 Poster: A snowHead
|
Quite a day! The big story is how warm it is, when I returned for a late lunch it was +9 on the balcony, needless to say the snow has consolidated off piste (a polite way of saying flippin difficult to ski below 2500m by lunchtime) and the roads were awash and lower down some areas have more of a hint of green.
I decided to go for a morning of off piste skills and drills with Tignes Off Piste. Before describing what we did (or he did and I aspired to do  ) I would point out I would not do this sort of thing, at this time of year without professional help. After a quick shake of the transceiver to get rid of the dust, we went up Toviere and then down Envers Campanules, where the snow was great in parts, and thin in others, route selection being all. There were fresh tracks to be had but it wasn't the fluffy paradise of yesterday. We then had a look round the Rabotch area where route finding was the essential skill, but there was still good snow. Of course there has to be the obligatory shot of the wild blue yonder:
We returned to the real world via Telegraph, fresh tracks, snow still quite good:
As you can see the sky remained covered and by lunchtime it was quite thick. Our final adventure of the day was Grizzly, different snow, deeper but with a bit of a crust and by the time we reached Lavachet it was very heavy. Hopefully, the snow in the weekend forecast will make it a bit easier. If you fancy this sort of a day Kev (pictured!) has some availability next week if any of the Bashers require private tuition. He is available here:
http://www.tignesoffpiste.com/
or any of his social media channels, just don't expect an answer until the lifts are shut (or its dark!).
The news on the links: Val D'Isere have decided not to open Mont Blanc tomorrow, so the links open officially on Saturday when they do However, Tignes will open Tommeuses tomorrow and Piste Creux. Having spoken to a pisteur, there is not enough snow on Eidelweiss to access the Marmottes lift direct, but as the weather does not look great its all a bit academic.
The sun did burn through the layer of cloud this afternoon but all a bit late to make a difference. The sky will cloud over through the night and tomorrow will be overcast, much colder than today and light snow will start sometime during the morning and continue until well after dark, around Lac, about 5cm or so should accumulate. Saturday will be a nice day in general a mix of sunshine and cloud, so not many weather headaches for the transfers. The weather from Sunday is definitely unsettled but the weather fronts are quite fractured so what follows is a trend, expect apps to fluctuate wildly in the amount of snow forecast. Sunday will be windy and snowy, but quite warm, we may even see sleet in Le Lac, the precipitation may well be quite heavy. Monday will be similar and the snowline may get to 2300m, but it will be more showery in nature, there should be some fast moving sunny periods, but some of the showers will be heavy. Tuesday looks much nicer, still windy and warm for the time of year but the sun should shine. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Mont Blanc has been removed from https://en.tignes.net/what-to-see-do/skiing/winter-ski-area and the link is back to showing "Opening Postponed". Is there enough snow to ski down verte to the bottom of Tommeuses yet? Creux is open, so I'd assume there is, but La Daille / Mont Blanc will not be open which suggests the opposite.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
@thelem, Mmmmm, I don't know what has happened in the last couple of hours, perhaps Val don't want us. If the weather is not too bad I'll have a ski down tomorrow and see.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
@thelem, The weather was grim but in the interests of getting ground zero information I did ski down there. The answer is no there is not enough snow on Verte for the last 75-100m of vertical. The photo doesn't really do it justice, its actually worse than that. Unfortunately there are no snow cannons on Edelweiss so that cant open. But the snow cannons on the Val side were going just out of shot to the right, to put snow on the Ladies course as the go/nogo decision is sometime this weekend. Of course we all know that racing in Val D'Isere takes absolute priority over fare paying punters and providing customer service - so no surprises there. So there is no more news on new slopes opening.
After that little exped, I carried on with my plan to do some skinning to get ski fit again. The snow which had been light increased to moderate as I skinned up the side of Double M as far as the emergency entrance to the Funi. It was damp, warm and generally miserable even at 2500. But I did skin up with another snowHead who lives in Bourg, after a random encounter near the bottom. As we skied down we were the only folks on Double M it was that miserable.
