 Poster: A snowHead
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As@dogwatch has mentioned above the OK run down to La Daille might be a better option - not that the La Daille runs are that easy in the afternoon when they've been chopped up and scraped by every man (and woman) and his dog.
As a boarder my 2 preferred routes down are either the Face or the lovely Mangard to Fornet (short bus ride back to Val).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@bar shaker, +1000
Get the blo0dy lift down! I've never had fun on the Face, never done Santons after all the warnings on here. The Olympic is very comfortable, or there are many runs down to La Daille and a perfectly suitable bus service.
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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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The ice monster of Santons broke my ribs.
That's all.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I hated it when in Val earlier this year, but I hated the flat run-out at the end more than the gully you ski in. I fell to temptation to get up as much speed as possible and ended up with the speed wobbles on the run out that scared me more than anything as I was going so fast. Still better than walking or poling out, which in answer to the op's question I think his wife would hate as much as anything else.
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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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| franga wrote: |
@Old Fartbag,
Loved reading your account, we've all been there (not necessarily on Santons) ... |
+ 1
Great read @Old Fartbag - made me chuckle.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Layne wrote: |
| franga wrote: |
@Old Fartbag,
Loved reading your account, we've all been there (not necessarily on Santons) ... |
+ 1
Great read @Old Fartbag - made me chuckle. |
It's hard to know if one's ramblings are of interest to others, so appreciate the feedback.
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| Layne wrote: |
| franga wrote: |
@Old Fartbag,
Loved reading your account, we've all been there (not necessarily on Santons) ... |
+ 1
Great read @Old Fartbag - made me chuckle. |
+2 Fantastic account!
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Yes it was last season that someone was killed in an avalanche there. It was closed at the time though so no one should have been on it. Its not a great run at all. You'll find it with mostly moguls and beginners/ nervous intermediates struggling to get a turn in with people in front of them. As a run the Face and Bellevarde are 2 of my favorite runs out there. As resort runs they can be very unpredictable. At the end of the day they can also be bullet ice and full of moguls. Theyre also steep and narrow and so can be very scary for less confident skiers. You are much better any of the La Daille resort runs down and getting the bus back in to town. Santons is never a blue just like Piste L at the top of Solaise is never a blue. They are probably more difficult than 80% of the reds out there.
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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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Many people have mentioned the flat run-out at the end, where more valour equals less poling...and Mach Schnell means no poling at all.
Myself and the Lady Fartbag were having a lesson on the Epaule (the Black alternative to the Santons). It is steep and can grow moguls as big as VW Beetles (as it was on this occasion)....and shares the same run-out as the Santons.
As it got to the steep bit, I helpfully volunteered the advice - "don't fall here, as you won't be able to stop." This, as it turned out, was a mistake. Mrs Fartbag immediately fell...and Mrs Fartbag didn't stop. As she slid towards the Instructor, it helped even less that I shouted, "Incoming".
The Instructor deftly sidestepped the Human Pistenbully, who was sliding down head first, with skis akimbo behind her (like an ineffective anchor)...and using swear words that neither I, nor the long suffering Instructor had come across before (some were in Irish!). "Why don't you stop me" she pleaded as she slid by. "Not with my back", was the response from the instructor.
This was an ungraceful, but highly effective method of getting down the worst bit...and when the good lady did finally come to a juddering halt, it was time for the schuss....which is where this becomes somewhat relevant to the topic ie. The run-out.
Mrs Fartbag gathered herself (and what was left of her dignity-she had the look of a cat that had mistimed a jump) and went into the racing tuck..Instructor first, then me, then herself.
Quite quickly, we reached the sort of speed where you repeat to yourself the mantra, "Don't fffing fall"....cause if I do, they'll be gathering up my limbs into a bucket.
All went well...until...as I went round the apex of the run-out, there was a substantial fissure (hidden from view), right in the middle of the track. This required an instinctual acrobatic, one-legged hopping manoeuvre at 45 mph.
A split second decision had to be made..do I shout back a warning (which would result in serious apprehension and tension = likely fall); or do I let nature and self preservation take its course. I chose the latter. Shut my eyes (having stopped) and waited for the worst.
