The view from............ Val d'Isere and the Espace Killy

A snowHead

Beautifully matched, Laughing

A snowHead

ESF playing hardball - "Papers please!" Toofy Grin

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

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still snowing!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

How did discussion go on Maurienne link? Bit of an old one that, is it gaining any traction?

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Thick cloud - wrong altitude

ALQ - very funny - wouldn't put it past them!
smagsmith and ajdetpwm - yes it would mean loads more skiing and pistes - I guess about another 10 miles (in a straight line so with variations into green/blues etc it could mean a lot of extra terrain!) or so. Bonneval is off the back and to the right as you look up the Val glacier and as a resort is at 1800 odd metres so from the Val glacier down it is some 1500m vertical. When I say this has been bounced around for a long time I am talking about decades... I think that it was just a new proposal that was tabled so still 'early' stages so it could be 2050 before they decide anything!

Today we awoke to a thick veil of cloud right across an altitude around about 2500 - 3000m which is a pain in the rear end as that means only the very lowest runs would escape the clouds. My colleagues said it was like pea soup up there. However my morning was not really affected by it at all!

There was no real fresh snow down in town but it had been cold overnight so it was a semi hard freeze. Anyway I met Suzie whom I taught for a week this same week last year. What a blast we had together.... I am sure she would not mind me saying that she is certainly quite fearful of skiing and nervous but by the end of last year we skied the Terrace and Lac so the plan is to aim higher this year. In fact after chatting with her we agreed that trying to ski to the Folie Douce for lunch by Friday would be a great goal!

First morning and we kept it simple in order to get back in the zone.... skiing Savonnettes for a couple of warm ups before hitting the Village lift. Control - she has loads of it - she just does not trust herself / the technique and if there is ANYONE even remotely close to her on the slopes then she does tend to freeze - but that is a very common thing to find. Alas with a refreshment stop halfway we had a good morning!

I came home for a nice lunch of soup and warm bread and then changed. We had a family afternoon - taking Olivia up to watch the kids (organised by one of the expat parents so mainly British kids) Easter egg hunt. It was a good turnout of about 40 kids...

The weather had moved in a little in the afternoon so there was a breeze and a few flurries of snow around so I was happy when we retreated to Rize for a drink and cake. It was rammed with kids in there having things like face painting done etc. It was a jolly nice afternoon! After a Skype call to the grandparents i have just given Olivia her bath and then bottle before bed and now having a chilled evening in front of the TV. Olivia was shattered after she had been swimming this morning with Clare too!

Tomorrow the creche is closed (being Easter Monday) so I am the only one working.... however the weather is supposed to improve tomorrow and for the rest of the week - we might finally have a week of sunshine - more Spring like!

Finally I came across this interesting interview with the Val Mayor - Marc Bauer online today - interesting reading (in English).

http://www.justvaldisere.com/2014/04/

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@Steve Angus, Interesting reading about your lady client who has the control but freezes when people are around her on the piste. My other half is similar and really struggles to relax on her board resulting in her not committing to her turns. Do you have any drills you use with clients who face this issue to help them?

After all it is free

Yay!

Finally the weather has come good and Spring has sprung...

I met Suzie and she was a little hesitant with this freeze we had last night as the snow was running faster and less grippy than yesterday but she coped well.

