 Poster: A snowHead
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First time poster here so HI! Me and my girlfriend are heading out to Val Claret on 16th Jan so are so relieved to be seeing reports of snow and better conditions. Can't wait to read more and LEARN more fro snowheads 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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First day of the season for me, and what a great day to try to find your ski legs. Still noticeable use of artificial snow in places, and the hard base was coming through but it's hard to complain all things considered.
As a followup to a post from much earlier in this thread, I had bought my EK pass through Val d'Isère because it was a fair bit cheaper, and tried to go over first thing to 'activate' it. All of the taxi companies we tried seemed to be out in Geneva, and we couldn't figure out when/if a skibus goes out that way. Took the free Brévières lift up to les Boisses, then the free bus to Le Lac, and tried the Toviere bubble... and the pass worked, so didn't need to use it first in Val after all.
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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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| NE1 wrote: |
We are out to Val Claret on Saturday, now getting very excited  |
yes its looking champion!!!!!!!!!
collect our keys from interhome in VC, usually have a coffee and cake at the little patiserie on the corner of the rue de front de neige and rue de val claret...to celebrate getting there!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Dr Rock, when are you going out exactly?
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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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sounds like the season has begun, we are looking to book for later in the season [March] which will be a lot different to our previous 1/2 term trips... 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Yep been doing brev all day with minimal probs. Its just started flaking down here as well. Not a lot though. It is icey under the fresh stuff though.
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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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Looking out across the Lavachet slope from my bedroom window this morning I would say we got rather more than the promised 30cm. Maybe 40-45? Of course that might be an artefact of the microgeography of Lavachet and not reflected across the whole area. I'll tell you later Right now it's still snowing although it has slackened off quite a bit.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Bogusman, The official resort scores are 27cm at 2100m and 30cm at 3000m but as you are in a hollow the wind may have sent it down to you - the Poubelle Monitor will tell all - he has obviously slept in!!
Meanwhile, the waiting begins for the lifts to open - the avalanche work started at 0715 and has been going on continuously.
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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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@ Stuart - slightly freaked out to see the poubelle monitor view is the view from my balcony. Assuming you didn't break in this morning, we must be neighbours.
Hi, I'm Dave - here for the season and currently waiting for the slopes to open in excitement 
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You know it makes sense.
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5 days to go... Can't wait thank you snow gods
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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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Plenty of fresh snow around but still no lifts open it seems. Can anyone point me in the direction of the best place to monitor lift openings?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Look at the Val d'Isere pist map page.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Go to the useful Links on Page 1 of this thread and click on the "Live Lift Status" links - there is one for each resort.
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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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Thanks both, very useful links as the title suggests!
I feel sorry for the beginners currently sidestepping 20 yards up the hill before skiing down next to the Tufs lift.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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The drag is open in Lavachet but there is a huge queue. Paquis has just opened and Chaudannes is running but nobody on it yet.
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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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Tichot is open and shifting a big queue of punters.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Just looking at the webcams would I be right that it was quite windy. Looking at the Toviere cam below the lift and towards the fresse lift it looks quite bare on the Tignes side of the ridge, up to the left of double M from the funny cam too. (I'm trying to gauge how much the off piste is filing in for a last minute booking).
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@rogg, Oh yes - if you look at the live lift status there's very little open above 2500m (I think some bloke mentioned that earlier on this thread) and the links to VDI are shut. As to how much the off piste is improving then - its getting better and the gullies are filling in - so with the forecast snow over the remainder of the week a lot more off piste will be available - the avalanche risk will also go high. The (very) early indications for next week are very unsettled (usual caveats apply) so if you are looking for an excuse to come out and advice on timing then perhaps a week on Saturday............. If I'm right you can buy me a beer, if not you can buy me a half!!
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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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^ holy crap, I wouldn't abseil down that, never mind ski it!! 
It looks TERRIFYING.
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Good to see there's been a good amount of snow in Tignes/Val D'Isere, I just booked a week in Tignes from the 24th Jan with £350 off per person. Can't wait. Hope there's some snow left in 3 weeks, i'll be keeping my eye on this thread for sure!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@HoneyBunny, Aye, its named Pisteurs Couloir for a reason! SP had a thread on this challenge on sH a while back.
