 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Easter Monday
Brilliant sunny day, amazingly the snow from yesterday was still quite light off piste, so had fun in trees and various other areas, found some thigh deep really light untracked stuff!
Just stayed in les carroz again
On piste is in superb condition, gets sugary and soft down towards the telecabin. Our last run at 4.00pm through the trees was very soft, and slushy, plus it was a little like a rain shower as the snow was melting off the tree tops.
Considering it was easter monday, no queues at all.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Warm spring day, no crowds at all, in fact rather empty, snow in brilliant condition on piste, went out on slalom skis and had fantastic fun, amount of grip was a bit weird after the s3's.
Bottom of timalets was not really that soft even at 4.00pm, but it was really warm.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Even warmer...out of the thin (ish) fog
went to flaine and into gers, which was rather empty (very empty!!) Snow was superb and found some light powder.
Light got very flat on the way back in the afternoon, but still not very busy at all.
Corbalanche bumps were fabulous and soft
Even the top of gers was getting soft in places when we left.
Its now really sunny, sitting on balcony in the sun.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Drove up the hill this afternoon... looks more like summer than winter...
Hopefully still some more snow to come!
Good to know there might still be something in Gers... 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
no crowds at all, in fact rather empty
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It is astonishingly empty over our way. My niece went over to Crest Voland today and said she didn't see another soul for a good half hour. Whole pistes are deserted, the village parking is now completely free. Pistes in excellent condition again today. My 6 year old grandson, on his first week's skiing and first ever ride up the main nursery slope button lift wobbled a bit on the off ramp, veered slightly off the normal course, caught an electric wire under his ski and pulled the plug out! the entire lift shuddered to a halt. 
I had booked two sisters - 15 and 21 - into group lessons - and it turns out there are just two of them in the group, with one of the best instructors in the place. 5 days of that for €80 each. They don't realise quite how lucky they are.
To cap another brilliant day my nephew lost his i-phone and came back at lunchtime to use my computer to locate it, then set off again, with another i-phone, and we trying with mixed success to track both to tell them when they were close. I was running the creche today - 3 little girls of 1, 3 and 4 so no skiing for me.
They didn't find it but it turned out that a little French girl in brightly coloured tooth braces did. Her dad phoned the last caller and after some slight language confusion a rendezvous was arranged, the phone handed over, some very nice chocolate handed over in gratitude and much entente cordiale was had by all.
The soft pinky golden glow over Mont Blanc and other other mountains around 7 pm was quite beautiful. Weather heading downhill tomorrow afternoon but the last three days have been truly spectacular.
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hi pam w, even emptier today, snow was nice and grippy this morning, softening nicely, so did bumps down to samoens from tete des saix, then off to flaine, but got diverted and went up veret, and did the black ignoring its nasty snow warnings at the bottom, and guess what...its was nasty breakable crust....my daughter was less than impressed with me...opps
then up dmc and to gers, which was very nice, (even some powder!!) until we got to the drag for the last time and..........it broke...so waited for 45 mins Even after 45 mins there was only 15 people waiting.
Decided to do cascades, at 3.15pm, it was rather soft and sugary and stoney...............
Eventually got back to les carroz on last closing lifts...long day...but a good one, just daughter is a bit tired.
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carroz, what time did you do Gers, we went in there at about 1pm and it was hard, icy and horrible... 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Flaine skier, Hi, about 1.45pm, did it twice, second time around the lift broke...compared to veret it was bliss! did not really stick to onyx piste however, most of it was off piste.
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Guess we were just a bit too early then.
I'm not sure why they bother to put the poles in for onyx, the whole point of Gers is to ski off piste.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Friday 5th April
Rather damp day, very uncrowded, only skied les carroz and morillon, at the top of tete des saix could not see a thing.
Slushy pistes, with good visability occasionally.
Still lots of snow, but very very soft.
Good end of season for us 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Well,here I am sitting in my apartment in Flaine while it is snowing heavily outside. Thought we'd come away for the last weekend of the season, arrived Thursday night. Yesterday DMC, Tetes des Verds and Dessert Blanc were open. 'Spring conditions', needless to say. Very heavy, even in the morning, on Friday, temps around 12C, occasional rain showers. Snow cover incedible for the time of year. Rained overnight and still raining this morning so off to Sallanches to top up the wine supplies. By the time back in Flaine 2C at resort level, low cloud so visibility cr**, but had to get a few runs in. Clearer at the top of the DMC, Faust heavy but quite fun. Mrs M had bought (with my card!) some new skis (Cham 87's) in Sallanches and was enjoying them. With the current snow falling tomorrow could be interesting...............