chrisrawles - hmm yes. It is a VERY common problem. Phycology (sp?!?) is a major part of teaching - teaching people to cope with the mountain and environment - not just the technical aspect of learning to ski. There are two different (broadly speaking) approaches you can take.... distracting people e.g. getting them to focus on something other than the steepness or people or whatever it is that is blocking them.... counting the turn(s), looking ahead, singing a song - lots of things like that. Other way is to build confidence in the actual turn but looking for easier terrain and through repetition the fear of the turn etc goes away (hopefully). Follow the leader helps but then you have to pick the best places for them to turn and little by little let them make decisions about where to turn etc. It does depend on the individual as to which approach I use. The 'problem' with other slope users is harder to overcome.... apart from encouraging them to make repetitive and therefore predictable movements. Continually encouraging people to work in their comfort zones and not push themselves too hard is the most important for EVERYONE I teach as it translates to good habits and safer slopes but can be just as fun. In short it is not that easy. P.S. I suspect (from experience) that she struggles to commit to the turn as she is not pressing her weight forward enough onto her front foot therefore the turn shape is a 'long' "c" shape and spends too much time in the fall line.... when it is a little steeper the speed means her board accelerates and she may or may not fall over but subconsciously she does not have 100% control of the speed and direction the board takes.... so when 'issues' arrise she does not 100% trust the technique and therefore does not want to commit to the turn. So easier flatter terrain feeling the board really respond dynamically in a small area or slope will build the confidence. When people have had a fall or two then the confidence in the turn can really take steps backwards! Is it heel to toe turns - this is the usual side people have a block on as you can 'see' the danger (i.e. the bottom of the mountain) coming towards you and you don't have the highjacks on the board to support you as you turn!

Anyway back to today...

We got up the mountain fairly quickly and the weather was stunning - not a cloud in the sky. A few laps on the Terrace lift (what will we do if they take that away next year!) followed by a water stop and working on standing more actively on the outside ski. She really started to feel the ability to steer the inside ski and she loved it. The confidence is growing and she has booked La Fruitiere for Thursday lunchtime so our target has come forward a day. Tomorrow both sides of the Lac lift and with a bit of luck a run on the Madelaine but it will be a tough call as to whether we go on there or not... if not then Wednesday for sure and onto the Glacier run then too.... but I am aware of the motorway effect on the Glacier run which could really whack her confidence again. However on the flip side if she does it well then that will mean getting to Folie on Thursday will be a piece of cake - watch this space!

I had a 1.5 hour lunch break (for various reasons) and chose to spend it at the Cabane - I wanted to devote my time to writing more on the possible speech I am giving at a TEDx event (yes the famous online video people!). It will be filmed in June and I need to get a draft done in the next few days so they can chose the final few (lucky) people to deliver their speeches. My speech is about 'my story' into ski instructing and how being 'Joe Average' at school fostered a desire to teach others to ski and snowboard. I have been whittled down from a good 100 or so applicants so far to the final 30 or so so fingers crossed! Anyway Valerie was over the moon when I gave her a copy of the letter I have written on behalf of some of us instructors to the Mairie pointing out the negative impact the closing of the Cabane will have. I have collected a few signatures so far. Anyway a nice lunch stop.

The afternoon was spent with a nice Irish guy (it was supposed to be a lesson with his son on the snowboard but he is ill) on skis and we worked on the Arcelle which was in great condition. Another session with him (or his son on Wednesday if he is better) to come.

Off piste wise there was action in town. Late yesterday afternoon a young couple from Chambery headed over the Col Pers to get down towards the Priariond refuge. However on the way down she fell and injured herself badly enough that the pisteurs were called (her knee I think it was). Anyway the weather was pretty bad and the pisteurs (4 of them) came down with a sled (in the end) as the light was fading for the day. The chopper could not fly so the decision was taken to take her to the refuge which must have been a crazy amount of handling on their behalf with the sled etc - ropes etc must have come into use. So her, her ski buddy and the 4 pisteurs spent the night in the refuge. First light this am the PGHM chopper pulled her and her rescuers out. Again the work the pisteurs do is pretty amazing.

The off piste looked amazing today but annoyingly people were trashing all aspects not just north facing slopes. Anything other than north facing slopes needed to be treated to a 'rest day' to allow the melt freeze cycle to kick in. However north facing slopes looked ace today and I hope other aspects were not too badly treated today so there is snow for spring snow days to come! Alas I fear not!

Think that is all for now. TTFN

@Steve Angus, WOW...good luck for the TEDx speech. They're so much more interesting now that they've gone global! A few mountain and baby pics should get you in wink

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@Steve Angus, Thanks for the response Steve. You are 100% correct about the Heel to Toe edge turn. When i have asked her before about why she thinks she does not commit to the turn she says "I don't feel in control" which makes sense. We as human tend to do things when in control (well most normal ones anyway).

