Typical view up the mountain today! (Thanks to The Mountain Echo for this photo)
Well we awoke to about 10cm of snow in town (max) but up at the 2400- 2800m altitude range there was up to 20 or even 30cm in sheltered places (I have it on good authority).
It was a very lazy day here in the Angus household.... a trip to Chevallot for yummy pastries for breakfast.... lots of play time with Olivia, a walk around town this afternoon followed by tea and cake at Rize then home to call the grandparents (Olivia's) on Skype then a yummy steak and chips dinner.... perfect family day.
Those that went up the mountain enjoyed some great snow but the sun got to some snow and it got quite heavy in the afternoon..... the avalanche risk will be 3 for most of tomorrow until this fresh snow settles down but we still have some serious layering going on so stay safe out there folks.
Talking of staying safe the pisteurs are once again reminding people that the Gorges des Malpasset is NOT passable at the moment - there are tracks going in that direction but those tracks are people who are skinning elsewhere as they get to that neck of the woods... several people have had to be rescued from in there last week so be warned!
The slopes should once again be quite busy this week as it is the second week of school holidays (Paris) although of course UK schools have gone back and the local schools have also gone back. It will be quieter from next weekend onwards for this who are coming!
Back to work tomorrow!
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
There was a 'false' dawn this morning as this Radio Val photo above shows.... it soon clouded over and started snowing by lunchtime although it was quite warm!
I dropped Olivia off and then headed to the meeting point (my first time there for a couple of weeks) to meet my am lady. A lovely doctor from London who works with children.... we had a great session despite the weather and we got up the mountain much to both of our surprises - I did not think she would be quite strong enough after looking at the booking notes. She had tried snowboarding in previous holidays but had never really gotten on with it so she loved it.
I was only working in the morning which was just as well as once again the lift queues out there are huge being school holidays for the Parisains still!
I tried eating for lunch (Clare was working in the afternoon so was all on my tod so thought I would try something totally different) at the new Coeur de Ble cafe which is dead opposite the main bus station. Really nice, a change from Chevallot food and great value:
An afternoon catching up on some odd jobs before picking Olivia up from the creche and now I am going to edit the video for last weeks skiing so hopefully I will be able to post it on tomorrows blog.
TTFN.
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?
A windy and snowy day
It was one of those days which you have to battle through because of the wind and snow. There was a good 15cm (and more towards the Fornet) up the hill and a good 10cm down here in town overnight but with the wind there were much larger drifts! The wind is coming from the North and West once again which means that with the expected sun tomorrow anything south facing in particular could be quite lethal!
Anyway I took the lady from yesterday morning up the Bellevarde side this morning so we had a little variety and BOY she skied well! For someone who has only skied the equivalent of 2 days she is doing mighty well. Even in the poor weather she did a couple of blues and handled them so well. If the weather is good then I will show her a nice groomed red run (perhaps) tomorrow. There were a lot of people who did not even both heading up the mountain today so the slopes were relatively quiet and there were no real lift queues at all but that will change if the weather clears up tomorrow which it is supposed to.
I came home for lunch as I had an hour and a half break and either way I was snowboarding this pm therefore had to change boots etc. So yes this afternoon I took the cousin of good friends of ours out here (Gav and Lou) out for a snowboarding lesson. The conditions had worsened this afternoon so it was a real battle in the wind and driving snow but after you dropped down a couple of hundred metres everything improved!
I forgot to post the screenshot of the 'big' ski day I had with the boys last week (still have not finished the video yet of the family holiday but hoping to get that done tonight to post tomorrow!) Anyway here is the shot:
Not much else to report at this end apart from to say that I am excited as Clare and I are looking to book a holiday (our first proper break away (certainly since having Olivia) since getting married)... we are looking at Agadir in Morocco in May.... Clares mum has offered to babysit for a week so we can both truly relax for a week..... ITS GREAT looking through brochures online and looking at options..... too exciting!
The snowflakes continue to fall outside so it could be a great powder day tomorrow for those heading off piste! But stay safe!
@Steve Angus, hi there, what do you mean when you say the south facing slopes are in trouble in terms of the wind? and that lots screenshot, is that an app I can download?
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Flying out on Saturday and starting to get excited. I am hoping the freezing fog I can see on some of the forecasts clears over the next few days.
I believe the app is ski tracks. Not sure on its accuracy.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
GO1996 - sorry I meant that south facing off piste slopes will be loaded avalanche wise anyway with this wind and then on top of that the effect of the sun will have a double whammy effect to make those off piste south facing slopes even more dangerous! Yes the app is Ski Tracks which is a very popular ski app on the App Store..... but I don't know how accurate it is!
