 Poster: A snowHead
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How much snow has fallen thus far?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Ptspeak wrote: |
| How much snow has fallen thus far? |
There is a nice video from about 2 o'clock (UK time) from the Zermatt Facebook page showing a girl making a snow angel in fresh stuff in town. Looks like she is doing it in about 20cm so should be quite a bit more up on the pistes. Happy days.
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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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| scotspikey wrote: |
| @stevew, what can I expect to pay for a beer and an average meal like a pasta or pizza there? |
Small beer seems to be around 4 euros a large (50cl) around 6 to 7. Pasta on the mountain around 10 to 12. Pizzas much the same
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| Ptspeak wrote: |
| How much snow has fallen thus far? |
In Cervinia this morning there was around 30cm in resort. All the lifts were closed so we took the disaster that's the local bus down to Valtourneche,completely white down there now, probably around 20cm. Only the gondola and two chairs open one quickly closing we mainly did the valley run which was in excellent nick but a few icey patches. The left hand chair quickly shut did the right hand one a couple of times other people doing off piste but really poor visibility. Finished at 2:45 tried to catch bus but bus driver fell out with a prospective passenger and stopped letting anyone else on so had to get ski's back off and 4 of us got a taxi back.
Overall an acceptable week and plenty of new snow for anyone coming out soon.
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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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i think given what might have been in zermatt cervinia - all is very well now....
Certainly the off-piste needs lots of help but it is winter for sure.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Out there this weekend. Anyone out there with update?
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@chrisb, exciting eh? see you there!
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@scotspikey, yes hoping for a good week
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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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Arrived Sunday, 1st ski day yesterday. Link to Zermatt closed. Bitterley cold with a wind chill factor. Minus 25c at the top and -14c in Cervinia at 4pm. A lot of hard pack and stuff off piste is all wind blown. Yesterday was a good warm up day, see what today brings. Hopefully we can get over to Zermatt which is what our guide has planned for us but this will depend on the wind.
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Half a meter of snow showing on 3b meteor for transfer day next Sunday......
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| scotspikey wrote: |
| Half a meter of snow showing on 3b meteor for transfer day next Sunday...... |
Do we think this is realistic?
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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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the pistes are in v good condition up high around trockner steg and down towards staffelalp but the steeper bits are getting fairly polished now and you occasionally see groups of worried folks who have to negotiate a couple hundred metters of steep dust over crust.
Sunnegga side also pretty and with similar issues.
The notable thing is the dramatic instability of the snow off piste and the many small but dangerous looking slides just to the side of and even on the piste. Staffelalp sidecountry below MH should really be avoided at all costs right now. Not that it looks v good but you do see a few tracks here and there and some skier triggered slides. Have seen small slides in the strangest places and frankly worrying for March when we have a guide booked for a couple weeks of adventuring. Yes it should be more stable by then but many/most the slides down to grass which withstood 8 weeks of hoar.
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You know it makes sense.
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@Brothergrimm, sorry to ask an obvious question. Which side are you talking about please? Thanks for the comments on the off piste
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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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@Brothergrimm, Thanks for that. I am flying back out on Monday. I have just hired a guide for off piste for Tuesday. He recommends we go over to the Cervinia side (which is fine for us) because the off piste is still better that side. I had thought last week's snow which helped the pistes (and the town) would have created some decent off piste as well but it appears less so. 
@chrisb, He is taking about the Swiss side.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@JohnMo, ok thanks
I am staying on the Italian side next week
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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At long last they have got run 28 (White Hare) from Hohtälli down to Gant opened up.
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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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How are conditions holding up? It looks lilies no significant new snow until February at earliest.
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| Ptspeak wrote: |
| How are conditions holding up? It looks lilies no significant new snow until February at earliest. |
I will post more next week when I am out there (and am popping round to a mate's in Verbier for a day so can compare). But pistes seem really good. However not a single itinerary open and off piste not great. Fortunately I like pistes - but I prefer the other stuff.
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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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@JohnMo,
Thanks. I'm at Verbier 30-31 and Zermatt 2/1-3. Verbier seems to be in better shape.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Ptspeak wrote: |
@JohnMo,
Thanks. I'm at Verbier 30-31 and Zermatt 2/1-3. Verbier seems to be in better shape. |
Yes. They got the better of the recent snow. It looks like Cervinia is still best mind. I don't think there is much between the current state of the pistes in Verbier and Zermatt but Verbier has its itineraries open.
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just watching and hoping. arriving feb 18th and hoping the itineraries can open up. should i even consider a guide for a day?, or wait until we arrive and see if its worthwhile? If anyone has any guide recommendations, much appreciated.
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Due to arrive with a group from nyc March 6th. Have refundable hotels though and could cancel airfare and try again next year. Is it time to panic? We are the type to get bored of only piste skiing. Thanks to all that have been providing updates.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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^^
Is this serious ?!!
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Lol yes it's serious. Obviously that's still very far out but an alps trip is insanely expensive and with nothing in long term outlook either seems fair to wonder if off piste will be an option by then even with significant snow. Or I'm just way too neurotic.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| skiandgolfnut wrote: |
| Or I'm just way too neurotic. |
Yes, absolutely anything could happen over the next 7 weeks.
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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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| skiandgolfnut wrote: |
| Due to arrive with a group from nyc March 6th. Have refundable hotels though and could cancel airfare and try again next year. Is it time to panic? We are the type to get bored of only piste skiing. Thanks to all that have been providing updates. |
Obviously anything could happen - or not happen - by then. But it would need a disaster for things not to be good by then. Last year was poor but all the itineraries were open by that time. As a rule of thumb once the itineraries are open the off piste is good.
