 Poster: A snowHead
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L2A needs the off-piste terrain.
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I don't know that it does, there's a lot of off piste terrain in L2A, unfortunately most of it is very easily accessed and is tracked/ full of people with no regard or knowledge for safety thus fantastic bowls like Chalance are almost no go areas after snowfall. That said there are a lot of other areas that are less frequented, for most of these access is pretty easy the issue is getting back to resort from e.g. St Christophe although even then it's not as much an issue as return to La Grave from St Christophe is. If L2A wanted to market itself as a massive freeride area it would almost make sense for them to cut La Grave out of the equation completely: let the telepherieque rot and run an occasional bus back to resort from the base station. This would get them all the La Grave punters without needing any expenditure on infrastructure other than a bus service: no need for safety provision: just stick a rope up with a sign as most places do now. They could throw a rope tow in to take you to the top of the Triffide drag but could just as easily leave it as a path. Obviously this would be a disaster; part of the appeal of La Grave is in the town being so much more of a traditional place than the big resorts that surround it, in fact for some this is probably almost as big a draw as the quality of the skiing but it makes sense to me as to what I'd do/want if in charge of L2A. I wonder what would happen if this (worst case?) scenario came about: would I cry, complain, kick up a fuss? certainly but boycott it and miss out on that skiing? doubtful. Maybe there would be more local bombings though (for those that don't know local opposition to the La Grave lift was such that it was blown up when first built).
I'm beginning to scare myself here, this is all just conjecture from my own twisted mind. I'll probably have a nightmare it's happened tonight.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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kitenski, quite. You can do La Grave relaxed
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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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^ 4.20pm ??
Given the chance I reckon L2A would buy LG in a heart beat.
They would then fire a modern gondola up the main Vallon, along with a few red / black pistes (and maybe some chairlifts) to widen appeal for the average joey.
And probably some big cafes with neon lights....
Perhaps even worse than leaving it to rot ?
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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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Swirly, Haggis_Trap, those terrible ideas should remain unspoken.
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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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the strange looking lift you won't have seen anywhere else in the world!!!
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The Bastille lift in Grenoble is the same (except for different cabins) designed by the same guy and built by the same company. There are 6 such lifts in France.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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c'mon, davidof, tell us where the other 4 are!
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More like 1pm I think, we took a friend round to show her what LG was all about.
Imagine the Chancel Refuge blasting out some Eurohouse beats over the Lac de Puyvachier ... I'd break out the nitroglycerine myself.
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| Arno wrote: |
| c'mon, davidof, tell us where the other 4 are! |
You wouldn't want to ski the bastille, but the lift is built from the same blueprint. Mabye the OP was talking about the ski area being unique ?
http://www.skitour.fr/sorties/bastille,23272.html
Didn't get past the intro on the video... the commentator's "bastard love child of Keven Spacey and Forrest Gump" commentary style sent me to sleep. Maybe if I turn the sound off? 
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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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I always have problems with vimeo....the vid takes ages to load. (I am on Firefox/Mac OSX 10.4). Any computer savvy SHs on this thread?
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snowman, if there is an HD version of the vid, it loads as default. If "HD" shows in blue font then it's playing HD. Click that, when it turns to white then it's playing SD. If that doesn't solve your problem, I have no other suggestions.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Zero-G, thanks for the tip...much better now.
Many than thanks for posting this. Happy memories, I've been 3 times to La Grave and itch to go back soon. I even have two posters advertising the La Grave Derby hanging above my bed.
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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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richjp,
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You never rest on the mountain in La Grave
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This is why you rarely hear people complaining about the lift being slow!
Great movie, and it introduced me to Coeur de Pirate, for which I am very grateful.
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Has just made my afternoon a little more sane...such beautiful photography...I love that area of the Alps.
As for the skiing...Sublime.
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You know it makes sense.
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While I thoroughly enjoy watching pros in other movies throw themselves down insanely steep lines at breakneck speed, this piece evokes an atmosphere about the area and provides a teeny bit of insight into the skier's (and the guide's) mind. That narrative bit by Joe Vallone about skiing the terrain resonated with me and I keep thinking about it.
I can identify with the people in this vid. I can't even begin to identify with the people in TGR or MSP films.
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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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A fabulous place (and a beautiful film) - I'm going back in February with some friends (including Horizon if his knee is OK).
Yes, the 2 or 3 main ways down are not hard, but there are then a maze of couloirs, some going most of the height of the mountain and some requiring a rope at some point. It is certainly a place where you really need to know where you are going if you aren't with a guide, and where you need to keepup the concentration. I once got too involved in turns on lovely snow and almost went off a cliff (had to inch my way across the slope till I reached some small trees where I could step up to reach a route out!).
So yes, you could ski fairly easy routes for a couple of days but after that it gets harder or you just repeat. The main problem is that, like much of Chamonix, things get skied out quite quickly because there are so many good skiers there. That's when you get the moguls on popular routes through the trees.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| snowball wrote: |
| That's when you get the moguls on popular routes through the trees. |
Mogulled tree runs, sweet.
My knee is awaiting this with interest...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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That's when you get the moguls on popular routes through the trees.
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and all the couloirs with relatively easy access e.g. the lake ones, the Freux.
Horizon, have you not been there yet? You'll love 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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On my first day trip to LG in April, making your way through the trees was brilliant like working your way through a labyrinth. The last of Vallons side particularly so where the snow channels just kept running out into stumps and roots required rapid switchbacks to lower trees when you always had no idea what to expect around the next corner. Up high though there were often no tracks to follow at all and with cloud and snow rolling in, visibility was often just a few metres so that navigation became by shout rather than sight. I'd agree that any strong intermediate with reasonable strength and stamina, who seeks out the twisties and has experience on powder, ice and slurry would enjoy themselves safely as part of a led group. I definitely wouldn't want to be the 'weakest link' in a mixed group though. 
http://www.winterhighland.info/forum/read.php?4,123393
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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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Part 3 is now available here.
Not as good as the La Grave segment but the POV around 06:50 is amazing.
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