 Poster: A snowHead
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Thanks @Jonpim, only ever saw it late March so got sun then but even then only stopped for a quick beer.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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How much of the long range forecast do we believe? I can see lots of snow over the next week then clearing up w/c 21st!!
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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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Decent amount of fresh snow this morning. Snowing down the the bottom of the bubble in Champagny.
Massive change here from the last time I was up last Friday.
Looks like it’s winter finally!!
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The snow for today is right, similar snowy episodes forecast with * relative * certitude at least untill tuesday. It started snowing again in Bellecôte a little after 8 this morning, intensity has slowed and visibility a little improved now compared to the start of the 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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Is Le Monica's still the best apres place for Soleil ? Music, Dj's etc ?
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| Lucywuk wrote: |
| How much of the long range forecast do we believe? I can see lots of snow over the next week then clearing up w/c 21st!! |
Take with a pinch of salt - I'm going that week but am ignoring any forecasts for then at the moment. Just focusing on the next 4 days or so, and hoping that forecasted snow comes as that will be a game changer especially for the lower slopes. Then I'll start to pay more attention to the following week.
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@boredsurfin, you star! Yep, can clearly see some ski in / out there.
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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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@always29, Yes, its a great position and some good bars/ restaurants. Most defininetly ski out, ski in from the drag lift and maybe from the Ecartee piste if you get the right line..
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Wow
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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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Snowing lightly again this evening
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DRAG LIFT??!
NOOOOOOO!
Cancel the booking
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You know it makes sense.
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@Richard_Sideways, you'll love Plagne Centre then! It's bad enough as a skier having to pole across it. Mind you it looks like they've put in a little pop-over-the-hump travellator that might be enough to save some agro. Boarder salvation!
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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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Any La Plagne regulars like to recommend a place for coffee and croissant low down on the mountain toward Les Coches?
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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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Colder than yesterday. Another snow day. Occasional high wind, Roche de Mio possible via Blanchets - Carella, not via the cablecar, due to the wind.
Multiple Col de Forcle breakdowns this morning, so that after morning training + work over lunch time, I opted to not go to afternoon training and get administration done inside.
It started snowing a little before lift opening this morning. It is not snowing anymore in Bellecôte right now. Looks like a nice layer of untouched white again.
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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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Snowed all day today off and on right down to Albertville this morning - I was doing a transfer (Dads Taxi!) to Lyon airport, on the way back the snow started at Moutier. Once back in Montalbert at lunchtime the snow dwindled and the sun came out and then low cloud arrived. Its -3c right now with a clear sky and the snow makers have been turned off and the gondolas have all been stacked in their garage which suggests overnight snow or freezing temps - or both!
Looking at the untouched snow I reckon around 20cm fell today.
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Thanks for the update! I can see it snowing today.
I am arriving on Saturday and conditions are perfect 
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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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Snowing again today around 3 inches brushed off the car from last nights snowfall in Montalbert (1350m), stopped snowing between 12 and 2 now snowing persistently again. Shopping trip to the valley this morning, this is driving back up at 12 noon.
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Yes, as boredsurfin reports, it has been snowing on-and-off, and the temperature has fallen down to near -10C.
But despite all this, i was surprised to find how little the pistes had improved since was last here 3 weeks ago.
The reds down to La Roche still closed. Some of reds down to Montalbert still closed. And stones appearing in all the same spots as noted in December.
Pistes above 1800 quite pleasant, but below this the new soft snow is quickly scraped off to reveal the boiler plate created during the warm spell over Christmas and New Year.
Even so, with all the trees covered in snow the place is looking really lovely.
And when the sun comes out tomorrow and we can see properly i reckon we'll all have a lovely time - just keep above 1800m.
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@Jonpim, I asked about the Reds in Montalbert forest and down to La Roche and the reply was that there was not enough snow to open them! Which is hard to believe after the snowfall of this last week.
However, lots of Reds open in other areas of La Plagne...
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Seems like most of the reds are open today though
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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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Very very cold today -10c on our Montalbert balcony at 09:00 apparently it was -15c at 2000m. on piste conditions are best of the season so far with bright sunshine. I'm told there is huge amounts of deep powder if you are willing to go looking for it. So cold we had a long lunch to warm up and then headed home. Possibly the coldest I have skied for a a good while - and yes I had put an extra layer on 
Face mask going on tomorrow.
The 2 La Roche Reds are still closed!
