 Poster: A snowHead
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| nevis1003 wrote: |
| The skiing in PDS is awful at the moment, saying anything else is dangly bits...I'm off climbing until it snows again... |
That's going to be a long climb
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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For us PDS pass is normally the cheaper option we tend to go for 10 days at a time and if you buy them in September with the big discount and the bulk discount its actually cheaper than the same amount of days Avoriaz only bought in resort. You can only buy so many days upfront for Avoriaz, I think 2 or 3 is the max.
Just for future reference, you have to plan in advance and commit to dates, but if you can do that you can save money.
G
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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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| duncansarmy wrote: |
| nevis1003 wrote: |
| The skiing in PDS is awful at the moment, saying anything else is dangly bits...I'm off climbing until it snows again... |
That's going to be a long climb |
if i could climb i would join you....PDS today was pants.....sorry i mean PANTS !
It is no better than last year for being open....last year there was more snow on the swiss side than at the moment and it was closed where as today the links are open..
Ice...slush then stones then grass then back to ice...
i think we managed short bursts of happy skiing for200 m dwn each run before you hit slush or lack of snow.
i can only assume the mayor got so much stick last year he darent close...
i have skied bad conditions before but this is just pants...
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It's absolutely awful, those that say different are those with a vested interest. The PDS is particularly bad just now as it's a low altitude resort, much better to go to higher areas where lower temperatures mean the snow making is much better, especially those with glacier skiing.
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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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Guess it's all relative, boarded around les gets today and couldn't believe how good it was. Piste cover is thin, some bare or icy patches off to the side, but on piste was fine. Not too hard, not too slushy. Was absolutely buzzing as I expected it to be terrible. None of this was open last xmas.
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@noisey, @nevis1003, significantly better than last year as far as I can see in the Grand Massif and Chamonix valley so can't see it being that much worse in the PdS.
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I'm just heading back from a day in champery + avoriaz. It's all skiiable, with some pistes in great nick and others barely usable. We had a good day, I think with conditions as they are it's about accepting that you'll be 'combat' skiing and adopting appropriate tactics! Amazed to see no ptex damage 
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I'm just heading back from a day in champery + avoriaz. It's all skiiable, with some pistes in great nick and others barely usable. We had a good day, I think with conditions as they are it's about accepting that you'll be 'combat' skiing and adopting appropriate tactics! Amazed to see no ptex damage
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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To clarify a bit, there are really only 4 good blue runs open in les gets, the bowl is mostly bare, but lots of people making the most of it and enjoying the heat (one bloke skiing in a t-shirt).
Conditions are challenging though, fast hard pistes in the morning, with more dips and bumps than normal. Certain narrow sections of artifical piste force you to work on short turn technique, edge to edge.
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Today was a lot better than yesterday.
We left it later to let some of the ice burn off and they have been using the snow lowers as conditions whilst thin, were better.
Still soil and stones coming thro but not as bad. Bases suffering a little....have one nasty nick, out of 3 pairs....
Higher up has improved also....
Not brilliantbut not worth throwing toys out of pram based on today.
But why cant they turnon the blowers at les crosets, they are getting reasonable through traffic from champery, runs are brown and deteriorating.
Weehave resigned ourselves to lower miles this holiday, taking it a little slower than normal...
No where near as much peeps out on the slopes today that I had feared, no real queing...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Asa foot note it was good to see pisteurs out repairing and maintaining in several areas, high up, to keep links running.
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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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@noisey, needs to be near freezing to run cannons, sadly.
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Went to pick up ski rental from inter sport Fontaine blanches in avoriaz today and was told that the insurance underwriters are no longer selling ski insurance until there is further snow.
Even if I wanted to buy insurance I couldn't.
Sent out with a clear warning to be careful, or bear the cost
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You know it makes sense.
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It seems bike hooks are about to be (re)installed on the Mont Chery lifts until it snows. Good for them.
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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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I've heard Morzine and Les Gets opened on the 19th but currently the live status says all slopes and lifts are closed..
Are they really closed? Is the snow condition really that awful to shut down only after a few days of opening?
Me and my friends are going there for Christmas and we're all hyped up watching all those Portes du Soleil snowboarding videos on youtube..
Are we being too excited? Can someone there inform us what the current conditions are like?
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Poster: A snowHead
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It's a bit of a damp one this morning in Chatel. Decided to go back to bed with a cuppa.
I didn't go up yesterday but Saturday was far worse than Friday which was actually quite decent.
