 Poster: A snowHead
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The Alps have been cold so the snow has held up but it’s been pretty dry for 3 weeks except for the East which got a dump last week. Problem is it’s now warming up and 2 week forecast is dry. Piste skiing only and those pistes are going to suffer, especially in the lower resorts.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thanks Bob.
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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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| BobinCH wrote: |
| Problem is it’s now warming up and 2 week forecast is dry. Piste skiing only and those pistes are going to suffer, especially in the lower resorts. |
Porca miseria !
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| BobinCH wrote: |
| The Alps have been cold so the snow has held up but it’s been pretty dry for 3 weeks except for the East which got a dump last week. Problem is it’s now warming up and 2 week forecast is dry. Piste skiing only and those pistes are going to suffer, especially in the lower resorts. |
Piste skiing, mid-morning coffee breaks, lunch on the terrace, sunglasses and suncream on, uninterrupted views under blue skies ... what's not to like?
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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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Yes, underrated for sure
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| franga wrote: |
| BobinCH wrote: |
| The Alps have been cold so the snow has held up but it’s been pretty dry for 3 weeks except for the East which got a dump last week. Problem is it’s now warming up and 2 week forecast is dry. Piste skiing only and those pistes are going to suffer, especially in the lower resorts. |
Piste skiing, mid-morning coffee breaks, lunch on the terrace, sunglasses and suncream on, uninterrupted views under blue skies ... what's not to like? |
Fine in April. Not really what I hope for in mid Feb! But yes if you want to sunbathe this week looks perfect!
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I've skied a couple of days this week in local resorts. On Sunday in les Sept Laux. Bottom of the pistes at 1600m. Better than at Christmas when it was very limited. Quite a few rocks on the pistes but just in certain places. Cover is thin but sufficient. Some icy patches but also chalky powder at altitude on north facing slopes. Resort hopes to make it through to the end of the school holidays although the high temperatures at the moment - spring like - are a worry for slope wear. All lifts running at full speed, so very little queues and pistes not that crowded.
Today we were at Allevard, pistes go from 1400m to 2000m. Even at 2000m there were rocks visible poking through the snow. Some very rocky and muddy pistes, even in the north facing Pre Rond bowl. It was very ropey and I wouldn't ski there again in those conditions.
My son was in Areches yesterday. Despite the low altitude there was reasonable snow cover. Again stones on piste but just in certain areas. Generally good.
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Was in Alpe d'Huez last week.
Conditions started well above 1500m at the start of the week.
Above 2000m held up but by end week lower slopes were most definitely beginning to struggle with bare and icy patches.
The area and I am guessing the northern French Alps in general needs a good half metre mininum.
This week it's warmed up too - fingers crossed there is some snow forecast soon
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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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https://www.skiresort.info/snow-reports/europe/sorted/open-slopes/
It’s half term and most of the bigger resorts still have some closed lifts and runs. Some may still have quite a lot still closed. Presumably this is indicative of the poorer than average snow conditions across the alps. It may be that parts of some ski areas are not able to fully open all season now?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Peter S, I can imagine conditions aren't great, but it's still only mid Feb. Just when it looks like the weather will never change, and we've given up on it...
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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've skied in the Isere and Savoie this week. Generally very hard snow which has led to steeper slopes getting scralped and exposing all the rocks. Don't take new skis or you'll be crying. However if you like ice it's been ok with wall to wall sunshine. Some very nice sun kissed blues to ski in the afternoon before they turn to slush.
Off piste was a mixture of chalky snow and transformed, ok to ski but never excellent but frequently better than on piste.
Conditions notably poorer at the end of the week compared to the start with a lot of rocks on piste, even at 2000+ meters altitude.
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@Peter S, I think that site is rather misleading. Looking at Cham (from Edinburgh  ) there will be at least 2 runs closed, cos they almost always are. ...
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You know it makes sense.
