 Poster: A snowHead
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@zikomo, exactly! Didn’t I link to the piste map above? 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We did Frachey to Passo Salati for lunch and back last feb with two intermediate teenage boys. repeated about 2 runs in the whole day and were cream-crackered by the end. Obviously you'd repeat quite a bit in a week but it's a great area in terms of travelling across different valleys, the food and the views.
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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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@zikomo, @under a new name, @t44tomo, @MHskier, Thanks for all this useful info - much appreciated. I'm putting some costs together and I'll put the details to my ski group. Cheers
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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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@JohnOw,  good luck!
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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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@JohnOw, good luck from me too. Just had a check in my old where to ski and snowboard 2016 which states 73km of piste for Monterosa. I would say that understates it somewhat given the distances covered by the network and the length of most runs.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Del Larici, the key link back to Champoluc from Gressoney valley is still showing as incomplete with last 200m uncovered need to walk. Strange that it has been like this for so long now. Everything else is open.
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@zikomo, rockfall onto it, difficult to clear, no fresh snow and no cannons there... ??
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I remained curious so emailed the tourist office. Very impressed! Very shortly afterwards the message about the Del Larici piste was removed and I got a very nice response by email. It seems it is just lack of snow, which is surprising. It’s such a key link that I would expect it to be maintained. Anyway looks like we have to just pray for more snow.
Hi David,
thank you for your message.
From some days the last 200 meters of the Larici slope were to be covered without skis, and this was due to the lack of snow in that stretch. Starting from today it is again possible to take that stretch of the track on skis, being careful because there are also stones.
We apologize for the inconvenience and we hope an heavy snowfall arrives soon!
I rest at your disposal for further informations.
Yours sincerely,
Nadia
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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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@under a new name, yes I recall it is covered by snow cannons too. I suspect they didn’t manage to get a good enough base down, maybe had a problem with a cannon or two. Then with the warm weather they could not farm any snow from elsewhere. Hopefully it is a one off and some more snow and especially colder weather will fix the problem.
Clearly the tourist office is really on the ball though! It was an online form from the website and the response came a couple of hours later. I have thanked them and said how impressed I am! That said it is not a good look having a key link not complete, and it is clearly not in the state that it should be even now.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@zikomo, it's a tricky bit of piste to groom ... and it's not the only key link in the area!
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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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No it’s not the only key link. But it is quite important, especially for those staying in Champoluc as it is the only way home from elsewhere in the area. It’s probably the spell of warm weather stopped them from maintaining it. I am not a cynic but it was amazing how quickly the warning that it was incomplete was removed following my message to the tourist office!
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| zikomo wrote: |
| No it’s not the only key link. But it is quite important, especially for those staying in Champoluc as it is the only way home from elsewhere in the area. It’s probably the spell of warm weather stopped them from maintaining it. I am not a cynic but it was amazing how quickly the warning that it was incomplete was removed following my message to the tourist office! |
Just about every piste in Monterosa is the only way back/out to/from the other valleys 
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You know it makes sense.
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@t44tomo, yes, that’s one way of looking at it!
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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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Skied today no issue on larici at all. Didn't even notice any stones and I was looking for them! Having never skied here before I can see why the GOAT run has become a black! Will stick a snow report in the snow report section.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@wam15, great! And thanks for the update. Let us know how you get on. And always interested in restaurant reviews! Especially if there are fish or vegetarian options as I have 2 pescatarians in the family and have not tested every restaurant in the area (yet).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We had lunch at ostafa top of the 2nd gondala out of champolouc. We have a pescatarian as well! Food was good nice selection of veggie pasta I had the ravioli which was good. Only caveat is it is order and pay at the bar and even though it was quiet there was quite a queue. Don't know how it would be on a busy day!
Generally the resort was very quiet all day. No lift queues at all.
