 Poster: A snowHead
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VolklAttivaS5, have a good one and hopefully we'll get to meet up – enjoy that snow and leave some for me!! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Snow forecast for 1850m is for 16cm from tonight (Thurs) through to Saturday lunchtime and then about 20cm from Wednesday night through to Friday.
The slopes are looking good and they've even added a new webcam (Le Signal) onto www.valdisere.com/gb/pictoflash/webcam/webcam.php*
(*won't work on Safari though for some reason at the moment)
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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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Specialman, Have you tried installing IE Tab (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1419) which gives you the option to embed IE into a Firefox tab. Having said that I'm using Firefox 3.0.4 and I can view the webcam
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Sorted now - poncy works machine is rubbish
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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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Lunchtime in Val d'Isere. It's very quiet here, seemed like I had the Fornet sector to myself this morning. Quite windy which is blowing loose snow around quite a lot, making it tricky to see ice and hardpack. If anyone is thinking of a sneaky early season my advice is "yes, do it!".
Photos and snow report this evening.
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rob@rar, Great pics and blog too!
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Hi rob@rar, I love the photos and thanks for posting for those of us stuck in england till january the 3rd but I have tro disagree with your comments about solaise, sure piste m can sometimes be a little icy but plan, the top half half of, m has always been in great condition when I've been there, perfect for whipping out some high speed carves and wide enough for not bothering about anyone else although I suppose that in november that isn't really an issue anywhere in the espace killy.
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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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rambotion, glad you're enjoying the photos. Even the top half of M had ice patches on it yesterday, one of which caught me out. I was lucky because the same patch (caused by a snow cannon plus wind stripping it of loose snow) meant a guy who was coming down seriously quickly lost his edges and blew out sideways, just missing me but careering into someone who was skiing down quite gingerly. He hit him so hard he knocked him out of one of his bindings, with one toe piece twisted vertically through 90º. Have to say I was surprised to see the victim of this get up so quickly, and even more surprised to see how calm he was (unless he was dazed!). I've seen a couple of people really freak out on M, especially the narrow bottom section because it's been like an inclined ice rink - the result of too many novice skiers slipping their way down a slope that they probably should avoid but don't want to take the chair or cablecar back down to the village.
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VDI meteo are forecasting 20 - 40 cms tomorrow.
That'll be useful !
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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It's looking good. Snow this weekend and then (hopefully) blue skies next week - can't wait to get there on Sunday. Methinks a little kicker session might be a good way to spend Sunday evening.
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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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Is that the infamous Le Face ?
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I am pretty sure that that photo is looking down the upper part of le face which then turns left by the snow cannon towards the trees
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You know it makes sense.
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Renry, rambotion, yes, that's right. It was quite icy in parts, even after the fresh snow but there was some lovely stuff either side of the piste. It is truly humbling when you think that the DH guys will be racing down this piste at the World Championships in a couple of months. I have unlimited respect for them!
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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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Yes, in terms of direct fall-line gradient (don't know about average gradient of the racecourse itself) it must be about the steepest downhill in the world. Schladming, coming down into town, is pretty steep too.
Le Face used to be really rough and tough to ski in the old days. There was no way a downhill could be held there. Then there was major landscaping of that side of the mountain by Bernhard Russi (I think) for the downhill course of the 1992 Olympics. This has left a much smoother piste with a more meandering course.
But, as a downhill, it looks extraordinarily challenging. They seem to only pull out this course for non-World Cup events, as the OK still seems to be preferred by the FIS and the racers. Or maybe I've got that wrong.
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Poster: A snowHead
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The last visit we had there we just spent the whole morning up and down Le Face.
Like rob@rar, says, MASSIVE respect to the downhill guys who 'risk their health' flying down pistes like that.
It was challenging enough just getting down under control
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Its always icy cause its so bloody steep, it tops out at 63 degrees according to snowforecast which when considering that an average black piste is 30 - 35 degrees is pretty steep. I was there last new year and the french national ski team had cordoned one half of the piste to practice on and it was truly amazing to watch them fly down it.
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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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rambotion, I think someone is getting percent and degrees mixed up with regard to Le face. It's a properly steep black in parts, but it's not massively steeper than average. I think 63 degrees is close to the point where snow won't hold on the slope, and would most certainly be into ultra-extreme skiing if it were possible to ski something that steep.