After all it is free
After all it is free
WOW That was unexpected!
The sun was shining (well after about an hour of a cloud layer that stubbornly hung around.... then drifted off, then came back in late in the day) all day and it was glorious. It was a little chilly for the first couple of hours but I was determined to make the most of the weather and get up the mountain with my am lady (same as last couple of days) before the crowds turned up. They were about 5 mins late opening the Solaise for some reason but we got up the mountain and enjoyed STUNNING snow on the pistes all morning. Little by little we headed towards the Fornet glacier and the aim was to get Rachel down her first red run. She has been like a sponge all week taking on board the exercises, drills and information and processing it and most importantly improving..... she handled the red run really well.
Lunch was a little hectic as I had to go to the office and get off piste gear for the afternoon and I had forgotten my lunch so had to go to Tartine to get lunch which in a week like this is a 15 minute wait..... anyway we got there.
The afternoon was spent with a couple of nice lads in their 30's who had a long'ish list of what they wanted to get out of the session so we started with some short radius turns on the Arcelle and by the end of the session we ventured off piste. Doing little bits here and there of the side of the piste I was surprised by the sheer quality and depth of the powder snow that has fallen over the past few days.... there must have been a good 50cm of snow.... wonderful stuff!
I finally finished the video of last weeks skiing with my regular half term family.... Charlie in the video chose the music which I think was a good choice - love it! But each year I put together a video of the weeks holiday and it is nice to look back upon it as a record of the weeks fun! Enjoy!
Finally I just had to share some of the pics that the Val pisteurs put up on the web tonight of their work... in these particular pictures involving the work they do with helicopters - some great pics!
The global standardised distress signal of a 'Y' - back to the mountain and or wind, the pisteurs are summoning the chopper in for this casualty.
SKILLS! This is the PGHM chopper (for this who hear me refer to it - a serious incident - off piste usually, when these boys come in!)
The SAMU chopper.
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.
One of those snow forecasts for next week that is bound to disappoint - fingers crossed though
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Yep, that is going to dwindle to 3cm isn't it? We really shouldn't look at Snow Forecast.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Its what I imagine addiction is like - the highs and lows and you keep coming back
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.
Powder and blue skies
It was such a lovely day to be in the mountains as we enjoyed the second sunny day in a row. I was off piste all day and to be honest after the powder frenzy of yesterday all over the place I was not too expectant of either fresh tracks or great quality snow in general... well I was to be proved wrong.
I met my am clients (a father and (grown up) son) and we headed up Solaise - mainly as the queue was lots smaller for that side.
After a couple of 'testers' and a little technical chat we began to move further afield. My usual secret stashes came up trumps once again but I decided to take them out quite wide towards the Col de Madelaine and we got some lovely turns in:
Fresh tracks - OK only 10 turns or so but the walk was worth it just for these turns.
Looking back up the Cugnai and admiring his tracks. Chris was pleased!!!
I took them for an atmospheric trip down the Tour du Cugnai and the snow was lovely in there - wonderful. Three happy campers as we returned to town! A very quick lunch turn around before getting ready for my seasonnaires.
Only 5 of them were fit and able to ski (get well soon G) but we had a great afternoon. I took them for a couple of short hikes but the main attraction was the Danaides wall followed by the L'Avancher Couloir 'tester' that I generally use to make sure people will be able to cope with the heli ski to Chevril route we take!
Meanwhile one of my colleagues Joe got a great shot taken by one of his seasonnaires when he was out with them this afternoon. Joe loves his freestyle and it really is his thing but this is a cool shot of him mid backflip off piste somewhere!
Another seasonnaire (not with anyone from TDC) also had a lucky escape this afternoon in the Grapillon area over in Tignes.... just because it has not snowed for a couple of days and despite the fact the amount of fresh turns to be had is diminishing and little avalanche evidence is to be seen in the form of actual slides does not mean to say it is any safer out there. A lucky escape:
So the weather is due to change tonight and the next few days should be up and down and we could get some descent snowfall but as dan100 and HoneyBunny are saying above - watch those forecasts carefully as they often change! Snow Forecast are optimists at the best of times!
Finally I here there was a flat fire in the centre of town this evening and at least one flat has been totally destroyed - sad news there.
So looks like I am only working tomorrow afternoon (however I have now taught about 360 hours already this season so I am not too worried about a blank morning) and Clare is heading to Tignes to have a ski with a friend.
That's all for now folks!
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
that avalanche video.....
