Tignes and The Espace Killy 2014/15 (Useful Links Post 1)

A snowHead

Home!! After a fine night in a hotel I left Chambery at 1000 - road was fine until Albertville where there was a large queue. A bit of off piste local knowledge got me round that one - I think it was mostly caused by people panicking and putting chains on - the dual carriageway was wet it was above freezing and I was doing 110 - and kept coming across people doing 30 with chains. I just hope they didn't wear out before they actually needed them (summer tyres would have got you to the Dam at 1200) - judging bythe number of broken chains by the roadside I suspect some will be buying two. Also managed the weekly shop at La Bathie (during the off piste bit) and got diesel at 85 UK pence a litre.

Sun was shining in resort but judging by the lack of tracks things have been slow opening - its now cloudy with the odd flocon which may continue this afty. Tomorrow and Tuesday going to be nice but windy and blinking cold as the high pressure builds - then just sunny and cold until next weekend (when there may be some more sn...)

I am also thinking about taking up fortune telling given my forecast of Friday - the runway deicer broke down at Leeds Bradford yesterday morning (Grrr) and there was a spot of bother on the roads.....

A snowHead

@chocksaway, my daughter Loulou, who you may know (three seasons Terachu & elsewhere & very good friends of Fairy & JP) has finally managed to be able to get up there today hopefully, after I dropped her off yesterday bottom of Deux Alpes took her ages to get to Grenoble airport where Bens Buses announced they were not running the bus to Tignes, luckily her French aunt who lives in Grenoble came to the rescue and she stayed the night with her and somehow this morning found a French bus going from the airport to Tignes.

So now that means that New Years Eve I will have to drive up to Tignes (probably ski there if not too busy ?) then back to Turin for her to catch her flight then back to La Grave for New Years Eve - just hope the weather plays ball.

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

@Weathercam, Wear your thick socks!

Just spoken to some mates who skied today - very windblown up high so not much of that elusive powder. Also a lot of avalanche activity all over the E-K, not many off piste and evidently they spootted quite a few with a death-wish. Avi risk remains 4 for tomorrow so enjoy the pistes and stay safe. (Remember if it was Risk 5 the resort would be mostly closed for safety reasons.)

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Moved the curtains aside this morning to find the thermometer reading -17 but the sun was shining. SO looking like a Michelin man (which is an achievement for this bean pole wink

) we set off for a wander. There was quite a breeze at height and with the cold the snow was squeaky and we all commented we had the wrong wax for skating down to Merles. Grattalu was great and we then headed for the Motte which opened up just as we got to the top of the Funi. So there were still plenty of fresh tracks to be had - it looked great but it was very wind blown and was very hard work to say the least - jumping most of the turns. After that we returned to the resort via Col de la Leisse (it does have a more popular name but as that run is not open I wouldn't want people unfamiliar with the geography setting off alone) which with its gentle slopes (a nod to Risk 4) had some really nice pitches of quite light snow which restored the faith! Marvellous Very Happy

It then started to cloud over so it was back via Grand Huit for soup and a warm up!

Just to prove to have never seen it all - just seen a pic in the local rag of a car on the piste in Les Arcs 1800 - he claims he was lost!

Still breezy but sunny tomorrow and then high pressure dominates until Thu night when things begin to change and the return of unsettled weather. Until then the freezing level is down by the seaside so it will remain Baltic all week.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Can anyone recomend where to buy ski gear in tignes at a decent price? My gloves aren't up to the freezing temps this week. Am based in lavachet but doesn't really matter.

You'll need to Register first of course.

@Tomf05, It depends what you mean by decent price - they are all pretty much the same up here. But you pay for quality - try Hestra Mitts (and maybe a liner) I bought mine at the Intersport in Le Lac (near the bank across from the Maison) or Ski Fast at the top of the Rue de la Poste. They last forever (mine are on the 5th season and showing no signs of wear). Alternatively buy a few of the glove warmers - they look like teabags and last most of the day.

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

Well today they put the B in Baltic Shocked

. Nominally it was a couple of degrees warmer but with a strong breeze above 2500m it was a real battle to keep the sticky out bits warm. Nonetheless we soldiered on and found some softish snow between Borsat and Grand Pre - although the runs under Grand Pre could really do with another metre of snow to make it completely skiable. As Santons and Epaule are not yet open the queue at Fontaine Froid was quite long unfortunately so that really didn't help the fingers! After a wander back via Grattalu and Grand Huit we saw a large avalanche in Grapillon with a boarders track at the top - hope he/she was OK as we couldn't see the bottom of the slide to see if any tracks had come out.

Weather forecast is unchanged from yesterday for once. Off to the Marie shortly for the annual presentation to property owners - should test the franglais. Luckily its a short walk as its bleedin freezing again. As a sad reminder of the harsh conditions overnight a 22yr old froze to death in Meribel over Sunday evening coming back after a night in a bar.