I watched some video footage back from our trip to Tignes a few weeks ago and I noticed on even on the flats she was leaning back with the front leg straight. I'm hoping when we come out to Tignes/Val D in a couple of weeks the slopes will be a little quieter which will give us time to work on flex, toe edge stuff and getting some turns completed.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Still some fresh turns to be had!

ALQ - thanks - hope it comes off! Will post a link to it assuming I actually give it!
chrisrawles - glad I could help. Yea flatter terrain and flexing forward and bending the front leg will increase control and in turn confidence but it can take a while to create a cycle of positivity and trust in it before venturing onto steeper stuff! Good luck.

Another lovely day but it is all starting to come down

I had a god morning with Suzie. We skied the Terrace a couple of times before venturing off the back and down the Lac run.... the flatter side was no problem and then she said she was happy with the steeper side so we tried it and she kicked but - we were both over the moon. I new there was only a 50:50 chance today that we would get anywhere near the Madelaine run but much to my surprise after a coffee at the Ouliette and a fag (her) she said she was ready to give it a go. She did really well although she didn't think so. No falling and good control but she worked double time and was 100% knackered by the time she got to the bottom. I think she was a little surprised at how hard it was but it is a constant case of 2 steps forward and then 1 step backward but so be it. I was SO proud of her and with a little chunk of luck skiing to the Fruitiere for lunch on Friday could still be a possibility. Tomorrow will be vital in getting her ready mentally, physically and technically for the challenge ahead! Watch this space.

The afternoon was relaxed at home doing some catch up on a few things at home before picking Olivia up and then have had an end of season chat with some colleagues about plans for TDC in the future... sort of an end of season debrief. No major plans but good to chat about a few operational and logistical things for next year.

The snow is starting to fall off the mountain as the weather is getting warmer and warmer especially in the afternoons and I think people still have to be careful in skiing south and west facing aspects after lunch at the moment! In fact colleague Kieran has just written this piece about Spring skiing which is worth a read:

http://blog.tdcski.com/how-to-find-spring-snow-off-piste-in-val-disere/

The Ouilette looking beautiful as usual!

TTFN

snow reports

Another gorgeous day without a cloud in the sky

The day started with a surprise as Clare and I looked at the video monitor from Olivias room to see that she was kneeling up in her sleep bag to play with her toys... we know she was able to kneel but in her bed - it was time to lower the bed level (it can go down about 30cm or so).... we fear that she could topple out the bed before too long!

Anyway it took about 30 mins this am and then a further hour this evening to get space in her room to work on the bed by getting the change table etc out and then lots of faffing around to get it sorted before re-assembling. Anyway all done now!

So I dropped Olivia off at creche this am then had to head to the office to drop my snowboarding gear off.

Suzie was (as expected) a tad nervous this morning. Anyway we headed up Solaise and got a few good warm up runs in on the Lac before deciding to head up Madelaine. Anyway she really put her fears to bed and we ended up doing 3 laps before having to come down at the end of the lesson. Each time we did the run her confidence improved and she trusted the technique we are developing more and more. The mileage and experience is really helping her build up confidence so we need to continue on that vein. There is still the possibility of skiing to the Fruitiere for her lunch tomorrow - that is still an option on the table but I am going to reserve judgement until tomorrow when I see how she feels, what the snow looks like and the weather etc. We shall see!

At lunchtime I had planned on getting on with the speech but that ended up going by the wayside largely as I changed from ski to snowboard gear for my pm lesson and then decided to re-arrange the car to make space for everyone that Clare and I are taking to Bourg on Friday night for our ski school end of season meal and Giles house.... Mexican is the theme!

The afternoon was spent with a nice 14 year old lad who has snowboarded a fair amount so we went for a blast over to Tignes, learnt some freestyle tricks and rode some red and black runs - a fairly relaxed afternoon all in all.

Apart from fixing Olivias bed we had a colleague from another ski school who spends most of the season teaching in Verbier stop by for a cuppa and that is about it for today.

In local news there was chaos on the roads up and down the Tarantaise Valley as a road slide crossed the road near Moutiers. The main problem resulting for us here in Val was some of the racers for the Scara were delayed. However I believe the problem is now sorted.