Quote:
Snow Forecast are optimists at the best of times!
no, they just use one of the GFS runs (ie one of what might be quite a big spread of possibilities) so the number of cms could turn out to be much more "optimistic" or "pessimistic" than what actually happens. Underestimates are as common as overestimates but nobody tends to notice and moan about them.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Blimey that guy who set off the avalanche had a bloody lucky escape!
Looks like it was a beautiful day. You have the best job in the world Steve (most of the time !
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
The friends of dangerous dave were very chilled as he had his 50 50 moment
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
pam w - perhaps.... I also studied meteorology as part of my degree..... all I know is that my experiences of them are that 90% of the time they end up over-estimating and 10% of the time they end up under-estimating..... however at the end of the day lets hope they are pessimistic on this occasion as it is DUMPING IT DOWN OUT THERE AND HAS BEEN ALL MORNING - YEEHAA!.... I totally agree though that 'bad' weather always hits the headlines and no-one really ever comments when the forecasts are spot on.
Working this afternoon but a relaxed am now - Clare off to ski with a friend this am so a relaxed morning watching the snow fall outside.... yes HoneyBunny - I do like to think I have the best job in the world!
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
dan100 wrote:
The friends of dangerous dave were very chilled as he had his 50 50 moment
I wonder how much use they would have been if he'd been swept down and buried...
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?
CathS wrote:
dan100 wrote:
The friends of dangerous dave were very chilled as he had his 50 50 moment
I wonder how much use they would have been if he'd been swept down and buried...
Good that they were calm about it - the last thing you'd want if buried in an avalanche would be your 'rescuers' freaking out when they should be getting organised to search for you!
Apologies for not posting yesterday - I had a total memory blank and just remembered this morning - whoops!
Anyway yesterday was a day of two halves - a nice relaxing morning at home catching up on a few things and then taking my seasonnaires out for their last session in the afternoon (they will have one more session when they (those who would like) come heliskiing in a couple of weeks time). I have reminded them of what an afternoons heliskiing trip looks like.... something like this from last year.
The weather was pretty horrible yesterday - not particularly windy or snowy (although it did snow a few cm's) but just foggy. The cloud was just hanging at the wrong altitude which meant that most of the resort was stuck in think cloud for most of the day...
With my seasonnaires we just worked on some moguls technique - we could not really get in to many actual moguls as they could not be seen but as is always the case in these situations you improvise and work on the technique out of the moguls so hopefully next time they drop into them they will have an idea on how to tackle them! We also did a little freestyle work (again the park was closed so had to do it on piste) and I was able to teach them a couple of different grabs but the favourite thing by far that we did was twirly birds.... if you don't know what they are then effectively you are linked together by the ski poles and you spin around facing each other in 360 rotations which looks like the rotor blades of a heli spinning around and around! They loved it.
Equipped with a little video of them skiing we retreated back to Blue Note to have a final beer altogether and watch the video to do some analysis - perfect!
A couple of hours later it was back home and dinner then bed.
In local news:
Apparently the fire the other day has destroyed the laundry store for Val Avaligne which is linked to 4 Property (commiserations Paul and Debbie!). However there will be lots of independent apartment and chalet owners (we used to be one of their customers) who no longer have clean laundry for the coming week(s) - eek. I also know of one (relatively small) chalet company who have lost about 100 sets of laundry and spent the day yesterday running around looking for alternative options for the coming guests this week - ouch!
A seasonniare (of unknown employer) in a drunken state the other night / early morning, took a swing at a Police Municipale officer.... cutting a long story short they are now awaiting a trial date and are in custody - the French don't mess around with things like this!
I shall post again later this evening but I am enjoying a full day off today - about to take Olivia swimming so must rush!
TTFN
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Have a fab day off Steve! What's the local snow forecast? It looks like you're in for quite a bit of snow.
The heliskiing video looks AMAZING, I would love to do that so much (although I'm not at all sure I'd be good enough for the route you take...)
I'm fairly sure I saw that helicopter dropping people off up on Solaise last year near the Lac chair.
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Sun 1-03-15 12:31; edited 1 time in total
So there was a major temperature inversion to start the day with this morning so although it was bleak in town it was stunning up high... however things changed quite quickly and before long we were basking in lovely sunshine. Thanks to Radio Val for the photo at the top.
After a relaxed start and a family breakfast I took Olivia swimming which was a lot of fun - she was on form splashing about and generally having a great time. Clare had a couple of chilled hours to herself before we watched a film as she had her lunchtime nap (Olivia).
In the afternoon Clare took Olivia for a walk and I caught up with a few things.... I also went to meet someone who was selling his ABS backpack second hand as I have bought it for Clare for her birthday present - ssssssh don't tell anyone!
