 Poster: A snowHead
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Only Les Houches open today!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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It’s chaos in town. Very high wind and heavy rain. Pavements icy, just got blown along. Can’t see the snow line but it’s up there somewhere 3 deg in town.
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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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Wow, I left at the right time then! Transfer picked me up at 7am this morning, in the drizzly rain. Back next Thursday night though - here's hoping you all get loads more snow before then 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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How lucky... Going Friday, or will try to 
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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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With everything closed we decided to try our luck in Megeve but by the time we got there lifts were being shut due to the wind. Decided to admit defeat and headed to Sallanches to top up supplies! Drove back through heavy rain in Chamonix which turned to snow once we got back to Argentiere. It's stopped now but I can't imagine much will be open tomorrow if the forecast is right. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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5/5 tomorrow. Take care. Not much chance of skiing.
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Any guesses if 5/5 will mean a bit of bombing and a late start tomorrow, or will everything likely be shut for a few days?
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Anywhere that is viable to travel to from Chamonix if conditions not permitting ?
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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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@Steve77, my interpretation from this morning the forecast and last night was that little to no expectation of opening tomorrow.
But, check in the morning!
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Nothing will be open above 2100m. Courmayeur was almost totally closed today. 5 often means risk to roads and buildings, however it’s calling 5 above 2100m so hopefully it won’t affect the valley bottom or town but take care.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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We went to Les Houches for a couple of hours this morning and it was decent higher up. High winds closed chairs by 12pm and we went home. (Tho it would have been called a decent day at Glenshee...)
Town treacherous with ice, and not setting alarm tomorrow!
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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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@footsoldier, A long lie-in sounds like a sensible option tomorrow... (maybe take your shovel to bed...)
Sobering article on the Montroc av. in 1999 - conditions sound similar to recent forecasts 
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| ... a deep depression crossed France. Over three days it dumped more than two meters of snow on Chamonix. In the high winds snow accumulated to worrying depths above the town. The avalanche risk was at its maximum... |
http://pistehors.com/backcountry/wiki/Articles/Montroc-Avalanche
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Hows the snow holding up? Doesnt look like its all been washed away on the webcams? Arriving in 2 weeks and am getting a bit worried about current development.
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You know it makes sense.
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@staffsan, stop worrying, not least as there's nothing you can do.
Tempting fate, but the view from a chum who's a senior pisteur up the Grands Montets is that everything is now pretty "tranquil" in terms of worrying about snow cover at least until the end of the vacances scolaires and probably until the end of the season...
Snow is remarkably resilient especially when we have 3 x the normal depth for the time of year. Confoundingly, the webcams are typically placed on existing structures, often placed where the snow doesn't accumulate (for obvious reasons) and wind scoured rocks and peaks can confuse the appearance of the general situation.
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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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@under a new name, Thanks for todays dose of anxiety-relief!
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Poster: A snowHead
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| geoffers wrote: |
@footsoldier, A long lie-in sounds like a sensible option tomorrow... (maybe take your shovel to bed...)
Sobering article on the Montroc av. in 1999 - conditions sound similar to recent forecasts
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| ... a deep depression crossed France. Over three days it dumped more than two meters of snow on Chamonix. In the high winds snow accumulated to worrying depths above the town. The avalanche risk was at its maximum... |
http://pistehors.com/backcountry/wiki/Articles/Montroc-Avalanche |
Its quite different actually. I was there in Feb 1999. It was 4 intense and very cold storms that came one after another. Starting late Jan. Cold northerly hit moist southerly system and then cold one won. Snowline was 400m or so. It was a much higher amount of snow than so far on these systems. There was over 2m at 1000m. So up high you were talking 7m or so in the Chamonix Valley. No rain at all. It was sheer volume and the same as the one in Galtur in Austria. I moved from Chamonix to La Plagne and felt a lot safer there!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Ski toured up from Prarion this morning. Very wet. Have never had to wrong gloves out before, let alone both pairs.
But it was still beautiful.
Long hot bath and beers now.
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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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How are conditions now post-storm? Is skiing down to the valley possible?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@staffsan,
Just arrived from uk by car and made a cup of tea. Calm yourself down. The piste down to Les Houches was plenty complete as we drove past, and there is no shortage of snow.
Whether it is any cop or not; that is another matter entirely.
