 Poster: A snowHead
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Spot where the cars are parked in pas de la casa
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Ski Guide wrote: |
| 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. |
Yes, I am. Sure - it would be great to meet up! Unfortunately, my skiing time this winter hasn't been very plentiful, but hopefully March will be better.
Horrible morning here (and seemingly in Baqueira too) today. Hardly anything open, the lower slopes are completely waterlogged, and there just a generally damp feel to everything! The rain has currently stopped, but I think it'll be back. Really high temperatures  but hopefully the higher slopes will stay in condition.
I did one run from 2000m down to 1500m, and packed it in and went home. But provided we don't get endless downpours, the snow on piste at least will survive, and hopefully they'll pack it to death tonight to set us up for a promising Friday and Saturday (including some sunshine!). Despite the fact that we're being cheated out of our powder day, there does seem to be a notable increase in piste depths, so the storm has been welcome.
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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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A very wet morning in Baqueira. Snowing at about 1700m but during the night it had been raining much higher. Lots of blasting going on. Not much open and the lower slopes wet. Fingers crossed for the temps to drop and sun to appear. I've 2 days of freeskiing so it would be nice to get higher.
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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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Been missing from here for a while (due to work sending me back to the UK when the snow is falling by the metre in the Pyrenees!) but managed to get up to Cauterets at the weekend before it was closed due to avalanche risks. Great snow conditions but terrible visibility. I think they leave a lot of pistes ungroomed which should be fantastic when they get it back open.
Went up to Bareges / La Mongie on Sunday (as Cauterets was closed) but they only had a tiny section open due to the high risk of avalanche - strong winds too supposedly up high.
Anyway, it's not looking good for resorts being open this weekend in the French sector (Cauterets / Gourette / Luz Ardiden / Grand Tourmalet / Piau) as it's been snowing non-stop for the last week and there's been high winds causing numerous avalanches. All the access roads have been closed too. The good news is that with the amount of snow we've had, the resorts should stay open well into April now.
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Superbagneres open, Peyragudes partially open with more opening tomorrow. It is still snowing but the sun should poke out this afternoon.
Horrible news from Les Angles this morning when a snow blower clearing the roads sucked up a young woman who was 20. Police are not sure whether she was already dead under the snow or for how long she had been there. An investigation is under way.
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A better day in Baqueira. The sun came out briefly and we managed to get over at Beret for a while and score some fresh tracks. An amazing amount of snow has been dumped over there, with only the tops of some piste markers showing.
My last day tomorrow so fingers crossed for the promised sun and a few more lifts open.
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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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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Ski Guide, thanks for the recommendation to go to Peyragudes. They had most of the resort open on Saturday. The snow was pretty much perfect. Visibilty in the afternoon could have been better though as we were in the clouds with rain / snow later on.
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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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@mark_ski_MTB, having a day at Artouste on Thursday if you fancy a midweek run out. Should be ok as its been closed all weekend and a bit more snow due to arrive tuesday and wednesday! Bluebird Thursday!
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@Pumba, I'd love to but I don't think I'd be able to get the time off work at such short notice. I've not yet been to Artouste - I went up there for a hike in the summer and it was a beautiful spot. Do you think it'll be busy this weekend coming up? Heard it's where a lot of the locals from Pau go, even more so than Gourette.
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You know it makes sense.
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In what's becoming a bit of a habit now, the French Pyrenees are once again home to the resort with the greatest snow depths in the world! In the previous two winters it was Cauterets which held the worldwide crown, and this year Piau Engaly registered 540cm on Sunday, the second greatest depth after the Japanese resort of Seki Onsen (with 570cm) - all the more impressive given that Japan is having a spectacular season.
....although until they'd finished the intense clearing work that's been going on over the last few days, it would have been hard to buy a ski pass:
Last edited by You know it makes sense. on Tue 3-03-15 10:34; edited 1 time in total
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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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Just love it 
Mate of mine rented a place in Bareges in 2013 for four weeks and invited a various mates out and many declined saying that it never snow in the Pyrenees.
Did we rub their noses in it
Though my skis (Missions) look so narrow now !!
Hunting for powder in Bareges, Pyrenees from Weathercam https://vimeo.com/58835102
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Poster: A snowHead
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How has the snow held up in the Pyrenees after the recent rise in temperatures?