On the roads there were reports of some big traffic jams and it taking a good 6 hours from Lyon to Val - I am glad I don't have transfer Saturdays anymore!
Not directly related to this part of the world but Val Thorens instead which is not that far away.... there was a rock fall which has effectively made the road alternating down to one lane and therefore horrible traffic jams as a result. Think it could take them a couple of days before they can get rid of it.
Now that is a big boulder
Not much else to report this end. Back to the grindstone tomorrow and the start of another week of work but it should be a nice weeks work as lots of nice people to teach and varying focuses which will be fun.
TTFN
P.S. Couple of great rugby matches today ehh..... however England are also playing in the cricket world cup this evening against Sri Lanka which could prove to be the crucial tie - especially for England!
HoneyBunny Yea should be getting snow on and off for a few days this week... sure you could manage the heli trip! Yea that heli is owned (in effect) by Val d'Isere and you will see it landing at the top of the Lac Chair on a regular basis.... in fact this years chopper colour scheme is blue and yellow.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Cracking vid. Thanks.
Cost please?
After all it is free
After all it is free
Mike Pow - not nearly as expensive as you might think actually..... based on four people in the chopper it is €105 a person for the WHOLE thing.... guiding, safety gear and the heli cost back to the top of Solaise! Whole thing takes about 3 hours! Couple of different routes - one harder than the other! Ok for skiers and boarders! Of course if less than 4 people the cost goes up a little!
Snow and more snow all day
I did not sleep too well as I stayed up a little late trying to watch the crucial England v. Sri Lanka cricket match... it was going reasonably well when I finally decided to turn in but then I ended up waking up early and could not get back to sleep so tuned back in to see the dismal end... oh well win the last two matches and we should still qualify for the quarter finals. It was quite a poor day for England what with the rugby too this afternoon - another good match of Rugby but not the result I wanted!
Anyway there was rather a lot of snow falling out the sky right from the start of the day although it cleared a little by about 9am! Due to the travel problems on the roads yesterday my am clients were rushed this am so I ended up meeting them at Snowberry. A nice group of 3 with on average a week to 10 days experience behind them on skis so we started cautiously on the Village and little by little worked our way up until we were skiing the Madelaine. They did exceptionally well considering the conditions. In actual fact the snow was coming and going BUT crucially at lower altitudes up to about 2800m there was little to no wind but above 3000m it was strong - so strong that they had to close a few lifts all day such as the Lessieries (up and over) lift. The vis for the most part was actually pretty good for a day like this so it was not too bad! The air temperature too was incredibly warm - barely dropping below about -5 ish!
Anyway it was a good morning.
I noticed for the first time today that they have put the new plans for the new magic carpet up on public display at the bottom of the Lac lift for all to see:
It says: "This Summer the Lac Chair lift will be replaced by a double conveyor belt protected by a weather proof cover" and underneath it also says "The flow will be doubled to 3000/hour instead of 1500/hour."
This lift will be good (on the one hand) in that the capacity should shift people quicker but I am not convinced the practicalities will work - people could slip over inside and the pile up will be huge - yes it does happen! Also unless someone is manning it I can imagine it will be chaos trying to get on during busy times with people pushing and shoving to get to the front. There is also the practicality of crossing over the Lac run when going towards the Madelaine which may now not be possible and finally I am not sure whether a double conveyor means two in parallel or one after the other going up the hill.... only time will answer all these questions!
The afternoon was just as fun with a certain snowhead heading out for a technique brush up. The weather came and went and we headed up the Bellevarde side and started with a blue or two before moving onto some red runs. By the afternoon there was a fair amount of nice snow on the ground and the continuing weather forecast is for snow and more snow for the next 24 hours at least! Anyway some really good developments were with work on standing on the ski early but more importantly some lateral separation work.
After a quick stop at Sherpa on the way home I caught the end of the rugby before giving Olivia bath and bed and then had a yummy bangers and mash dinner!
Now catching up on some admin too!
In local news the TGV trains were disrupted because of problems on the line this evening... There was a terrible accident on the road just this side of Bourg this morning - a Bourg taxi with 6 people in it and a car with people heading home to the north of France after their holiday - a head on collision resulted in 2 deaths!
Think that is all for now - could be quite a day tomorrow if all this snow arrives that is forecast!
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.
Steve Angus wrote:
Mike Pow - not nearly as expensive as you might think actually..... based on four people in the chopper it is €105 a person for the WHOLE thing.... guiding, safety gear and the heli cost back to the top of Solaise! Whole thing takes about 3 hours! Couple of different routes - one harder than the other! Ok for skiers and boarders! Of course if less than 4 people the cost goes up a little!
