 Poster: A snowHead
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| conor90 wrote: |
Thanks for the answers. A follow up question:
How does it compare to Chamonix or La Grave, purely in terms of touring and off piste - don't care about the pistes.
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The off piste and touring are extensive. There is not the serious glaciated terrain that you would encounter in Chamonix, so it is easier from that point of view. Neither are there the huge steep couloirs that you encounter in Chamonix. If you are staying in Tignes there is a lot of touring accessible if you pass over the Col de Palet, and in Val d'Isere you are on the edge of the Vanoise national park which has lots of peaks accessible on day tours, plus a network of huts. There is plenty of off piste easily accessed from the lifts, but it does become tracked out quite quickly.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Conor90, I've never skied those 2 areas but to get a feel for the tiring round Tignes and Val you can wade through my posts in the 18/19 and 19/20 threads to see what I got up to. But in a nutshell there's lots!
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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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Sounds like there is lots to keep us happy. Is there any advantage in staying in Tignes over Val or vice versa in terms of access to touring and off piste?
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@conor90, As this is the Tignes thread, Tignes!
Ducking behind the parapet.
But realistically, if you are up to touring you will be able to get from anywhere in the 2 resorts to anywhere else in an hour. (Normally!).
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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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| conor90 wrote: |
Thanks for the answers. A follow up question:
How does it compare to Chamonix or La Grave, purely in terms of touring and off piste - don't care about the pistes.
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Tignes/Val has a crazy amount of lift-served "inbounds" off piste - just look at the interactive map of the area: https://en.tignes.net/skiing/ski-area/ski-map
Most of that can be accessed with short or no boot walks: pisteurs / table d'orientation / borsat / Chardonnet / Banane / telegraphe /p7 / grande balme / p1,2,3
If you want to venture away from folk then you can go out the back of Palet, Col des Ves, Pramecou down to Champagny, Lores, Fours, Bonneval (heli-back), Col de Montet, Gros Caval, Mont Roup, Pte de la Sana…
Comparing that to la grave is difficult because la grave is a wild ski area with no easy-out onto a piste although the two main itineraries become very piste-like with the amount of traffic they get.
You can make La Grave as gnarly as you'd like it (or as gnarly as your guide will permit).
You say you’re with a mixed ability group: in la grave you'd only be able to take the adept ones with you but in Tignes/Val they’d be close at hand so drink/lunch meet-ups can be planned.
Chamonix skiing takes you to different sites: Grand Montets / Le Tour / Aig du Midi - it would be rare to shuttle between them on an off-piste day but we’ve done that from mid-station of AdM to Le Tour, down into CH and back via Trient. Tignes - you're always in the same resort with good lift connections between the areas.
I guess they’ve all got cracking off-piste opportunities - Chamonix and La Grave offer exposure galore but if you want it you can seek it out in Tignes too!
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| conor90 wrote: |
| Is there good ski touring in and around Espace Killy? I would be getting a guide |
You might want to check out the recent post from @FreeFloFloss on FB where she is "going up hill for fun" https://www.facebook.com/529635994/videos/3092674837673378/
Floss is a great off-piste and ski touring instructor who has been based in the area for years. She was in les Deux Alpes and knows La Grave and the area. She instructs on a number of the Bashes.
Also looks like Double M is Open 
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Yesterday's storm has provided a nice top-up up top. The work done by the piste bashers is "good in parts" - doubt they have yet had time to finish the job so hopefully better tomorrow. Between the pistes seemed heavy, chopped and not easy skiing but we barely toed the waters so my info not reliable.
Don't know if Double M is officially open, but certainly skiable as it was the only way home on Sunday (when Vanoise chair broke down) on pisteurs' insistence. Had to leaf it down the steeper top section to avoid wrecking new skis in the mixture of rubble and snow. Next third pebbly, rest good but pisting not finished then had to walk out at the bottom. Sending folk down it due to broken lifts not a great advert for STGM, frankly.
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Hi everyone, thanks @BFG_Skier for the recommendation. I have been ski training up the glacier and it is in great condition at the moment. The double MM isn`t officially open yet as the World Cup are training on it. But it plans to be next week. I am looking forward to skiing and seeing you all in a few weeks time...Freeflofloss 
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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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Today was varied vis. Mainly low cloud in morning. Brighter in afternoon. No real change in conditions. Good for time of year all the way to bottom of the Vanoise lift. Good for remembering what some of us haven’t done for 20 months. But we need a big dump to open anything else up.