ANDRE MARTZOLF
MANQUE DE NEIGE
EMILE ALLAIS
MANQUE DE NEIGE
from, https://bulletin.lumiplan.pro/bulletin.php?station=la-plagne®ion=alpes&pays=france&lang=en
The only reason I can see is the last 75m into La Roche village still has some undergrowth visible. But no machines have been put down either piste since the season opened. It really is odd now.
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Thu 19-01-23 16:39; edited 2 times in total
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Agree @boredsurfin, very very very cold. Fortunately we had seen forecast and dressed accordingly.
We put on everything, but even then were getting very chilly on chairlifts early on (10ish).
Indeed we were saved by the rope tow across to Dos Rond not working so we had to walk it - a great way to warm up.
So, with the lovely bright sun in blue sky and the cold making for super pistes it should have been a perfect day. Not quite.
Oh, the crowds! The usual busy pistes were even busier than usual. And this is mid January!
We had a queues where there are never queues. Crozats. A 10 minute queue at Crozats! Unheard of.
But back to it being very cold - all over there were people having lunch outside. Outside! -10C.
I mean: you'd get icicles on your chips. I never will understand some people.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Jonpim, Ironically, no queues at the Bergerie lift or at Lovatiere - Colorado was having a bad day with technical breakdowns, we joined a short queue only to be told it had stopped, an instructor muttered it was the second breakdown of the morning. I guess the crowds were following you. We had no queues on the lifts back to Montalbert this afternoon either.
Was chatting to a local ski shop owner who said February will break all records. He has had to order more stock to cope. It's the same all over with more bookings from the UK than ever before Covid.
Glad we are heading home before then!
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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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@Jonpim, you mention the usual busy pistes.. would you mind sharing which sectors/pistes/lifts are notoriously busy or are choke points in La Plagne?
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@boredsurfin, we'll be there in February, really hoping it won't be quite that bad. Unless there's been a massive building spree since COVID with loads more beds, can it really be much busier than any other February?
We're staying in 1800 so was banking on having easy access to (relatively) quieter runs down to La Roche and Montalbert when the central area gets too much. Hopefully they'll get most of the runs open before then. It should be cold enough for snow making at least. Where there's a will there's a way...
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You know it makes sense.
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It is really odd - and with no more snow forecast over the next few days, I'm assuming that won't change by the time we arrive at the weekend. Oh well, it is what it is! Still can't wait!!
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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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@Handy Turnip, the webcams are showing snow machines working in Champagny and Montchavin this evening so chances are they're also working at La Roche. If they can keep production up a few nights it's possible they'll get enough coverage down there soon.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| NBH wrote: |
| @Jonpim, you mention the usual busy pistes.. would you mind sharing which sectors/pistes/lifts are notoriously busy or are choke points in La Plagne? |
Lift wise:
Collosses and Bergerie are two IME.
Arpette at peak returning to Les Arcs time.
Carella when people are avoiding the gondola from Bellecotte/Belle Plagne which is itself gets busy.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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-14c on the balcony this morning at 08:00. The snowmakers, which were running when we went to bed, were switched off - possibly too cold to run them? Unfortunately, I have forgotten what the optimum temperatures were when we visited the 'snow factory control' but do remember them saying it can be too cold!
Bright clear blue sky with hardly any cloud but bitterly cold out on the piste today and quieter - I guess too cold for some. It was -10c in the shade at 1950 m when we stopped for lunch.
@Nigel_SW, There are 5 new building sites in Montalbert, one of which has just been finished, in total that's 1200 new beds! (500 opening right now)
All the Holiday camps are full for February, there are 6 of those! Earlier this week with flat light everywhere Montalbert runs (that were open) were heaving.
One British operator that has 80 beds in Montalbert is completely full from 28th Jan until March 4th!
The La Plagne tourist forecast is showing average bed occupancy for all of La Plagne at 85% for the middle two weeks of February which is a 15% increase on 'normal'
The only positive I can offer is that Hotel Christina that was a Mark Warner Chalet Hotel is boarded up and being re-furbished or demolished - not sure which. So that will be a 100 or so less beds in Plagne Centre but balanced out by the new builds over near the Bergerie lift, I guess.