WOW. Brilliant. Thanks very much.
Do you have a link please?
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Mike Pow - umm actually don't have a link as such (we really should have that on our ski school website shouldn't we).... but the link to the video you watched sums it up. It can run any time... if you want more details / have questions then please PM - that's best!
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Roger that.
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.
Powder alert..... Update later
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Rubbish game of rugby but great afternoon lesson with Steve yesterday. I am mostly self taught so Steve got me doing some drills to improve my technique which I will work on through the week.
Steve is a great instructor. Feel I've taken a step forward with my skiing and look forward to getting on the slopes today. Just need to put it all together and be positive in the turns. Steve also didn't laugh when I slid down the mountain on my back leaving one ski 10 meters above me.
Enjoyed some good runs in changing conditions. You can't ski without snow so when it's hitting you in the face like hail stones just be glad ur not sat at a desk or laying bricks.
Val d'Isere has some great skiing and some decent après. Time to shake the hangover and get skiing. I'll tackle folie later in the week if the sun comes out. Off to try the ladies downhill again. Enjoy the skiing and thank you so much Steve for your guidance and patience.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
All lifts shut. Game over today
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Strange to see Bellevarde and Toviere deserted on a Monday morning! Looks miserable up there, must be blowing a hooley. Snow looks wet/rainy at village level, yuck.
Saw some skiers tramping disappointedly around at the La Daille end obviously hoping for the lifts to reopen. They headed off back over the bridge. Early lunch in the Rosee Blanche for you chaps!
How frustrating, hope you'll all be rewarded with an amazing powder day tomorrow.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Wind anyone
Well there were a few lift openings today in the wind..... there were a few lifts open up the mountain for an hour or so this morning but as the weather came back in (it was 'really' in and then 'really really' in all day) they shut. A colleague reported some nice powder down through the trees into La Daille but the wind really was problematic. For the most part and for those in town as opposed to Fornet / La Daille etc the options were limited to 4 lifts.
We had awoken to heavy snowflakes but quite a lot of wind... I have seen plenty of worse days in Val over the years so I was hopeful something could get going in terms of getting up the hill. When I arrived at the meeting point the wheels on the Solaise were not moving and the chairs were off so that was not a good sign. Things were moving on the Olympic but it soon became apparent that this was to take the cabins off the cable.
Anyway I met Claire who I taught last year - a lovely lady from Sheffield (she actually stayed with her family in our chalet last season) and we planned to work on our stuff on the Village lift anyway. However being the Monday of a school hols week EVERYONE had to go somewhere for their skiing so the queues for all the lifts were immense. Anyway she has a great attitude so it did not spoil her enthusiasm as we lapped around working on stuff.... getting ready to take her up the mountain as soon as the weather allows. It was VERY blustery and sometimes hail stones too, sometimes snow and almost rain on occasion but despite the elements we battled through and she made some really good changes - well done and such an enjoyable morning.
I was quite wet by lunchtime but wearing my ski trench coat kept me dry in the body but my hands were cold..... Saloon soon warmed my gloves up thanks to the radiator and I caught up with an old colleague of mine so lunch was a fun occasion.
The afternoon saw conditions improve on the whole (and then worsen again right at the end) and it was the same team as yesterday morning... well I was really impressed as they too battled through the weather and the Rogoney lift proved an excellent ground for developing them as you have all types of terrain and colours of pistes available from that one lift. It was a little colder in the afternoon so that was good for the snow.
Thanks Mike-H for your kind words.... your cheque is in the post. Hope it all blends together and your kicking butt soon.
Talking of the weather today the pisteurs did quite a lot of blasting in the Cairn as well as other locations this morning - it sounded as if they were blasting in town it was rather loud. They had to work hard up their for their money - tough job on a day like today but they managed to post a couple of interesting things:
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=798283676912814
Kite surfing - hope this link works - it shows the pisteurs using a 'slow' sign to be pulled across the flat surface at the top of the Olympic lift - strong winds!
The top winds peaked at over 110km/h up there.
Down in town it actually looked reasonable (at times).
So conditions should improve tomorrow and be generally reasonable all the rest of the week but we shall see in the morning.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
A slow opening and lots of avalanche activity.... but a belter of a day.
