 Poster: A snowHead
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
I skied the Val thorens area today, good snow there and fewer stones, but yikes do they have some Baltic chair lifts there... Next weeks forecast snow will be very welcome as the 3V is starting to look like ribbons of piste snaking through bare mountainside in places
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
Oh my goodness....let's hope this forescast is right. Who cares if we can't see where we are going, at least we won't be in a queue in Sainsburys or stuck on the tube or M25 etc., etc.,
I'd far rather be in a white-out than stuck here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Was in Meribel today. It's not an area I'm at all familiar with, so can't compare it to "normal" conditions but the run down from Mt Vallon (Combe Vallon) was great, with plenty of snow, and few scrapy bits. the other run down was closed. There were warning signs at the top of Mont Vallon to keep off the off piste, because of lack of snow. Personally, I wouldn't have needed that warning - it was a sea of sharp rocks! Didn't do a chairlift all day - a big treat to someone from a piddling area with no gondolas! Some of the prices were a bit eye-watering though; I was amused by the ad for the super cheap vin chaud in the Cactus Bar during happy hour every Wednesday evening. Just 3 euros - we can get them for less than that all the time, all week!
Beautiful sunshiny weather, super even up at the top. I'd rather be up there on a day like today than a day like next Tuesday looks like being!! It might be another case of lots of lift closures.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
pam w, lummy - me too, but not til about 4.00pm when I thought it was tough; bumby at the top and the snow untrustworthy, but it sure is a lovely position.
Campagnol is the other run, and that and the lower section od Lac de la Chambre ("bedroom puddle" en Anglais) where closed as there was more mountain than piste.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
in meribel all day... v good grippy snow off the cherferie drag today, choucas and blaireau.. as well as lagopede.... the bottom sections of all pistes coming into chaudanne were quite scraped and a bit scary at speed....
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
skimottaret, strikes me that all the runs served only by drags have the best snow - funny that innit? Were you in the full-on GS that was going on today? I entered, but you know, Anglais verbotten.... Face was alright though despite to fiable niege signs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
looking at the les menuires 360 web cam it snowed last night. Bring on saturday!!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Great snow all round the 3v in the last couple of days. Suisses yesterday and Tues at 4.20pm was still in awesome condition...
Even better today with a couple of inches of fresh mixed in on top... Suisses, Combe des Pylones, Epaule Vizelle, whatever the big red down to Mottaret is called (as good as I've ever skied it..).
Lac du Lou from Caron had some nice soft snow, drifted in to 3 - 4 inches in places..only a few ways down though... Jackpot in the afternoon with 4 - 5 inches of perfect light powder..:
Mont Vallon still great this afternoon...
Bring on the new snow (but watch out for the rocks underneath)...to anyone coming out the offpiste is potentially going to be very dangerous if you don't know which bits had snow on and which were rock...
Let it snow let it snow let it snow...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@offpisteskiing: Assuming there's new snow at the start of the week (and ONLY if enough of it) do you have any precise guidance for the route from La Masse down to the Plan de L'Eau lift via Lac du Lou? I've never tried it and am a novice off-piste skier but have heard it's not a difficult route. It's the navigation I have a problem with as I can't find any guidance. Wouldn't want to end up on the wrong side of a river or something, or end up somewhere I shouldn't be.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
Skittler, there's b*gger all snow in that side at the moment... There were 2 or 3 tracks coming off La Masse down to the Lac du lou today, but serious picking about between rocks & bare patches. Even with a good dump it isn't going to be much fun (& potentially very dangerous) as there will be no base.
Route-finding is fairly obvious if you have good visibility (ie you won't end up stuck down a valley in the middle of nowhere), however this is off-piste, uncontrolled mountainside...after the predicted snowfall there will be avalanche risk, and the run down from La Masse has plenty of prime slopes (Lac du Lou area has created its fair share of casualties over the years)- if you are new to off-piste skiing I would seriously recommend hiring someone to not only show you the way, but show you the ropes as far as safety is concerned - try the Les Menuires guides bureau
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Yeah, although I am out there for two weeks so hopefully it'll have time to snow a couple of times and then settle down a bit.
I'm interested because I want to have a go at doing the whole "Escapade" route in one day, but that requires that particular section to be skiable otherwise it's (probably) impossible. See here for what I mean: http://www.latania.co.uk/skiing/escapade.html
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
looks like some rain for lower down over the next couples weeks
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
chrisb, why report some nonsense that may or may not occur  if your out here give us the facts
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
Yep. Just finished packing (flying out tomorrow) and I don't have room for my umbrella.