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Here's another view of Le Face
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I'm gonna stick my admittedly 'Young Snowhead' neck on the line here and say that Le Face aint no way 63 degrees in any place. I'm very willing to be proved wrong as I've been down it a few times and see myself as very, very particular 'intermediate' when it comes to choosing my black runs!!!!
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ok, hands up i got it wrong, what the website actually said when i went back to check was 63% which is still quite steep
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| rambotion wrote: |
| ok, hands up i got it wrong, what the website actually said when i went back to check was 63% which is still quite steep |
That's about 33 degrees, I think.
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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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Steepest part on the FACE, starts just where the fenced in, narrow track section, in the middle ends, and the run turns sharp left and down, and loads of people, stop to bottle it and bottle neck it, or in my case have a bottle of beer and do some leching 
I'd be surprised if it were much over 35 degrees - perhaps 38 at max. But it is sustained for quite a while.
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more like 30 degress (max) IMO... Think about the fact you can join two poles together on a 45 degree slope...you wont get close to that on the Face. at 50/55 degrees you can touch the slope with your elbow whilst turning !
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| beeryletcher wrote: |
| , in the middle ends, and the run turns sharp left and down, and loads of people, stop to bottle it |
I remember that bit well, that is exactly what I thought the first time I cam to that bit
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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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Sunday 14 Dec
Just arrived for a week in Val d'Isere. Wind and cloud all day, poor visibility. Only the Funival was running, but there were 100kph winds at the top. We did three circuits and it was not pleasant at the very top. The pistes down to La Dialle were in very good condition with just a dusting on wind blown snow. But due to the wind and the poor visibility we did not go off piste and we gave up skiing early.
After lunch I took C to her first ski lesson here. She is not in the first flush of youth. Her friends who have skied say she is very brave. Previously she has only done about 6 hours on a dry ski slope. So in today's poor visibility she had her first experience of snow skiing. She is getting the hang going up on the drag lift, but getting off is a challenge. Keeping the tips together in the snow plough also needs more practice. After the two hour lesson her main comment is that she is "so exhausted". Some good clothes from TK Max allayed her fears of being cold or wet.
All afternoon and evening it has been snowing, at 8pm there was about 8cm of new snow in the car park. And it is still snowing at 10pm.
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Mon 15-12-08 8:08; edited 1 time in total
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| Quote: |
After lunch I took C to her first ski lesson here.
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sounds like a horrid day for a first go...
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You know it makes sense.
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| Adrian wrote: |
| Some good clothes from TK Max allayed her fears of being cold or wet. |
 Was it the trusted dare2B gear, which has become such a legend on another thread? Good on her for getting out for the lesson on a day like today - it will stand her in good stead, skiing on a nice calm sunny day will seem like childs play!
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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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Monday - C has a mix of fleeces, socks and inner clothing, a Goretex jacket by Quicksilver, and (yes) dare2B salopettes.
At 8am we have nearly 1m of new snow in the car park. Radio Val d'Isere reports that lots of things are closed, including the main roads into town.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Monday 15
Lots of new snow and it is still snowing hard, but no lifts running. Avalanche protection of pistes and town going on. Lots of road closures and restrictions of movement for pedestrians. The road into Val d'Isere has been closed for much of the morning, but at noon has just been opened. On the other side La Fornet is cut off from Val d'Isere.
Arrived at the Gormandine at Rond Pt for the 9am start to off piste ski guiding, but nothing moving, so we had a coffee. Tried to return to the Chalet at 9:30 but the pisteurs stopped all pedestrian and car movements as they blasted on and around La Face. Waited for 45 mins before being allowed to return to the Chalet.
C's ski lesson has been postponed so she is resting. My sister and a friend came with us for two days skiing. What a pair of days for them to (not) ski! Wind and almost every lift closed yesterday. Every lift closed today. Spent much of the morning helping to dig my sisters car out, it had a metre of snow on the roof. As soon as she heard that the road was open she drove off.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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see this blog , no wonder everwhere is shut and they are predicting upto another 80cm for tonight/tomorrow - hope it stops just before the 11th of Jan when I arrive.
http://valdisere-diary.finlayski.com/
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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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Ey up guys,
Just got back from a week in Val - what an amazing place.
Great snow across the whole EK and just about every run open apart from the World Cup runs and a few of the more remote blacks and reds.
The Pissalles glacier is amazing at the moment with tons of untracked powder and the runs in totally virgin condition. The pisteurs have done a great job up there, leaving it nice and fluffy but very smooth and even for fast runs. We went up on Friday and there must have been a grand total of about 20 people up there.
