 Poster: A snowHead
|
|
Trying to be positive.....would snow/thaw/freeze not be ideal for setting a base up lower down?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
simonmj66, I have a little time available that week, but it's filling up fast!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
bh1, Belle Etoile is even better! Did you see the pic looking down the face that I actually took from the Village chair yesterday?
Now then folks: it's been snowing like mad since late morning, according to the famous hand in snow test 14cms of snow have settled on Chicken Dhansak's balcony! It's wet and heavy which is perfect. I do think most of this snow at village level will melt, but hopefully it will help the ground to freeze a bit more which will be good for the season in the long term. As I've said before - if you can't ski the face it really isn't the end of the world. there's lots of good skiing higher up, and the doom merchants have now had their noses put properly out of joint. It was just a pity that we couldn't ski today, given that Paul S and his friend Louise had driven up for 2 days ... 
Tomorrow should be better weather, so everyone and his wife will be trying to get onto the lifts early. We've also got a huge influx of Spanish, but I haven't contacted metalhead 132 or Al-Tom yet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
easiski, i went up the luateret in the end with liam, it was chucking it down, just a shame that it still isn't getting to the valley. hey ho maybe fridays\s storm!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
snowangel., I think it's got a bit stuck on our side of the mountain - often happens one way or the other. theremust be snow on your higher elevations though, and it must be possible to ski in SC without having to ski back down to the valley.
How is Liam's leg? I gather he's actually been on his snowboard from another post you made - do let us know.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
easiski, nice! ski safe have a good one
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
easiski, 
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
That pic looks encouraging to me...
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
easiski,
thanks for the coffee yesterday, and the lesson today, much appreciated. As you know, we got slightly wet and depressed yesterday morning, but when the snow started falling.... and then kept falling....
Glad we stayed, as the conditions were great. Now, when the local slope here gets more snow, I'll practice the "monkey turn" (technical, eh?) and stop waving my arms about!
Cheers, Paul
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PaulS, I think you got home sooner than I did!
So, as Paul said we had a great day. Fab snow (still the odd rock hiding under it, but nothing major), all runs between 2,600m and 3,200m were open. All glacier runs were open with the exception of the Lauze (top) and the Dome (red into Roche Mantel/Signal). At 2,600m all three main runs in the toura area were open and served by the Lac Noir chairlift. Below 2,600 the runs were "officially" closed - that is there were banners across the piste (but no fences) saying "closed". However it was a comfortable ski down to the Cretes, and when I went past they were running the Bellecombe chair in preparation. Both the Cretes chairlifts were running too, so regardless of how horrid it is tomorrow I think bits will be open. Also White and Red eggs running today in addition to the Jandri Express and the Village chair/telepherique. some idiots did ski/snowboard down, but they must have done a lot of damage, especially as they all seemed to use Sapins, which is the rockiest descent of the lot! That's not mentioning the Catalans we saw trying to get down the "L'Envers du Signal" (the red off the back of the top of the Signal chair), which was basically a lovely rock piste with some soft snow over the top ...... the noise was truly horrible to hear! 
Here are some photos:
 Rachas showing some small avalanches
 Sustrugi on the top of the Grand Couloir shows how high the wind was yesterday
 The glacier, showing fresh tracks on the right - we skied that
 View looking up to the glacier from the top of the Grand Creux run at the Toura level.
Now I defy anyone to moan about this!!! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
kitenski, too warm? Well unless the whole of Europe decends into one or two glacier resorts the answer is yes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
bh1, what are you basing that statement on?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
bh1, Exactly
lisach, Based on skiing down to 1600m at the end of November - lots of early snow. Our winters don't normally start until December. Not long ago (4 or 5 years) it didn't snow at all until 28th December. It's ABSOLUTELY FINE! kitenski, was joking - winkie smilie??!! 
It seems to be raining lightly down here are the moment (I haven't been out), but it will be snowing where it really matters. The more we can open above the Cretes the better. They have pisted the Bellecombe run, and the Grand Nord bis so if the whole Grand Nord area is open after the next snowfall (today), we'll be laughing.
Just spoken to a friend in Val Despair, and he says it's very bad there. Le Fornet only, nothing else more than 5cms fresh whereas we had 30cms at 2,100 and 40 at the glacier. I keep saying, we get our weather from the SW and that's also the warm wind ..... brings us snow ... 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
Easiski,
Comforting words of wisdom, especially as my 14th Dec departure date lurks on the horizon. the Snow Gods have spoken to me in a dream and there will be snow!!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
But last year buy the middle of January it was very thin again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
brian
brian
Guest
|
easiski, looks and sounds good. This afternoon and evening's dump looks like another good 30cm+ above 2000m, although it will probably rain and then turn to snow in the village.
All set up for a fantastic weekend, Sunday should be an absolute cracker
Should be 3-4 days at or below freezing from Saturday as well, so hopefully cannon weather ...
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Frosty the Snowman, Actually, the cover is better this year than last year in terms of skiability, but is less widespread. ie: last year more runs were open but this year, on the runs that are open the conditions are better.
brian, At the end of the day, if it's warm, we can work on the glacier - also the rope tow at 2,600 for beginners. There are options other than the nursery slopes - OK not as ideal, but not impossible.