The resort have also today posted a photo of this day last season with today.... the snow coverage is way better this year than last and the overall amount of snow we have received this season is only a little down on previous season at around about 4m.

Finally some fun...

Quiz time - which piste is this photo taken on?

Hi Steve, the only thing I'm certain about is that's Noire de Pramecou in the distance so I'm guessing this piste in the foreground is prariond.

You know it makes sense.

How is the snow looking for next week - arriving 11/12th?

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@gixxerniknik, +1.

I often see marmottes on the side of the run riding Fresse ...

A snowHead

LUSH all round

gixxerniknik - of course the Snowhead knowledge is correct - will have to make it harder next time - ha ha. Yep spot on here.
kcsnow - are you kidding - for mid April its awesome. There are still pockets of light dry powder around even to be found without skinning etc. But year all in all it is great - check out the pic above for this day and this day last year pics to get a sense. Its good. For mid April week I don't think you'd get much better to be honest!
franga - yea definite Marmotte spotting zone.

Well it has been a great day here.

The sun was shining and it was one of those days when it is great to be in the mountains. The pistes were quiet too - perfect all round.

So Suzie and I headed up Solaise.... I knew there would have been a heavy freeze overnight with the high temps yesterday afternoon and then she also told me at the bottom that they had booked to go to the Fruitiere tomorrow lunchtime too so the trip there down Verte can wait. We would get much better use out of our time by working on stuff up Solaise. Skiing the Terrace and she immediately got the fear of the hard pack snow in the morning - it is west facing for the most part. So it was a nervous start by her. However we were soon on the Lac run and after a lap or two on there she relaxed before hitting the steeper side and then heading up for a couple on Madelaine and this was all before the coffee break - well done Suzie. I knew that if I could get her on to a run she does not know. Get her down a run that was on paper harder than the Verte that it would mentally set her up for tomorrow - so we headed to Glacier. I intentionally did not tell her that it was a Blue run otherwise she would have freaked out I think. Anyway she REALLY did not let the side down at all - she linked turns in control and kept going without stopping on the challenging parts and she could not believe what she had done when she got to the bottom. Well done!

I got back home at lunchtime and Clare was about 30 mins after me. I suggested we go out for lunch for a treat, in the sun. We ended up having a lovely (but a little overpriced even for Val d'Isere) lunch at Chez Paulo at the Rond Pont des Pistes.... I had the special of the day which was a lovely cut of lamb with tagliattelle and salad and creamy sauce - yummy. Clare had a seafood pizza and then we went old school and had a banana split for a shared desert - in the sun for an hour or two - it was lovely!

We got back and we both did a couple of odd jobs before collecting Olivia. It was such a nice warm afternoon that we had a cuppa on our balcony and I just had to share this picture with you...

Not much local news - the SCARA continues.

Tomorrow is my last day with Suzie and we ARE gonna head to the Fruitiere via the Verte - it may be stressful (for us both - ha ha) but she will be stoked when we get there I am sure.

TTFN

A snowHead

Why is this photo interesting?.... answer below.

Mission accomplished

Yes it was the day when Suzie was geared up for - her ski to the Folie. There had been a hard freeze on the mountain overnight and especially on west facing slopes. It was positive temps in town even before the lifts opened. Anyway the plan was to do a few on the Terrace first up - being west facing at the bottom it would mean that she could get used to the slicker conditions on terrain she was used to before facing the Verte. So after a few laps on there her confidence grew and the queues started to get big so we did a feel good run on Lac before downloading to town before uploading on the Olympique. I walked her down the first bit which is so nasty and then we had that awful travers across to the Verte when there are people left, right and centre to keep your eye on as an instructor whilst leading the way for the client. Anyway we made it to the Verte and she then skied amazingly well all the way to the Marmottes - I was worried mainly about the second steep bit but the snow had softened almost to perfection so I was quite happy with myself for getting the timing right.... any earlier and it would have been horrible!

