 Poster: A snowHead
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Skiing down to Val T at one point I skied straight into a snow bank.
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I'm glad other people do that. I have skied into ice banks, snow banks and holes, and have the scars to proove it. I now hate poor vis
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Six go ski the Vallee Blanche 1995
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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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1997
Just the 6 days skiing (a poor return) as we returned to flying and a TO package trip - Skiworld to Val Thorens.
On this trip was my me, my skiing bestie, two guys we'd met on the La Tania trip in '95 - Gords and Mozza, and a couple that were good friends of my bestie and their son. Skiworld were same bunch of corporate shysters they are today but at £219 for flights and catered chalet we could afford overlook that. We nearly never made it as my mate played chicken with airport security, jesting about the ticking and the wires in our rucksacks. "Sir this is serious, if you make another joke...." - I saw his lips quiver. I knew what he was thinking... and was internally saying "Please don't". He also didn't like flying and so we also played chicken at the gate waiting until the last possible moment to board.
The trip itself was grand. There was a good crew and the skiing was excellent as always. Although apart from me and my mate none were big in to of off piste so we tended to split off on slopes a lot.
Costings:
VAL THORENS (LE TROIS VALLEES)
18th - 25th January 1997 (6 days skiing)
SKIWORLD
Holiday Package £219
(Flight, Catered Chalet)
Ski Carraige £15
Insurance (Carte Neige) £32.50
Lift Pass £117.50
Spending Money £65
TOTAL COST £449 - £74.83 (6)
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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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@Layne, keep it going
..love it
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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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@Layne, +1. I've always enjoyed the accounts of your family trips and admired your cheerful, resourceful, approach. Now we see the foundations on which those trips were built. You have a very optimistic face, by the way! Looking forward to the next instalment.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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A brief anecdote from my first ever trip back in 1991 Tignes. As I said the first couple of days I spent on the free lifts because I'd only done a few lessons on a dry slope and my lessons didn't start until Monday. I think the lifts are Lavachet and Rosset. No idea what they are like now but back then they were very slow and doddery. One afternoon I was on one of said chair lifts, sitting back on my tod, enjoying the quiet and the sunshine, when boom, I was thrust face first into the snow followed by a glancing blow to the head. I hadn't noticed we were near the top of the lift!
IIRC it had one of these flimsy safety bars with no footrest so I hadn't bothered to pull it down.
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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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Its such a shame we dont have our pics on the lift cards anymore
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Layne, So much of this reminds me of my own early skiing days.
The scar at the top of my nose where I skied into an ice wall and bled all over the piste for a while
The broken front tooth when I accidently had a kiss from the handle of my ski pole
The frost bitten ears when I forgot my hat at -10
The lost passport and how to get back to the UK without a passport
The ski train - ah! the skitrain I loved it. I could write a small book on that
The mates who try to sneak off the chair lift leaving you asleep on it
The trip when we went to Serre Chevalier and there was no snow at all so we had two days at Mongeneve, 2 at Alp d'Huex, 2 at les 2 Alpes, includeing being left there by the tour bus and having to get a taxi back.
The overnight coaches to the Alpes, including one where the seats converted to beds for sleeping in
The time we were in Saalbach when we were told to leave a bar because some of our party object to the extornionate price of beer - the rest of us were told to leave our drinks and get out. (incidently I thought Saalbach Hinterglemm was the least welcoming of all the resorts I've ever been to)
Mud
Travels with a baby and how he grew up to outs ki all of us
And finaly since none of us ever wore helmets how come we are all still alive
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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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| DrLawn wrote: |
| Its such a shame we dont have our pics on the lift cards anymore |
It was a pain the backside sorting out passport pics and queuing up to get the pass made up. But yes they made great souvenirs.
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| johnE wrote: |
| The frost bitten ears when I forgot my hat at -10 |
Forgot my gloves coming up from Le Praz and on the ski back down I put a hand down and slashed my hand on an icy rut in the snow. Ouch.
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You know it makes sense.
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1999
My first trip to ADH which was to become quite a regular haunt over the years.
We'd heard good things about ADH and we were excited to visit a new ski area. On the trip me, me old mucka Col, Data and his mate Jamez. It was one of those 2nd/3rd week of Jan cheapo deals with Skiworld - flying for this one. Seems to have been a bit of a low key week on account I can't remember many stories coming out of it but don't worry folks I've a few good ones for then next two days.
Costings:
9th - 16th Jan 1999 (6 days skiing)
SKIERS TRAVEL BUREAU/SKIWORLD
Holiday Package £228
(Flight, Catered Chalet)
Ski Carriage £15
Train travel to Gatwick £11
Lift Pass £117
Spending Money £50
TOTAL COST £421 - £70.16 (6)
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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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but don't worry folks I've a few good ones for then next two days.
