 Poster: A snowHead
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rob@rar, how busy do you foresee our week in Arc 1800 (from 2nd February)? Its the last week before the French holidays and I'm trying to decide whether to go with ESF or Arc Aventures for the kids. Never used ESF, having been put off by the horror stories of huge classes but our experience of Arc Aventures was not great last season and friends just back from Arc 1600 said that ESF there was great, with group sizes of 3 to 6!!
Great piccies by the way. I went down that hillside between Varet and Grand Col on tracked out hard snow with poor viz. That looks like heaven by comparison!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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sproggski,
I've had four (private) lessons in Les Arcs, 3 with ESF and one with 'Another' (mentioned on this thread, perhaps), although it may go against the concensus, the ESF lessons were far far better, and less than half the price. As far as group lessons are concerned, (I was told) they are 'not so good' when it's quiet because they haven't got the numbers to create sufficient groups of similar ability, so you're likely to be lumped in a group with very dissimilar abilities. All I know is when I go back a week tomorrow, I'll definately book a couple of private lessons with 'Sophie' from ESF. She completely transformed my skiing in two lessons a week or so ago. So, although not quite answering the group question, ESF, IMHO can teach.
AllanM
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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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| Butterfly wrote: |
| ... and descend on you then? (I wish - think the other 'alf might not agree!!) |
Oo-err missus! 
| Butterfly wrote: |
| I'll second the request for more piste pics - esp those even I might ski! Am starting a week of level 3 New Gen lessons in 32 days & think instructor is Ruth. |
I'll try to get some more piste photos, promise! I shadowed some of Ruth's lessons over Christmas and New Year. She's very lovely and I'm sure you'll get on well with her. Please say hello from me.
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sproggski, I don't think it will be that busy as it's the last week before most half-term holidays, but this season has been very quiet so far so maybe some people will be delaying theri trips until later in the season after the poor start last year. Who knows?!
I don't have any feedback from ESF here, and the only direct feedback I've heard about Arc Adventures wasn't brilliant, but indirectly I've heard better things. I think unless you have a personal recommendation for a named instructor it can be a little bit if luck of the draw with ESF (and any large ski school).
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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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8 days and counting - praying the conditions stay as good 
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rob@rar, Got you worried . I do wish I could just jump on the next flight to some snow anywhere away from all this bloomin rain and get some extra skiing instead of just the one precious week. Shame everyday life gets in the way of skiing eh?
Will certainly say hi to Ruth for you - does she know your SH name?
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| Butterfly wrote: |
| Will certainly say hi to Ruth for you - does she know your SH name? |
I think "Rob who did some shadowing with her" will be sufficient.
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| Butterfly wrote: |
| Shame everyday life gets in the way of skiing eh? |
I try not to let that happen
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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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8 days to go until i return to Arc 1950..........oh how i wish i was going this saturday! 
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rob@rar, home safe and sound, (BA flight to Gatwick not at all delayed by the Heathrow incident - may have had something to do with only 9 passengers on the flight...)
Ian is still holed up in the apartment (the man wagoned off Deux Tetes - and IIRC it was Stefan doing the Ali G impression - what a pisteur - worth every penny of the €295 it cost to get him down [/short plug for insurance] ) , but prognosis is good that he will be able to ski again next week.
Zippy - you and Bungle (plus the smalls) should try and get in those 1600 trees - they are fantastic at the moment, and with so few people on and off piste as Rob says, the snow may survive. We measured it (by using a marked rented pole) at 1m 20 of pure powder: it is just so MUCH FUN.
Yes, that 'hole' is me, no-one actually got a picture of Rob in his tree-well, we were all laughing so much. I don't think there have been such wide grins on faces for some time. PS, mutual congratulations time - he was the God like one, I was merely clinging to his coat tails.
Powder technique improved no end, thanks to Vincent from Spirit1950, who took us for some serious lessons on the Tuesday ("Jim - I think you have been skiing pistes that are too easy for you, and you are getting lazy") which meant that Wednesday with Rob was just soo much better, and the conditions gave us a real opportunity to practice.