The Grand Motte bubble has been closed a few times this week (probably because of winds) so only got up to the top of the funicular. Tignes was very, very, very cold this week, especially in the afternoons, whereas Val was cold but just seemed so much more comfortable to ski, especially when that freezing fog moved into the area. The offpiste into Tignes from the top of the Aeroski was something else.
The nursery slopes in Val are getting a bit more packed as more people turn up, as is Piste M down Solaise, which was particularly icy from Friday onwards. The fresh snow should soften it up nicely.
The runs above Soliase from the up-and-over 'scare chair' and the Glacier Express lift are very good. A bit chopped up in places but still very soft on the whole and good for tanking it at full knots.
Off Bellevarde the sticky, soft snow in the tranquil area (off Col De Fresse) makes boarding a bit of a problem because of all the flats but the off-piste was excellent and the Verte and Diebold runs past the Folle Douce leading into La Daille are brilliant for cruising. The Santons was a nightmare early on for boarding – too many big moguls in a relatively narrow run – but the Epaule du Charvet black run from Bellevarde was amazing on a snowboard - massive, soft lumps of snow that you could just carve right across (or through). Mind you, it was tiring after too many Vin Chauds the night before!!!
La Daille is a bit icy but again, the fresh snow should counter that. The reds into La Daille were very good but seriously, watch out for big ice boulders near the edge of the piste and in between runs, as they're like solid rock. I went off piste and got catapulted onto one head-first and nearly knocked myself out. The journey down to the bottom was a bit sketchy after that, especially when you're seeing double of everything!!!
The gem of the week was Le Fornet. The Margold run was just something else – the flats were fast, the slopes were amazingly soft and the off-piste was just truly humbling. In the end we just either took the Foret black or we cut down the side of the cable car station (inbetween the stairs and the restraunt), cutting down the face and going down through the trees, coming out just as the black flattens out up to the bottom station.
The blues above Le Fornet coming off the glacier were great but a bit flat in places and like the tranquil area, had so much soft snow that speed was cut a bit and slowed the boards down a lot. Even skiers were having to push themselves around a bit.
It's a shame to hear that the high wind we got just as we left Val for the airport have curtailed the action, but the fresh snow will more than make up for it when you get up on the slopes.
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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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norris, those pictures are fantastic - the guy on his bed! Must send that link to my son; having spent 2 seasons in Val D'Isere he might know him. He's in Meribel at the moment; very tame in comparison.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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pam w, its amazing as most resorts didn't get anything much last night which were further away from the Italian border.
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Tuesday 16
A little more snow overnight but snowing all day today. Forgot to say yesterday that the black avalanche flags were flying. Today the flags are checkered and the risk has dropped to a mere four! Not many lifts running this morning. Nor very cold overnight so the moisture in the snow did not freeze and the new snow stayed wet. We skiied some gentle off piste areas off Belvarde and down through the trees to La Dialle. Lots and lots of fresh powder snow, but some is quite thick and sticky. One guide likened its consistency to skiing through soft cardboard. Some of the best snow was from high near Verte. Near the Mont Blanc chair the snow was deep and thick and even deeper in some places lower down. Several places had snow that skiied knee deep but was so thick that skis pointing down the fall line just stopped. It is then hard work to kick the skis to and fro until they come back to the surface. Several people in our group fell and skis came off, but their skis were always very close and easy to find. Having spent a tiring morning skiing soft cardboard I enjoyed my Plat de Jour at Les Tufs and then back to the Chalet for a rest.
One ski teacher reported that the run down from Solaise could have been opened yesterday but the pisteurs said the snow was so difficult to ski that they were worried about people injuring themselves.
C's skiing has progressed. She is a nervous learner but today has got into straight line skiing and snow plough stops. The falling snow got on and in her goggles and hindered her visibility and hence the learning experience. But she said she enjoyed the day even though it was tiring. I am hoping that when the sun comes out she will be good enough to ski the easy pistes high up.
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Im just watching a recording of the giant slalom from VD last weekend. Where was the start gate lcated on The Face course?
I am guessing it was at the narrow path befor it gets steep, can anyone confirm or correct me?
Also where is the start gate for the downhill?
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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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| Renry wrote: |
| Also where is the start gate for the downhill? |
On the peak directly above the top station of the funival.
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thanks rob@rar, , Any idea where the GS stated from at the weekend?
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FAQ