The snow will continue tonight, finishing by midnight or so and tomorrow will be a very pleasant day, may even be a few inches of the dry fresh stuff very high up for those in the know and not on a plane . There will be quite a lot of cloud around but we should see the sun for a time or two. There might be a reasonable breeze at altitude. The sky will cloud over late afternoon and it all starts going downhill. I mentioned yesterday that the weather systems for the weekend are small and fractured, the current runs of the model show us in pole position for amounts of snow, this may well change so any forecasts of snow amount will change. Sunday will be snowy (or wet) and windy, the snow overnight into Monday will be heavier. The big question will be where the snowline is - currently it will be between 2000 and 2300m until Monday afternoon, it could well be a shocker for the lower parts of the resorts but much better on high. Current forecasts suggest between 20 and 40cm by late Monday. Monday looks pretty much like Sunday, there may be a gap in the precipitation in the afternoon. Tuesday looks like being windy with blustery showers and warm, any precipitation could be rain as high as 2400m. After that it all gets a bit uncertain, but the mild weather will last tillnext weekend (roughly).
Lots of snowHeads travelling tomorrow so it should be OK for flying in the UK, it may be a bit dank in the morning and blustery around any showers but nothing to curtail flying (well, unless you leave go of the brolly crossing the carpark). Over here there might be a bit of mist early doors at any of the airports but as it looks like Lyon or Geneva for most travellers tomorrow they are big and ugly enough to cope unless the mist mysteriously thickens. The roads over here should be quiet and black right into resort. The only snag will be the 'gilets jaunes', but they keep their cards very close to their chests as to where they are protesting from day to day.
So to all the bashers - have a safe journey and I may see you in the pub! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Thanks @chocksaway, I take it that's the Mont Blanc lift that we can see, which would mean the building is the Folie (it doesn't look as big as I remember)? That would make Verte the brun patch between building and the bottom of the lift. It doesn't look like skiers from Val could make the Mont Blanc, which might explain why they don't want to open it. There's also no skiing route home.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Thanks @chocksaway, maybe see you next week.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@thelem, Spot on. Not much effort required to make it happen though.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I ventured a little higher than @chocksaway today. In fact spent all day on the glacier. The viz wasn't great but it snowed all day about 15 cm
Should be great up there tomorrow
Last edited by After all it is free  on Fri 30-11-18 17:23; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
The Tignes app has just burbled, they are hoping there has been enough snow today to fill in the gaps mentioned above to open the links. We live in hope........
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@chocksaway, I think VDI have just announced that the men's racing will go ahead.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
Indeed, just popped up. But the Ladies is down to La Daille and the inspection is planned for tomorrow now - will be a close run thing depending on how much credence they give the snowline forecasts. Just popping down for a beer with your landlord.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Skied down to bottom of Tommeuse this pm. Good if slightly heavy stuff off the sides. Especially Familial side. Tommeuse was running this afternoon. Made a good last couple of hours - it was just us! Piste in good condition. Vis too poor to see much further down towards La Daille.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Tignes addict, Am I going to need a "disc bleu" to park in front of the 2100A building in Lavachet.. (just to load/unload occasionally). I have secured an underground parking slot.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
@GeorgeVII, Yes (except weekends) €2.50 from the Tabac in Lac.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
Are these parking discs the same as the ones in use in the UK? ie the cardboard turny-wheel things showing arrival time.
Can I just bring my own 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
Yes. The guy in the tabac said they are valid all over Europe. Don't mention the B word Pike!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Cheers chocksaway...and no doubt available free of charge all over Europe...except Tignes... 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
@mountainaddict,
I paid for my turny thing in the UK so not only tignes who charge
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Well it almost felt like winter today, despite the blue skies and sunshine there was a distinct nip in the air! Which meant there has been snow cannons running all day which is a good thing. The link between us and next door is officially open (about 11am) which meant it was less busy, however, it looks like a water pipe (snow cannon supply?) has burst just below the Folie - so there might be a major sheet of ice soon! More runs are opening up too, good skiers can now come back (legally) down a narrower than usual Trolles, I suspect it might be a bit slick after a lot more traffic. The snow pack was odd today, in some places there was boot deep fresh in others it was a couple of cm or so.. There seemed to be very little higher up on the GM but around the Borsat it was very good, the pistes round there weren't exactly busy either:
You just have to be a bot careful on piste where the snow cannons have created a slightly sub optimal conditions where you might have to use your edges. Overall, I think we can look forward to more slopes soon thanks to the snow forecast at altitude.