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Is anyone in Val Claret this week - could I ask a bit of a favour if poss . . . ?
We have an apartment (no. 27) in Le Pramecou building in Val C, on Rue du Val Claret.
The management company some how managed to get through an agreement to replace all the balcony wood; entrance bridge etc over the past few months, at an eye watering cost. (email notification went in to everyones junk mail and hardly anyone voted on line). Not had a request for keys etc - so I am sceptical anything has been done.
Would it be poss to take some pictures of the building - I want to see if they have actually done anything before I pay yet another insane invoice. Would like the entrance bridge; pic of the balcony above the entrance and a pic from the other side of the building (the side facing towards the Grand Motte - we are on level 4, sort of in the middle).
Can provide my personal email.
Thanks! 
Roger
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Well, here we go with this week's update. Hoigh pressure will continue to dominate until Sunday, so mostly blue skies, light winds and relatively warm temperatures, so expect some of the snow on sunny slopes to disappear. It then becomes more unsettled and the confidence in the forecast drops. But it looks like a weak Retour D'est (yes another one) will form on Monday and Tuesday, it wont be as intense as last week unfortunately. After this dissipates it will feel more wintry as the freezing level finally drops down the valley by the end of the week, so any snow will stay. The winds will also pick up and the re should be light snow on Thursday and Friday.
In more detail:
Tomorrow looks glorious with blue skies and sunshine, pleasantly warm in the village, as the snow softens in the early afternoon, it looks warm enough for a beer on the terrace. Saturday will be the same (and therefore the slopes will be busy), but a thin veil of cloud will appear around the time it goes dark. Sunday will start with a milky sky and then the cloud will build and light precipitation will start mid afternoon. It will feel soggy in the village. Monday looks like being mixed, sunny periods with light snow showers down to the main villages. And Tuesday looks similar. The weather really starts to cool down on Wed, it will be cloudy all day, but no snow. Although confidence really drops off here, there is a depression over the Pyrenees, thinks wouldn't have to change much to reach our part of Paradise. The end of the week should herald the arrival of snow showers if the weather behaves as it looks like winter finally arrives. Unfortunately, at the moment I can't see a season opening dump, yes there will be snow and it will be cool enough to use the cannons, so the odd slope may open at height but there needs to be a lot of natural snow to ensure a decent safe coverage. The slopes may look white but as the majority of the terrain is not pastureland it needs a goo couple of feet of snow to cover the rocks and fill the gullies. It may well be a slow start for the opening day.
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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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Does anyone know if there is anywhere that could fit quiver killers to my skis when i arrive in a couple of weeks? Im staying in Lavachet. I could get them done here but it means 2x 3 hour round trips dropping them off and picking them up.
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@mk28, I'd drop a line to Tignes Spirit in Lavachet. They have a workshop there, I'm sure Keiran will let you know fairly sharpish.
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You know it makes sense.
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@chocksaway, great thanks ill try that
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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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And Double M is open! (Officially).
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Poster: A snowHead
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Is there any way to know in general which lifts and pistes are likely to be open on the 27th for the opening weekend? In a slow start like this year seems to be, is it reasonable to expect only the glacier to be usable over the next few weeks?
For example are there areas away from the glacier they prioritise with artificial snow making? Or is it entirely at the mercy of the conditions and so quite random? I'm guessing only in the best years we'd be able to ski down to Brevieres?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@silentice, In a word No! Even if we had a lot of snow it still takes time to prepare the slopes in time for next week.
It takes a lot of artificial snow to open a slope on a non meadow, ie soft grass, piste. Most of T/VDI is rocky and there are significant gullies and holes to fill to make it safe.
To get any more open it will depend on the snowline for the first dump and then whether those areas can be accessed by gondola for downloading e.g. Solaise, Toviere as long as you can ski down to Tommeuses for the return, one year the snowline was 200m too low for that, v frustrating.
Brevieres never opens until the Saturday in the teens of December, there's not enough trade to justify the staff etc.
Oh and Val will be prioritising snowmaking for the Premiere Neige, punters don't really feature in the mix until that has happened.
