So, I emailed and they offered me a 3 hour private guiding morning instead of the two remaining group 3 hours sessions which I took. Had a guy called Miguel who proved to be exceptional, so in the end - pretty good...
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
The Les Houches skin track. Note the snow, another six inches last night.
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?
So the top lift at GM is finally open? I've got tomorrow off work and need to decide where to go. Skied Brevent on Sunday so was thinking Avoriaz or Les Contamines for a change, but might consider GM now, although I imagine it'll get heavily tracked out today.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Steve77 wrote:
Dunny#1 wrote:
@Dabber, first time up'top in GM, mind blown.
So the top lift at GM is finally open? I've got tomorrow off work and need to decide where to go. Skied Brevent on Sunday so was thinking Avoriaz or Les Contamines for a change, but might consider GM now, although I imagine it'll get heavily tracked out today.
Yep! You could't see all that much, but yeah open all morning for sure.
Lovely conditions at Flegere today. It's got a lot warmer. The slopes were quite empty, the pistes were good, the off was getting stiff low down but still nice higher up. Even a bit of sunshine.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Arriving at Cham on Saturday 😃👍 getting excited now.......
After all it is free
After all it is free
Sounds like a good few on parade next week !
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Sounds like a good few on parade next week !
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
I'll be there too from next Wednesday for a few days. Hopefully a bit of a top up before then, if not it will still be so much better than I feared a few weeks ago.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@Dabber, nowt good about the shower I'll be with
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.
@Mosha Marc,jon's not out with you is he ???
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
@Dabber, not on this trip, but it is a group of Warren Smith refugees.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@moshamarc ,ill look out for a group of guys doing a perfect bracauge technique on grands montets
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
A cold night last night following on from the warm day before gave us some lovely crystal growth, giving me a lovely blanket of powdery crystals to ski in on the Prarion.
A few of the well travelled corners are getting a bit brown, but snowmaking is in full swing and traffic is very quite so all should be good.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I'm another one arriving Saturday
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Do we know if the how Valle Blanche is filling up ??? Will it be skiable in the next fortnight
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?
@Dabber, I saw a FB post this morning confirming the steps had been cut, ropes up etc - and I think saying it's now open, but please go with a guide. I'll see if I can find it.
@fixx, cheers , don't worry have got a guide sorted for four days over the next two weeks , just planning a few areas to explore
Should be good next week with sun and low winds up high
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Some sweet skiing at Brevent today. Off piste is really tracked (as ever?), and very mild for Jan.
Do we know if the how Valle Blanche is filling up ??? Will it be skiable in the next fortnight
Yes - Ridge equipped, skied powder for 50% of vert. Ski down to Chamonix was freshly pisted! Getting off the glacier snout was a bit scratchy. First section a little wind affected but otherwise great + no people!
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@Idris, cheers , looking forward to my first ever walk down the arete on monday / tuesday
After all it is free
After all it is free
Idris wrote:
Dabber wrote:
Do we know if the how Valle Blanche is filling up ??? Will it be skiable in the next fortnight
Ski down to Chamonix was freshly pisted!
is this the james bond track ??? where does it start below the train track ??
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The track is indeed called the James Bond track. It used to be a nightmare but last year they widened the bottom section and now occasionally run a piste basher up there. The top is still interesting. If you choose to ski all the way to Chamonix then you ski down the glacier a bit longer and stay well below the train track.
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
007 on Fatmap, it's a little up hill walk from the glacier to a small cafe on the ridge then run down into Chamonix. As the glacier retreats the exit gets sketcher.
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