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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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I was talking to one of the guides last week, who said something to the effect that some of the regradings (e.g. the run down from Pianalunga to Alagna is now black, but used to be red) are to do with the fact that insurance companies won't cover guides' liabilities if one of their clients has a crash on a black: apparently there's been a good deal of back bottom-covering since a boy was killed on that run recently.
Even regraded as black, the Goat Run wasn't at all fun, even on a relatively quiet week: despite being clearly marked for experienced skiers only, 2/3 or more of the width of narrow sections were generally taken up by an adult followed not particularly closely by two or three not-yet-intermediate young children snowploughing across and struggling to turn. Meanwhile a bunch of idiots hit that section without caring what's below them, with the result that if you stop above the gaggle of kids in order to choose a line so as not to scare them, it can take a very long time to start again safely as you wait for a big enough gap in the rather gung-ho intermediates.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@jmr59, that seems a strange explanation. Not least as “guides” would usually refer to mountain guides who lead off-piste groups so would not be affected anyway. Ski instructors, more likely to be teaching on piste, would be very restricted if they could not take clients on black runs. I am an instructor and have never heard anything like this before. So I don’t think that explanation makes sense. It may be that there is some concern there may be some liability for instructors taking clients onto unsuitable terrain, and by regrading it makes it clear these runs are not for intermediates. Either way I very much hope that regrading the goat will improve safety by discouraging at least some of the lower intermediates from attempting it. I agree that there are always people on it who should not be, and are a liability to themselves and others. I suspect it will not stop all intermidiots though, as the convenience of getting to the rest of the area is high, and particularly amongst the Brit’s there is a tendency to significantly over-estimate ability.
We are there in a couple of weeks (yay) so interested to see if anything actually changes on the ground. As usual, pending my arrival, it seems to be warming up again. Which I hate! I like skiing in the cold….
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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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@zikomo whatever it was, it was Andrea Enzio who said it: so any errors are far more likely to be in my comprehension/transmission than in what he actually said!
It was -20 on Thursday, and on some of the off-piste traverses it felt like I was skiing with the brakes on. I needed a second mid-layer for the first time in years. Sorry to hear it's warming up!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@jmr59, here’s hoping the weather stays cold! And disappointed that the regrading does not seem to have discouraged people from the goat that much. I actually really like that run, when empty first thing in the morning it is a joy. But a real pain as soon as the hordes making it over to Frachey wake up. We took to driving to Frachey a few days for that reason.
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Got back on Sunday, I have to say both re classified blacks have made it more pleasant..the goat was quiet all week, even at 3pm it was a shush..and the run down to the bottom was again quiet and the best it's been for the last 15 years !!!
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@yorkshirelad, and other than being quiet, what where the snow conditions like on the goat at 3pm? When its quiet it doesn't bother me at all but I give it the respect it deserves. As everyone else has said, its how busy it usually is and the combination of people who really shouldnt be there coupled to those who don't have enough respect for others. I've been very close to serious problems there due to that combination.
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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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@yorkshirelad, that’s fantastic news! I found the goat was normally quiet in the afternoon, it’s the morning migration that was normally the problem. The run down to the bottom is a fantastic piste imv so great that was also quiet. You have wetted my appetite now, only two weeks until we are there. Any tips or comments on mountain restaurants from your trip?
@Adamski, I agree. I actually really like the goat. I don’t mind at all if it is bumpy, or even icy, as it’s fun to have a bit of variety before the long wide section. The only problem is the number of skiers stuck, stationary, falling over so the initial section is clogged up. And the lemmings that keep entering despite that, without the skill to turn wherever so end up stuck themselves. And you are right about the preponderance of hero skiers who just go for it, often of the middle aged male variety, with no consideration for others safety or indeed the ability to safely ski at that pace.
With a small amount of pain (the slow two man), it’s a great lap with good vertical to ski down goat then up the chair, big gs turns on the blue and then bomb the bottom run first thing in the morning when no one is on those runs. Looking forward to it!
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