After all it is free

skiied a bit ,it was cold , skiied down ok in the dark ................i survived , free wine due to getting a table at Fruitere for 8 of us an hour after it was booked !! and i thing baltic was todays understatement

Very good conditions higher up. Lifts above funicular weren't open today around 1. Hopefully opening with the Warmer temps. Avi risk 3 today but real varied off piste. Couple of bits that look good but have hidden rocks. Still finding some good powder though everything lift accessed is tracked.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Well the best thing about today was the temperature! It was about 8 degs warmer. But first the Town Hall last night: we had a presentation from the Directrice of Tignes Development - it would appear that the resort is doing well - and I suspect next winter will see early bookings up because of this years weather. It was then question time with Monsieur Le Maire - when every hobby horse came out. Its amazing how some of the locals preach the same thing and won't let go like a small annoying terrier - just for instance the biggest crisis in the resort according to ne guy was the state of the pavement in the Rue de La Poste - he also thought that this area should have ben tarted up instead of building the new Tignesespace. This being despite the facts that all the buildings up there are private and the footpath is covered in snow! Shocked

The Mayor was also expected to fix the bus service across the whole of the Tarentaise and generally be a magician from what I could make out.

Got a text alerting me to the requirement for skins this morning as the team had decided to go to Pays Desert last night in the pub and the Poma to get out had not run yet this season. So we slithered (literally) into La Daille on a mix of artificial and ice left from the Ladies downhill - I'll be avoiding that once the Folie has opened in later days! Frankly it was crepe! I had a quick chat with the café owners down there - a miserable start to the season for them.

We then bussed to Laisinant to avoid the queues in Solaise which were horrendous - it always amazes me that there is a virtually unused 6 man chair 2 minutes by bus from the Solaise. After getting to the top of Le Fornet we hopped across to Pays Desert where there was a lot of fresh tracks to be had - but sadly it was windblown with a crust on top which made some of us look like amateurs - and as my skiining skis are quite small I was picking my way down like Bambi on ice! The lower slopes were better and it was still very heavy windblown snow. The Poma was running for the first time - but we soon discovered the reason for the delayed opening - unless you were 6 foot tall you spent quite a bit of time in the air!! snowHead

After a quick lap of the pistes at Le Fornet which are in excellent condition (as ever) I came back down Rhone Alpes into Val- another skating lesson - I can't imagine what it was like at 4 oclock.

Tonights celebrations are about to begin- the team is dining at the Brasero and then its Cirque Eloize so I can catch up on what was good on Christmas Eve.

Weather forecast - sunny and a bit warmer till Fri night when a weak front passes through with the odd flocon. The strong front has slowed down a bit and moved east but there is still a chance of significant snowfall later on Sat which should make for an easier transfer day - not that that would be difficult! On a note of caution though - as it has been very cold and if you own a diesel it may be worth checking that all is OK before the weekend if you are travelling home - the rescue services can get swamped with waxed up diesels if we have had a cold week.

And finally - Happy New Year to one and all from Tignes - Bon Ski en 2015!

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

To all out there, what is Tuff chair and piste Henri like at the moment, especially first think in the morning? Tuffs is right outside our apartment, so taking the lazy option want to head up there, down henri and ski to the GM Furn in the morning rather than walk the 500m Happy

snow reports

@PaulC1984, Very Happy

man after my own heart, what are chairlifts for other than an easy ride up!

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!!

Hope you are all having a great day! I have been at the BARSC races in Tignes with the Kids for the last few days. Some great results for our local based group including 3 Gold medals and 3 Silver medals. Well done to all those that took part and made the journey up the valley. Photos to come later today over on my Les Arcs Winter facebook page!

In Tignes for the last few days the sun has been shinning and the wind had dropped today making it warmer and a nice way to finish the races. The pistes in Tignes Val Claret were busy and had lift queues most days, sometimes quite big. But the pistes have held up well if you stay high. There are rocks lower down and the off piste is limited. But the top two thirds of the race course were fine and so was the snowpark. It was nice for a change. Back to Les Arcs tomorrow!

You know it makes sense.

@stevew,

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

Happy New Year!

Well New year arrived with a bang - after a good meal at the Brasero we congregated with 20,000 others on the snow front to watch Cirque Eloize - a sort of Cirque de Soleil crossed with Street Dance. Really spectacular and it was good to see most of the village out with loads of kids - much better than the concert last year which sadly degenerated into causing a lot of hassle for the residents of Tignes.

All in all a happy atmosphere = although some of the yoof were not that enamoured as they expected the same as last year. Once again the firework team surpassed themselves - London 11min Tignes 15 mins - eat your heart out Boris!! Although one or 2 did go a bit awry and bounced off the balconies of the Aiguille Percee - just to add a bit of spice to the Mark Warner holiday experience.

