 Poster: A snowHead
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EDIT: Ignore, fixed the post.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Chamwow, nice post. We did that route at the start of Feb on seriously crusty snow. My first ever day touring. Good fun. Looks like you had super snow for it too!
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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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Chamwow, I don't really want your trip to end 
Thanks again for the pics! Looks like a fun day.
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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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We have another 2 weeks worth 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Chamwow, So you'ld recommend this Jerome would you? what's he up to 12th-15th (or have you still bagged him)?
PS if those new boots of yours give you any trouble you know about SZK and Sole do you?
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Yes he's highly, 100% recommended, but we will be with him until about the 18th.
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that's just selfish
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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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Chamwow, enjoying the blog!
When you get back from your 3-day tour, will you PM Jerome's details to me please?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Ta
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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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Been in Chamonix for the last couple of days. Beautiful blue skies, but the snow's suffering. Top of Grand Montets is good, but the blues and reds from the bubble are scraped out, the blacks are holding up better.
Skied Saturday afternoon on the Flegere side which was OK higher up but red run Lachenal was awful. Mashed potato and very heavy going. The only really good run was Crochues.
On the Argentiere side, the Retour Pendant lift is closed because the blue run down to it is just mud. The run back to the bottom is OK, but awful by 4pm, very busy and huge patches of ice with wiped out beginners.
last day tomorrow and will probably go back up Grand Montets again, the moguls are good and there's still a little bit of freshish snow around if you're prepared to work for it.
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In Argentiere since 4th March - the sun has been shining the whole time, (not a cloud in the sky), slopes are hard packed, with icy patches in the morning and then goes slush puppy in the afternoon. The Grand Montets has the better snow of the area, but off pistes are totally tracked out and full of moguls.
Decided to go to Courmayeur yesterday (part of the Monc Blanc Multi ski pass, includes very reduced price to go through the mont blanc tunnel), which had much better snow conditions, some nice off piste at the top of the cresta Youla and Cresta D'Arp, but a bit rocky at the bottom. The slopes have good snow conditions too and the Dolonne run back to resort is still open although slushy at the end of the day.
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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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PS Snow in Chamonix is fine - still pow up high if you don't mind a hike, and lovely corn snow on lower and sunnier elevations.
That said I don't ski on-piste unless I'm getting from A to B.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Just spent a week in Les Houches. The north facing slopes have been good from about 10 onwards for the rest of the day. The south facing slopes (all the ones with chair lifts) were terrible from about noon onwards. Grand Montets and le Tour were hard work by lunchtime. Flegere was awesome first thing in the morning, but a complete slog by about 11.00. The top end of Coumayeur was good all day, but again, the rest was knackered by lunchtime.
However, I have never skied in such good weather. You could get 4 hours good skiing on most slopes, followed by 4 hours soaking up the rays. You aren't always going to have perfect conditions, so no skiing due to sunshine is better than no skiing due to avalanche risk any day of the week.
It did reach 30 degrees C on our balcony a couple of afternoons, which was nice to have a beer in, but is destroying the snow. If the weather keeps up what it is doing, I think the Chamonix season might be over in another week, or two at most
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Chamwow,
Any tips? Where were you finding this (heading back out tomorrow)? North gullies I presume. Anything still good on Aiguilles Rouges side?
Many thanks.
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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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Found some nice soft snow on the shady faces up near Col des Dards 2 days ago, then transitioning to nice corn down lower.
Skied off the Helbronner yesterday, it was all lovely corn in the sun.
LOL at the comments about the season being over. Yes Flegere is going to struggle, but there is still oodles of snow up high.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Thornyhill, Les Houches is not Chamonix. Grands Montets could easily keep going till its closing date around May 10.
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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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Spoke too soon, terrible foehn today.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Chamwow wrote: |
| Spoke too soon, terrible foehn today. |
You uttered that word that should never be spoken 
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| Zero-G wrote: |
| Chamwow wrote: |
| Spoke too soon, terrible foehn today. |
You uttered that word that should never be spoken |
Never uttered, but hard to avoid the phone today . . .
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| under a new name wrote: |
| Thornyhill, Les Houches is not Chamonix. Grands Montets could easily keep going till its closing date around May 10. |
We gave up on Les Houches around lunchtime most days and headed for Grands Montets. Other than the lift to the top, it was fairly ropey as well. If the weather continues as it was , there will soon only be one cable car providing skiing for the entire valley. I can't see them getting another two months without more snow.
p.s. why is there so much local polarisation between Les Houches and Chamonix? There seems to be an ongoing 'our skiing is great and theirs is terrible' from both sides. We had some excellent skiing in both areas, both offering their advantages and disadvantages. Seems like politics was getting involved to the detriment of the skiier
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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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Thornyhill, umm, I'm not polarised, we love Les Houches, often (when the snow does come) it remains unskied much longer than anywhere else in the valley. It is just that much lower topping out at 1,900 so it doesn't always get so much snow. Naturally.
And, sure, if there's no more snow this season, nowhere's going to remain open long, but GMs (assuming we do get more snow) is not in as bad shape as the south facing slopes.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Alright people, enough of this dire weather crap. Time to start making sacrificial offerings to the snow gods.
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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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| Zero-G wrote: |
| Alright people, enough of this dire weather crap. Time to start making sacrificial offerings to the snow gods. |
Are you volunteering? Stayed in bed today . . . first time all season.
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I've been eyeballing the neighbours' yappy poodle - small animals are always a good place to start.
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You know it makes sense.
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6c and raining in Cham, apparently snowing in Italy.
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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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spent the day on the italian side. snowed all day, lovely fresh in amongst the trees around the top of VV cable car
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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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| ww166no wrote: |
| I've got a lovely new axe that hasn't seen a lot of use yet. |
Me too, a lovely new one for touring. Though the danged thing is so light it will probably just bounce off the poodle...
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Chamwow, you may not have had oodles of deep powder but so far your trip looks like it has been fantastic. I am suitably envious!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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We've been pretty lucky that we've had boot deep pow for about 2/3 of our days so far - I'll happily take that in what's considered to be a poor season.
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| Chamwow wrote: |
| I'll happily take that in what's considered to be a poor season. |
There are always the April storms. At least that's what I keep telling myself for my upcoming 6-week stint. Although I am packing a bikini, just in case...
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Chamwow, you've been lucky...
But mostly the skiing hasn't been so bad...
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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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Chamwow, wonderful blog, thank you!
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Are my eyes deceiving me or is that snow I see forecast for Wed and Thu on chamonix-meteo.com? 
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FAQ