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| under a new name wrote: |
| @Peter S, I think that site is rather misleading. Looking at Cham (from Edinburgh ) there will be at least 2 runs closed, cos they almost always are. ... |
I don't know about Chamonix, it is further north and colder than where I am. However I've seen a lot of open pistes recently that would not normally open in the condition they were in. I think the resorts are just struggling through this winter break as best they can on the sub 1800m runs in the French N.A. As has been said elsewhere, it will take at least 50cm of snow to bring the ski runs back to something reasonable and a meter for the off piste/ski touring unless you have some high road access.
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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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@davidof, sadly, for those skiing, you’re spot on.
If I had to choose a season to be “off” this isn’t the worst …
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Poster: A snowHead
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My friend has been skiing/boarding around the Salzburg region (Gastein, Schladming, Obertauern, Saint Margarethen) for the last 6 or so weeks and it's only this week he's noticed the south facing lower pistes are suffering a bit. If the temps drop again and this drought breaks I expect that area will be quite good again.
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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: |
If I had to choose a season to be “off” this isn’t the worst … |
I'm effectively "off" this season as I have too much work on, so I don't feel I'm missing too much.
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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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@davidof, indeed
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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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| Peter S wrote: |
https://www.skiresort.info/snow-reports/europe/sorted/open-slopes/
This may be about the high water mark or just after, of a rather poor season in terms of open runs and snow depth. It looks like most of the large ski areas in Europe will not achieve the situation of being able to open all their runs this year.  |
Don't forget there are strikes today which will affect lift openings.
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I've been to most of the main ski areas in central Italy over the last week as well as some small ones. Happy to report that about 90% of pistes are open, and there is very little ice, slush or bare patches.
Weather has (obviously) also been very different to the western Alps which have been dominating the general weather thread. Not-to-mild temperatures, some cloud / light snow (right down to 1,000m) while France has been sunny, and sunny today while it's been raining in France.
I'm here for 4 more days - weather outlook is for more of the same.
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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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Had an amazing week in les gets. Pistes are in great condition considering the season
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Looks fairly certain that this year very few of the big lifts systems will have had any days when they have been able to open all their lifts and slopes. In a more normal season you would expect something closer to 100% at least during high season after January.
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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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@Peter S, I suspect that's true. Certainly from reports here on SHs and from my own observations of the bulletins from the Espace Diamant, where I've never seen so many closed pistes and lifts. Right now things have been much improved by the recent snowfalls, but before that conditions in many places were pretty shocking "for the season".
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Ah not just weather.
Lift running = large electricity bill
Lift not running = no bill, no pisteurs needed
If no complaints....we'll just do it more and more, thinks the lift company
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You know it makes sense.
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| Peter S wrote: |
| Looks fairly certain that this year very few of the big lifts systems will have had any days when they have been able to open all their lifts and slopes. In a more normal season you would expect something closer to 100% at least during high season after January. |
You can also look at your link on archive.org and see indeed a greater % was open in previous years.
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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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@valais2, I think it's more like everywhere has pistes/lifts sub 1,600m so everywhere has suffered to a degree.
Pisteurs will probs be on a contract for certain days I suspect so tricky to lay off.
En revanche, many lifts I've been on were running a few notches slower than usual speed, presumably to save leccy. Didn't make an appreciable difference to my fun.
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Poster: A snowHead
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In Menuires last week the St Martin Express seemed to be running slower at lunchtime when the queues were lower.
Makes sense I suppose but sort of negates it's express status and for those of us who ski through lunch to make the best of the empty slopes.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Yes I've had a few problems with slow ascending & waiting recently, have to keep telling the fat-Fitzwilliams to get fitter if they want to ski-tour 
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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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@NoMapNoCompass, All skiing areas of the organisation Domaines Skiables de France have sort of committed to reducing energy consumption by lowering speed of lifts when possible looking at the queue. + Other measures with the same goal in mind.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Yeah all the lifts at Kitzbuhel seem to be at 4M/S, with the seat heaters off. I’m fine with the latter, but I’m an impatient man…
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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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Bet some of them wish they had kept more of their auto stacking Pomas now. Would have saved them a LOT of money in electricity and staffing not to mention the capital costs 
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