However, I now ache all over. And ache to be back there. Still, only another 64 days I suppose...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Still can't post photos anyone? Anyhoo, Having an excellent time here in Banff just had approx 5 pints and feeling heavy rough due to altitude ( i hope). Loving Banff. Snow is at best borderline, Norquay is excellent with slopes off north american chair being cut up and powder/packed moguls. Sunshine Village is starting to go bare again after about 10cm of snowfall yday. Lake Louise is coping well Back Bowls are excellent whereas front side is still sketchy. I will try and make it online when a bit less half cut and colllllllllllld. Wind chill pushing -50 on wednesday!
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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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Another nice day, with blue skies and slightly warmer temperatures. It remains quiet around the resort, with no lift queues and not many people on the pistes. Apologies to FtS and Butterfly for the lack of piste photos as most of the day was spent away from them. This will have to suffice - it shows the broad plateau above Vallandry which is ideal territory for learning (the Foret piste starts from the top of the chairlift in the middle of the photo):
Lots of good snow in the trees above Peisey and Vallandry so plenty of fun to be had there. The snow at this altitude and this aspect is still quite light and powdery.
Met with Peisey-based snowHead fj for the afternoon, the highlight of which was a trip down Vallon des Rossets. This is an easy off-piste route around the back of Aiguille Grive, departing from Col de Chal, eventually passing Notre Dame des Vernettes in the distance, then a shuttle bus to Peisey before catching the yogurt pots back into Les Arcs skiing. It's my first time down this lovely route and the top part was lots of fun, with great snow.
Towards the bottom the snow was a bit crusty and heavy, due to lower altitude and exposure to the sun for a large part of the day. It was very quiet on the route, meeting just one small group of Belgians. Unfortunately I decided to save my best faceplant for their entertainment, but we all laughed hard when I eventually surfaced so it was a nice moment. Thanks to fj for showing me around.
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You know it makes sense.
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rob@rar,  (envy)
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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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rob@rar,
That was the route I was trying to explain to you that we had done on Tuesday - looks from your photos that all our tracks had gone by today - great stuff. That run-out road can be a bit hairy I thought - its more like a boarder-cross around the hairpins!
Getting serious powder envy...
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Poster: A snowHead
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JimW, yes same route, and yes most tracks were filled in with the fresh we had on Wednesday morning and Thursday night/Friday morning. The road was a challenge after a long day's skiing...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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rob@rar,
With runs like this i think I might need to PM FJ to see if we can meet up, we are in Peisey from Sat 26th
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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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kwakazx6r, I'm sure he'll be delighted to meet up. He's skied here for some time so knows the place well and is very happy to show people some great lines.
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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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Hi everyone, great pic rob keep them coming. I look forward to seeing you all soon. I am starting to miss all my favorite runs when I look at these pics.
Has anyone been of the back of the Grand Col yet. They say there is more snow coming and lower temps this week. I hope it stays that way for next week.
Someone asked about the ESF in 1800. If you PM me I can give you the names of a few Full Diploma Instructors that are very good. I use the ESF there a lot.
Some are great, some not so good like everywhere, but they are cheaper than the other schools. Have a great ski this week in the sun and new snow.
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SCORCIO!!
Well, not quite, but it felt more like Easter today than the middle of January. It's been warm, calm and blue-skied all day. Very pleasant skiing conditions. It reached +8ºC on my balcony (at 1800m) and didn't get below freezing last night. Pistes are generally in good condition, although a few of the busy intersections are scraped down to hardpack by the end of the day. Lift-served off-piste seem to be either skied out or breakable crust where it faces the sun, but some of the routes in the shade which require a hike still look to have good snow waiting to be skied.
More bumps today, on the Golf, Tuffes, Comborciere, Deux Tetes and Malgovert pistes. It was a good reminder for me of just how varied and enjoyable the terrain is around the resort. Legs are pretty tired and I still can't ski bumps to save my life, but I think I'm getting better albeit slowly.