Real deterioration yesterday I heard from a friend with the base wearing right through in places due to weather and heavy traffic. Lots of repairing going on apparently.
The car park was rammed being the first day of the Christmas holidays and I guess really there are just too many people on too little snow.
Come on weather!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| under a new name wrote: |
| @noisey, needs to be near freezing to run cannons, sadly. |
Chatted with pistuers last night, they need it down to 3º and below to make snow.
Earlier they were using snow from Champery, trucking it up, to make the children run atbles crosets.
As Champery does not get the same sun, the temp is low enough for them to make snow.
Raining, in Swiss side this morning.
A USA family in bar, skiid from Morzine, lots of grass showing thro....they are very wet, rain, even higher up.
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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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Hotelier says that
Champery could bus guests to Chatel, as conditions here in les crosets becomes un skiable....
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I just cycled up to Champery from the valley and got soaked in the process.... Must be a few cm of snow up top?
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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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Well. It's been raining all morning in Les Gets. Mt Chery is opening for bikes this weekend.
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Just finished our last run for the day in morzine, and maybe for the week. Not good, yesterday was ok. Rain has been relentless all morning. Big shame
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@noisey, as warm as 3C? Nowhere near freezing that is it 
Better than it used to be by about 1.5C though. Every little helps...
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Raining pretty much all day in Avoriaz. went up to 2,200m, the bit above about 2000m, was more sleet than rain.
All in all, I'd say this is the worst snow conditions I have ever seen (based on about 40 weeks).
Fingers crossed for tomorrow?
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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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@ajdetpwm, i have seen significantly worse in the PdS... Hoping it doesn't get that far...
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We failed to put out the poles marking the edge of grass/drive in June - rather too soon then. Back in Les Gets four weeks ago for a few days, and those areas were buried in deep snow so no hope of finding the slots for the poles. Sadly it sounds as if we will be able to do it on arrival on the 28th.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| under a new name wrote: |
@noisey, as warm as 3C? Nowhere near freezing that is it
Better than it used to be by about 1.5C though. Every little helps... |
Trois plus was whatcthe man said !!
Looking at weather forecasts that may be as close as we get....
Thinking of jumping ship.....we have an escape committee , so possibly a grand day out tomorrow as a recce.....
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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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Yep looks like the MTB hooks are going back on the Mont Chery cable car, saw it on Morznet today.
Whilst I love mountain biking and go to Morzine every summer, it's not particularly comforting when it should be the time of year to be skiing.
Maybe a silly question, however Is it remotely possible that it could stay this warm all season?? Has that ever happened before?
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@p20pjd, no idea re temps but there has been at least one snowless winter.
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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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@FreeBeer, interesting reading..... particularly the temperatures
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Poster: A snowHead
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Chatting in the bar today.
The consensus was this has happened at least twice in the last 20 years.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I taught for 6 hours in Chatel today. Cover is poor with quite a few brown patches and rocks (worse higher up generally), the run from the Combes lift was not bad though. The main run back into Pre La Joux car parking is still decent.
Today was super soft and slushy with the rainfall.
My learners are still having a great time as they are getting a lot out of their skiing. Advancing from a plough to parallel and now being capable of skiing the steeper red to the base rather than a miserable down lift to avoid it.
For advanced skiers it is a real shame. Third time lucky for next Xmas I hope! 
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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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Not entirely accurate, as it omits that in early Jan 2007 it rained very heavily washing away what snow cover there was in Les Gets leaving the village completely green. We were using a TO that year and they swapped us to L2A where they had some snow although the runs to the village were closed.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Thanks @freebeer not sure whether that's reassuring or not though..! My first few ski holidays (around 5 years ago) I never checked webcams, snow forecasts etc and I turned up to what I now understand to be perfect conditions. The more I now know / research, the more I worry. Ignorance really is bliss..!
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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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Interesting reading. I didn't keep a precise tally as I went through it, but it seems as though the skiing is by poor at Christmas in roughly half the years. On biopsy this year and last year are exceptionally poor.
Now, I do understand that some people have no choice at all but to go at/before Christmas, but for everyone else it does slightly beg the question "Why take the risk?" Bearing in mind the cost and limited amount of holiday most people get I can't help feeling that booking at Christmas is a touch rash. Of cause, you MIGHT have fabulous snow but a 50/50 chance? No thanks.
The point is that looking forward to a holiday is a key part of the enjoyment for many. I'm not sure how many of those traveling to the Alps for Christmas/New Year would say they have enjoyed the expectation of the last few weeks.