The sky is slowly clouding over as I type and there is a change for the good in the forecast. It will be a bit cooler tonight, so when the precipitation starts around 5am tomorrow it will be snow down to Brev. the rain/snow line will then creep up the hill during the day to about 2200. There will be a bit of breeze about also. Monday will be damp and windy with lots more water/snow falling out of the sky and lots of wind, definitely a day for other plans as lots of the lifts will be closed, the snowline will be around 2400m to start slowly falling to 1900m by dark. Overall, we are looking at 25-40cm at the moment, by Tuesday am depending on altitude, as you get higher it will be deeper, if it hasn't blown away! Tuesday will start windy, the snow should stop by daylight, but it will be a busy day for the pisteurs with all the new snow, a lot of wind and a complicated snowpack thanks to the variation in temperature and rain lower down, expect a progressive start. But after mid morning it should be quite nice. There is little agreement on Wednesday's weather, still warm for the time of year and a potential for some showers and sunny periods.
If anyone is flying tomorrow then a bit damp and blustery in the UK, over here much the same especially in the afternoon, cant see any weather reasons to delay you.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Quite snowy this morning and a stiff breeze on high. The mercury is rising though and the flakes are starting to fall at greater speed, suspect it is going to be wet and damp lower down.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Well there is not a lot to say about today, the snow turned to rain early afternoon at 2100m. I will leave it to the folks on the Bash to describe what it was like, I have not ventured beyond the front door! Meanwhile I have been delving n the recipe books to create a new dish to add to the repertoire. Just might need a brolly to go out to The Cave Du Loop opening night tonight!
How to describe tomorrow - I think thoroughly miserable will be a good start. The rain will continue all night according to the predictions, it may turn to slush snow around the villages (hopefully). The wind will pick up after midnight and blow all day and the precipitation will last until early Tuesday. The snowline will be around 2300m, so with the wind, freezing slush and snow at altitude STGM and the pisteurs are going to have all on to get things open tomorrow with frozen cables, avalanche risk etc. There's a good chance I'll be going shopping! After snow down to 200m overnight Tuesday should see fast moving sunny periods, but it will still be very windy and a day to be careful going beyond open pistes, there will be lots of good snow at altitude once the team have made it safe. There will be a temptation to rush out, just check the lift openings first or you might have a wait in the cold. Wednesday will be much better, still breezy but dry with variable amounts of cloud and sunny periods. Thursday looks windy again with the odd shower in the morning with snow down to 2000m. Friday should be a day of mixed weather and the last relatively warm day before winter arrives, hopefully for the season.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@chocksaway, i’ve never noticed the emergency entrance to the Funi. Could you describe where it is more precisely please? I imagine it is half-way up... around P7?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Grinning, It is an emergency exit, not an entrance. It is just where Face joins Double-M.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Avalanche risk 4 this morning and an awful lot of explosives going off - stay safe!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
How's it looking up towards the Palet sector chocksaway Or more exactly, how are the bottom of the runs looking? Still thin I presume?
Hoping that Palet round to Le Lac will open soon. We arrive in Val Claret next Sunday PM - hopefully in time for a few warm up freebie runs off Bollin Chair.
Been looking to see if any supermarches are open on a Sunday en route from Geneva. Drew a blank for Bourg shops - but saw that Geant in Albertville was shown yesterday (Sunday 2nd) as 'Ouverture exceptionelle.' Anyone know if that was a strange one off - or is it now open on Sundays until Christmas?
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
| mountainaddict wrote: |
| Been looking to see if any supermarches are open on a Sunday en route from Geneva. Drew a blank for Bourg shops - but saw that Geant in Albertville was shown yesterday (Sunday 2nd) as 'Ouverture exceptionelle.' Anyone know if that was a strange one off - or is it now open on Sundays until Christmas? |
I think one of either the SuperU or Intermarche in Bourg is open on a Sunday morning. I've certainly done some shopping there on a Sunday although that was in the middle of the winter season.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
@rob@rar, Most branches of Intermarche are open on a Sunday morning.
@mountainaddict, The website says that the Geant is open next Sunday too. Would guess that the big supermarkets in Ferney-Voltaire would have Christmas opening as well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| rjs wrote: |
| @rob@rar, Most branches of Intermarche are open on a Sunday morning. |
Thanks, useful to know for any Saturday evening arrivals.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
Well its been raining on and off in Le Lac all day, the roads are awash so I popped down to Bourg for a whole host of things and then cleaned the apt ahead of the first chum of the season arriving tomorrow. The Lanches chair stopped for a while today - at least it had the decency to be the one with pull-over covers. The FIS have also said that the Ladies World Cup race in Val is cancelled due to conditions, it wasn't due to be till the 14th, the mens is running later this week, I guess because that is the shorter forms of racing and they can move it up the hill. I did see a photo of the ladies course - the blue dye markings had run right through the snow - look like one of Mr Slocum's bad blue rinses for those of a certain age....!