No photos to show snow conditions today, but a couple of scenic shots to whet the appetite of anyone visiting the resort soon. This one shows my favourite route home (off the ridge below Arpette and the Col des Frettes chair):
A view across the resort towards the south-facing side of the Tarentaise, overlooking the Chantel part of Arc 1800. The snowline on that side of the valley is rising rapidly, but the weather forecast is for cooler temperatures and a little bit of snow in the next 48 hours.
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rob@rar, More great pics, keep them coming. How much rain did you get there on Friday night, it made the snow in VT very strange now. Can you still ski down to laudry or bourg? Will you still be there this saturday.
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rob@rar, Incredibly jealous 
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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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snowcrazy, sorry, back to London on Tuesday. Will try to meet next time I'm out. I wasn't aware that we had any rain on Friday night, although I had an early one so I might have missed it. I drove down to Bourg (then to Bozel) on Saturday evening and I don't think it's possible to ski down to the valley at the moment.
thefatcontroller, 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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mdemon2, it's probably better not to take photos of the resorts themselves
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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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mdemon2, For white stuff, second to none, for architectural elegance nil points. If you have a holiday booked and are staying there you are in an amazing location 
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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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Grreat days skiing today, squeaky snow only to be found up in the Aiguille, but great runs down to Villaroger for Diots et Polenta for lunch at La Ferme. Little bits of ice, but nowhere near as dodgy as last season. The wing has blown most of the snow of the tops, but generally good snow everywhere. Genepi black from the Aiguille was a particular favourite,and the Bois de l'ours warmed up in the afternoon heat to a ver forgiving soft surface. Either side of the Vagere chair the off piste is skied out bt great fun. Also between the pistes on the Grand Col.
Rob, how was malgovert? Rooty and ridiculous as ever? Tomorrow Lunch at Belliou La Fumee so Comborcieres with be our route in. Loking forward to the 10cm snow forecast for Monday night / Tuesday am
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Poster: A snowHead
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Martin Nicholas, Malgovert was lovely. As wacky as usual! Like a ball-pit for adults
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Tavistock Young Farmers had a great time in Les Arcs last week.
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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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What is Malgovert? (Apart from indescribable..) I've done a search on the forum and lots of cryptic comments. Is it unique? Isn't there an unpisted piste  in Tignes - is it like that?
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It is a piste in Les Arcs above the forest in 1600. and they do not piste it so it is often closed.
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Another warm day today, with yet more blue sky. It's been an amazing week weatherwise, with either snow or blue skies but nothing else. Very enjoyable conditions all round. The warm temperature has had a marked effect on the snowline of south-facing slopes. At the beginning of the week the snow was to the valley floor more or less, but not today:
Despite the effect of the warmth and the sun on-piste conditions remain very good. There's good snow depths and nice, grippy snow. There's some impressive bumps to be found if that's your cup of tea, as well as nicely groomed runs. Off-piste is now very mixed, with cut up, lumpy and crusty conditions on anything which gets a bit of sun, but still some soft snow to be found in shady areas. Saw someone skiing the North Couloir of the Aiguille Grive in the morning and that looked to have great snow conditions, although I can't ever imagine being good enough to ski that route. Fond Blanc piste (seen in the next photo in the distance) was lots of fun, and we had to repeat Malgovert as it's a mad piste!
Did some nice near-piste routes from Grand Col and the Clocheret chairlifts. Snow was lumpy and crusty, but nevertheless enjoyable. This section to be found by traversing to the left of the Clocheret chair as you look up it.
The forecast is for dropping temperatures tomorrow and a little bit amount of snow tomorrow, but sadly I'm back to London so won't be able to enjoy the fresh. But no complaints from me as this past week has been brilliant and I've not stopped smiling
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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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FAQ
. Puts our conversation about Carte Neige into context. Hope Ian makes a quick recovery.
Great skiing though 
