thanks for these reports david, I am out in Geneva 18/19th Feb and was assuming everywhere would be mobbed due to UK & French holidays, do you think these smaller resorts would still be very busy?
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Conditions at Chamrousse are excellent.
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?
kitenski wrote:
thanks for these reports david, I am out in Geneva 18/19th Feb and was assuming everywhere would be mobbed due to UK & French holidays, do you think these smaller resorts would still be very busy?
Half term, its a tricky one. From Geneva Hirmentz / Habere Poche is worth a quick look, people don't go off piste much. Avoid les Brasses, all of Geneva goes there. Sommand which links with Pras de Lys is also a plan.
I was surprised how busy the Col de Marcieu was on Sunday - there were even two Brit cars in the car park. This thread must be having an effect. The big resorts like les 7 laux and Chamrousse get busy but l'Alpe du Grande Serre does not have much in the way of accomodation and stays relatively quiet.
davidof, great thread reading it makes me think we should have made more of an effort to get to some of these places last season. Just don't go revealing the identity of Resort Q!
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I feel a bit bad having spent most of the weekend in bed with a cold. I'm letting you guys down not getting out exploring but frankly the weather wasn't great either. I'll just say we went up to St Hilaire for a late afternoon session with the Joolster and "gouter" at the Grange Aux Loups.
The snow is really great on piste at the mo. Even at 1100m there is a good 50cm and this is closer to 80-100cm at 1400 meters. The drag lift tracks were a bit rutted though and the little off piste I skied (this is not a great place for off piste - very dense trees) was crusty.
Anyway I feel bad not having taken any photos but the weather was foggy but someone emailed me this from their mobile phone. Apparently it is me on my new super fatbastard skis from last Sunday. Nice.
There seems to be a bit of a blue doppler shift which seems to break the laws of physics, cap'n.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
At the risk of being tedious and honestly I'm not asking for any crystal ball gazing...but.....I've found a very good deal for Chamrousse over Easter - well April 10th to be precise. It's very tempting but I've got no idea what conditions might be like at that end of the season. I realise it's a bit of a 'how long's a piece of string' question but what would be realistic to expect? Is it, usually, worth the drive?
After all it is free
After all it is free
snowlamb, Chamrousse is quite high, but Davidof will know more than I do. However if the snow isn't too good that late consistently in chamrousse it's only another 45 mins to get here. Les 7 Laux is also quite close and ADH too.
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easiski wrote:
snowlamb, Chamrousse is quite high, but Davidof will know more than I do. However if the snow isn't too good that late consistently in chamrousse it's only another 45 mins to get here. Les 7 Laux is also quite close and ADH too.
Can only agree with that.
Obviously you are looking more at spring snow conditions not thigh deep powder you need to ski with a snorkel but I skied on the last day at chamrousse last season - sometime late in April and the conditions were fine. Last season was pretty average in most of the Northern French Alps with a heatwave from mid March despite the media blether. This season, after a late start, has much better snow conditions for the same time.
As an info point people ski tour from the resort into early May every year.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
easiski, and davidof,
Sounds promising......ooh I've never had two ski holidays in one season before, & if I count my cheeky early season weekend in Tignes I'm beginning to look like I'm keen.
But I'm about to give the game away now and ask what 'spring snow' conditions are like? I've only ever really skied in January before. How much different is it likely to be?
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowlamb, You get spring snow when there has been prolonged freeze-thaw conditions created by warm days and cold nights. the snow is much more granular and can be quite hard first thing in the morning,(but grippy due to the bigger granules) softening up again as the sun warms it. Very nice to ski on.
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.
After another day in St Hills Junior and I were on are own so the sky was the limit. Pity the weather was a bit sucky. We decided to visit Casino to buy stocks for a piste picnic. All the stuff mum wouldn't like. Hi fat crisps, transfat laden sandwiches and lashings of cocacola. We then headed up to les Signaraux, a resort so secret that a quick vox-pop in Grenoble showed that no-one had ever heard of it. Resort is too big a word, it is a hill and a ski lift and a 3 euro lift pass! They even let you eat your sandwiches in the resorts only cafe! The ski area is run by volunteers, your lift pass goes to pay for the diesel to run the ski lift. We were possibly the first outsiders to set foot in the area! A bit like Pizzaro in the Amazon, or something.