There are some much more professional pics on Tignes.net!!

Today was like early Spring - by 1400 it was about 8 degs with water running down the roads. After a gentle start we headed up the glacier and skied the only quiet piste we could find under the Rossolin T Bar - really good condition and room to let the skis carve there own line. There were also some nice soft moguls on Leisse although it is now quite narrow at the bottom Shocked

As the crowds got out of bed we decideto have a leisurely wander down Col de La Leisse where there is still some softish snow we were about half way down when we spotted a large avalanche trigger on the west face of the Borsat Wall. We could see 3 figures at the top spend an age before tentatively skiing down so it looked like they had triggered it from the top before setting off - a salutary reminder that the snowpack is far from stable. After that it was a wander home and a siesta before going out tonight to La Queue de Cochon for a birthday celebration.

Weather forecast much as yesterday although the frontal pattern on Saturday is quite complicated - there will be some snow and it will be windy - still guessing as to how much and initially the snowline will be up at 1800m Sad

.

@PaulC1984, Tufs chair same as last year with 6 seats, cushions a bit more faded!! (easily skiable to) Piste Henri is a mix of real artificial snow and does tend to bump up later in the day, obviously its been very busy this week.

The local authorities are forecasting 30000 vehicles between Moutiers and Albertville on Saturday (with 19000 coming up the 'stairway to heaven') so if you are driving then my advice would be to leave by 6.30am or after 3.30pm (but NB the forecast for snow late Saturday).

A snowHead

@chocksaway, 19000 coming up sounds quite busy, I was hoping for a quieter week. Our flight get's into Lyon at 9:30am on Saturday, so hopefully ahead of most of the tour operator hoards.

Anyway, all packed now as a busy day at work tomorrow and not much time tomorrow evening, only thing I;ve forgotten seems to be the laminated list snowHead

A snowHead

@chocksaway, Thanks for this. We are on the 10am altibus from geneva, so fingers crossed its not too delayed, albeit we will have lots of sugar and the Ipads just in case Happy

As for Tuffs and henri, ill be only using it as the first and last run of the day, so as long as queues aren't too bad, I will use the slope condition to hone my skills Happy

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

You need to Login to know who's really who.

@stewart woodward, Youve lowered my heart rate thank you Happy

Any idea what the number the last 2 weeks was around?

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@PaulC1984, Last week was 36000 coming up - they didn't bother publishing the details for Xmas week.
Another glorious day out of the window - and mild.

You'll need to Register first of course.

@chocksaway, @stewart woodward, thanks for putting my mind at rest, one more sleep now Very Happy

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

i would be praying like mad for snow the pistes are worse than they were christmas week albeit more now open

never have i seen so many stones warning banners across pistes ....... and alot of the offpiste is well and truely skied out and with high avalanche risk just keep praying for snow

After all it is free

Another mild morning but a thin veil of cloud took the sting out of the sun shortly after setting out. This morning it some became apparent that it was 'Friday Frenzy' with busy pistes and lifts as the New Year holiday makers all took to the slopes for the last time. So there was quite a bit of human slalom going on until we disappeared down Familial for a bit of peace and quiet. As the cloud thickened I knocked off for lunch and settled for watching the crowds from inside the pad. I can now see lots of people packing up and leaving to get ahead of tomorrows rush.

Tomorrow will start OK and then the cloud will thicken and we are due snow in the afternoon and into Sunday, it will also be quite windy - starting with a snow level at 1700 or so metres, the jury is still pretty much out on how much we are going to get....... The sun returns on Monday and hangs around till midweek.

For the airports tomorrow damp and dreary at both ends but OK for flying. There is a chance of freezing fog early doors at GVA but not thick enough to slow things down too much if it stays as forecast.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

And then peace returned to the mountains Very Happy

The morning started with sunshine and light breezes but as a portent of things to come Mont Blanc already had his hat on. It was a day for charging round blessedly quiet pistes (which we did) and as the morning progressed more cloud arrived and the wind picked up - but not before we were treated to some fantastic cloud patterns forming off the mountain ridges - sadly did not have the camera with me - but we had multiple layers of lenticularis (for the cloud spotters) and some were really fibrous - almost had a poetic moment wink

. Anyway by 1400 it was quite grey and soon started snizzling (snowy drizzle anybody??) and now (half four) its snowing lightly and will continue to do so through the night and well into tomorrow - when it will be windy again. Overall we may get 10cm or so. Mon and Tuesday the sun returns and it will be mild for the time of year. Unsettled from mid week.

