Tignes and Tignes-Val D'Isere (formerly Espace Killy) 2022/3. Useful links on Page 1

A snowHead

Starting to get excited as arriving on the 4th to visit son working in tignes for the season. Hope rain doesn’t materialise

A snowHead

We are arriving the 7th. I have my fingers crossed for a cool down after this coming tropical spell. I’m thinking snow will be badly needed after the rain event.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

We arrive on 7th Jan too. I'm thinking that:
- We'll get what we get and make the most of it.
- Given the altitude of Espace Killy, there'll be some decent snow somewhere.

Looking forward to it Very Happy

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We will be in Val d'Isere tomorrow afternoon with a view to skiing Friday, Saturday and Christmas Day. Strongly suspect I will save the skiing for Saturday PM and Sunday.

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Had a call this morning from the immo who manage the apartment we're renting. They're understandably expecting a busy day on Saturday so are getting ahead of themselves taking deposits etc rather than doing it on the day in the shop.

Fingers crossed for a swift process of getting the keys on Saturday

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@mountainaddict,
You're right. We'll be in the mountains and there'll be something to slide on. I do have two never evers in tow that will be in lessons for the week. I imagine the lift company will do their best to have some snow in the beginner areas somehow? Or is there a dedicated learner area that can be reached by gondola?

After all it is free

@sbooker, in Tignes there are beginners areas at both Le Lac and Val Claret which will undoubtedly be open, if you're stopping in Val d'Isere then if the beginners areas in the village are shut there's a big beginners area at the top of Solaise and with good graduation onto the Madeline slopes

We've skied in the rain (below about 2,600m) in Tignes before. Yes, we ended up wet (can't avoid it going down your neck eventually!) but, after thinking should we even go out, it wasn't as bad as we feared. Some may disagree, but we concluded then (and at other places since) that damp skiing is better than no skiing wink

The skiing in the rain at Tignes was an autumn trip 15 or 20 years ago and was the trip that convinced us to upgrade our ski trousers to something more waterproof! Soggy chairlifts and wet legs aren't too much fun...I'm still using the North Face trousers now that I bought then! Quite expensive at the time but they've been great.

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There seems to be a lot of doom and gloom on here!

Reality is the majority of the resort is already open with good piste cover, although there are a few stones in the normal pinch area. Beginners areas are open.
Off piste is not great but if you know your way around there are some good spots.

I've seen much worst at this time of the season. Happy skiing

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On the weather front there is good news and bad. The good news is the weather is not going to cause transfer hell, the bad news is Friday will seen rain or sleet in Val and maybe up to Tignes. The all important snowline will be at about 2000m but this may vary a bit 200m either way can make all the difference. But you may still need winter kit around the roads of Tignes to do the last kilometre. Following on from my last post on the weather, Tignes is firmly under the jetstream for the next couple of days, so there is going to be some weather! Its going to be very unsettled until Saturday lunchtime, then a small area of high pressure will develop, so luckily Santa will be flying in under clear skies on Christmas Eve.

Today should remain nice until after dark when the clouds will thicken, it will start with sleet in Val but then turn to rain and it will be windy at altitude where it will be snowy, but the avalanche risk will increase. Tomorrow looks like a shocker Shocked

, windy and wet/sleet/snow depending on your altitude. Hopefully, in Tignes it may still be snow but there is a chance of rain showers up to 2500m in the afternoon. Where this falls on the snowpack it may leave some nasty icy surfaces, which of course may then lead to any snow falling later falling on a hard layer. The avalanche assessment risk is going to be hard work. For the big transfer day the showers will be light in the morning and should peter out by lunchtime to be replaced with sunny periods and queues at the letting agents! But for those on skis take care, there will be a host of hazards outside of the poles and the lower pistes will have taken a battering from the rain.

Christmas Day will be glorious, wall to wall sunshine and mild in the villages. A wind at altitude will make it feel chilly. Monday looks pretty similar with clouds building late afternoon with light showers after dark, but I think it will be snow down to the Dam. Confidence in Tuesday's forecast is not high, depending on the final position of a waether system to the north, the current best guess is sunny spells.

Good Luck on your travels and don't forget the snowchains just in case the Met Collective is wrong wink

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You know it makes sense.

@stewart woodward,
Is the binometer snow depth gauge still working?

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A snowHead

10pm in Val, still snowing rather than rain

A snowHead

This weather concern is messing with my head. Laughing

I’m not looking at any forecast or condition reports or cams from now until I arrive late afternoon on the 7th of January.
Hoping to drive around the dam to a white vista.

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I’m down by the Paquis/chaudannes lifts - woke up to it persistently chucking it down, we had a change to flacons for a while, but back to rain/sleet now.