I knew the instant that Lady Fartbag came face to face with the obstacle..."Fffff uhuhuhuh kkkkk" echoed round The Manchet valley....and then to my great relief, she appeared, red-faced and defiant muttering, "OMFG I thought I was done for".
Thank you to anyone reading my nonsense....a captive audience is hard to resist. 
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Fri 18-08-23 15:23; edited 1 time in total
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I really enjoyed Santons, playing on the mini half-pipe and precision skiing required to navigate exposed rocks and bodies. The schlep back to VD is flat but pleasant in the trees.
Unfortunately it was closed on my last visit.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
Thank you to anyone reading my nonsense....a captive audience is hard to resist.
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I'd much rather read your posts @Old Fartbag than any old John Grisham trash my friend. Keep them coming - has Mrs Fartbag been down the Face or the Sache (in April when the moguls are the size of VWs), would love to hear how she got on?
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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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| Quote: |
As it got to the steep bit, I helpfully volunteered the advice - "don't fall here, as you won't be able to stop." This, as it turned out, was a mistake. Mrs Fartbag immediately fell...and Mrs Fartbag didn't stop. As she slid towards the Instructor, it helped even less that I shouted, "Incoming".
The Instructor deftly sidestepped the Human Pistenbully, who was sliding down head first, with skis akimbo behind her (like an ineffective anchor)...and using swear words that neither I, nor the long suffering Instructor had come across before (some were in Irish!). "Why don't you stop me" she pleaded as she slid by. "Not with my back", was the response from the instructor. |
She needs to learn to self arrest. I'll let you tell her  
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| franga wrote: |
I'd much rather read your posts @Old Fartbag than any old John Grisham trash my friend. Keep them coming - has Mrs Fartbag been down the Face or the Sache (in April when the moguls are the size of VWs), would love to hear how she got on? |
Now that you mention it...
The Face yarn
Way back, when Salomon Force 9s were the "must have" skis, Lady Fartbag had a lesson with Dave Cowell (then working for Snowfun) on one very foggy afternoon. I went with her to meet Dave for the start of the lesson, where he asked me where I thought the best snow was. I replied that it was on The Face, thought no more about it and left them to it.
Anyway, it turns out that he took my advice and (very bravely) decided to take herself down the Face, in a whiteout, as the final run of the lesson....but....what Mrs Fartbag didn't know, was that she was being taken down the most notorious run in EK.
She was happily following the lead, as the first part of the Face is benign.....but as it got harder and harder, she started to get suspicious. The problem was that Blue Piste Markers and Black Piste Markers look very similar through an orange lens...especially in the fog. She was quite content when she thought they were Blue. As she was looking over the very steep bit, that runs down from the path, she asked Dave C. "Are you sure this is a Blue?" He replied with an incomprehensible mumble.
As the moguls got bigger, Mrs Fartbag got so suspicious that she skied over to a piste marker, raised her goggles and had a good look....and that's where relative calm, turned into the opposite of relative calm. Dave C got a barrage of the most fruity and interesting mix of Irish and English (and I know exactly what that's like)....but like a trouper, he got his most prickly charge safely down, without falling.
In hindsight, this has now become one of Mrs Fartbag's proudest skiing achievements. When asked if she has skied the Face, she replies "Absolutely, I've even skied it in a whiteout"
The Sache yarn
As the snow was good that holiday, we decided to head over to Brevieres for lunch. I knew as soon as we set off, that the current Mrs Fartbag was in one of her pricklier moods. Anyway, we made it to the top of the Saches...and during the decent, there are places where a schuss is advisable. I politely suggested she removed her peaked hat (a splendid navy blue jobbie, with Courchevel emblazoned on the front and "old man" ear flaps that unfold when cold). My reply was one of those looks that you don't argue with.
The first schuss resulted in the cap blowing off......and me stumping back the 200 yards to pick it up.
There comes a point on the Sache, where you can cut across a bit of stubbly off piste and join the easier run into Brevieres, thus avoiding the worst moguly bit of the Sache. Given I wanted to live through this experience, this is the route I took.