Edit: just had a look at the webcams, some bits of Solaise and Bellvarde look snowy enough, but it's very tricky to tell if it's deep enough to be safe. Fingrlers crossed. Top of Gov looks quite green.
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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, top of Gov? Toviere webcam has been out of action for a while.
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@GeorgeVII, Not spotted that! It doesn't say not working on the app like it does on the website. Mind you top of Palafour doesn't look great on the VC one.
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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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| Quote: |
Mind you top of Palafour doesn't look great on the VC one.
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@chocksaway, Yes, the sunny side of the valley is looking pretty bare. Looks consistently cooler though as ice is beginning to form on the lake. I see that they've finished installing some snow-making kit at the modified (gentler) run-out for Carline into VC. It cuts around the top of the halfpipe and then merges into the bottom of double-m.
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Hi there! I was thinking about going from 11th to 18th of December, do you think it could be a nice level of snow this year? Thanks!
My other option is vars, but doesn't seem like it's going to be snow enough.
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It's in the lap of the gods, @dlearin. As per @chocksaway's forecast, we should get some light snowfall over the coming week (10-20cm perhaps?) after that it rather depends ... as the weather is a most fickle friend.
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Hiya, sneaky wee question re outdoor parking in Tignes - staying le lac, looks like outdoor parking is limited to Val Claret. Is this still available with the dev works (from this sunday) and if so, are there regular buses late at night from there to Le Lac. We are travelling in van with roofbox, hence, vehicle is higher than any of the covered parking in TLL, arriving circa 10pm. Our current plan is to remove roofbox and shove it in the back of van for the week, but having mounted it this morning, it's doable, but a bit of a pain, plus on current forecast the weather looks rather inclement at arrival time...! I did query with the tourist office but not sure they fully understood...
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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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You can't book outside parking on line, but tariffs are included on the website for outdoor. So you'll have to go and see if there is any availability at one of the 24 hour office's.
Normally there is a half hourly bus service as soon as the season starts but finishing times have varied in past years. Check Tignes.net
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@Hamboghini, the open air parking in Val Claret has a height restriction of 2.30m. The only parking with no height restriction is in Les Brevieres. have you measured your van with the box on? I'd me mildly surprised if it was over 2.65m; assuming it's less than that you could park it in the Lavachet covered parking. See Page 1 for more info.
In other news, our trainer reported back from a meeting last night in Val d'Isere. More detail in other threads but 'proper' masks are to be compulsory from this weekend plus a valid Pass Sanitaire to buy a lift pass, with further controls at the bottom of lift stations.
Snow conditions on the glacier remain most excellent. Double M remains open but a pebbly top and a messy bottom. For the rest, you get as good a view (if not better) from the webcams than from any place I can currently get to.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Radio-Tv Val d'Isère
10h ·
While the snow is still being waited at the station, many of you are asking yourself if Val-d'Isère will open its skiable domain this Saturday for the First Traces weekend. Mayor Patrick Martin announced it publicly yesterday morning, "We open nicely and well on Saturday, a minimum on the Pisaillas." "80 inches of snow fell on our glacier following the last return from East last week." Today, it's the only part of the field or the snowflake allows for good skiing practice. Regarding other sectors, the return east had brought barely 20cm on the high areas. Nighttime temperatures are still too soft for snowmen to function efficiently. Weather forecast calls for a cooler tonight, and low snowfall starting Thursday or Friday. This could be enough to snow some key sectors that would allow to open the links between Solaise and Pisaillas via Leissières, the top of Bellevarde or the link with Tignes. However, the return to skiing on foot is cancelled for now, despite the weather the next few days.
The village of Premiere Traces is expected to be settled on the snow front, which is still a green front today. If it won't be possible to ride the skis at the exit of the village, the central position on the snow front would allow skiers to easily access the red train shuttle heading to Fornet to see the Solaise and Olym's telecabinet pike if snow conditions allow it the opening of these ups.
So there will be nice skiing this weekend in Val d'Isère, it remains to be known on which sectors. The rule of the tracks and Val d'Isere Telepherics are on the foot of war, producing and working snow as the conditions allow. The situation develops daily and we will keep you updated on the Radio Val-d'Isère website regularly.
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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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Not looking too good, What does this bit mean at the end of the first paragraph, Skiing on foot is cancelled for now....