Flaine is a ghost town tonight, we appear to be the only people saying in Montsoleil this weekend (well, it did close last weekend) but the buses are still running every 15 minutes so can get onto slopes easily. Truly, le fin de saison!
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Chris Mason, Have fun tomorrow!!
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Chris Mason, Enjoy the last day.
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Poster: A snowHead
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What a day. Woke up this morning to a clear sky and about 10 cm of fresh snow at resort level. DMC, Tetes de Verts and Desserts Blanc open at 9am, Lindars Nord open later. Faust pisted and frozen, but softening up quickly. Off top of DMC all open except top of Serpentine. Mephisto Superieur at 2pm was great, Diamont Noir traverse and Lapiaz were 'interesting', heavy but making fresh tracks on the last day of the season was memorable. The weather forecast was dire but the outcome was fantastic. BBQ and drinks down in Forum, very festive. This has been a fantastic season and I count myself so lucky to have been out here for so many days. Lots more people out today, I counted 5 people on one piste!
I guess this is the sign off for the 2012/13 season. Personally, I would like to thank those that have posted here and would like to apologise for those times when laziness or alcohol (or both) have stopped me posting up to date reports.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Just one follow up comment. The Diamant Noir chair (very slow 2 man chair that goes up beside the DMC following the route of the black Daimant Noir run) has been dismantled and I assume they are going to replace it with something bigger and faster. The rumour is that they kept back some of the kit from the Col de Plat chair that was replaced by the Dessert Blanc chair a couple of years ago.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Late addition. What a great snow season it was in the Grand Massif, most runs open from first day to last. Many mornings with fresh snow. Roll on 2013/2014.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Few summer observations from being here for three weeks, doing lots of walks/ bikes etc.
In flaine, two drags, balacha are gone, with various machines digging huge holes. Didn't see much else as we go over to Gers all the time.
In les carroz the steep part of combe on the way down towards Gron and various other runs around it seem to being remodelled with enormous earthworks and trucks etc the sizes of houses wondering about. Les sommards has had extensive logging going on, but probably nothing to do with the ski area as its a bit away from pistes and basically a rough road, do ski a bit of it offpiste sometimes however and the bridge across the gron stream that was wrecked by a falling tree last winter has also beenremoved.
Still patches of snow in flaine
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Very interesting.
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Very interesting.
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I was in Flaine for 5 days last month, mainly walking. As noted above, there are serious earthworks going on. The bottom of the Grands Vans chair has got a very large hole next to it - they appear to be putting a new building up between the chair and the last building in Foret (Terrasses de Verets?) and I could not see how they are going to re-create the piste down from the top of the Gerats chair to the bottom of Grands Vans.
We did some amazing walks, including one that took us from Montsoleil, down to the Lac du Flaine, along the side of the Lac then up towards the Vue de Bellegarde. From there we turned left and left again up a very steep slope that ended up having to climb a 30 rung ladder to scale the last part. We then walked past the Refuge de Veran before walking across to another very steep climb that had plastic covered cables pinned into the side of the cliff to help us climb it. We eventually came out at the top of the Aup de Veran chair from where we walked down to Flaine and back up to Montsoleil. It took about 9 hours in all. The route was marked on the walking map as being a 'sentier tres difficile' and they weren't wrong! We were using a 25000:1 scale map but I would love to know if anyone is aware of a map or book that provides a more detailed description of the walks around Flaine - I have been into Stanfords in Long Acre (London) but couldn't find anything better.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Chris Mason, there is a grand massif walks map you can buy at the tourist office, but its not that detailled, i assume that may be the one you have?
The GR 96 up to flaine from magland is fun, ends up going to gers
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carroz, What I really like doing is circular routes, avoiding the need for either a drop off or a pick up. The Magland to Flaine via Gers walk sounds pretty exhausting, must be about 1200m of vertical before dropping down into Flaine. The GR routes are certainly much better marked. I think the map I have is the one that is sold at the tourist office, I actually bought it from the outdoor shop in Sallanches - Decathlon? Mrs M actually suggested I spend a whole summer out there documenting all the walks - sounds a wonderful idea when I don't have a (paid) job to do!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Booked for Morillon again next February, can't wait
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Yep me too, Tunnel booked for Christmas and Feb
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You know it makes sense.
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carroz, I think the earthworks are to do with a reservoir for future snow making.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Sorry - duplicated
Last edited by Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name: on Wed 18-09-13 22:35; edited 1 time in total
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FAQ
