 Poster: A snowHead
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@jimmybog,
Hearing a lot more British and American voices year on year. Suspect that the good snow cover is dragging the big numbers in from Germany.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Peter S wrote: |
@jimmybog,
Hearing a lot more British and American voices year on year. Suspect that the good snow cover is dragging the big numbers in from Germany. |
What are these "big numbers in from Germany" apart from Mutti's girdle measurement? 
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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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Queues were oddly better yesterday, including on the Sella Ronda circuit. Just a perfect ski day with lovely temps and good piste conditions. Even the battlefield, the piste before Dantercepies going anti-clockwise, was ok with a fewer-fallen-skiers count than usual. (A useful improvement would be a short chair direct from Jimmy’s Hut to Dantercepies). On our way home to UK now.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Sells Ronda Orange was faultless today. 
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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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Morning skiing was excellent, but clearly man made snow. PM just OK, icy base exposed. Best snow around Colfosco IMO. Some snow possible tomorrow pm but probably not enough to be a game changer. We skied Dantercepies and Colfosco today...tomorrow heading for Plan Gralba and beyond...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Arrived Corvara yesterday. Being a Sunday when the locals come up we decided to avoid the SR and spend our first day locally so stayed in Alta Badia. Car parks were full so will be interesting to see if they are quieter next week. Conditions pretty good this AM, quite busy in main area above Corvara and San Cassiano with queues for some lifts and a 10-15 min wait for the gondola up from the latter so ca 11:30 headed over to Santa Crosta, nice and quiet with lovely pistes. That is a fantastic setting so thanks to various SnowHeads for telling us about it. Came back over to AB 2ish there was a bit of hard packed popping through later in the afternoon but nothing too serious. Probably off to cinque torri and hidden valley tomorrow, will follow snowHeads advice to drive up to lagouzi and park there for the day.
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Morning skiing was excellent, but clearly man made snow. PM just OK, icy base exposed. Best snow around Colfosco IMO. Some snow possible tomorrow pm but probably not enough to be a game changer. We skied Dantercepies and Colfosco today...tomorrow heading for Plan Gralba and beyond...
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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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Peter, agree 100%
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Popped over to Cinque Torri late morning, piste conditions really lovely and hardly anyone there. Top of some of the lifts was pretty windy and they were threatening to close some, also light sometimes very flat so couldn’t make the most of the pistes. The hidden valley closed all day due to winds at the top of the cable car so rather than do more runs and risk getting stuck we went to Cortina for a few hours in the PM.
Light was patchy due to some low cloud but again great piste conditions in Cortina even at end of the day. No queues for any lifts. The sun came out for our last run down and it was truly excellent.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@richb67, Nice reports -- thanks
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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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| albob wrote: |
| @richb67, Nice reports -- thanks |
+1 thanks for the updates/reports
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| jimmybog wrote: |
| albob wrote: |
| @richb67, Nice reports -- thanks |
+1 thanks for the updates/reports |
Thanks, glad they are useful. I always like to read them before I go away so it only seems right to produce something when in resort.
We planned to do the Sella Ronda orange/cw today but winds closed the lifts between Arabba and Canazei so we skied from Corvara over to Sedeca for the run down to Ortisei. The latter was beautiful and i think is my favourite in the area. It’s a not too challenging red which is about 5 miles long, it’s not busy, has stunning scenery and snakes down the side of the mountain before running through a gorge complete with frozen waterfall. Conditions great until the very bottom parts where it was a bit on the slushy side. Only bad queue of the day was getting cable car back up to Sedeca from Ortisei but only 10-15 mins so well worth it.
Conditions wind swept in some places and on the way back the run down into Colfosco from Selva was pretty icy and bare until it got sheltered lower down. In general main pistes on SR were congested and from lunchtime onwards pretty bumpy. Saslong red was closed leaving the World Cup black as the only way down into St Cristiana so as you’d imagine it was very busy and very bumpy!
Am intermediate level so all these bumps are fun when not too many people around but tiring and challenging when it’s steep or v busy, absolutely knackered when we finished today. Seemed to do quite a bit of carrying skis and walking around for funicular and through Selva so that doesn’t help. Good day though.
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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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Just having a schlurp in The Galway Bay in Innsbruck after skiing 8 of the last 9 days.
Not as good as it was in early January but very decent all the same. The area does need some new snow - freeze thaw cycles and wind have resulted in an unusual amount of ice for the dollies.
Hopefully cold and big snow before mid March.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Main freeway runs and key links have been pretty unfun in the afternoons around Val Gardena but there are some pockets of decent snow. Heading to Seiser Alm today to find some...yesterday Secada was rock hard in the am above Daniel Hutte.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Started off in Ortisei today and went round the SR the pistes were in remarkably decent nick considering the lack of snow, a few bits getting polished as the day progresses but generally very good.