The pistes are generally still in good condition (where open) there are a few bare patches and stones - just have to be a bit careful cresting a ridge. Only the real die hards are off piste (and those on renters!) - there will be more risk tomorrow as the high winds move everything about again. Still waiting for a good off piste base.

For those travelling by air tomorrow all will be fine over here (if a bit damp and miserable) providing they fix the fuel issue at Chambery - not sure what the problem is but some aircraft had to divert to pick up fuel. Hopefully they will be able to fix the issue for tomorrow as its not easy to take extra fuel into Chambery because of the exacting approach and relatively short runway. In the UK there may well be dense freezing fog around London, Birmingham and Manchester (east and north of these will be fine) - this may cause delays if low visibility procedures are put in place and if you aircraft is coming in from elsewhere you may be vulnerable to a slip in schedule.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

It's snowing .. Not a lot but it is .. Few beers happy

snow reports

@stewart woodward, Cameras are showing a bit of snow settling on the road up to chez @chocksaway,. Thought it was looking rather busy around Palafour then realised that there's very little open on the Toviere side. Forecast says 100 kph winds at altitude. rolling eyes

You know it makes sense.

@GeorgeVII, Hiya, Yip its blowing a hooly - all the snow that Stewart talks about is now on my balcony! The funi is only open for pedestrians, the links are closed - so this elite athlete is having a day off and about to crack on with a full fry!!

PS We had a great night at La Queue de Cochon for the ginger one's birthday - if you need somewhere for a chalet night off....

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

Very windy at top of funival and not much open. Snow very scratched from wind better lower doen

A snowHead

Looking at webcams- looks almost like net loss for Tignes- more snow scoured away than fallen

A snowHead

The sun did finally make an appearance just before the lifts shut! Still blowing quite hard - suspect the pisteurs will be busy checking out a lot of wind blown crests tomorrow; which should be calmer and sunny with temps above average for the time of year. This will continue until mid week when it will get progressively more unsettled. Towards next weekend there may be storms around but too early to say where. Fingers crossed. Off to the pub to get some fresh air! Little Angel

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

Far better afternoon, dropped down Orange and saw Tommusse was open so ended up doing a few runs down to Tignes and tried the new Tufs And Torviere lifts put in since last time there. Real mix of conditions on piste, stones, hard patches and soft snow in quick sucession, but lot lot more snow than I expected.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

well for all the doom and gloom above we had a great first day. just stuck to the blues that were open in tignes and had a blast. ok so vis was terrible so carving was parked up and practiced plenty of short turns. slope conditions were as above, icy, deep, chopped up, smooth but hell thats mountain skiing and it helps to practice. only one place we saw stones o the slppe and that was on piste henri but it was easily avoidable. to anyone coming out fear not you will have a blast!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Just came back, and apart from spending the night on a coach in a carpark (due to blocked roads on the way there), had a great time.

Piste conditions vary wildly, with soft snow, ice, stones all following in quick succession at times. Double M was probably the best all round, but the queue was pretty big due to the funicular being closed.

You'll need to Register first of course.

An amazing day today - sunshine and blue sky and no queues. I am a very happy bunny (and this cake is yummy too). Smile

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

Fabulous piste skiing today - the groomers had done their thing and at 9:15 Grattalu was like velvet or in the words of American Pie - just like warm apple pie wink

. Had a good charge round, even down to La Daille has improved - so a chance for a first coffee of the season at the Rosée Blanche. Hardly anybody off piste at all because of the dangers of an unstable snowpack, rocks and wind blown crust - it may well be a while yet before we venture outside the poles. I daresay there me be windblown pockets of nice snow - but the dangers of hurting yourself on rocks or being caught outweigh any advantage at the moment. Even the pitch above the 'side door' into the Chardonnet bowl had slipped across the traverse track just proves how unpredictable the whole thing is.

Weather - pretty much as forecast yesterday - still all to play for at the weekend.

After all it is free

Great day did most of Tignes all around the loop, Grattula was great, did Aguile Perce and then down to Boissee, back around Tommuse amnd to top the day we did Orange after the forces had finished doing down hill races on it and hard completley ignored the bottom part, 4:30 we skiied on a groomer untacked from the morning awesome Happy

(apologies for spellings)

I can see the Avi level dropping to 2/2 within the next week or so with the mildish weather - and so real new snow in the forecast Sad

Has anyone been around the Fornet trees? Or the Pisteurs Couloir? Are they in any shape of decent nick?

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

What a beautiful day Very Happy

Wall to wall sunshine, warm temperatures and no lift queues Very Happy

The pistes are in a great condition and whilst there is some off piste available care & attention is required.

It looks like we are going to get more of the same for the rest of the week Very Happy

Help!!

Tignes and The Espace Killy 2014/15 (Useful Links Post 1)

snowHeads Forum Index >>> Snow Reports - weather - snow conditions