 Poster: A snowHead
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paulmck, LMAO Excellent stuff. How is the thumb?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thank you, fans. 
Disappointingly, it's getting better, and its currency for dodging cetain/all physical tasks is devaluing quickly. However, don't be misled - I'm never without pain, and I'm not sure I'll pull through.
Pass the grapes.
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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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Ouch!!
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Well, yesterday was a horrid day with very high winds shutting almost everything above the Cretes. Only Cretes, Thuit and below were open. Apparently the wind was so strong that if they had run the Bellecombe chair peeps wouldn't have been able to get off it!  Anyway, my plans for Mogs and co were scuppered, but we did manage the top of Thuit which had fab snow (for 3/4 of them) and bottom of Thuit (blue) with all. Snow was fine, and was getting grungy near the bottom when I came down. I was going to take a photo of the big avalanche, but couldn't get there, so took a photo of a little one.
This morning when I woke up I saw this: Good news all round for peeps coming this week. Aztec, Just made to order for you!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Aztec, funny you say? Its not meant to be funny - this is a serious and permanent injury  . How is the Great Man these? Our paths are stubbonly failing to cross these days.
Are you - by any chance - Deborah?
Lovely to meet you, Anju and Mo, by the way - see you again soon I hope.
Great photo's again Charlotte - looks lovely in the village, and I am sick not to be there.
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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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| easiski wrote: |
| AlTom I don't know for sure, but with this much snow first early and then now, also with much more snow forecast (?!) for the next couple of weeks I expect that LG will be everything possible. Avalanche danger is likely to be the most problem. It's sad that they don't put information on their website, but I expect that's deliberate so as not to encourage the idiots! |
Perfect!!! I think so..... the first thing is to have enough snow.....then, of course, always depend on the conditions in the moment, but not problem, the mountain can be there for a long long years.....we'll go there and if it's possible to do something we'll do it, if not, we'll go to L2A, ADH o SC.....magnific options too..... 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Aztec, No - but then they never contact me anyway! Chucked the carpet tiles too and nearly the chairs - managed to grab those. I have put tentatives in for you, and am planning LG and, and... But it won't stop snowing.
Photo 1 - there is a car in there! 
Photo 3 - these poor cars didn't have a mummy who cares 
Photo 2 - I only bothered with half the top of the van
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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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 It was a lovely sunny day today all day, but unfortunately all that snow did not mean all that powder! The snow was very deep, but it was so heavy that it was almost impossible to move in at all. the only possibility was to lean as far back as possible and stay pretty much in the fall line. Any suggestion of getting the weight to a more or less normal place meant a dive under the snow with the tips and a dead stop. We saw a number of ESF guys and they were all employing the same tactic.
I had a couple of very good skiers with me, and two of us went down the hidden valley (aka the top of Gours) which was 'interesting' to say the least. At one point one of my skis was in a track and moving forward while the other was in deep snow, needless to say I couldn't do anything about it and sank into the snow in an ungainly flop! By the time we got back on piste my legs were totally shot.  I've finally found the snow where the Zags wouldn't give me any float at all.  What a shame, especially as all of Grenoble seemed to be out there, in anticipation of a great powder day. Oh well, that's how the cookie crumbles.
Avalanche risk is 4, and with so much heavy, windblown snow I wouldn't want to go anywhere off piste steep enough to avalanche, but slopes that aren't steep enough aren't fast enough. I sincerely hope that we don't hear about anyone being killed today, anywhere.
On the way down I skied the Valentin which was actually quite nice, although you could feel that it was hard underneath. I found that my experiences the other day were still with me, and kept looking up the hill and getting out of people's way just in case!
I took a pic in the hidden valley, so here it is:
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You know it makes sense.
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Aztec, Great to hear from you - best wishes to you and Andy.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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back in uk now after week in LDA. Had a transfer with Mogs and met a coach blocking hairpin 4 after it had slid sideways! Took 2 snow ploughs to get it out after 1 hour!
snow and lessons (easiski) great last week, but can;t believe how much snow fell on friday night! Have to get another trip planned.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hi Firefly. Good to see you got home ok. The trip this side of the channel was a lot less interesting the the trip to the airport. We were just saying the same thing in work. How soon can we get back out? lol. Was a good week 
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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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Mogs, firefly, Glad you made it back OK - I would have been thinking of you if I'd been awake then! 
Horrid day again today. It started off just cloudy, windy and cold, but they managed to keep the top part of the Jandri Express open all day. then around 14.00 it started snowing with a vengence. The wind seems to have dropped a little (at least on the Cretes), but it got very dark. skiing down (Chemin + bottom Valentin) was fun as you couldn't see anything to speak of. It's still snowing buckets and some idiot has parked their car at the end of our road where the snowplough pushes all the snow!  Really! In a cul de sac, would you park right in front of an enormous mound of snow at the end???? Driving in the town was interesting too, as all the twits keep walking in the middle of the road, without a thought that cars might not be able to stop or go round them without sliding. I had a couple of good slides even with chains on three wheels.
I didn't take a photo today I'm afraid, but will be sure to take one tomorrow. I've borrowed the MissDemenours from Jutta for tomorrow (bit short) in the hope that such a soft ski will actually float a bit, however I feel better about the snow yesterday as all my pals (some really good ESF freeriders included) were saying it was almost impossible to ski in. Phew!
Poor Aztec is driving up tonight - I've texted her to get chains.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Pic just taken outside
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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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easiski, sorry we didn't get round to hooking up for a drink, it was a crazy week!
Best days were Tuesday and Thursday when the sun peeked through, it was tough most of the time with low viz in the flat light.
Remembered my favourite learner runs like the Cretes and the Jandri. And especially liked high speed bombing down the Signal, the Gour and up on the glacier too.