IMHO the best plan for February is a late start, after a big breakfast, which misses the ski school scramble then ski through the French lunch break form 12.30 until 2.30 and then be high up at 2.30 so you are coming down when they are all coming up 
The 2 La Roche red pistes remain closed today. As do the reds in Montalbert forest.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Fri 20-01-23 13:22; edited 1 time in total
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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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Layne,You can add the Funi Plagne to that list particularly around the times the ski schools set off. Sadly the new queue management system is no improvement.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Nigel_SW wrote: |
@boredsurfin, we'll be there in February, really hoping it won't be quite that bad. Unless there's been a massive building spree since COVID with loads more beds, can it really be much busier than any other February?
We're staying in 1800 so was banking on having easy access to (relatively) quieter runs down to La Roche and Montalbert when the central area gets too much. Hopefully they'll get most of the runs open before then. It should be cold enough for snow making at least. Where there's a will there's a way... |
We have avoided Feb HT over the years in favour of Christmas and Easter but last year because of Covid and daughter availability we decided to risk it. I think the weeks do vary a bit according to which French regions are off so not sure if we had the peak of the peak. Also, don't know the effect of Covid on numbers. However, the upshot is that it wasn't too bad. I mean, for sure there were queues, occasionally quite bad but it was liveable and we had a good week. Note that we don't stop very long for lunch (brown bagging) and that is a good time to ski. Also note we drove in fairly early Saturday and left tea time the second Saturday so traffic was OK. Driving out then you can see the massive queues off traffic coming in.
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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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@Layne, Thanks for those tips. How early on Saturday did you arrive and I'd appreciate any other driving tips. Our plan is to leave home straight after school on the Friday afternoon and get a Eurotunnel about 7.30 - 8pm depending on chaos levels at Folkestone. Before anyone suggests it, getting kids out school early won't be an option so we're stuck with the evening crossing. Currently we have a room booked at a budget hotel near Reims (the sort with self-service check in). The question is should we bother stopping or just drive straight through? The family's preference is to stop, even if it's just for a few hours but if we get stuck in the mother of all traffic jams getting into the valley we might regret it. On the other hand, arriving knackered and wandering round the resort like zombies waiting for 3pm to get into the apartment doesn't sound fun either. (Our girls are both first-time skiers with just one lesson at Hemel under their belts, so there won't be much skiing happening).
Ieally I don't want to arrive much later than 6pm so we can get to the ski shop before it closes. Preferably we'll also manage a supermarket stop at Aime or before. If we miss the ski shop Saturday evening, how hectic will it be on Sunday morning, bearing in mind we need our kit (or at least the girls do) before ski school starts at 9.15?
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@Nigel_SW, there is a link in the message above for the TR which is a blow by blow account
We always drive through the night anyway. We have two drivers (me and the wife) - plenty of cushions and blankets. So kids sleep as much as possible, me and the wife get a few hours. Obviously not the sound sleep you would get in a proper bed but it takes the edge off. For me it would be palaver to stop. Quite often we get a crossing at 10/11 at night on the way out - usually working so leave 6. To make stopping worthwhile would have to set out a fair bit earlier. And on the way back it's just nice to ski all day, drive out of resort, have a good meal and then crack on to get home early Sunday. If it wasn't for work/school we would perhaps take my time more.
On the way out we normally arrive in Albertville close to supermarket opening. There is a Super U a bit further along which we used once but we like the Albertville one. Supermarket takes a couple of hours because we are a bit slow and quite a few things to get (meat, cheese, wine, veg, milk, yoghurts, pastries) plus fuel top up. It's true that if you do not have access to your accommodation or are not skiing getting into resort at 11/midday can be a bit awkward. Not generally an issue for us but when it has we've had a wander and relaxed in a cafe, when the kids were younger we would sledged. That said I definitely wouldn't want to be coming in later. In general at Feb HT everything will just be more glitchy/slow - even at 6/7 after passing Lyon and it will only get worse as the day goes on. If hiring gear I would definitely want to be sorting all that Saturday afternoon. Same for food shopping. There is a lot to do in terms of checking into the apartment, figuring out where everything is and everything works and presumably your girls are in ski school so you will have to be up early. And the first morning is always a faff.
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Bear in mind we had great driving conditions - if the weather isn't so good it will exponentially affect things at HT.
Oh and even at HT changeover day (Saturdays) are quiet and perfect days to ski.
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@Layne, thanks for all the info, sounds you know what you're talking about. 
Thanks too @boredsurfin, although lazy mornings probably won't be on the agenda. I was hoping we could manage quick drop offs at ski school, then catch our first lifts before the lessons get going.
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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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| boredsurfin wrote: |
Reds to La Roche still closed despite all the snowmakers running through the night all around!
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Sounds encouraging 
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FAQ
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