 Poster: A snowHead
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andyph, sorted thanks. PO ones are made by RUD
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I have got Weissenfels "clack and go" chains.The wife can do each wheel in under a minute so that tells you how easy they are,look at Youtube for a demo.
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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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The wife can do each wheel in under a minute
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smifffymoto, do you hand her the wet wipes when she gets back in the car?
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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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Another epic! The first time I ever put on chains was on the way to the St Bernard pass on route to Cervinia. I'd been steadily climbing in the dark with little difficulty but the snow was getting worse and I was getting a bit concerned. when I saw a sign saying the tunnel was another 10 Km which sounded frightening. Ah luck - an illuminated filling station with a big lid over the pumps. We spent at least 20 minutes trying to fit the chains before giving up and then finding I couldn't get enough grip to restart up the road. Another 40 minutes later got the chains on, drove about 1/2 a mile and discovered the rest of the road was covered so there was no snow. Got noisily up the rest of the road and through the tunnel to find there was no problem either on the Italian side! So that was about an hour to drive 1/2 a mile that I could have done anyway if I hadn't stopped. However it was good practice and I can now do it in about 10 minutes a side.
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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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P10DW, raises an interesting point, as I said I have been told not to use the chains on bare tarmac, but now I am thinking of the drive through Switzerland where lots of the driving is through often very lengthy tunnels. If I were to have chains on should I take them off before entering a tunnel? How long would you have to drive on bare tarmac for damage to be done to my wheels?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Megamum, Not so much damage to the wheels but huge damage to the tyres the chains and your cars suspension system! Even IF you keep your speed down below the max on chains of 20MPH 
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Boredsurfing, Wheels was wrong term, tyres were what I meant and your answer confirms my concerns. This means that somewhere like Switzerland makes chains very impractical to use on all but the last part of the journey, as you would need to putting them on taking them off again.
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Megamum, I'm not familiar with the kind of Swiss roads you are talking about, but if they're quite main roads (like the French A40 which goes through a number of long tunnels between Bourg en Bresse and Geneva) it would be very unusual to need chains. Chains are most likely to be necessary for the last couple of hundred yards of a trip - for example if your chosen accommodation is up a sort of local hill. When main roads are snowy it's usually a matter of just driving slowly, sometimes (as recently reported on snowheads) in convoys behind a plough.
Friends who drove here tonight reported heavy snow from Bourg en Bresse to geneva, with only one lane out of 4 open on the motorway - very slow, but no chains needed.
In fact the entire world seems to be covered in snow at the moment, except us. It's been forecast for days, but we've just had fog, and a few pathetic flakes. 
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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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Lady in Villeneuve car park needed chains last week only to reverse out of her space after the rain froze to ice on the ground. She had already had hubby and son hacking away at the ice with a wheel brace before suddenly remembering she had a set of chains in her boot. 
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Hi Guys, bit late to the conversation, but having dutifully practiced the rental chains on the drive before leaving to Val Thorens on Chrimbo day, (by the way, utterly deserted all the way there). Went to use them on leaving P2 in loads of snow, and they snapped off in my hand! Cue frantic running about for wierd sized tyre chains at 530 friday night, and aforementioned scrambling about trying to work out how the new ones go on whilst stuck in the entrance ramp to the parking. In the dark.
So much fun we're going back in feb.
cfp
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Well, we're here - but we wouldn't have been if we didn't have the chains!
Got all the way to the resort access road before we needed them - and then noticed that we'd loaded the car so heavily that the tops of the tyres had disappeared up into the wheel arch So, we had to unload the boot in the snow (daylight, fortunately) before we had enough clearance for the chains!
It only took us a few minutes to get them on - never have I been so grateful that I'd practiced.
Anyhow, weather here is amazing! Wall to wall sunshine since we arrived, and fantastic snow!!!!!
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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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FAQ
great. amazing how many people don't bother. then expect somebody else to stop and help them. 