After yesterdays pent up demand and frustrations around the resort there was the biggest sea of people I have ever seen in my years here all waiting to get up the mountain from before 9am. It was always going to be a late opening as there was going to be lots of PIDA control work for the pisteurs to do. Standing at the bottom you could see (and hear) lots of CATEX and GASEX work going on but what was strange was that the lower slopes were still being controlled at that time of the morning (work had started about 7am but still it was strange to still see it going on) and that they were also having to use hand charges too. The Banane Couloirs (as I call them) were going one by one as they controlled the and then one of the ridges just above the path you take from the Bellevarde Chairlift across to the Loyes Express Chairlift went big time.... first time i have ever seen that move. Just shows how much of an affect the wind had yesterday in terms of moving snow around! Of course then they needed to get the piste basher on the case so that delayed things even more.
Up Solaise they were working the Danaides area too. In fact I don't think they opened much beyond the Glacier Express and towards the Fornet at all - certainly not in the morning. Meanwhile up the Cugnai chair the ridge was being blasted, under Tommeuse and the Spatula - LOADS of places. Anyway in short LOTS was sliding so there was lots to be controlled!
A few photos of today starting with the general beautiful views but showing some of the slides that came down. THERE WERE SEVERAL PEOPLE CAUGHT IN SLIDES TODAY - OR AT LEAST INITIATED BY SKIERS / BOARDERS.... including some stupid lines skied that even a 5 year old could have told you would have slid!
This is taken JUST after you get on the Tommeuse lift - the slide goes all the way up to the ridge several hundred metres further up.
This was skier initiated slide over in Tignes
Finally this photo was taken in Les Arcs today but shows just how much has been coming down all around the Tarentaise today through PIDA work.... STAY SAFE FOLKS
Anyway when we got going (same lady as yesterday morning) we did a couple of warm up runs on the Village (it was quite quiet there until 9.30 when the ESF started) and the plan was to get her skiing up the mountain for the first time. We had a wonderful morning and it was so rewarding seeing her enjoy herself so much. The sun was shining and we had a great time. By timing the lifts just right we hardly had to queue at all which was satisfying.
Lunch was a quick affair as I had 30 mins to get from the top of Solaise to the top of the Bellevarde. Anyway the afternoon saw busy slopes and I was working with Mark and Julie from here on Snowheads. Strong, knowledgeable skiers we worked on short turns and then lately on long turns. We must have lapped around the Fontaine Froid a good 10 times - it was the best option as it is relatively quiet on there and the snow good. The busier parts of the Bellevarde mountain got rather bumpy shall we say and it was just one of those days when everyone we dashing around like headless chickens trying to make the most of the weather and snow and especially since some more heavy weather (but nothing like as bad as yesterday) is forecast.
Anyway I am now shattered and looking forward to my bed. Think thats all for now.... looking forward to curry evening at Rize tomorrow... yummy.
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?
Teasing us.
Well it was one of those days where we got a little bit of everything....
Early doors there was about 5-10cm of fresh in town but it soon stopped snowing and I think everyone in resort probably thought when they opened their curtains that there would be another delayed opening this morning but there was no clearance as such to do. So there was a bank of cloud hanging over the resort at mid mountain level and it was difficult to know how thick it was. Anyway I met Claire for her third and final session of the week and we headed up Bellevarde and much to my delight / amazement there was a 'gap' in the clouds and it was pretty nice up there. We had a wonderful morning and I really cant believe at how well she came on these last 3 sessions - just about finished the BASI central theme with her and she is coming parallel nicely and pole planting etc - she was stoked as we covered a fair whack of terrain! She did even better considering she had had an awful nights sleep because the snow clearers had woken her up about 4am and she could not get back to sleep after!
The weather kept coming and going all morning - sometimes like a blizzard and sometimes almost clearing up - strange set of circumstances!
My afternoon was with the same 3 people as I had had on Sunday and Monday and we continued from where we finished up.... they were a little jaded as they had had a very long day yesterday in the sun and their legs were somewhat tired. However after one of them branched off early we eventually managed to do some powder turns in the stade as quite a lot of snow had fallen as well as tackle some red runs - they did very well as it was quite chopped up by the end of the day.
So over the whole day I supposed a good 20cm of snow fell up the hill so with the sun coming out tomorrow it will be a bluebird.... HOWEVER the wind got up a little this pm and I think wind could be a major factor tomorrow - we shall see.
Well that was NOT a normal day in Val d'Isere in many ways.
For a start the weather had cleared up form yesterday which was good to see HOWEVER and it was a BIG HOWEVER the wind was getting up. You could see the snow flying off the top of the mountains - heading in generally southerly directions. By show time it was a choice of going up Solaise along with about 5000 other people or busing it down to La Daille as nothing up the Bellevarde 'Face' was open because of the cross wind.