Queues were pretty unpleasant though horrendous for the bubble up towards Canazei area going anticlockwise.
Last run of the day from Seceda with the evening light and virtually deserted was a stunner.
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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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Interesting day today, temp has dropped a few degrees and wind has calmed down so generally better conditions.
Did SR orange (clockwise) with the odd diversion. Arabba was pretty horrible when we passed through late morning, cold and hard packed, sun wasn’t getting to it at all and it seemed to take forever, wish we’d taken the cable car up to cut down the time in that area. However just over the pass the run down from Belvedere was really enjoyable and from then on conditions were good. Coincidentally we came back from Selva almost exactly the same time as yesterday but today pistes much better, still a bit patchy with hard packed but a definite improvement on yesterday as was the black from ciamponi into Selva.
We are right next to the Arlara lift and this evening is the first time we’ve seen the snow making on so I’m guessing that is because the temp has dropped. Previously lift was showing +2 deg, now -2 deg.
Quite busy on piste but surprisingly few lift queues, main exception was a scrum where we joined the SR at Campolongo and a 5-10 min wait for the chairlift to Belvedere (am convinced this was everyone trying to get away from Arabba!)
On a non snow/weather related topic this is our second year in the area and both years we have found ourselves on the ‘alternative SR route’ into Selva. This year I realised the error but was about 10 metres too late. The issue is that signage around Piz Seteur is a bit lacking for the standard route so if you’re new to the area keep your eyes open. I obviously can’t compare the two having never done the regular route  but the alternative only has one must-do short black and today the red below was more difficult so it wasn’t a problem.
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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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Lol @T Bar, we were obviously going in opposite directions.
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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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@richb67,
We must have passed, the gondola at Pian Frataces was over 20 minutes going anticlockwise, I suspect that we see the worst queues though because we start from Ortisei and although off earlyish we are still just behind the Selva peak by the time we get anywhere as we have to get up and down to St Cristina and then up again. Still we got round , had a decent lunch break and back to Ortisei before the lifts closed.
Arraba was cold and cloudy as we passe through not for staying and playing.
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As i had hoped, Seiser Alm was in great shape today. A tiny bit of wind scrape at the top of Goldknopf but otherwise grippy packed powder, lots of natural snow up there too.
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| T Bar wrote: |
@richb67,
We must have passed, the gondola at Pian Frataces was over 20 minutes going anticlockwise, I suspect that we see the worst queues though because we start from Ortisei and although off earlyish we are still just behind the Selva peak by the time we get anywhere as we have to get up and down to St Cristina and then up again. Still we got round , had a decent lunch break and back to Ortisei before the lifts closed.
Arraba was cold and cloudy as we passe through not for staying and playing. |
Lol, our original plan for yesterday was to do orange with a diversion to Ortisei but had to change plans due to SR closure, did that last year and it was a great day.
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We are off to San Cassiano for the first time on Saturday. What can we expect from the slopes? It's looking like it could be worryingly warm!
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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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It will be fine. Pistes will be kept in good condition.
We are off to Kronplatz on Saturday and intend a day out at San Cassiano later in the week.
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| smudger wrote: |
| We are off to San Cassiano for the first time on Saturday. What can we expect from the slopes? It's looking like it could be worryingly warm! |
New snow would not do any harm but the pistes are still in very decent condition.
We skied over to La Villa next door village to San Cassiano a couple of days ago and everything was great.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Peter S, Ouch! Hope that you're on the mend. Sympathies, I did similar a month ago: sadly, lifting heavy logs in UK, not skiing in the Dollies.
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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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@smudger, GEFS looks dry next 4 days and rather mild. Then it cools off with a possible dusting around the 18th. Then dry again out towards the 25th. Probably sunny and light winds allowing the Dolomites to do what it does best. Have fun
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Am I right in thinking that it's now 2 months since the last significant snowfall in the Dolomites? I can't recall anything more than 5-10cm since mid December! And still nothing more than a dusting in the forecast.
I know this part of the Alps can go for long periods without new snow, and that snowmaking is largely excellent, but surely it must be approaching a record?
They must be very grateful for the (unusually) large pre-season snowfalls in November. Without them, the Dolomites would have received almost no natural snow up to this point.
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You know it makes sense.
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@denfinella, you are. It’s nutty. Luckily it’s been consistently cold. There’s still more than a meter of natural snow up high and on north facing slopes above 1400 m or so.
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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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@denfinella, yes. More important than receiving new snow they haven’t had any rain and the air has been dry and cool which has preserved their runs. They have more than enough to last the season and will refresh the surface with artificial if necessary. It doesn’t have to snow to ski 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Drove up to do Hidden Valley on Thursday. Conditions nice enough, a bit hard in places but sun was only just getting to piste. Cinque torri pistes not as nice as the other day but we had light to see which is an advantage, busier so surfaces polished on steeper sections by lunch time and some people struggling on top down to Fedare. Popped back up cable car to take run back down to it ca 2pm, top section was easier as had softened in sun. Was snowing when we walked back from Corvara last night but has only dusted.
