 Poster: A snowHead
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The buses (No2 or otherwise) don't go from the train station though. If the Courmayeur bus does drop at the train station (and I've no idea if it does) then the best bet is to catch a train to Argentierre.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@thunderer, unless there has been some change from the last couple of years, the Courmayeur bus stops at Chamonix Sud. From there it is the number 2 to Argentiere.
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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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The bus from courmayeur does terminate at the sud. Then it's a 10 meter walk to the no2 bus
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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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Does anyone know anywhere online that shows which bars have live music on which nights and at what time? Thanks!
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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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Thank you for the info
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Certainly makes more sense that it would drop in Sud.
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@Steve77, google?
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Very large amounts of powder down both the Glacier Mort and the Berard side of the Col du Belvedere. Of course you have to put some effort in to get to it. Worth it
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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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| under a new name wrote: |
| @Steve77, google? |
Try it and let us know how you get on.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Steve77, no, You try it if you haven’t already.
I love your optimism, but given that most bars don’t even have websites or FB pages...
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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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@Steve77, the best bet is to join the Chamonix facebook group and either read or post for info.
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Been over to Courmayeur today, probably shouldn’t have been surprised but significantly less snow over there. Pistes are hard packed and fast with a few icy spots. Chamonix valley in a much better state.
Still, had a nice leisurely lunch in Chiecco, one of my favourite restaurants of all time.
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You know it makes sense.
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@bigtuboflard, love Chiecco. Takes Italian excellence up to a new level. Don’t want to be driving back to Cham however!
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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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| under a new name wrote: |
| @bigtuboflard, love Chiecco. Takes Italian excellence up to a new level. Don’t want to be driving back to Cham however! |
yep, the food was superb again, took some friends who’ve not been before and was hoping it was still as good as ever. It was.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Just got email that PlanPraz is closed through Thursday.
Not ideal as I was planning to be in Cham Wed and Thursday and walk up from town...
Lift system needs sorted. Spent a long time stuck on go-slow/stop bubble at Le Tour at Christmas, on top of all the other problems they have. Grands Montets an accident, the rest is down to lack of investment.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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What next?
“Brevent télécabine:
La direction Commerciale et Marketing
Chamonix, January 20th, 2019
Dear customers and partners,
During part of the daily inspection routine, we discovered a technical problem with the bull wheel of the Planpraz gondola which had been replaced during last autumn.
During this morning’s visit by a team from the gondola’s constructor, they discovered that there were broken ball-bearings within the bull wheel.
This construction defect means the closure of the lift with immediate effect in order to change the ball bearings in question. Hence the lift, Planpraz gondola will be closed until Thursday 24th January 2019 inclusive.
N.B. The Brévent ski area will remain open to skiers with a daily access from 10h 30 onwards via the liaison cable-car from the Flégère ski area.
We are very sorry for this closure, completely independent of our hopes & wishes. Our internal teams, alongside those of the lift builder, will do their utmost to ensure that the repairs are carried out as rapidly as possible.
We will keep you informed to confirm the date of return to normal service of this lift.“
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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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@footsoldier, @jbob, not a very impressive 18 months is it?
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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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Is it the same contractor/company that did the midi cable and the grand Montets roof? Certainly looks that way. Maybe they did the Tignes cables as well.
Seriously though it seems someone is using sub standard material (Chinese steel?) or suspect work practices.
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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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@RobH2017, Midi cable defo suspect work.
Corners cut... not good. Directly affects my livelihood.
Letters being written this very week.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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So the only way up is via the ancient flegere telecabine? Not a good season, what a shame.
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Chamonix seems to be cursed this season 
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| BobinCH wrote: |
| Chamonix seems to be cursed this season |
No, it's self inflicted - you skip the maintenance you get breakdowns. This particular one may be bad luck, but all the issues last summer were maintenance related!
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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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@Canuck, only till Thursday apparently...
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Was up at Brevent yesterday frustratingly just minutes after they shut it. Could see people going up as we went through the barriers. It must have been a lovely quiet ski for the people who made it up!
I know these things happen (although it does seem to be quite often in Chamonix), but it really highlights the lack of any slack in the bus capacity when things go wrong. It was a scrum to get to Flegere, then the queue was out into the car park so another scrum to get to GM. I feel so sorry for anyone who doesn't get many ski days a year who was caught up in that with kids or who couldn't physically fight their way onto a bus.
Should be good up there for anyone on the first lift up and over from Flegere on Thursday though if it snows a decent amount on Wednesday (assuming they can get enough people up there to open the other lifts etc.)