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@chocksaway, @bobski62, thanks folks, 234cm - we'll stick with plan A and book somewhere nearby. And thanks for heads up on masks, passes & conditions.
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You know it makes sense.
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@nevis1003, looking at the Val Radio page, I think it's saying that returning to the foot of the slope on skis (ie back to the village) will not be possible; if they open those higher sectors you'd have to download once you've finished for the day.
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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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| bobski62 wrote: |
| In other news, our trainer reported back from a meeting last night in Val d'Isere. More detail in other threads but 'proper' masks are to be compulsory from this weekend plus a valid Pass Sanitaire to buy a lift pass, with further controls at the bottom of lift stations. |
Has there been any indication of what qualifies as a 'proper" mask?
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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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@bobski62, AFNOR is the French national standards body (the UK one is BSI), there will be a particular numbered standard that describes what masks need to do.
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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 the lift links between Val d’Isere and Tignes are looking doubtful for the next week we are thinking of a day trip by car over the dam to Tignes mid week.
Would any Tignes based Snowhead be interested in swapping their parking space/garage in Tignes for a space in our garage in La Daille for the day if you want to ski Val d’Isere ?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| bobski62 wrote: |
| @nevis1003, looking at the Val Radio page, I think it's saying that returning to the foot of the slope on skis (ie back to the village) will not be possible; if they open those higher sectors you'd have to download once you've finished for the day. |
Bob ski, thanks for explaining that!
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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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| Quote: |
looking at the Val Radio page, I think it's saying that returning to the foot of the slope on skis (ie back to the village) will not be possible
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Yes, Google translates it as
However, the return ski-in ski-out is excluded for the moment, despite the weather forecast for the next few days.
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Thanks @rjs, makes sense now.
Looked in to Maison de Tignes today. They sell a range of Tignes-branded buffs which the lady said were compliant. They all bore a mask logo with writing saying 'washable 50 times'. €36 a pop. Optional matching underpants also available though the lady was at pains to explain these were not interchangeable with the buffs, being non-compliant. Hopefully still washable 50 times - but whether a typical seasonaire will ever reach that dizzying figure is another question...
I showed her a KN95 mask and asked if that's also acceptable. The replied that she didn't know, I'd have to ask at the STGM office. Will try to do that tomorrow.
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| Quote: |
Optional matching underpants also available though the lady was at pains to explain these were not interchangeable with the buffs, being non-compliant. Hopefully still washable 50 times - but whether a typical seasonaire will ever reach that dizzying figure is another question...
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Hi all, heading out to Tignes on 9th of Dec, staying in Le Lac. I'm a snowboarder but my sister is looking for a morning of ski classes on the 11th possibly. Any good pointers for small group lessons? She's a blue run skier, can manage the odd red, if that's of any help / relevance! 
Also cheers to all who have contributed to this thread lots of interesting stuff so far, really looking forward to getting to Tignes!
Also re: masks have you seen these from Buff https://www.buff.com/gb/masks.html?form=4688/ might be a good shout
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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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| bobski62 wrote: |
Thanks @rjs, makes sense now.
Looked in to Maison de Tignes today. They sell a range of Tignes-branded buffs which the lady said were compliant. They all bore a mask logo with writing saying 'washable 50 times'. €36 a pop. Optional matching underpants also available though the lady was at pains to explain these were not interchangeable with the buffs, being non-compliant. Hopefully still washable 50 times - but whether a typical seasonaire will ever reach that dizzying figure is another question...
I showed her a KN95 mask and asked if that's also acceptable. The replied that she didn't know, I'd have to ask at the STGM office. Will try to do that tomorrow. |
For a Buff, laughable.
This smacks of the profiteering around bike helmets when they were first introduced........................
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@doynie, I don’t believe that those Buff items you link to are valid in France - they don’t seem to meet the AFNOR standard which is required (which I’m sad about as I already have two of them!)
@GreenDay, as above, worth noting these don’t seem to actually be Buffs (as in, made/ branded by the Buff company). However I agree that’s a rediculous sum for a neck tube. Especially as La Plagne (see other threads) seem to be selling the AFNOR-standard-meeting neck tube for rather less than €36 (but also NB Chamonix are selling their version for €49!)
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FAQ