Re HV queues
Arrived at lift car park later than planned, about 10:00 and there was a 15 min queue - about half way down the side of the lift building, there was a steady stream of minibuses and coaches arriving. No queue for taxi back in Armentora and lift queue was a bit bigger when we got back. Did couple of hours around cinque torri and there was no queue at 2pm although had delay and excitement as some guy jumped the barriers to join his mates, first time I’ve seen the lift operators threaten to take away someone’s lift pass.
Had non skiing fall the other day and have bruised ribs so bottom part of HV and getting to taxi at Armentola was not fun...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| denfinella wrote: |
Am I right in thinking that it's now 2 months since the last significant snowfall in the Dolomites? I can't recall anything more than 5-10cm since mid December! And still nothing more than a dusting in the forecast.
I know this part of the Alps can go for long periods without new snow, and that snowmaking is largely excellent, but surely it must be approaching a record?
They must be very grateful for the (unusually) large pre-season snowfalls in November. Without them, the Dolomites would have received almost no natural snow up to this point. |
Yes you are correct. The last significant snowfall was pre xmas. And unless a dramatic sudden change occurs in the next week, February, along with January and most of December will end up as another very dry month. And I suspect it will be approaching a record if we're talking about the three winter months of December, January and February.
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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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@Pasigal, how did you find Seiser Alm ?? -- I've only skied it once, and just remember it being 'flat'....
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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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| albob wrote: |
| @Pasigal, how did you find Seiser Alm ?? -- I've only skied it once, and just remember it being 'flat'.... |
I've skied it once and am back again in 2 weeks time. It does have a reputation of being flat with mainly easy runs. However, though there are a few flat sections, there are several, what I would call proper red runs and a couple of blacks. Off the top of my head, I can think all of the following slopes as being graded correctly as red or black and all are relatively steep in places and I certainly wouldnt consider any of them as easy runs:
Red 2 SPitzbuhl
Red 8 Laurin - goes steeper 3/4 of the way down
Red 20/19/26 Goldknopf down to Saltria
Blue 27 - No way is this a blue slope!!
Red 33/30 Florian
Red 55 Monte Piz
Red 47 Leo Demetz
Red 43 Mezdi
Black 39 Mezdi
Black 78 Puflatsch
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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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@jimmybog, Thanks...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Pasigal, @Peter S, @jimmybog, thanks. Bonkers indeed. As has been said many times on here it's not bad from a business point of view in all the areas which have comprehensive snowmaking - which is most of them.
But less good for the smaller, lower resorts with less snowmaking, around the fringes of the Dolomites. Those on the Asiago plateau, some of the resorts around Merano...
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@albob, overall it's relatively easy but main attraction is lack of crowds and the feeling of being away from the sellaromda hordes. It's stress free skiing for the most part.
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| Pasigal wrote: |
| @albob, overall it's relatively easy but main attraction is lack of crowds and the feeling of being away from the sellaromda hordes. It's stress free skiing for the most part. |
+1 - reminds of the main area above Corvara/La Villa/San Cassiano re being off the main Sella Ronda and less crowds. But still with lovely views and nice huts/restaurants though less km of ski runs unless you venture over to Monte Pana/Monte Seura and up over to Passo Sella/Plan De Gralba or down into Ortisei and up to Seceda. I still prefer Alta Badia, but having a change this year as wanted somewhere easier to get to via train/bus from Verona.
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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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| smudger wrote: |
| We are off to San Cassiano for the first time on Saturday. What can we expect from the slopes? It's looking like it could be worryingly warm! |
Went over to San Cassiano today, the pistes were all in excellent condition. Should be great next week.
Have a great time.
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| jimmybog wrote: |
| denfinella wrote: |
Am I right in thinking that it's now 2 months since the last significant snowfall in the Dolomites? I can't recall anything more than 5-10cm since mid December! And still nothing more than a dusting in the forecast.
I know this part of the Alps can go for long periods without new snow, and that snowmaking is largely excellent, but surely it must be approaching a record?
They must be very grateful for the (unusually) large pre-season snowfalls in November. Without them, the Dolomites would have received almost no natural snow up to this point. |
Yes you are correct. The last significant snowfall was pre xmas. And unless a dramatic sudden change occurs in the next week, February, along with January and most of December will end up as another very dry month. And I suspect it will be approaching a record if we're talking about the three winter months of December, January and February. |
I remember posting a similar question either last season or the season before as I was amazed
Traditionally the Dolomites gets less snow but is colder than elsewhere, hence the snow cannons run very well
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FAQ