As it’s out last day, I will goretex up anyway, and venture out to see how it’s doing higher up. You can tell by the time I’m not expecting much ….

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It does look challenging today! But as Ali Ross always says its better than a good day at Glenshee!

No change on the forecast and I have had a quick look at the airport early forecasts for tomorrow, after all this rain has gone through in the UK it should be OK. It looks good for GVA and the French airports too. I had a quick look at the forecast for traffic and thats encouraging, they are not forecasting significant jams, presumably the load is being spread over a few days rather than just Saturday.

After all it is free

Conditions pretty much as expected, though we did ourselves no favours by staying low (was skiing with my daughter, we probably would have been better schlepping over to do marmottes, but decided we’d prefer to stay local in case weather/enthusiasm closed in). Lots of drowned rats joining us for lunch as the restro on the palafour run. It was snow at 2514 metres, but back to sleety rain by the bottom - though now back at the apartment, and it’s a bit more snow/sleet down here. Only a couple of hours, but felt I got my moneys worth out of the conditions. Now just the packing up and border control to look forward to for tomorrow ….

@Pejoli, just watched the One o clock news. Lots of reporters at airports looking for queues and failing miserably! Mostly running like clockwork

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Tough day out there but still good fun. Off piste was good at the higher lifts but visibility was challenging! Absolutely soaked through now.

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Metro France have issued a special avalanche communique. Lots of avalanches around including the Lavachet Wall and most of Ste Foy. Have a long think about off piste and then go for a coffee!

I am being generous with my definition of off piste today, was a mainly few meters off the side! Couldn't see much further than that.

You know it makes sense.

Yup - two biggish avalanches on the Lavachet wall today. One on the slope just left of the guards which my son saw, and then a bigger one further round which I think we heard from the apartment but assumed was more cannons going off! Both full depth and the big one is an impressive scar.
I assumed it would just gradually change from snow to rain but it was swapping back and forth all day. It was raining at the apartment door first thing, but snowing 100m up the road at the Lavachet shops. Just did the morning chasing that sweet spot of visibility, decent snow and not pissing wet - it was a very narrow window Laughing

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Interesting days weather yesterday! In le Lac it varied between rain, sleet and snow all day. Freezing level seemed to be about 2250m with lots of snow above.

This morning the poubelles have a slight covering of new snow but nothing to get excited about. Currently it's below freezing but forecast to increase soon. Could be another gym or pool day for me.

For everyone saying how unusual the conditions are i remember doing the Christmas eve torch lit descent about 8 years ago in torrential rain. Not the best experience holding a flaming torch whilst rain runs down your arm and wets everything.

For anyone skiing today enjoy, keep safe and preferably on piste

A snowHead

@chocksaway, Sainte Foy you say ? I’m here didn’t bother going out . Have you a link please

A snowHead

@chocksaway,

Where is the "Lavachet Wall"?

Have you seen the weather in Canada & the USA? I never read anything about "bomb cyclones" when I was learning about aviation meteorology. I think the rain in Tignes is preferable to the weather on the other side of the Atlantic. Very Happy

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I think it was a rapidly developing depression that caused the storm of 1987 that affected parts of southern England.
The term ‘bomb cyclone’ is American hyperbole Laughing

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@Rob Mackley, It was a report from a mate riding around in his delivery van, huge slips from the Aiguille Rouge was the exact description.

@welshflyer, The Lavachet Wall is the off piste route down from the Pointe de Lavachet to the road between The Loop and Brasero. Look up at Toviere it’s basically everything left of Johan Clarey piste.

I’ve never heard of a bomb cyclone either! But my brother in Calgary has just gone out to clear his drive as it’s now risen from -40 to -25 Shocked

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@Peter S,

I’m not sure what the US equivalent of the Daily Express is, as it’s the sort of thing they would dream up.

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@chocksaway, Oh yes I look at them , yes very big yesterday from the grand col , just below the S couloir . Loads of biggies off Mont Pourri down the avi chutes this morning .

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Enjoyed it out there today. Stuck to easy stuff as the snow was damp and ridiculously grippy. Steeper stuff soon had big soft mounds.
Nobody venturing off piste as snow is so heavy and dangerous too.

Visibility was ok and got better

After all it is free

Holidays periods must have changed for the French during the new yr and Xmas holidays as there were plenty of people on the slopes and not much traffic leaving resort today

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Today's weather was much better than forecast. After a little drizzle this morning the clouds cleared and a bright and sunny day evolved.

The improved viz showed the full extent of the recent rain with lots of full depth avalanches some starting surprising high.

Help!!

Tignes and Tignes-Val D'Isere (formerly Espace Killy) 2022/3. Useful links on Page 1

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