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Why must you limit yourselves to zermatt or cervinia? If you are coming to the alps you are landing where and using car or train? I think conditions in many places are v good on piste and near average or perhaps even better in parts of the alps (austria). I would begin to consider another destination though as next 2 weeks or so looking pretty dry around these parts (Z/C)...In short I dont think its too early to begin to have real concern about off piste here this season, according to Zmatt website nov dec and jan are typically the snowiest times and while it always seems the skiing is best in march - i think thats because the off-piste needs time to fill in - it has not begun to do that yet.
If you are happy skiing on piste things are good but as a person who has a guide booked for a good bit of march I am becoming very nervous indeed for that type of skiing. Of course there is always climbing!
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You know it makes sense.
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@Brothergrimm,
All true. But at Xmas/New Year Cervinia (and to a lesser extent Zermatt) had arguably the best snow in the Alps while Austria was generally very poor. Last couple of weeks it has flipped the other way. But by mid-March lots could have happened. It is really early to consider changing plans.
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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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@Brothergrimm,
I'm locked in the first week of feb. Unless a miracle happens I'll ski on a thin layer of 2 week old snow over a moderate layer of 2 1/2 month old snow.... not exactly Utah powder but I'll make the best of it. I identify with the anxiety I purchased airfare mid November and have watched the weather with horror ever since. Seems to be the new norm for Europe.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Good piste skiing again today and notably again things best up high and again down very low. The weekend has brought about double the number of skiers of last mid-week but still fairly quiet. My wife who is the piste expert here thinks its empty still.
We are hoping to head over to Cervinia tomorrow as the weather looks pretty good if a bit windy. Will report. Did drop off the skis for a tune tonight in line with the general firming up thats inevitable with the type of winter we are having here. Another few days of skiing then back home for a few weeks and return for last week of Feb and first 2 weeks of March. Fingers crossed.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Cervinia has a bit more snow - the pistes are good to very good, its uncrowded and a cappucino, caffe corretto and a delicious piece of blueberry cake was 9 euros. What's not to like?
Off piste very wind-scrubbed but if, say u had some new kit u wanted to try out u could maybe find a few turns and perhaps even make a day of it with a guide. We have decided to do some touristing and so I wish you well and promise to check back in mid-Feb when we return. Bon chance.
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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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Been in cervinia since Sunday. Looks like zero off piste, but that does not bother me as a forty something skier with shot knees. Piste conditions excellent. Skied over to zermatt today, was great, but a long haul back. Blue skies, fast pistes, wonderful.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Piste conditions on both sides still very good. Spent most of the day on Swiss side in good sunshine. Off piste very limited. Maybe small amount of snow due this weekend but it will make no difference to off piste
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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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High wind closed the link today so stayed on Italian side. Cold and grey sky by the end of the day. Some light snow fell higher up
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Heading out this weekend. Can't wait!
Noticed the closures on the live map. Hopefully the wind won't be to bad next week.
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My son and I had a great day (lift accessed) off piste with a guide on Tuesday. I suspect the reason we had a great day is in a large part down to the fact that we are still relatively new to guided off piste so each experience feels like a real treat.
We started off on the Swiss side coming down from Furggsattel heading over the glacier towards the Matterhorn and then sweeping down to Furgg. Even with my opening statement I have to admit the conditions were very poor. Most of the way down was either ice or rock! We found it a great challenge having to deal with such tricky conditions but anyone more experienced than us would have despaired.
We then went over to the Italian side where conditions (at least up high) were much better. I guess it would be wrong to call it powder but at least we were skiing through deep snow. Even on that side though it didn't take long to get down to what the guide called “crème brûlée” skiing – a hard crust over softer stuff below. If nothing else it focused the mind on trying to maintain weight on both skies to prevent one ski crashing through the crust with the other stranded up top!
As I said we had a great time but this is not what conditions should be like for end January. The piste conditions are still holding up well with the snow from a couple of weeks ago, the cold temperatures since then and the relatively lower crowds one gets in January. With the temperatures rising and the half term crowds not that far away things could start to go downhill (not in a good way!) if we don't get some decent dumps soon.
We got back to the apartment unscathed and on a real high. However I then slipped in the shower and the X-ray shows I have broken a rib which is giving me a fair amount of pain. It goes to show how much more dangerous showering is than off piste skiing. I know which I am going to focus on in future.
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Are the weather patterns getting any better? Mid feb arrival and have been patiently and now anxiously watching day after day of dry conditions. All it takes is a week, but is that week in April? I guess I gave some flexibility and can go somewhere else from Milan, should I start considering that?
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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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| Redwine wrote: |
| Are the weather patterns getting any better? Mid feb arrival and have been patiently and now anxiously watching day after day of dry conditions. All it takes is a week, but is that week in April? I guess I gave some flexibility and can go somewhere else from Milan, should I start considering that? |
There is decent hope of snow later next week. Could be enough to freshen up the pistes so they will still be good. It doesn't yet look like enough to be a gamchanger for off piste - for that you need to head off somewhere with a guide or go heliskiing (if you can afford it).
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having my last beer at the chalet....there is no off piste here... tho a heli may be able to access something near champoluc if you started from cervinia side...worth it? doubtful. I'd go anyway.
its a good old fashioned pray for snow excercise....ive been told to burn some skis....that wont fly here in winkelmatten. i think when it starts it may not stop...
it will need a good long week to settle down tho. Best wishes for next 3 weeks!
ps- schnappes helps, grappa moreso
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