Now on to March when I ski again, not sure where yet!
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easiski, as ever, thanks for the reports
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| easiski wrote: |
| ......... I had a couple of good slides even with chains on three wheels......... |
OK. I can't resist. Why 3 wheels?
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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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easiski, I kept to the right hand side with short turns!
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   tommy10pages, You're OK then! It's the ones doing huge GS turns at great speed which their technique doesn't warrant that scare me silly!
What a fantastic day today. Wow. sunny and cold and powder - yes, that's right - the real mcCoy. I took the MissDemenors just in case and was worried that we might go through to the under layer which was vile, but staying on the ridges where the Saturday layer was a bit crusty meant we skied in real powder which was about boot - knee deep. I was skiing with Owen and his Mrs who are very good skiers (DM watch out!) and they'd also been to ski extreme and got some fatter skis for today. We skied the new red on the Vallons of the Super Diable (most peeps going down the Super itself) - great pow, and then headed off down La Descente. Just to the side of that we found more good powder and then we headed left of the trees on the vallons, some untracked and then through the trees at the far end of the village and down to the road just above my house. As luck would have it I saw a pal at the garage with his van, and he gave us a lift back up to the red eggs. Up again and then the top of Thuit in yet more powder to finish at the Cretes. I don't know where they went after that, but it was all good.
Later I had some peeps who ski OK on the piste but had never done real deep before, so I took them up to the top of Thuit, on the other side where it's not so steep, and they had fun learning not to rotate or wriggle (in the case of the boy). Some snorkeling was done, but good fun had by all. Now I'm sorry that I didn't take any pix in the morning, but I was too carried away by the snow. There's a pic of them in the distance skiing it.
After work I came down Grande Pente but way to the left of my usual route and through the trees. there is a pic of my tracks (not very good), and another looking out from the trees onto the Pente. I skied through the hole in the trees. Very pleasant.
However, BE WARNED avalanche danger is still 3 and with projected rise in temps at the end of the week it could get well dodgy. Jutta went into Chalance today with 2 instructor friends (all good freeriders), and they set off a small avalanche, nothing life threatening, but she lost her skis and although the three of them searched for 45 mins they never did find the second one. She then completed Chalance on one ski! She is majorly pi**ed off because she had waited all season for the Black Crows to come in, they did yesterday, and it was those skis she was wearing.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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easiski, so long as its only a ski she lost. Lovely pictures
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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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You know it makes sense.
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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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easiski, when the snow is deep as it is right now, should I hire fatter ski's, bearing in mind i don't think i will be venturing far off piste. Although i was taken off piste last time out with my instructor but i really struggled to turn the skis and ended up in a heap a couple of times, it was fun though, but also dificult to get back upright because my poles just disappeared when i tried to push myself up!
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Poster: A snowHead
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 northantsred, You could certainly go for some all mountain skis rather than piste carvers. Something like the B2 or the Aztec series etc. Missions might be a little OTT as they are really quite wide. 2 tricks to think about: wait for the skis to turn, and try not to wriggle! Wriggling inevitably causes a fall.
Mogs, A couple more years of practice and you'll be there! remind me to take you there next time you come.
Not very nice today. Snowing really hard this morning, so I put the early lesson off until midday when it had cheered up a bit. However, although they did open the Jandri Express to 2,600 around lunchtime, it was very windy, cold, snowing etc. The odd sunny interval thrown in. When we left the Cretes at about 14.00 it was snowing hard.
I took a pic just at the top of the Petit Cretes chair looking towards the Ecrins, and then tried to do it again on the next trip but out of battery. It was much blacker the 2nd time.
Much shovelling required today, but it's relatively warm in resort once you're out of the wind. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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It's now ten days since I came home from LDA and I've only just got round to posting on here. Shame on me!
Truth be told I skied with a bit of a cold that left me breathless at times (especially higher up) but thought nothing of it. Getting home it became something far darker and I have spent half my time in bed suffering from flu (I'm still not sure that it wasn't pnuemonia, or at least bird flu). Amazingly I seem to have lost a stone and a half since Christmas. Anyway, I'm pretty much ok now and back to work so no excuses about not posting.
Had a great few days in LDA and I'm particularly indebted to easiski for a brilliant hour and a half spent under her tuition. I had lately been on a bit of a downer with my skiing as I found it more and more difficult and my confidence was getting lower and lower. I'd like to thank easiski for helping me turn that corner (in more ways than one).
My highlight of the week though has to be paulmck messing up ordering beers in Windsor Pub and finding himself with several units more than expected. I've never enjoyed simply watching someone get drunk before yet did it in style and completely by accident. Well done that man.
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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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easiski, thanks for that little titbit of info...re: wriggling, that is exactly what i was doing and then hoping that the ski's would then wriggle round and help me to turn!! What a good word- wriggling, don't think ive ever seen it written down before but it is a perfect description....
All mountain ski's it shall be then, cheers,
greg
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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easiski, can you tell me about wriggling - do you mean trying to force the ski round in powder?
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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.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Wriggling sounds sexy
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easiski, and the fall-line is my friend again?
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easiski, Sorry off topic........It's called a 'Sheila's Maid' (your drier contraption)!! Kirsty on Location, Location, Location has just acquired one from someone's house!!
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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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eng_ch, In deep snow the fall line is not only your friend, but your best friend - otherwise you just grind to a halt!
R32, thanks Anj - I know it's you because there are commas - how exciting!
Much nicer today, I've rememberd to change the batts in the camera so should have something this evening.
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FAQ
and losing both skis at the top!!! Good job 
So you are free you say....? I'll be ouit skiing from Tuesday so I'll be warming up in the morning with some dwarves and giants and a bit of novice ballet dancing. 