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Good point foxtrotzulu, we took the risk last year and were 'lucky' with one huge dump on the day we arrived (snowmageddon). The week leading up and the journey out was far from pleasant with the anticipation of very disappointed kids. We intentionally didn't book this Xmas for fear of the same so currently looks like a good decision and opted for the half term week instead. (Also have a long weekend mid Jan which I'm starting to worry about already..!)
On the upside, if I'm reading it correctly, the long range is suggesting it's likely to get colder early in the new year and bring snow (or is that just my optimism reading too much into it).?
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| foxtrotzulu wrote: |
| Now, I do understand that some people have no choice at all but to go at/before Christmas, but for everyone else it does slightly beg the question "Why take the risk?" Bearing in mind the cost and limited amount of holiday most people get I can't help feeling that booking at Christmas is a touch rash. Of cause, you MIGHT have fabulous snow but a 50/50 chance? No thanks. |
I understand your point about not taking the risk, and that's probably the advice I would give if anyone asked me. But I would also suggest that if Christmas works for you for whatever reason then you can minimise the risk to acceptable levels by choosing your resort with a bit of care. Principally you should book, in whatever country you choose, a resort which has easy access to high terrain, has a good network of snow cannons, and possibly includes a skiable glacier.
We've skied the last 15+ Christmases in either the Courchevel, Val d'Isere or Les Arcs and the ratio of bad years to good years is significantly better than the 50:50 that Ben from Chalet 1066 in Les Gets described in his blog. But for me the main point is that even in bad years, such last year and this year, there has still been plenty of skiing available which we have enjoyed. Our expectations might change in the poor conditions, so we probably won't ski first lift til last, will spend a bit more time on sun terraces enjoying the scenery and being in the mountains, perhaps take more walks, etc, but for us that's still an enjoyable week. I've skied hundreds of weeks across 30+ years and only for one of those weeks I've not skied, and that was a trip at Easter a few years ago when we couldn't be bothered to schlep across to the other side of Les Arcs to get to the pistes which were still open. Instead we walked, biked, took some day trips to other places, etc. It was still a nice week in summertime temperatures, but I'm sure for those people who were in resort for their one and only week that season would have been as disappointed as my friends are in Les Gets this week.
Having focused on minimising the negatives, as a glass-half-full kind of person I should probably say that I've had some utterly brilliant conditions in December. Waist deep powder on the opening day of the season. Powder on piste when there have been so few people in resort you recognise them from day to day. Waking up on Christmas Day to squeaky fresh snow. Fabulous fireworks. Skiing Santas and smiles on even the surliest of lifties. Sunbathing in base layers and watching kids flying on to the airbag with whoops of delight. Synchro skiing displays and torchlight descents. Meeting up with old friends. Heading to a secret stash on New Year's Day and lapping line after line of fresh tracks. And so many more memories.
So, why ski in December when there is more of a risk of poor snow than February or March? Plenty that I can think of - you are a keen skier and don't want to wait. You have annual leave that you need to use before the end of the year or you'll lose it. You can get a full week of skiing but only use a few day's leave when you don't have many days left. You can pick up some first-week-of-the-season bargains. You like the Christmassy atmosphere in resort. You like the New Year parties in resort. It's a nice time of year to get together with your family. It's a good way to escape your family during the holiday season. You've done it for years and always enjoyed it. If you choose carefully you can minimise the risk.
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We wil have missed Christmas in Les Gets thisyear and last year,, family commitments elsewhere, but most other years we have been there since 2000. Some have been very good, others less so. And in the past we have had some decent snow in that lovely quiet week running up to Christma
Various bits of our family are always happy to come and join us for Christmas and or NY, lots of room in a comfy warm chalet, good food if i get my act together, but I do worry about their skiing experiences. They are generally on leave then and happy to use the time for family get togethers.
For ten years in the nineties we took the family to Niederau at Christmas and that could be iffy but we only missed a very few days skiing in ten years.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I'd note two things:
a. Ben's blog highlights why going (even a little) higher is a good thing. Based in Morzine 88-89 was poor for everywhere but at least 89-90 we could ski Avoriaz which coped better even if it still wasn't amazing.
b. Christmas is a holiday, efficient from a days off from work idea and usually ( >50% ) is reasonably well snowed. This year and last year definitely unusual.
If I was expecting powder, no, definitely not when to look. But for the "average" piste skier? Yes, usually fine.
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And for those of us with somewhere to live, and with season passes, it can be an easy choice.
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FAQ