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Phew.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Layne, by going that 2nd week of Jan in 1999, you were just ahead of one of the biggest snowmageddon periods in living memory in the Alps.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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since none of us ever wore helmets how come we are all still alive
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Cos the dead don't post. 
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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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2000
It was a return to La Plagne but I'd heard Champagny was a pretty cool place to stay so that's town we stayed this year. My old mucker Col had gotten busy starting a fam so he sat this one out. But Data was in and also coming on this trip was a work colleague and volleyball team mate Simon. We drove in my car - a red Vauxhall Cavalier. Which a few years later was stolen by a night clubber from my driveway so that they could get home and subsequently written off. It had a 6-track CD interchanger aswell. Booger.
I borrowed my mate Col's roofbox so we had plenty of room to stretch out and kip when rotating drivers. Simon like to drive fast - he subsequently bought an Imprezza and made us all feel sick driving to Yorkshire... but I digress.
On arrival Saturday morning it was snowing pretty heavily and we had to chain up for the final climb. I'd never put chains on before and was surprised I managed no problem. It was daylight though and quiet on the roads so easy enough to pull over.
Always a bit tricky launching back into skiing on a snowy day. As I recall it was a week of two halves, with lots of snowy conditions for the first 4 days and then blazing sunshine for the 4 after. By Thursday afternoon I was skiing in a rugby shirt and sun hat. But we skied some pretty good powder earlier in the week. Although struggling a bit off piste Data was game for it. We did the side valley from the top of Arpette down to Les Coches that the Kiwi chalet host had shown me a couple of years back. Only problem being I missed the exit back to the piste. Then inexplicably got a bit disorientated when we got to the cross country track and started going the wrong way. Thankfully before we'd gone too far I realised and we had our picnic lunch and double back and out OK.
Simon wasn't that experienced a skier and took lessons. We met up with a couple of afternoons though. Like with his driving he was bit out of control! Simon liked a beer after skiing. We joined him one night for a couple in his regular haunt. The old Euro-Pop was pumping out. As it was my turn to cook I took my leave and Data joined me. After a shower, I cooked the evening meal and still Simon wasn't back. So I do the honourable thing and head back down to the bar (pretty chuffed I could remember and find it!) to drag his sorry ass back to the apartment. Anyhow goes into the bar and he's to be found nowhere. I have a shufty round about and ask a few folk but no dice. So I head back and eat dinner with Data. By now it's around 10pm and things are getting a bit iffy. Data asks if I am going back out to look for him. To which the reply is "do I look like his Ma!?". Anyway 10 minutes later the door bell goes and there is Simon being chaperoned by a pleasant looking young lady. Seems she had found him a little lost in the town on her way back from her evening out and he managed to direct her enough to get him back. I think he was pretty close to being one of those Daily Mail headlines we get once or twice a season.
We had a decent apartment a short walk from the cable car and I liked Champagny but I am not sure it has the best access to the domain and the ski back down was prone to being difficult that week - not sure if that is always the case.
As we had 8 days and it was an option back then we did a day in Courcheval (parked at Le Praz). I actually solo'd the Grand Couloir twice while Data kept an eye out for me. On one of them I saw another guy doing it on snowblades! There are some nutters around.
We also did a day at Les Arcs (this was before the VE remember) parking at the Funicular at BSM.
Costings - I was kind of losing interest in keeping track now so this is all I had:
CHAMPAGNY-EN-VANOISE (LA PLAGNE)
4th - 11th Mar 2000 (8 days skiing)
SKIERS TRAVEL BUREAU/LAGRANGE
Holiday Package £158
(Studio Appartment, Eurotunnel crossing, breakdown insurance)
Petrol, road tariffs, car insurance £XXX
Lift Pass £134
Food and drink £XX
TOTAL COST £XX - £XX.XX (8 days)
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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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I am going to save the next installment for tomorrow (no rush in the circs right!) but instead will put up some pics of the 2000 trip above....
First up is me looking like some new army recruit.... on the balcony overlooking Champagny before or after a days skiing (I'm not sure which)
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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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Data skiing the off piste down from Arpette
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Simon, me and Data in a very sunny La Plagne
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Simon skiing as Simon does...
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Me, myself and I
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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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....
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Thu 2-04-20 0:37; edited 1 time in total
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I think I look a bit of a prat to be honest... how about you?
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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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You were very colourful back in the day!
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I'm rather fond of Champagny myself, but largely as a summer destination. There is a good ferrata just up the road We have only managed to ski down to it once. Everytime we try the piste stops at the top of the cablecar. The time we did get down was a christmas eve when we left Arc1600 quite early and got to a sunny Champagny for a very early lunch. It was hot and sunny. People at home couldn't the photos of us sitting outside in T shirts having lunch at the end of December surounded by snow.
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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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2001
Back to ADH but we thought we'd try Oz-en-Oisan as our base. I subsequently became a regular to Oz - I think it's a great ski station if you don't need loads of Apres.