Would be a shame if that enormous snowfall disappeared so 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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@mrvinegar, On the way out of the valley on Sunday the temps were high and the snow was purging all over with some big slides evident. I think the temps were due to fall again so that should help.
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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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[To put things in perspective, how good the skiing might be is the last thing on the minds of the people who live and work around the River Ebro in Aragon, where the rapid snowmelt of the recent dumping in the Pyrenees has added to the accumulations of rainwater in the river over the past weeks to cause terrible floods, the worst for 50 years in some areas. Tens of thousands of hectares of low-lying land surrounding the river lies underwater, and the flood has inundated entire villages and farms and has caused the death of thousands of farm animals. Sad times indeed for Aragon.]
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To give an update from todays visit, Artouste was closed due to high winds, much to my disappointment as I had bookmarked today as the perfect day! Hey ho, try and find another day to go up but might be tricky now with work and children commitments. At least the skis got a fresh wax last night!!!! Sad face! I fear that any remaining powder will soon be gone so if any chance arises for more skiing it will be spring session in the snow park. Formigal springs to mind for that, very well shaped park.
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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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Yeah, Cerler was closed too, for the same reason.
Still, with sunshine and pleasant temperatures forecast, the weekend should be great anywhere that's not been too wind-damaged. I'll be paying my first visit to Piau Engaly to check out those 5m of snow for myself!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Marsella etc also all closed except beginner stuff, for to wind. 15cm fresh yesterday - I followed the plough in. On the other hand the mountains have thin cover, off piste would be not good. The wind will be hammering the snow. On piste is hard pack, mostly heavily tilled or man made.
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| philwig wrote: |
| Marsella etc also all closed except beginner stuff, for to wind. 15cm fresh yesterday - I followed the plough in. On the other hand the mountains have thin cover, off piste would be not good. The wind will be hammering the snow. On piste is hard pack, mostly heavily tilled or man made. |
Was that at Grandvalira? How did you get on with the place? The photos I've seen make it look like the snow cover is excellent off-piste (though say nothing of the quality, of course)... have the winds been taking their toll there too, then?
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Today the wind was gone so all Marsella was open. The pistes started icy up top, ended slushy down low as your expect. I will get photos in a few days.
Off piste:really there's no depth there, just drifts in the gullies. Anything not bashed is wind hammered. Today was warm.
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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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Some big snow forecast this weekend 
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philwig, ah OK, you opted for Masella in the end. It's a special little place, and despite the fact that they've not had a good season, I think it shines through that it's a great little "home resort" for Barcelona.
It's really hot at the moment in the Pyrenees! Lots of sunshine, making for some classic spring skiing. In Cerler, the Pico de Cerler sector is finally in full swing, and there's some nice tree-lined off-piste available there in the mornings.
I paid a visit to Piau Engaly in the central French Pyrenees this weekend. It's a nice little ski resort, the kind of thing I have a soft spot for, what with its one primary chairlift taking you to the top of the cirque and numerous pistes and endless off-piste bringing you back to base again. It's a pity it lacks trees for the most part, but the undulating terrain makes it a fun ride. There's no doubt that there's a lot of snow there, although I couldn't see direct evidence of the 5 metres! Still, the rest of the season is more than guaranteed for them.
I found Piau to be a very vertical ski resort, something which you don't typically find on the Spanish side. Exactly as the cliché has it, the piste gradings are one step lower in this French resort, so that a red here would probably be a black in Spain or Andorra. There were some reds that I refused on skis, what with the snow being hard in the mornings. Once the snow had softened in the afternoon, I was more adventurous... and I'm glad I was, because I found one of them, "Parc", to be possibly the longest and best "sustained difficulty" reds that I'm aware of in the Pyrenees! The blacks, which were the real deal, were all mogulled and weren't much fun on a snowboard. It's obvious that the resort must be an off-piste gem directly after a snowfall though!
Although I didn't ski in them, I also paid a visit to the valleys where various other ski resorts are located, such as Sant Lary and Peyragudes. The French sure do like to pack their ski resorts in! Lovely areas, all well worth a visit. The Pyrenees may be small compared to other ranges, but there is endless scope for exploration, and so many interesting little villages to discover. We also treated ourselves (well, OK, it's only €17  ) to the Balnea spa in Val Louron... and I can confirm that it lives up to its excellent reputation. Well worth a visit if you're in the area.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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@Ski Guide,  I keep meaning to get over your way. When do they close this year?