Oh well, c'est la vie, as nobody ever says in France 
I may check in once or twice while away and give some actual conditions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
perfect snow on the chatelets run in courch 1650 today
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
Well it’s snowing in VT again. Started around 1030, but has got much heavier in the last hour or so. Since I was last here a lot more wind scrubbing has taken place on the lift accessible off piste, which was thin enough then! The Col chair was closed this morning so I skinned up to the Col du Thorens, pretty damn windy up there!! I skied on the Glacier du Chaviere in December in perfect conditions, now much of the snow has been blown away leaving a lot of the glacier exposed (easy to spot the crevasses now!). I was going to take a picture to show the comparison of then and now, but it really was a bit too windy to be hanging around! The wind also halted my plans to head round to the Col Pierre Lory, and the Glacier Bouchet down into the Orelle valley, might be better anyway after the fresh snow!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
hammering down in Mottaret now
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| offpisteskiing wrote: |
| ... (could be a good challenge here - Orelle base station 3.10pm, Bozel 4.45pm...) |
Wow! After a day's off piste skiing that's pretty good going.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
skimottaret, sorry, not meant to be nonsence, just looked on snow forecast.com, thats all
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
skimottaret, yes agreed, i should have put the post there
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Light snowfall since 10.00 in Les Menuires. A giant (...) layer of 3,5 cm is result uptill now (16.00)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
Lots of wind today with the snow.. most lifts shut up high this afternoon, but a nice layer of fresh already building.. Rain/snow limit about 1100 this afternoon, but definitely 'wet' snow above that for a bit.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
After having just spent a week scraping the bejeesus out of my new skis on every rock in the 3 valleys it's fair to say returning home to find there's finally some fresh snow falling has not brightened my mood.
Ah well. Good luck to those of you heading out this week. I do hope the rocks get a good layer to hide them and finances allowing i'll be back soon.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyone got any updates?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
fastandicy, I was out (in Courchevel 1650) last week too. Only a few good sections of off piste - but the pistes were in the best condition I have seen them at this time of year (going back for the last 6 or 7 years). Sure, the top of Creux had a few stones - but Suisses, Face, Chapelets and Reynard (on piste and just off piste) were all in great nick. and it is the first time that I have been able to ski down to Le Praz on quality snow at this time of year!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
Ayrshire Andy, This was my first visit to 3V so can't comment on how it usually is.
Comparing it to other resorts i've visited at this time of year recently (Les 2 Alpes and Serre Chevalier) i was surprised by the amount of stones showing through. In saying that there's no doubt the pisteurs were doing everything they could and runs with modern canons like those down to Le Praz were great but those without got steadily worse as the day went on. Creux, Roc merlet, and Jean Pachod in particular were all in poor condition and Grand couloir and Chanrossa never opened all week which was a shame as friends had reccomended i give them both a go when i was there.
The great thing with 3V was of course that the runs closed or in poor shape were greatly outnumbered by those which were great fun but my bases are testament to the fact that the stone situation was damaging.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
15cm powder in courche today!some awesome powder (especially if you know where to look) and know what's underneath the fresh snow. However wet and heavy down low, loads more snow forecast - finally the ice has gone! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Just as I leave 3V it chucks it down with snow! 
Last week was pretty good actually, sunny every day but a bit icy in the afternoons (I was in VT). However I can echo the comments about rocks showing through in places.
The worst thing was my flight out there last Sunday, Gatwick to Chambery - 7.5 hours! 2 aborted landings, 1 diversion to Grenoble where we spent 3+ hours sat on the runway ... nightmare!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
troublemaker, why 2 aborted landings?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
Too cloudy at low altitude, the pilot overshot the landing twice and had to pull up
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
it is a well documented issue at chambery...
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Do you guys fly to Grenoble or Geneva instead?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
troublemaker, Geneva for me... I'm not sure what the facilities are like in Grenoble, but GVA seems to operate perfectly normally whatever the weather
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
troublemaker, everyone I know who has flown to Grenoble has had a nightmare journey. Chambéry isn't much better.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
We fly to Chambery on Sunday, here's hoping for clear skys!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
russ_e, Saturday will be stormy!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
snowforecast cant get a few days in advance right let along a few weeks 