Junior and I headed to the top of the area to eat lunch and admire the scenery. There are a surprising number of ski slopes but more in the red-zone than blues and the drag lift is a challenge to some. Junior was fascinated by the factoid that this is the smallest ski area in France... he tried to engage a pisteur in chit-chat
"I hear this is the smallest ski area in the world?"
"ahem, yes well maybe"
"microscopique!"
"er yes well ok"
"tout petit, miniscule, like in a boule de neige"
"ok ok don't you have some skiing to do?"
I'll try and post a bit of video later. Otherwise make do with this from the 7 Laux backcountry (oh sorry backcountry doesn't exist in France) erm 7 Laux arriere pays film with shakey-cam.
Hehe, brilliant, bet everybody's having the best fun! Puts the punters who can't find the right ski shops in Morzine into perspective. Nice racing snowplough position from Junior btw.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Was up at Sept Laux today (and Alpes du Grande Serre yesterday - blow out due to low cloud and extreme whiteout). Despite the blue skies today, it was bitterly cold at SL, and the snow had suffered considerably from the thaw-freeze because of the relatively warmer weather we've had here over the last week or so, and sudden return of very cold wind. Not great. Lots of ice boulders littered around (off piste) which are a pain. Snow was hard off piste, and blown away somewhat on the upper pistes. Lower pistes fine - but overall, not great skiing. Conditions should improve once it has warmed up again a few degrees --
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I have a quiet week next week - planning on a day in Les 7 Laux + a day in chamrousse + maybe a day at ADH to really travel around and see what it's like. Every time I've been there I've been disappointed, so I should give it another go. Hoping for good weather though as Les7Laux has been on the list for a long time.
Still waiting for a powder day at resort X!
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?
Hurtle wrote:
Nice racing snowplough position from Junior btw.
he's improved a lot since then as well. I was ill last week so didn't get a chance to post much. We visited St Nizier la Moucherotte in a snowstorm. Junior also did a torch descent at St Hilaire du Touvet last night. Tomorrow direction St Pierre de Chartreuse where Junior is aiming for his Etoile.
He's on about his 20th day skiing this winter so you could ask why he isn't doing his fleche!
I will post some videos when I get a mo but my Windows 7 machine is fubared. The St Nizier stuff will interest you all.
Please fell free to post any photos in this thread. Unfortunately the Foehn seems to have gotten the better of many resorts. I'm doing my FFME ski guiding training next weekend so probably won't be able to visit too many places before the end of the season.
Was up at Sept Laux today (and Alpes du Grande Serre yesterday
Charlie - we should organize a Grenoble meet in O'Callaghans with Reddave who i think lives somewhere like Voreppe.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
that would be great. Maybe next week sometime if you guys are around? I live at ile Verte (opposite side of the Isere to the hospital at la tronche) - so the bar is only a few minutes walk for me - though I've never been there. I'm constantly boring 'la femme' whose not much of a snowhead - what was I thinking . Probably going back to Sept Laux sunday if the meteo is better -- it was pretty hard going today - Easiski, it's a great station (better than Chamrousse IMO, but wrap up warm!). By the way, apparently there is no snow at the bottom of St Pierre, so the runs down are closed, though its open from the plateau.
Edit. Just checked the meteo for sunday and its not looking good (v. cold and snow likely).
easiski, just remember it only needs to snow sometime between Sunday night and Wednesday lunchtime.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
CharlieL, thanks, I've been meaning to go there for sooooooooo long. I'm absolutely determined to do it next week, ditto Chamrousse. No excuse really since I've been here for 18 years now.
Swirly, Yes, but either I haven't had the right peeps, and it's snowed or I have and it hasn't - bah! Not like we could go any old day is it?
After all it is free
After all it is free
CharlieL wrote:
By the way, apparently there is no snow at the bottom of St Pierre, so the runs down are closed, though its open from the plateau.
Edit. Just checked the meteo for sunday and its not looking good (v. cold and snow likely).
Not too bad in the morning maybe.
St Pierre was ok in the morning but the pistes were very hard, the south slopes down to Perquelin were tempting but I was with junior so no time for skinning back up. It is possible to ski back down to the village but you have to take care over the last 150m of vertical. Snow is good to the Bafour lift though just up the valley. Junior got his first etoile from the ESF and is very excited.