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| Pyremaniac wrote: |
philwig, ah OK, you opted for Masella in the end. It's a special little place, and despite the fact that they've not had a good season, I think it shines through that it's a great little "home resort" for Barcelona.
...
I found Piau to be a very vertical ski resort, something which you don't typically find on the Spanish side. Exactly as the cliché has it, the piste gradings are one step lower in this French resort, so that a red here would probably be a black in Spain or Andorra. There were some reds that I refused on skis, what with the snow being hard in the mornings. Once the snow had softened in the afternoon, I was more adventurous... and I'm glad I was, because I found one of them, "Parc", to be possibly the longest and best "sustained difficulty" reds that I'm aware of in the Pyrenees! The blacks, which were the real deal, were all mogulled and weren't much fun on a snowboard. It's obvious that the resort must be an off-piste gem directly after a snowfall though! |
Yes - thanks to advice here and an unfamiliarity with the roads I thought I'd be careful to start - report in another thread and video below.
Piau sounds good, and if the French side is steeper, well that would be nice, although I'm kind of boycotting them for being rude to BASI. It seems you can fly into Lourdes and then attack it all (including Baqueira) from that direction: I'll give that a shot next time I think
There were a lot of not very good skiers and snowboarders about. I guess the hard core go elsewhere. I don't miss them - I can ride fast and untroubled by anyone else, and if there was powder the chances are I'd be riding it all day as the learners don't generally like it much. Actually even if you went to a "hard core" Spanish resort on a powder day they'd all be in bed for the first couple of hours
http://vimeo.com/121837441
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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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It's looking like pretty much all of the stations in the French Pyrenees will at least be refreshed with a bit of snow this weekend. It seems like we've had the one perfect sunny weekend for the year (fingers crossed there's another before the closing weekend though).
I'll be heading up to Bareges-La Mongie tomorrow to see what the snow is like.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Off to Baqueira next weekend via Toulouse airport and hoping the drive is difficult because of the fresh snowfall...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Spend an amazing weekend in Pas De la Casa in Andorra, about 20cm of fresh snow on Saturday and Sunday morning, visibility wasn't great yesterday but the powder more than made up for it! Not many people either....
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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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Hello Pyrennes locals: what's this weekend looking like? Can anyone point me to a good weather/snow resource for Baqueira? Skiing Sat/Sun/Mon...
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
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We had a great day in Baqueira yesterday. Sunny all day long, but temperatures weren't too high. Snow everywhere, and we did plenty of off-piste in the poor man's powder, following the sun to find that correct moment between concrete and slush. We did the new Sanglier black from Saumet, which was fun - a great new addition to the resort. Plenty of snow on Escornacrabes, but best left until 3pm in my opinion.
The forecast for the weekend is snow, particularly on Sunday - albeit with high temperatures so rain at 1500 for sure.
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Top "weekend". Spring skiing Saturday and Sunday. 4 hours of Monday seeking out gulleys of powder and windblown remains from the ten cms Sunday night. Banagua rocks. First time to Baqueira, not the last.
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We've seen it all in the last few days!
If Thursday was a lovely sunny spring day, Saturday was a bit of a washout, with high temperatures and low fog and rain, albeit with a bit of snow at higher altitudes. We were in the Val d'Aran but decided to give skiing a miss altogether, and went snowshoeing in the Aigüestortes National Park (which is bordered by the ski resorts of Boí Taüll, Baqueira, Espot [and the aborted and probably-never-to-be Vall Fosca]). There's tons of snow up there
Overnight, the temperatures dropped, and some snow fell at useful altitudes for the ski resorts. On Sunday morning we headed up and over the Col du Portillon from Bossòst to Bagnères-de-Luchon in France. The route was spectacular, particularly on the French side, with its deciduous forest and lovely waterfalls, and our fleeting impression of Luchon was also very positive; it's such a typical French Pyrenean spa town, with its grandiose architecture and low-storey buildings, and the contrast in style to the Spanish side was immediate. We didn't have time to stop, but it's now firmly on the to-do list to spend a weekend there and ski at Superbagnères - Ski Guide, we'll be looking you up! .