I had 4 people from London (friends) who were keen for some off piste.... ha this could be interesting. Anyway after the safety chat and in the knowledge that I would have more options up the Bellevarde side I decided to bus it to La Daille which worked out fine as most of the safety chat could be done in the bus! Anyway after a short queue we were up the Bellevarde.
We must have timed it wrong as we arrived just as it was reported that the worst gusts were coming through...... 152.6km/h - now that was fast! After battling to get everything in order and see where we were going through the blowing snow it was off down the Verte to try and find some 'tester' snow. To be honest I was surprised as a lot of snow had been stripped away (in general) but there were some pockets of soft wind slab to ski. It was not too bad actually. We end up finding some trees down towards La Daille and the snow was lovely in there.
There was so little open that by the time we got back down to La Daille (initially just the Funival open) the queue was HUGE. And then one of the strangest things happened... the ski school line was closed for some reason - there was no ski school line today (just today) I found out.... so it was a rather long wait but this worked in our favour. By the time we got back up things were a little calmer and they were able to get Marmots and the Mont Blanc open..... I cut a line high from the Mont Blanc to access the slopes under the Tommeuse and then we were able to ski down what I call the picnic run and into the Trifolet trees - it was nice but you had to sniff out the leeward sides of everything.
Lunch was over before I new it as I was late back after feeling guilty about busing it twice in a three hour session.
By the afternoon more and more was opening up and I wanted to work with my seasonnaires on carving so we went up Solaise.
It was nice snow but you had to pick your altitude carefully as it was jolly windy up high still. A good few hours - it was fun.
I got back home and I was on Olivia pick up duty. I got to the creche to be told she had a very slight temperature but only just slightly high - no worries that happens from time to time. So I got her dressed and then it all went wrong...
We were just walking out - her dressed in her snowsuit and me in my ski jacket (not work one thank goodness) and she puked (just a little)... I opened the internal door to tell the staff and also grab some kitchen roll to clear it up and for a second time but MUCH worse she projectile vomited ALL over me and both of our clothes AND on the floor.... it went everywhere poor little thing. The string of parents coming in behind me now had a 'mess' to negotiate to get their beloved. With a poorly crying little girl in one arm, puke all over us both and the staff trying to clear up I was stuck between a rock and a hard place and I feel really bad for making an exit to get her home for an early bath and bed (and she still managed a reasonable sized dinner too!)
So not this evening all the clothes have been washed and she is sleeping well - hope that continues all night long!
It has been a busy evening as the final preparations are made for our heli day tomorrow - hoping we can go as the avalanche bulletin is complicated shall we say and the winds could stop us before it starts if they are high and the chopper cant fly - watch this space!
Finally I contributed to the official TDC blog this week - originally I was going to write about something totally different but my arm was twisted to share my stories of the past - all totally true. Maybe i'll write something more intellectual toward skiing next time!
Our saissonaire is very pleased with his new carving drills and very complementary about his instructor. As well as very excited about his forthcoming heli trip
Interesting TDC blog Steve!! Much as I love skiing, I don't think I love it enough to live in a car in the freezing cold for 5 months!
I love the ingenious anti-fog breathing device too LOL.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
ajdetpwm - that will be Leo - great to hear!
HoneyBunny - that was a long time ago now that I lived in my car.
Anyway sorry for not sporting last night - had an epic day and a couple of beers then coming home (and back down to earth to a poorly little girl and doing my share of nursing - meant I never got a chance to post - sorry!
So Friday 6th March.... lets start with some photos.
The route we took - awesome iPhone app called Topo GPS and then you pay for the part of the OS map you want to use and it effectively tracks like - a full GPS system on your iPhone.... map sections like this are about £1 a go.... bargain!
9am at the bottom of the Le Fornet bubble and we are ready to roll - 10 in the team in total.
After a 30 min hike / skin (for some who remembered their skins) we were at the top of the Col 3300m up!
Tranquility
Some lovely snow - bit of everything but mainly it was the great Spring snow that was so smooth.... at the top some wind affected stuff but all in all not too bad.
Top lunch in the sun in Bonneval - €14 for steak, chips and side salad - bargain.
In Bonneval - all packaged up (skis) and ready to fly.
Awesome views coming over Val and into Solaise to land...
Thanks SAF Courcheval Taxi service!