@mountainaddict, I bumped into a friendly pisteur in Super U (in fact I bumped into him 4 or 5 times as we both tried to get to grips with the new layout - which seems to change weekly - it will be nice when its finished!). They are currently working on The Palet sector, quite how far down you can get I don't know after the rain, but not far away from opening - especially if the forecast for the weekend comes off. Super U is closed this Sunday but opens the next one, presumably so they can finish the major works.
The rain will continue this evening and gradually turn to snow later in the main villages. It will be windy above 2500m so expect a progressive start and a lot of bangs in the morning as the resort is made safe. Light snow will continue to sometime around mid day (the snowline will be down by Brev, (so hopefully up here some of the wrongs will be put right!). After that it will be cloudy with the odd sunny spell, but breezy at altitude. Wednesday looks like a spring day, warm and sunny with fluffy clouds, best day this week probably. Might be windy early doors. Showers return on Thursday with a strong wind, they will be snow down to 1900m or so. Friday looks more showery and windy, most of it will be snow at village level, it might turn slushy in the middle of the day. There will be a massive change as the weather starts coming from the north, overnight Friday the freezing level will drop from over 3000m to 11000m or so. Looks like we are in for a big storm on Saturday (has to be its transfer day!) but its not a massive system so we will have to keep an eye on its track - winter is on its way folks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
@chocksaway, does the cancellation of the ladies' races mean the pisteurs will have some spare time on their hands to get a few more runs open for those of us on the PSBFU?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
I hope so - they will save a lot of time not having to put all the nets up!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
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?
|
@mountainaddict, Winter tyres will slip a bit on snow, the point is that they will still generate some traction.
I drove up last year with 20cm of snow on the road, didn't bother stopping to fit the chains.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
A quick update on the snow conditions.
Whist the glacier was closed today there was approx 50 cm new snow on the panoramic deck. Should be great up there when you can see!
The run back down Double M was good for about 75% of the way with the bottom rather slushy. Some good powder off the side but didn't venture too far.
The run down to Tommuses lift was better than expected and the Trolles is in great condition until late the road which is a little rocky
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Well the sun has just come out amidst a few showers of snow. There is quite a lot more snow on the roofs than there was when I went to bed, that's the good news. the bad news is it will be a slow start as the team battles to de ice things and put all the snow in the right place. There was a hail storm last night about 10pm, the winds in the village were blowing tables about on the Rosset promenade, so up aloft it must have been wild 
It will be worth waiting for though, be careful at the other side of the poles!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Breaking News: Tichot, Grattalu and Merles scheduled to open tomorrow
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
^^^Woo hoo! Great stuff!
Ta for the update.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Well its nice when the weather follows the forecast. After a grey start the sun soon came out, but last night's bizarre weather left the pisteurs and lefties with a lot to do so it was a slow start, the wind remained strong at altitude and the highest lifts were closed. We ventured out after lunch and the pistes down to 2200m are in great shape now, with the exception of Trolles which required a modicum of skill to navigate the shaven hard pack Off piste was a real mixed bag of pockets of soft stuff, sastrugi, wind pack and ice - didn't last long. The big surprise was the large avalanches, there was a crown line of about a metre under the Borsat chair. The view was nice:
You get a sense of the wind looking at the peak of the GM though.
It will be a generally clear but windy night (more work for Team Avalanche). Tomorrow will be spring like, especially when the wind dies down. Lots of sunny periods and variable amounts of fluffy clouds. Thursday should be predominantly cloudy with light snow showers, particularly in the morning, a tad breezy on high again. Friday will probably be a nice day with a sunny start, more cloud in the afternoon, there is a slim chance of a shower. Overnight Friday the temperature will change dramatically and Saturday will be stormy and snowy, can't see much being open and although there will not be as much snow as we though yesterday, though that may change, it will drift so some transport bother is on the cards. Sunday is currently forecast to be a shocker, a real winter storm with 100k gusts in the village and some heavy (almost continuous) showers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I'm out this weekend so hoping the forecast isn't as bad as your seaweed is showing @chocksaway.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
Our worst ever winter drive (and we've had a few...) was March 2017 up to Tignes. Chains obligatoire from Les Brev - only to find ours didn't fit. Far too small and not even close. It was late at night with no traffic and about 15cm of fresh snow on the road. How we got up the steep hairpin after Les Boisses, I will never know....Horrific experience with the wheels spinning....but just enough grip... 