It was straight on over the next col passing the Peyragudes resort, which looked big and snowy and perhaps somewhat bleak (though that might have been because of the onset of the bad weather). Down to the Val Louren and on to Saint-Lary where we had decided to spend the afternoon skiing, basically because I had an invitation day there on my current season pass.
The clouds and fog were coming down, and the temperatures were dropping, but if the skiing's free then it's worth going up anyway! And we were glad we did, since we were given a good first impression of Saint-Lary resort. I say first impression, because the snow started falling and the visibility was terrible except for in the trees, so we didn't have much of a chance to see the extent of the resort. But the runs we did do were great. We quickly found ourselves on the red run called Lac which took us down into a lovely isolated back valley. Great run (apart from the annoying uphill walkout at the end!) and fantastic lift on the way back up - it felt like we were in the mountain wilderness instead of in a ski resort:
Snow was building up by this time. We took the Isards draglift up a very wide, steep, tree-lined ridge (I guess that's where the De le Rue brothers learned their trade!) with the hope of doing a fun-looking off-piste to skier's left - which turned out to be an unpisted black but which was sadly closed. So we did the wide Ousadette black instead, in a total whiteout, but which seems like it'd be an enjoyable and fast run down when pisted and with visibility. Then it was off down the Terranère black to the Lita area which was also a lot of fun, where we did various routes under the chair. Everything we did happened to be tree-coverered, which made the afternoon very enjoyable despite the bad weather. We went away with a strong desire to revisit next year in better conditions - though I accept that we may have coincidentally homed in on the best bits of the place, and of course the fresh snow always biases one's opinion.
My two other impressions of Sant-Lary resort were:
(a) that its piste map (and to a lesser extent, signage) is terrible; possibly the most confusing map I've seen so far in the Pyrenees, particularly in the area around the Saboures/Tourette chairlifts, where nothing is to the same scale or even pointing in the right direction - which is fine when designing a tube map, but not so great in a mountain storm. At one point we were actually convinced that they'd replaced the Tourette lift that's marked on the map with a much longer one going up a different hillside!
(b) that the blacks and reds we tried didn't seem especially difficult, thus breaking the cliché that the runs are always harder in France. Though it's possible that the lack of visibility together with the fresh snow made them seem easier - piste steepness is to a certain extent psychological, and when you can't see very far ahead...!
We went back to Spain via the Bielsa tunnel - and almost got caught out! We'd gone for a galette and a beer instead of driving straight back, and by the time we started the drive up the mountain to the tunnel the snow was coming down hard, and perhaps we were lucky to find it open. On the way down the other side, the Spanish police were on their way up, presumably to assess the conditions.
Last edited by After all it is free  on Wed 25-03-15 21:38; edited 10 times in total
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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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Monday morning it was still snowing a bit across the central Pyrenees - and back in Cerler we got our second real powder day of the season there! I was able to try many lines that I've been dying to do all season but which never had enough snow to be feasible. Plenty of runs down Pico Cerler in all directions, and some good fun in the woods in the Rincón del Cielo sector. The snowfall turned very humid by midday though, and the steeper off-piste seemed to be getting unsafe (and the shallower stuff impassable due to the moisture content).
During Monday afternoon and overnight there was more precipitation, and on Tuesday there was bad visibility but yet more snowcover. This time I went on skis and did my first proper bits of "off-piste" on two planks, down a couple of unpisted red runs that had 30-40cm of fresh snow on them. Hard work, plenty of falls, but a lot of laughs!
Today it's all-change again, with full sunshine but, alas, Cerler's typical incessant north wind, which shut down the high parts of the resort - and which, as I speak, is taking all the snow of the mountain again. There was plenty of ground cover and low temperatures this morning though, and I finally ticked off the remaining couple of unexplored sectors which at last were skiable, in the Ampriu/Basivé area.
Here's the view from the Col de Basivé towards the back valley of Castanesa where there's a long-standing, controversial and administratively-stalled proposal to expand the resort:
And here's the view from the same place in the other direction, towards Pico Cerler and Posets in the background:
There's good weather forecast for the next few days - though in Cerler at least, accompanied by that evil north wind.
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Is that wind unique to Cerler? Or does it affect Andorra also? When we went to Cerler the wind was really bad
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