I'd met my now wife around the millennium but we didn't ski together in 2000 on account our relationship only developed after we'd booked separate ski holidays. From southern Germany she'd been skiing since she was 3/4 years old. And so as we were still together come the next Winter we naturally tripped together. My old mucka Col was back for this one, along with Jamez. Data had bought an apartment with an ex-girlfriend in Le Deux Alpes and renovating that - so he was out.
The lift pass suggests we only did 6 days skiing which puzzles me because we drove down in Col's car and I remember we arrived in Oz before even the lifts were open on Saturday and we dropped Jamez in Acton on Sunday morning on the way back so I am certain we did 8 full days skiing. Maybe we got a 6 day pass via the apartment agency and had to buy a couple of day passes. The pass has "XXI" at the top, that kind of looks like it was written on with a marker pen. I've no idea what that is about either. The little square cut out the corner was because we used the pass to ski a day over at Le Deux Alpes. That was one of the coldest days I've ever skied and we were so frozen we took the unusual step of hitting a bar after skiing to warm up before we drove home. I didn't like LDA at all and have never returned.
We had some great snow that week I remember for sure. And me, Col and the missus did a lot of good off piste. I did give the missus a fright one day. Last run down we were off piste through some trees. I take a tumble at the back and Col and the missus ski on oblivious. We weren't skiing a specific route and so I took while to figure out my way back out and onto the piste. The pisteurs were even doing a sweep on a skidoo when I did get back on the piste. Missus was only waiting a few minutes but enough to get a little concerned. Something she was going to have get used to over the years.
It was a good crack in the apartment, especially the night we played forfeit Jenga. I had a bad run and ended up eating raw garlic and walking bare foot in then snow. Jamez only had to sing the national anthem with is undies over his trousers. Great trip, great days.
Photo's to follow.
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Poster: A snowHead
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A womens place right...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Forfeit Jenga... Jamez's rendition of "God Save the Queen"...
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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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Forfeit Jenga... eating raw garlic
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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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The Jenga session
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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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Pisteurs doing the end of sweep next to the wall of icicles (snappy title ugh...)
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Caption competition
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End of another skiing holiday
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2002
Things were a changing by 2002. I was in a relationship. Some of my ski buddies were otherwise engaged. The regular routine was being disrupted. Christmas 2001 we went to my missus parents in southern Germany. We squeezed in a couple of days at the Sonnenkopf in the Arlberg. It's a drive up place, smallish but more than a couple of lifts. I'd never been skiing at Christmas before. It was great, the snow was fantastic.
The only other skiing that season was a long weekend in Chamonix - again just the missus and me. We left off work a little early and flew out of Luton to Geneva on Thursday evening. The Hotel did the transfer for an inexpensive fee. We stayed at the Hotel des Randonneurs in Argentière. First day we skied the Argentière ski area. In the evening we met our guide that the Hotel had recommended to us and made plans for the next two days.
First day (Saturday) we headed up the Aiguillle du Midi to ski the Vallée Blanche. I'd done it before, if you recall, back in '95 with young doctors n'all but the missus hadn't. Because I had done the standard route the guide suggested we take a different, slightly more challenging, route. After the ridge (which I'd bigged up to the wife but was for some reason far less intimidating) instead of turning right, if I remember correctly, we took a more straight forward traverse before hitting a kind of snow ridge. We looked over and he asked us if were frightened. Being a bloke, I insisted not, but the missus said she was. I feared he might reverse his decision and take us back down the standard route. But no, he said he would rope us up for the first section. It was a kind of weird skiing roped up but to be honest we only did a few turns before he metaphorically cut us loose. It was a beautiful slope with nobody on it but us. He warned us there was a gaping crevasse at the bottom which kept the alertness levels up. It was a little taster of extreme skiing - which I loved.
We had a bit of an odd situation after we finished the morning. The Guide was of the assumption we were doing a full day whilst I was of a mind it was just a half. Maybe he was taking advantage or maybe I'd got it wrong, who knows. But in the end we agreed to do the full day. He asked if we wanted to do the VB again but I didn't fancy that so he took us up into the Le Tour section. There was some interesting skiing but the snow was crap. Should have done another round of the VB I guess.
Next day we went up the Grand Montets and did some more great off piste. Actually can't remember much about the last day (Monday) where we skied without a guide and had a smooth transfer and flight home.
I've never returned to Chamonix - next couple of years we did mixed ability group/social trips. And then we had kids. Maybe one day I'll go back. I can't see the point of piste skiing there. If I went back I think it would be to something gnarly. We'll see.
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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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FAQ
....Can't explain why I haven't ditched them - there's just something about them that says 'keep me'...Wonder what they'd be like to ski on these days? They're as long as ski jumping skis and as skinny as cross country!
in 1991??