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
No, it's self inflicted
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+1 to that. It's lack of investment, pure and simple. I wonder sometimes if it's on purpose to keep the crowds away. Been coming to Cham for 15+ years, last few with the kids too at Easter and we love it - party for, partly despite its foibles - but have also been to Dolomites for last 6-7 years at Feb 1/2 terms and the levels of investment there are staggering compared to the CdMB: 3-4 new lifts ever year, year on year. Huts/Restaurants regularly rebuilt/modernized, vast investment in snowmaking etc etc (well, they wouldn't have a ski season without that...) Whereas in Cham, even when a new lift is put in, they seem to do it on the cheap - a good example is the new-ish chair at Brevent for the beginners area - it was always a cold chair that one but there was no considering heating the seats or putting a cover on the new one, in the Dollies, that'd have been an 8-seater with Recaro heated seats and a pull-down cover with an enclosed boarding station!
Granted, you don't come to Cham to cruise miles of perfectly groomed pistes and have fat lunches amongst the Bogner-clad Ruskis every day, it's a completely different vibe and I also get that there are valid environmental concerns about the impact of skiing which do seem to be, if not necessarily a priority, at least considered in France whereas in Italy they're completely ignored however running the infrastructure to breaking point with minimal investment cannot be good for the future of the valley. I don't even think it's cynical profiteering from the CdMB particularly, I just think they can't be ar$ed to do anything properly!
Anyway, I guess if we could get up the hill easily and in comfort, it'd lose some of the "charm"! /Rant
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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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Just arrived for four days.
CdMB seem to be in meltdown.
I hear snow less good in Courmayeur.
Any suggestions for anything in good condition in Chx or surrounding areas?
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@Jonathan Bell, skied in Courmayeur this week. The pistes are in good condition especially early in the day. Didn’t try the off. Snowing a little in Aosta tonight.
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You know it makes sense.
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@Jonathan Bell, lavancher bowl ought to be good. VB should be OK if you know what you are doing. Brevent should be opn Friday...
Not the End Of The World 
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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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@Jonathan Bell, Verbier if you’ve got a car...
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Poster: A snowHead
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Brevent lift update from chamonet. Reopening delayed until the weekend.
“Opening of the Planpraz gondola in the Brévent ski area of #Chamonix has been postponed until Sunday, January 27th at the latest, although it might open on Saturday 26th during the course of the day. Skiers can still access Brévent via the cable car from Flégère.”
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Skied GM, lavancher and pendant areas today. Off piste was fantastic, tracked but lovely and soft. One of the best cloud inversions I've seen at the top of herse and bochard as well, an absolute sea as far as the eye could see and then in the sun until just before Lognan. Cracking day.
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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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@Jonathan Bell, if you are prepared to put the effort in to flog uphill, untracked powder still to be had. Skied from the Col de l'Encrenaz to Col Montets/Le Buet today. About a quarter was so so, the rest fantastic. Got biffed on the head at the Col Beugeant by my chums skis on his bag. Could have done with a Doc!
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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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Thanks for all the updates and insights, people!
I arrive tonight for 3 days of fun, first 2 with Avalanche Academy then on my own on Monday and planning to head to Brevant. Staying near the Midi lift so hopefully planpraz is up and running by the end of the weekend!
The forecasts I've seen indicate a big dump for Sunday night. How true do you think this is?
I may be at a loose end in the evenings and skiing solo on Monday so if anyone has any suggestions or possibly wants to meet a random middle aged guy off a forum to rip some turns for a few runs then let me know! I'm a solid off piste skier with a very prudent nature, normally 90% off piste but not solo after a big dump.
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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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@gravity-slave, not sure about a “big” dump. Chamonix Meteo, who are probably the best and are real people behind the screen suggesting 5-10cms.
But it’s hard to forecast quantity.
CMB saying that Planpraz open on Sunday, maybe Saturday, and being very clear to point out that this was a manufacturing fault... getting a little sensitive perhaps?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Why are praz and nants, slopes, never open?
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Praz is a track a lot of the way and get icy/bare quick with stones showing through. Conversely though it is also avi prone after a dump. There was a massive slide on it last year after the wet heavy snow at the start of the season. Uprooted trees everywhere, they had to send excavation plant up to get it open later in the season and the damage was still super evident in the summer.
It was closed last week when I was in Chx, but plenty of people skiing it.
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That sounds more realistic, cheers. Snow-forecast (usually very unreliable) says about 70cm!
Fingers crossed for planpraz. A tough year for the lift company!
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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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| Quote: |
closed last week when I was in Chx, but plenty of people skiing it
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I hope on their own skis. I doubt the last 500m were actually skiable.
@gravity-slave, snow-forecast ime is actually not that reliable until the last minute, by which point everyone is. For a computerised forecast esp longer term trends, I like www.meteoblue.com.
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Hey, quick question. Can you buy the Rapid Card at the lift pass offices by the ski areas (e.g. GM) or does it have to be online?
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FAQ