While making the few turns before dropping down the lip onto the path, I could tell from the scolding behind me, that Mrs Farbag was becoming less happy and more agitated with every minute that passed. As she tried to negotiate the drop down onto the path, she subsided right in the mouth of it, blocking any further exit. This wouldn't have been a problem per se, but a class of very wobbly intermediates had followed us down.
Their instructor kindly came over to see if herself was OK (and because she was blocking the only easy access to the piste)....but herself wasn't in the mood for help, even from chivalrous French Ski Instructors, so he got short shrift....and Mrs F continued to block the exit. This meant that the class had no easy way down and had to navigate a much more difficult drop onto the piste (about 10 feet from where Mrs F was lying).
Well it was as good as a pantomime. One by one, like ducklings, over the edge they came....and fell on their heads. Each one that fell, caused more trepidation in the one following....until the whole class were a jumble of skis and poles strewn across the ground. Also, as each one fell, I could see Mrs F's mood lightening, as she saw the funny side. By the end, we were both in fits of laughter....and I have to say (thank goodness), the class also saw the funny side and as nobody was hurt, it was an amicable parting.
It was just what the Doctor ordered. Mrs F's spirits were lifted, so the rest of the day went splendidly.
Apologies to the OP for the re-route.
Last edited by So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much  on Fri 29-09-23 9:44; edited 2 times in total
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You know it makes sense.
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@Old Fartbag, encore! I'm crying with laughter!
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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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@Old Fartbag, Love your posts on this thread! 
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Hurtle wrote: |
| @Old Fartbag, encore! I'm crying with laughter! |
I suspect if you ask Dave C today, whether he remembers the cantankerous Irish Firebrand, who swore at him most of the way down the Face, on a foggy afternoon in Jan.....he will, even though it was all those years ago.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Not than I can compete with Mr Fartbag I feel compelled to report my own less than successful time guiding my other half around VdI.
It was the first day of our first skiing holiday together and her second ski holiday ever.
I have a feeling it was my second holiday trip after the season I worked.
The future Mrs Jedster had worked out that it was going to be really quite awkward sustaining our burgeoning relationship if she didnt get on with skiing. Given that she can be quite formidable and really rather stubborn, she was addressing the whole enterprise quite seriously.
Anyway, we'd been up Solaise way and it had all gone very well. We were accompanied by a mate I had worked a season with and who knew VdI very well. As the the afternoon turned gloomy (early January and grey) we were contemplating our way home and he said something along the lines of "Oh she's doing so well, she'll be absolutely fine on Piste M. It's only a blue*".
*Actually, I see the latest piste map shows it as a red. I could have sworn it WAS a blue. I won't be telling Mrs J
So we set off. Piste M isn't very steep as I remember but it is narrower than the open slopes that we had been skiing, treelined, with a suspicion that if you went over the lip you'd be falling a long way / lost for ever / eaten by bears. At least if you are a nervous almost beginner.
It rapidly went wrong - falls, swearing, threats, "helpful" advice from me surprising not taken in the constructive way I intended. We ended up with her alternating between sidestepping down and the most grudging sideslipping I have ever witnessed. I resorted to sideslipping below her just out of range of her ski pole which would otherwise have been wrapped around my head (serious business - no helmets in those days!).
My mate, being a worldly wise young man with life experiences beyond his years, had "got out of Dodge" pretty damn quickly before he could (quite legitimately IMO) have been dragged into the crescendo of blame.
As the gloom got gloomier (I didn't dare look at my watch but I knew it was getting late) the ski patrol arrived to sweep the piste down. Two guys stopped above us and rather nonchalantly surveyed the spectacle. We still had quite a way to go. I shot them by best attempt at an apologetic look. After a bit one of them departed (I presume he had a cheeky pichet waiting for him) and eventually the other one must have concluded that while I might be a useless boyfriend I seemed to be a sufficiently competent skier to shepherd Mrs T home because he left with an unmistakably sardonic "bonne soiree".
Somehow our relationship survived and 21 years later we are still together. The incident still gets dragged up when she wants me to resume my conventional place. In the wrong.