It really was good yesterday, but looks vile today. The wind is now high in the town, and what was working before seems to have stopped. good day not to go out on!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sunday is supposed to be the day to ski. Pity we have this awful high wind again. Still I think a 99 quid holiday in les Deux Alpes next week would be good value.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
davidof, high wind on the lauteret too, hopefully blowing all the snow to serre che, but knowing our luck probalby not
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Meteo France (as translated by Bill Gates et al!  ).
Its also actually for Alpe Duez but hey....
N38071211
INFORMATION SNOWS AND AVALANCHE of ISERE
(valid out of the marked and opened tracks)
written on Thursday December 7
starting from reduced information
SNOW CONDITIONS:
IN THE COURSE OF IMPROVEMENT
Snowing up is always weak and overdrawn for the season but the situation will continue to improve with the disturbance which arrives in evening of this Friday.
While waiting, the limit of snowing up is in the neighbourhoods of 1400m this Thursday morning.
It is necessary to go up around 2400 m to have a snow cover with underlayer.
Height of total snow at these altitudes this Thursday: 30 to 50 cm in the sheltered sectors of the wind.
The many episodes of strong wind of southern sector made snowing up very irregular and even with 3000m continuous snowing up is not always continuous.
ESTIMATE OF THE RECENT FALLS OF SNOW:
The last falls go back to Wednesday. They gave between 10 and 15 cm of snow between 1500 and 1800m and 20 to 25 cm above 2200m. The wind blew of various directions during this fall.
STATE OF SNOW EC THURSDAY DECEMBER 7:
Snow fallen Wednesday quickly packs this Thursday because of the rise in temperature until worms 2500m. The wind of south will create transport as from this night of Thursday at Friday and all the day of Friday. New accumulations will thus be formed in the sheltered zones of the wind of south.
The underlayer, when it exists, is made up either of a little cold snow, or of snow without much cohesion at high altitude, like on the sheltered slopes north of the wind, or of snow hardened in lower part of 2400 with 2700m and until more 3000m in southern slopes.
TENDENCY FOR THE NEXT DAYS:
Beautiful improvement
Fresh snow should not make forget the safety requirements.. Attention thus with the risk to start a plate or an unstable accumulation at very high altitude where the underlayer will not have undergone the wind of the south and can have a low cohesion...
Weather:
Friday, day of wind of strong south in front of the disturbance awaited for the end of afternoon. The small layer of snow of Wednesday should disappear until around 1800 m even a little higher.
In the course of night of Friday to Saturday, passage of a very active disturbance which will approximately give 30 to 40 centimetres of snow  above 2000m. The snow line , towards 1900m at the beginning of episode, will go down towards 1000m at the end of the night. Natural departures of avalanches are possible during the falls of snow because the quantity of awaited snow is important.
Saturday, cold time (isothermal 0 degree towards 1200m) with north wind. Some downpours of snow are envisaged on Préalpes and Belledonne whereas breaks develop in the south on Oisans and Large-Russet-red. Transport of snow by the wind and formation of accumulations and plates which could be dangerous at high altitude, above approximately 2400 m where the underlayer is locally fragile.
Sunday, continuation of the improvement. Cloudy sun and passages with less wind of north and temperatures which remain normally fresh.
Monday, still a little more sun.
This information will be renewed at the latest on Monday December 11
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
| easiski wrote: |
simonmj66, Well - I had a good giggle reading that translation! I'm particularly struck by the "underlayer" and also by "Large-Russet-Red!" Wonderful stuff. Sad that we already knew most of it from my photos and observations.
|
If you are interested we do an automated translation that, while not perfect, is better than that from the online translation tools
http://pistehors.com/backcountry/wiki/Avalanches/Isere-Avalanche-Bulletin
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
Hi all
Can anyone tell me if the reason that so few lifts are open is because of the wind or is it the lack of snow?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
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?
|
Loads of £99.00 deals to L2D on teletext. Wish I lived near Gatwick 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Looks like I may not shred the bases of my new Missions in January, then 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Just to keep you all in the picture, these are early morning shots from the balcony:
  
ianshep, Yesterday no lifts were running because of very high winds and a major storm. Basically they're running all the lifts that serve pistes that are officially open. But as there isn't by any means a full resort, for instance where the Lac Noir serves Toura, Lac Noir and Grand Creux runs, whereas Toura only serves Toura and boarder cross. Therefore they're only running the Lac Noir lift. Not all the summer lifts are working, but most were - they usually only run Snowpark and Puy Salié + train. 8 man chair has been running one or the other half according to the wind and weather. No need to do whole for access, only about 5 mins at Jandri Express 2. Fee is not open and neither is Combe de Thuit, therefore none of those lifts are running (very low see yesterday's post). Super Diable was not open, but I should think there's a chance today. Bellecombe ditto. High wind may have scoured the path from the top of Super Diable to 2,600 though. No need (sadly) to run Belle Etoile chairlift yet. Pied Moutet area is not open. Nursery slopes not open. OK?
I don't know how much has fallen higher up, but as it was snowing all day, and it rained down here until dusk, it must be shedloads!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
easiski,
This looks really encouraging. If I had any leave left I'd be on the first Easyjet flight to London to take advantage of one of those £99.00 deals!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
the Snow Gods have spoken !!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