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Quote:
CharlieL wrote:
Was up at Sept Laux today (and Alpes du Grande Serre yesterday
Charlie - we should organize a Grenoble meet in O'Callaghans with Reddave who i think lives somewhere like Voreppe.
Grenoble actually - La Capuche, so O'Cs is good for me.
We woke up to heavy snow yesterday (Sunday) morning and headed up to Chamrousse with la Petite for a big of sledging near the Nordic ski area and a hearty lunch.
Leaving murky Grenoble this morning for the Chartreuse I was met with beautiful blue skies - it was very tempting to bypass work and head straight for St. Pierre.
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
My only constraint is that I'm in Geneva on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday so don't go out the night before as I need to sleep!
Yesterday I was in Villard des Lans but ski touring with an FFME group to the Epaule de Cornafion. Snow cover down to 1100 meters but patchy below 1200 on n/w facing slopes. We had about 10cm of fresh snow during the morning.
On Friday I skied this slope behind St Hilaire du Touvet (which was still open but had very ropey slopes)
It is a bit exposed and had to pick my way through the rocks higher up
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
davidof, Blimy! Was that you or is it Swirly, in disguise - looks virtually unskiable!
I was in Les 7 Laux today. Nice but very hard snow as reported by CharlieL, Full trip report on http://www.easiski.com/blog1
Hoping for Chamrousse tomorrow.
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.
Davidof -- R.E.S.P.E.C.T ! That is awesome. I would have no idea how to get down that. I think my ski bases would have been crunched away after the second virage
Easiski -- Glad you liked 7 Laux. Did you try the neat uncompacted black at the very top (Variante Vallons du Pre). That is a laugh - though it was probably still littered with ice blocks when you were up there. It is a nice slope in deep soft snow. Good training I think for the Vallee Blanche which I'm hoping to do for the first time in a few weeks
Was up at St Pierre today. Managed to get down to the station (as you said Davidof, by picking paths through the snows, rocks and grass). Was okay at the top, snowing all day -- but there was still only about 3 cms of soft fresh snow on top of a cruel and unforgiving ice sheet. Went off-piste to liven things up, and managed to skid on ice into a tree -- never a good idea. Luckily no harm down, but had to sit down for a smoke afterwards and reappraise my strategy for dealing with 1 meter wide icy gaps between les sapins
Skiing, we never stop learning do we!
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Tue 9-03-10 21:01; edited 1 time in total
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
CharlieL wrote:
Went off-piste to liven things up, and managed to skid on ice into a tree -- never a good idea.
Saint Pierre is great for off piste... but only when there is at least 50cm of fresh powder! Still I know a guy who broke his ski today at le Granier, snapped clean in two.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Went to chamrousse yesterday and loved it. I had a really scary journey to get there (route selection issue), and not very nice weather considering LDA was bathed in sunshine, but really did love the pistes. Full report with lots of photos on http://www.easiski.com/blog1
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
davidof, nice line! Still trying to work out where you went in the second picture, I'm guessing lookers right but can't see the track.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I had to traverse to the left to avoid the rock band, I could have dropped down the small couloir on the far right under the cliffs but as I skied in a small 5cm slab cut below my skis and all the snow close to the cliffs was slabby. There was also bare ice on the lip into this line which I didn't like.
After skiing through the rocks I didn't like being above 50-100 meter cliffs too much so tracked back then more or less skied a diagonal line to the bottom right of the photo. Here is another little couloir which is not visible but again had slabby snow, this was more of a surprise as it is a long way from the ridge. Snow on the western face which you can't see was about 15cm of powder on hard snow.
Glad that Charlotte is doing some tourism. Les 7 Laux is just opposite the house.
On Sunday I was leading an FFME group in the Vercors, we didn't choose the best day for it. This is the scene at Villard des Lans
the ski lift you see in this photo is one of a pair and both are for sale along with the piste basher. This is the ex ski area of les Cochettes in Villard des Lans.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
davidof, Shame, it looks nice there! Perhaps one of the english fields would be interested? I've no idea how transportable a skilift is - not very I should think. OTOH you could load them onto big trailer behind the piste basher and just drive slowly ..
tourism is nice - normally I either don't have the time, or I have the time but not the money. Although it's the latter I decided I had better get onto it before I became totally senile and incapable!
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?