A quick stop and then it was time for the last push down past the Marmottes lift to the Folie. If it had not been for silly people (people don't use brains when they come on holiday most of the time) sitting across about 25% of the pitch down to the Folie and being spaced out (which to a beginner looks like an impregnable barrier) it would have been easier. Anyway after a few detours down the slope she made it - PERFECTLY. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED - she had skied to the Folie - that was the target for the week.

We were about 20 mins early for the rest of the family coming down so we had a glass of champagne to celebrate!

After a ski home I have done a few odd jobs at home and am now about to get showered and changed ready for our trip down the valley for TDC end of season meal - Mexican style! Another lessons tomorrow and then some time off this weekend!

Most of next week is focused on getting my French tax return done - joy of joys its that time of the year again!

I asked at the start why that photo was interesting - well it was taken near the bottom of the Olympic at 10am this morning - the soft footprints in the snow indicate that we did NOT get a freeze down here in town last night - well hardly anyway and by 10am on this little slope that faces AWAY from the sun (it was sunny again all day today!) it was soft enough for a foot to slip in... which all basically means that SPRING is here to stay!

A glass of champagne to celebrate our arrival at Folie

How to bug your knees up - having skis like these - give it a while on these and you'll need lots of physio on your knee guaranteed!

Ok must dash.

TTFN

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

The skis in the above photo that you are mocking should be the perfect way to avoid knee problems. Fat skis on hard snow damage your knees as they exert a large bending moment on your knee but by mounting the bindings to one side the bending moment will be reduced to roughly that of a piste ski whilst on piste and maintaining the float of a fat ski whilst off piste. Obviously you need to put the skis on the correct feet for it to work.

I am seriously considering redrilling my 110mm underfoot skis to be like that for next season as it is impossible to stay off piste all day and I find that they quite quickly cause pain in my knee while on piste.

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rambotion - not disputing fat skis and knee problems - that really is a problem for skiers - as you say on the piste it is problematic. The issue with mounting bindings like above is that you then have differential lateral stress on the ligaments either side of the knee. Over time the ligaments will experience varying stresses therefore the knee cap will be 'pulled' out of alignment and therefore weaken the stability. Also when it comes to 'normal' skiing you are more likely to develop 'A-Frame' problems and will be skiing on the inside edges of your skis when on the piste which will be further problematic. I should say whilst it is better to not have fat skis on the piste at all (as you have highlighted) mounting skis like this will only lead to further complicated issues in the knee! Also by having the foot higher off the ground when turning (the inside skis) this will stack further pressure on the outside ski and the inside ski will be harder to find any grip with therefore technique will suffer further. Talking it through with a physio friend here in Val we both think that if you have to use a particularly fat ski in the first place then mounting centrally is the best bet. As with everything ski wise in this day and age you gain in one sense and lose in another - most of the time. I personally don't think mounting skis like this will do anything other than cause problems. If you do it then let us know how you get on.

Anyway back to today...

It started hazy but quickly cleared up this morning.

I was out with a couple of 5 year olds that had just finished their second week of ski lessons with a colleague but unfortunately he has had to go back to the UK for a funeral this weekend so I luckily was finishing off all his hard work. It was a fun morning and I took them all the way up to the Glacier Express then on the up and over and down to Signal (has been a while since I had kids their for hot choc breaks.... blimey expensive!) before downloading them and bus back to town.

The CATEX control hut on the Signal!

They skied very well and it was a pleasurable morning with them.

After a little spot of food shopping I had a nice couple of hours with Olivia and an old YSE (Clare used to be a YSE chalet girl nearly 10 years back) friend of Clares back here. He has been on holiday for a coupe of weeks doing some catering for YSE and he also has a youngster back in the UK. Anyway it was a nice lunchtime period. The rest of the pm was pretty chilled out before having a bath with Olivia - this time it really was a bath with her... I think I laughed more than she did.

Clares friend James brought around some left over Thai green curry from the chalet he has been working in this week which we have just demolished as he is a professional chef - YUMMY!

A couple of beers and then some Masters golf is on the menu this evening!

A day off the slopes tomorrow (first time in a while) and then the dreaded start of French accounts after that and this week - eek!