So yes we did the Bonneval day heli ski yesterday and had loads of fun. We met at 9am at the bottom of the Fornet Cable Car and quickly headed up to the top of the Val Glacier... those who remembered (and had) skins skinned the 30 mins or so and 80m vertical up to the drop through 'col' - well it is a TINY col; at nearly 3300m up. After finally deciding who was going in which group and splitting up - one group doing a harder and more technical route and the others (my lot) doing the more tranquil route we were off. The snow varied from LOVELY firm frisset to wind affected pow, to sun touched and wonderful 'turning' snow - which was the best turns of the day and then lower down it got softer and heavier.... but a good vertical 1km of perfect ambiance - not seeing anyone for hours (the other group saw a heard of Chamois) we met the other group coming through the steeper section at the bottom before taking the truly wonderful scenic route down the valley towards Ecot and then finally onto Bonneval-sur-Arc.
The weather was perfect although got rather hot as the day went on..... however it meant that we were able to have lunch on the deck down in Bonneval and what a bargain that was - €14 for steak, chips and a side salad - yummy.
We got to the heli rendezvous point up the Boneval lift system and waited a LOT longer than anticipated there - in total about an hour..... through talking with the pilot and then chatting to colleagues back in Val afterwards it transpired that the Val / Tignes 'SAF' chopper went 'down' technical mid morning so all pre-arranged pickups were tranferred to their colleagues at SAF Courcheval.... however they had a long list of their own pickups to do anyway so there was a queue and getting by chopper to Bonneval takes quite a while so all in all we did not get back to the top of the Solaise until about 5pm. Oh well it did not really matter as the ambiance and views were stunning the whole time.
It was straight to Blue Note for a quick beer then I had to head home as Olivia had not had the best day again and was still sick so I did bath time and bed time. Before FINALLY kicking back and having a beer with dinner then an early night!
It was lovely quiet and fun day.... we saw one small avalanche that we had to avoid but apart from that the snow felt solid.
I have quite a lot of video (and others from the trip are sending me their pics and footage) that I will edit and post when finished.
Today is a more chilled time - Olivia is back on form so we are having a family morning then a couple of us from TDC are going for a ski together to 'refresh' some of our technical knowledge.... then a nice dinner with Clare before another full day off tomorrow then a busy week next week by the looks of things.
Cheers.
After all it is free
After all it is free
No, not Leo, it's Simon (a lovely guy)
We went out for a slide with him today and had a great day.
We showed him the North Face of Borsat and he showed us Lavancher Couloir.
All in all, a very tidy confident skier, a testament to all the fab work you must have done with them.
Hurrah.
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.
A little bit of cloud hung around for most of the day. As reported earlier I spent the morning with the family and then this afternoon went for a slide around in the Stade with some colleagues - we were looking at our long radius turns and in particular work in the gates. It was fun for a couple of hours.... before we all decided that a beer at Blue Note was in order so we headed there and various girlfriends etc turned up. So Olivia got a lot of attention for an hour or so.
Have been home now for a couple of hours. Olivia is now in bed so it is dinner time and then another early night I should think.
ajdetpwm - ah sorry - Simon - yea nice guy - glad you had fun.... bet NF of borsat was rather scoured.... either way glad you enjoyed - solid skier for sure but don't think ill take too much of the credit - he he! He is coming heli skiing with me this week which he is excited about.
Tomorrow includes swimming with Olivia, brunch out at the Moris, visiting some family friends in their chalet, some other clients of mine whom I have known for years coming around to see Olivia and then probably collapsing a tired reck again in the evening.
TTFN
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Lovely day
Ahh it was lovely to enjoy a bit of a lie in this morning and then to awaken to the sun streaming in across the bed - I love Spring.
After a slow start and a leisurely breakfast of banana and yoghurt (there was an all day breakfast brunch planned for lunchtime so I had to have something 'good' for the diet!) and some play time with Olivia it was time to get Olivia ready for swimming. She was rather cute this am as we played pass the toy back and forth for ages as I said "Olivia's turn; daddy's turn" - she is learning commands fast. Anyway Clare was busy walking around resort talking to hotels, shops etc etc etc trying to look into Summer jobs here. Meanwhile Olivia and I really enjoyed swimming together - she just loves the water and splashing around etc! Sunday mornings are good for her to see other dads on 'daddy day care' - basically lots of other British (and French) dads.
By noon my stomach was starting to moan but alas the Moris Pub All Day Full English awaited.
The three of us had a wonderful lunch in the sun for a good hour before heading home for Olivias afternoon nap.
I started work on the video from the other days heli, Clare napped and then more Olivia playtime.
For tea it was time to head to a chalet in town as Clares family (cousins) are staying there. So we had a cuppa and some cake before coming home for a relaxed evening. This evening I have spent most of the time sorting out a couple of enquiries (last minute) for lessons for this week as well as trying to allocate a few of the heli groups that are pencilled in for this and next week.
Apart from that it looks like it is going to be a busy week so an early night is called for.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