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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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Les Houches was OK yesterday. Soft lumpyish snow.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@HammondR, welcome.
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| ChrisKernow wrote: |
Ski toured up from Prarion this morning. Very wet. Have never had to wrong gloves out before, let alone both pairs.
But it was still beautiful.
Long hot bath and beers now. |
Check out sealskin gloves. Not particularly special but they are waterproof and great when handling snowy skis etc.
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Good fun on GM today with Bochard and Herse opening. Nice snow down to about 2200 after which pistes icy and off-piste horrid! The kids tried Le Tour this afternoon and came back with reports of wind swept icy pistes
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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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@toro, why anxious?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@under a new name, i totally understand the anxiety. Arriving in two weeks, and part of why i booked the trip at this time of year was to have the chance of under the tree line off-piste and above all to do the entire valle blanche down to village level (a bit stupid maybe, but i really want to for some reason).
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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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Lower trails have suffered bad in the rain and wind the past few days.
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@staffsan Base is still fine all the way to the valley floor and there's snow in the forecast during the next 2 weeks so I wouldn't worry. It'd take something pretty exceptional to budge the snow enough that you couldn't get down the James Bond track from Montenvers to town. As for the tree line off piste, below about 1400m it's always a case of just making it back down to town asap for another lap rather than enjoying the skiing. Fortunately, there's handy wee 4x4 tracks at about that altitude above Chamonix that even in poor snow years are passible through into March, even April (not last year admittedly, but the previous 2 years) so really it's just whether or not you get fresh snow during your trip to make the tree skiing good.
Yes the skiing has suffered lower down with the rain and wind, but the snow is still fine and just needs to transform, this is already happening where it had the full force of the sun this afternoon. Where it didn't, it's firm. Very firm!
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You know it makes sense.
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@Grum p says that the James Bond track is complete. Are the tracks down from the Para Face also likely to be complete?
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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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So... generally no anxiety required.
Skiing into town is both under rated and unusual (in my 11 year experience) so really something I wouldn’t fret about 
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Poster: A snowHead
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@sproggski I've not been down the paraface this season but aye, they'll be complete. The exits from the mid station of the midi lines have been in grand nick since it opened. I'd also agree that skiing back to town from the vallee blanche is over rated and, as far as the last few years go, unusual but I completely understand why folk would want to do it for the full experience. Generally though, when the skiing is best off the top of the midi, you're getting the train home.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Sad to see so little snow in the town today, in the peak of January Winter coldness.
Cham used to stay white from late Dec to early Mar.
These days, it is often gray, black or brown for most of the season.
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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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@Whitegold, have you ever been to Chamonix? You are, as usual, talking p1sh.
On a more real note, Grands Montets snow very pleasant yesterday, chalky at top of Bochard, soft and sugary down Pierre a Ric. Light very flat for most of the morning which didn't inspire.
Very fine salmon croute at the Cremerie, which I finally ate in after 11 years.
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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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| Quote: |
Cham used to stay white from late Dec to early Mar.
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Maybe several millennia ago when there was a socking great glacier filling the valley but not since there's been a town there!
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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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| under a new name wrote: |
So... generally no anxiety required.
Skiing into town is both under rated and unusual (in my 11 year experience) so really something I wouldn’t fret about |
the brevent home run was surprisingly good fun on saturday, soft and spring like. just need to take your board/ski's off in a couple of places to climb over the avalanches that have covered the piste!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Any news snow report from Cham?
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chamonix meteo for forecast or chamonix snow report on facebook for current conditions would be good calls for reports.
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I̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶i̶m̶a̶g̶i̶n̶e̶ ̶m̶u̶c̶h̶ ̶h̶a̶s̶ ̶c̶h̶a̶n̶g̶e̶d̶ ̶s̶i̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶S̶u̶n̶d̶a̶y̶?̶ ̶O̶r̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶s̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶p̶r̶e̶c̶i̶p̶ ̶I̶'̶v̶e̶ ̶m̶i̶s̶s̶e̶d̶?̶
Shows what I know, per S in Law, overnoght probs 40-50 fresh above 2,000m, rain up to 1,700 or so... so that's nice.
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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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The weekend will be awesome 😎
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Found around 15 inches of fresh snow at the top of Mont Joly at St Gervais today and it had snowed down to about 1500m. Good times.
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