It was a while before the lifts opened across the resort this morning as the pisteurs worked their magic with a variety of explosions to rattle the windows. Officially there has been 30 cm but in some places there was less and some places much more as the wind redistributed the snow. The higher lifts were unable to operate because of the high winds. So as ever on a day like today I headed for the trees - to Les Brevieres where there was a lot of new snow but it was quite heavy so the legs had a good work out! There will still people skiing past piste closed signs - it may look promising but do you really know better than the pisteurs?????? The sun did put in an appearance late morning for a few minutes but it started snowing moderately about 2 o' clock. This will continue for a while before a 6 hour respite and it will snow through the early hours. There will probably be between another 10-15cm based on a 8am to 8am day. The snow will stop mid morning but it will be cloudy and cold all day, but the wind should be much lighter than today. Wednesday will see light snow for most of the day and the winds will pick up late afternoon. Thursday looks like being a repeat of today - windy and very snowy. Friday looks much more benign with a few snow showers, a few sunny periods and it will be quite a bit warmer - the snow level will be somewhere around Les Brevieres. - Saturday looks quite promising for those with a Sunday transfer. Finally, just a note for next week - a long way off I know, but it looks like being very unsettled again, the Jetstream forecast parks the most active part of these high level winds right over the Espace Killy so it could be another wild week.
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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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@HoneyBunny, It is steep, but it's less steep than it looks. It's in a great position to casually point out when i'm with friends/family coming off the lift though! 
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| HoneyBunny wrote: |
^ holy crap, I wouldn't abseil down that, never mind ski it!!
It looks TERRIFYING. |
Is that skiing or controlled falling? Terrifying indeed!
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You know it makes sense.
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You tube has a few vids on pisteurs couloir - it does appear less steep from the inside (if that makes sense??).
(I say that from looking at the video, as there is no danger I would ever attempt it !!!)
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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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Just watched it, fantastic !
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Can you see the trench left by boards side-slipping within the boundaries of the skiers' side-slip/step marks?. That trench deepens and you're then going into a steep pitch with 185s on your feet which don't fit in that narrow trench (165). That's sketchy.
Top tip - If you do ever ski it, have someone video from the Marmottes restaurant which is directly across the valley from Pisteurs. The perspective from there makes it look nigh on vertical - it is a good 40 at the top.
Another point of interest is that ithe entrance is a steep rollover from which it is too steep to see what you are skiing into until you are committed - the OH always has a head go down before her so she can convince herself that it is not the entrance to an abyss.
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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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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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Val d'Isere Pisteurs facebook saying there has already been 2 avalanches, from what I can gather, with 2 or possibly 3 people buried.
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@timlongs, Sadly Tim it has got worse, there were 2 avalanches one at 1030 on the couloirs on the Face de Bellvarde - 2 light injuries and one very serious. Then about 1200 a Spaniard was buried above the closed Santons run without a DVA, sadly he did not survive. RIP
Details on Radio Val:
http://www.radiovaldisere.com/index.php?p=infos&id=6039
I'll be back in a few minutes with my day and the weather.
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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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@chocksaway, thanks for the regular updates. Sad news but plenty of warnings.
We fly out Sunday .... To chambery hopefully .... Looks like the weather might be kind for our early arrival .... We hope to be skiing Sunday pm if all goes well.
Anyone up for a ski next week do let me know via this thread or pm.
We staying in val with Le Ski.
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We saw some of the helicopter activity around the Bellvarde in the middle of the day, including a dog disembarking from one, but remained in blissful ignorance until just now. For all we knew it was training activity but we know better now. A few years back Bogus Junior and I were in Val d'Isere when one day a fellow guest in our chalet went out in the morning and never came back. I can easily imagine what the victim's family are going through now and I rather wish I couldn't.
As for our day, I was out with Little Miss Bogus and her two friends in the tranquil valley where they were enjoying their first run off the nursery slopes and around the middle part of the day it was absolutely glorious. However LMB was having boot trouble so we had to come back to Lavachet to get them changed. By the time we had done that it was four o'clock so we took a quick up and down of Palafour to finish the day. The last steep pitch above the restaurant had got really quite cut up by then and LMB had a crash course in mogul skiing which I am not sure she enjoyed all that much.
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FAQ