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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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Nice one @jedster, a good supplement to Old Fartbag's tales.
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Old Fartbag, brilliant...crying here...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I've never skied Santons except the bit at the bottom when you come off Epaule, so can offer no real expertise there. Just coming on this thread to enjoy Old Fartbag's accounts really
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I had a similar experience on the bellevarde. We had lunch a the restaurant at the top of the lift. I wanted to ski down as the last run of the day the wife wanted to ski over to the chair and then get olympic down. After some deliberation she agreed to ski the face (what a mistake) she managed maybe 2/3 turns before losing all confidence. She was stationary and now crying every time her ski moved a millimetre she would scream. We could walk back up and it was getting late. This went on for some time. Evenutally i had athe absolutely terrbile idea of making a train me sat between her legs holding the skis across my chest. We set off and quickly picked up a bit of pace the screaming/ crying picked up again. Luckily we hit a patch of thicker snow and stopped. It took us 2 hours to get down eventually in the dark. As she got to the bottom she threw her skis on the floor and said i wont need them im going home tomorrow ( this is 2 days in to a 6 six week trip) After being called every name under the sun she finally agreed to stay although we only went on blues for a couple of days. She is very much a confidence skier. She can get down anything but the second she is a bit scared its good night vienna. Looking back it was quite funny at the time it was almost holiday ending.
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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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| Quote: |
making a train me sat between her legs holding the skis across my chest
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Sorry mate ... you came down the whole length of the Face sitting down between your wive's legs? That's absolutely brilliant. I dread to think what would have happened had she let go ...
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No matter how hard I try, I cannot imagine the position you were in, i.e., you between her legs with skis across your chest, thinking that you were somehow in control!!!!!🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
I dread to think what would have happened had she let ONE go😲😲
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Before we are all too critical I might have done something similar on my way down from the KK and the Mooserwirt ...
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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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i broke my arm on the santons, it was my own fault, going to fast on the flat bit and my ski tips crossed, and i was a gonner.
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You know it makes sense.
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Was even worse when I somehow dropped a pair of skis that nearly castrated me ha. After standing in the same position for an hour you will literally try anything. She actually skied the bottom third or so meaning it was 2 hours to go possibly 300 metres. Never again
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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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| mk28 wrote: |
| Was even worse when I somehow dropped a pair of skis that nearly castrated me ha. |
An interesting way of checking the sharpness of your edges.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I skied Santons late afternoon yesterday (flat light) and today (blues skies). Its a decent halfpipe now its Red status keeps the crowds away. I found it not much harder in flat light tbh, but today's run was complicated by snow cannons in the lower section, flattening the light, and the odd skier caught out by moguls unseen in the manufactured murk.
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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 broke my arm on the santons, nobodys fault but mine
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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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Now 'red' eh? Wonders will never cease.
As an intermediate 'dread the reds', I remember the Santons gully steepening and narrowing into the final, short but sweet, couloir of doom - crowded with similarly hesitant skiers checking their insurance policies before continuing.
As a competent 'black-runner', I only remember the final run-out into the flat road of tedium... and I must remember to wax first next time.
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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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Santon’s bark is usually worse than its bite IMO.
Taking it steady and keeping a good rhythm is key.
Easy to get phased by rocks on left hand side, where over ambitious people often stand in the middle of the piste.
Often closed after snowfall and not one to ever risk, given the avi risk from the Epaule de Charvet up to the right.
Both Face and Epaule pistes are more fun from there to Val D but quite steep.
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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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@mk28,
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She is very much a confidence skier. She can get down anything but the second she is a bit scared its good night vienna.
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Nothing like a ski train down the Face de Bellevarde for boosting confidence.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@mk28,
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She is very much a confidence skier. She can get down anything but the second she is a bit scared its good night vienna.
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Nothing like a ski train down the Face de Bellevarde for boosting confidence.
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If I have to do it I tend to stick to the edges/virtually off piste. Better snow conditions usually than the congested middle.
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When I did it in March last year, after all the epic snow, it was an absolute doddle (funnily enough)!
Much shorter than I remembered too.
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FAQ