P.S. Meant to say the dreaded death cookies have appeared today - Spring is now established and that will mean choosing pistes at the right time will be paramount from now on in until the end of the season!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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cyberil - Hello. Hemel a few years back.... what was that instructor training or something? Sorry see lots of names and faces of people over the years so you will need to give me a quick reminder about yourself! Pistes wise. Well start with east facing stuff first up - so things that face towards Fornet direction (in the main part - if you in Val as opposed to Tignes) then onto the handful of slopes that are south facing.... at this time of year I would skip west facing all together and go onto north facing stuff. If you can find things that have been TOTALLY out of direct sunlight and higher up and north facing then you may escape death cookies totally but I doubt you will. Other option is to head as high as possible as quickly as possible and stay there as long as possible and loop around and around e.g. Val or Tignes glacier - that way you'll get the same (repeated) snow for as long as possible. Even going to the Fornet via bus and uploading on the cable car from there will make your journey there quicker! Good luck!

Back to today.

Family time

For the first time in ages I woke naturally and Olivia treated us to a lie in!

Scrambled eggs on toast and then I cut my hair - well shaved my hair off as I do about once a month - a pain in the rear end! Then I took Olivia for a swim whilst Clare went to the gym. She loved it - it was fun!

After lunch at home we decided to have our first family trip up the mountain to the Tete de Solaise. It was glorious in the sun so we stopped and had a drink up there before coming home.

Apart from that and some dinner it has been a very lazy day all in all. I am now settling in to watch the final round of the Masters and then it is back to work tomorrow.

Family selfie sponsored by Planks clothing!

I mentioned the other day that lots of stuff would now be coming down with this heat. This is the Face du Charvet and THAT is a huge slide (very deep) that has come down. It went over the cliffs at the bottom you can see.... set more stuff off below it and ended up down near the end of the Tour du Charvet and base of Manchet Express chairlifts.... stay safe everyone!

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Thanks for the advice Steve. It was level 6 at Hemel. Paul

After all it is free

cyberil - ah ha..... well anyway hope you have a fun week!

It was a pleasant day once again. I started at 10am this morning so was not rushed which was nice... I was a little concerned first thing as it was about -3 at breakfast time (great for Spring skiing conditions) but soon warmed up into the positive temperatures.

I met a fellow Snowhead or two at the top of the mountain ready for some carving work. The slopes were lovely and empty and we had a successful morning working the slopes at the best times... initially on the Grand Pre to develop some technique and then worked our way over to Tignes and onto the Double M which was perhaps in the best condition I have ever had - quiet and great snow.... what a treat!

I popped home for lunch before heading down to Bourg to pick up a large food shop - enough to see us through to when we head back to the UK in about 3 weeks time or so. The car thermometer was saying 23 degrees down there! It was hot!

By the time I got back up, put the food away, bathed Olivia, had dinner, done a couple of little jobs it has somehow gotten to now - where did today go! Think that is all for now.

Puzzling (still have not found out what happened) this morning as the PGHM chopper came in and landed right at the start of the Verte piste and was there for a few minutes. There must have been something that happened up there - anyway who knows!

TTFN

@Steve Angus, will the resort be this quiet next week?

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Even quieter I should think!

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

PERFECT

snow reports

Thanks so much Steve for a fantastic two days of instruction. You managed us around the pistes to perfection and we hit everything at the right time. No small feat in this heat. Learned lots and lots- will enjoy working on it all over the next few days. Thanks also for helping me to find my line down the slushy, bumpy Face- quite a challenge but a great sense of achievement for me. We have had two fab lessons- thanks again and all the best for the summer!

Well that's the end of my teaching season in Val for another year

I cant believe that is the end of my 9th season teaching here in Val today.... OK I still have the EoSB bash teaching in Val Thorens next week but as far as teaching here in Val that is that for another year.

I was meeting lynnecha at the top of the Bellevarde again at 10am this morning and once again it was looking like it was going to be a scorcio day. I am glad you enjoyed the lessons... yea it was imperative to get the correct slopes at the correct times today (and yesterday) and I am glad that not only could I do that but also your skiing improved - as you say things to work on for the next few days!