Well the foehn has done a huge amount of damage over the last 3 days, I've never seen the mountains looking so desolate in mid-March and a reminder that the snow cover below 1800m was pretty thin but preserved by cold weather.
As the weekend weather continues to be poor (rain and clouds) we decided to just head up to les 7 laux across the valley. I'm not a big fan of skiing this resort with Junior as it either has people who can't ski or people who think they can ski but can't (like the switch freerider who took out titi on a cafe terrace last year).
With 5C temperatures overnight at 1450 meters and 12C at 4pm you can imagine that the snow wasn't great. Well in fact it wasn't as bad as all that. I'd waxed the skis which helped but the going could be described as "heavy". In some places there was 5-10cm of slush but in general quite skiable even if the 20kg Junior was being thrown around like a cork in a stormy sea.
Will the snow last? Will it snow again this season (it was raining to 2500m today). Big questions and big worries. The sheltered slopes and bowls are still full of snow though.
I noticed appartments in Chamrousse for 99 euros incl lift pass for the week of the 10th April. Chamrousse always has snow this time of year... but maybe this year will be the exception?
Lets hope for more cold nights and sunny days and no more foehn.
Lans-en-Vercors is closing this weekend, one week early than planned due to the lack of snow cover.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Sad. I noticed that St Pierre en Chartreuse closed last Sunday - a resort that I had much fun skiing this season. I went up to Chamrousse today and booked my 4 yr old into the Club Piou Piou (on account of the 'putaine greve' closing the school) while I took a 3pm 'Coucher soleil' 10 euro forfait. It wasn't half as bad as I expected. Yes, la soupe everywhere (soft even at La Croix de Chamrousse at 2200m), very skiable - but a distinct lack of snow around the pistes (Couloir de Casserousse had some ice also). Had waxed my skis as well (highly recommended, even more so on spring snow). I only hope the predicted cold spell arrives at the end of this week (snow predicted for Sunday
Otherwise, I'm not sure that Chamrousse will make it to April 18th (the predicted closing date). Am trying to convince some friends to head up to Argentiere (Les Grandes Montets, Chamonix) for a final bash before the end of the season. Am just going to have to keep going higher ...
From what I read Chamrousse is expecting a dump this weekend, up to 40cm. I'm arriving with my family on Saturday so would appreciate any local info besides what I've read on the website.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
hi Jim -- Well, I live in Grenoble, and I am heading up there again tomorrow afternoon for some more frolics. Yes, a cold spell is still expected to arrive from thursday lasting until early next week (last time I checked the forecast). Snow is expected Sunday - not sure it will dump 40 cm, but anything would be nice. The coldsnap might produce some frozen crust early morning, but otherwise it is so far looking good. Don't worry though -- as I say, even in the current conditions (20 degrees here in Grenoble yesterday afternoon, falling to around 8 degrees at the station) the resort is skiable - except off-piste where it is not great. They work hard to keep the pistes open, and do a good job at Chamrousse. A guy in the InterSport2000 shop at the resort reckons they will be open for another 3 weeks, no problem. I'll try to keep you posted through friday. I have some friends arriving at Chamrousse from the UK on Saturday as well, so I keeping my fingers crossed for them.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Agree, Chamrousse will be ok for a little while, the snowline on south facing slopes is around 1600 meters at the mo, that is below the resort level. I doubt there will be 40cm of snow, probably more like 25cm at 1600 meters but anything will be nice as it has not snowed since mid February at lower altitudes.
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CharlieL and Davidof, thanks for your comments.
I was going from one of the snow forecast web sites and being extremely optimistic, but any new snow would be welcome. I keep a daily watch on the resort web site and webcams but would welcome any personal observations too.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
This is the Collet d'allevard at around 4pm
The runs between 1450 and 1600 were struggling with only the least sun exposed with a covering of snow. They are hoping for snow on Friday so they can open these runs at the weekend. You are looking at a west-north-west facing bowl from 1600 meters towards 2000 meters and as you can see there is enough snow although it was very slushy by this afternoon. The resort is open until Easter weekend (two more weeks).
ps, not at work today due to the putain de grève! (no trains until 8am)
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
. Probably going back to Sept Laux sunday if the meteo is better -- it was pretty hard going today - Easiski, it's a great station (better than Chamrousse IMO, but wrap up warm!). By the way, apparently there is no snow at the bottom of St Pierre, so the runs down are closed, though its open from the plateau.