Anyway so in the lesson today we lapped on the Fountain Froide for an hour or so and worked on range, rate, distribution and duration of movements (R2D2) stuff - so a 'skill' based sessions as opposed to an out and out technique based lesson. Getting bigger angles was also another topic tackled.

We found some great snow in the stade too before tackling the Face which was soft (as I knew it would be) but I did not count on it being quite as bumpy as it was at noon! Anyway it was good taking lynnecha down the Face for the first time and by doing a little bit of follow the leader (one less thing to think about (where your going)) - she skied it very well and was pretty chuffed (rightly so) at the bottom.

Anyway I decided to take one last ride on the Solaise Express for old times sake as that will be the last time I ride it as it is due to be dismantled this Summer as the new gondola goes in. We managed to get a run in on the Madelaine which was in great condition for some carving before time was up.

This afternoon I have made a start on my accounts but have not got as much done as I would have liked as Clare started to feel ill about mid afternoon so I was on duty for Olivia etc and all other household chores this evening.

I shall continue to post daily through until the end of this week (Friday) and then after that I will finish up for this season as I will be away in VT next week so seems a little weird doing a Val post daily then! However as usual I will be posting once a month or so over the Summer before revving back to life for daily updates next Winter.

TTFN

You know it makes sense.

@Steve Angus,
Great blog thanks.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@Steve Angus, enjoy the EoSB, have a great summer and hope to see you in opening week - keep my slot!

A snowHead

Thanks folks....

holidayloverxx - thanks and will do... let me know exact dates nearer the time.

A snowHead

@Steve Angus, Thanks for all the updates during the season. It's been nice being able to book a trip knowing what the "true" conditions are going to be like and going out with knowledge of the area before arriving. I hope you and your family have a great summer.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@Steve Angus, Your daily reports are much appreciated. Enjoy your trip to VT and have a great summer.

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Gosh, where did that season go....!! Best of luck for the summer @Steve Angus,

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Thanks for the info Steve , and for introducing my wife and i to TDC and having a great afternoon with Terry
We have managed 3 weeks this year in Val but back to the states this christmas and utah
I arrive back in Val this friday for one final 4 day fling !! Lets hope its not too warm as it is toasty here in the uk Blush

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Thanks everyone for the kind words - indeed - where did the season disappear too!

Change of plans and change of media!

Well the day did not quite pan out the way I had planned... I went in to wake Olivia at 7am only to find that she had been sick everywhere at some point in the night. It was everywhere. However Clare was feeling a little better so was able to go and teach. However the first hour of the morning I spent changing all her bed sheets and putting a wash on and taking a shower with her to get her clean. It was sensible to keep her at home today which meant that I was on daddy day care! We had a fun bonding time and to be honest there was nothing to say that she was actually ill (no temperature or anything like that). Anyway it was a nice morning but I certainly did not get much in the way of my accounts done until this pm when Clare got home!

Anyway I have decided to try out this new 'Periscope' App on my iPhone which some people are billing as the new Facebook / Twitter.... we shall see! Anyway basically it turns your phone into a device that you can broadcast video on LIVE on the internet to your followers and it also makes it available on Twitter as well as for 24 hours afterwards. I am thinking that perhaps next season I will be able to do live video broadcasts of snow conditions etc on the slopes as well as perhaps show people some drills etc. Ill have a think about how I can use it. Hopefully I can get some regular viewers! Anyway here goes - think you may need an account to view it or the latest Flash player on your computer!:

https://t.co/1Qzfhb2QLB

I asked a friend to take a picture up there today and this is what he came back with - looked nice up there!

OK back to the accounts with the test match cricket from West Indies to accompany the evening!.

TTFN

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

BTW what you are VIEWING - is a test video from today - forgot to actually say what it was.

After all it is free

@Steve Angus, thank you for the great reports and much look forward to meeting you at the EoSB. Very Happy

Thanks for your great reports I've enjoyed reading them here in Australia gives me my snow fix

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Thanks for another great season of blogging / reporting Steve.

Enjoy your summer.

Help!!

The view from............ Val d'Isere and the Espace Killy

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