 Poster: A snowHead
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Been changing apts today first time I can say happy to have reason not to ski!!
60 kph gusting to 90-110 app says and can well believe it!
Chains obligatory some chaos as peeps taking them off too soon!!
Forecast is for snow right they to Thursday
Ho hum
Just had nice lunch in tummys val claret back in le lab now watching beginners tow when not hidden by clouds of snow
Beginners must wonder if it's like this all the time!!
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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 that was wild, but I think there is an air of 'we just got away with it' on the roads. I think the break in the snow, with a reasonably high freezing level, especially when the sun came out, together with great work from the snowploughers avoided the snowmageddon. Or perhaps people decided to come another day. The roads are just about back to normal. Sadly, I see that quite a few air travellers had an airborne tour of the Rhone-Alps thanks to very high winds at Chambery. The snow was very heavy this morning, it then stopped and the winds picked up beyond what was forecast. The lifts progressively closed through the afternoon until we were left with the village ones, a day for the hardy.
There will be a break in the snow until about midnight, and the wind will drop a bit but there will still be lots of blowing snow around the village. Tomorrow will be snowy again, not much chance of seeing the sun! The wind should drop mid morning but it will return in the evening. We are looking ano another 10-20cm tomorrow. The wind will return with a vengeance on Monday with light snow all day. We may see the sun on Tuesday morning through a veil of cloud, which will thicken and give light snow in the afternoon, the pesky wind will remain. Its all abit unsure for Wednesday but it may start with a thunderstorm.
For the travellers tomorrow: In the UK most of the airports will suffer from dank conditions which will improve. There is a chance of fog at Leeds, Newcastle and Gatwick which could slow things a little. There is a chance of a shower at the 4 airports over here, but it shouldn't affect flying unless the wind at Chambery remains longer than is currently forecast.
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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.
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@GeorgeVII, How did you guess, ski shovel shower sleep repeat! T
Well skiing today was a bit of an adventure....... We have been sat in cloud for most of the day so it was a trade off - do we go down to the trees where it was damp and the snow was melting onto the gogs, or go higher into a complete white out and wind! We had between 5 and 15cm of snow yesterday but after a Don Maclean night (starry starry night) it started snowing moderately as day broke and has continued since, its now snowing heavily as I keep one eye on the charts and one on Wales/Italy. So there was lots of snow on the pistes which with the lack of visibility made the legs ache.
The heavy snow is going to continue until around breakfast time, but the wind is alos going to pick up after dark to give the pisteurs a headache in the morning. Expect a slow start to the lift opening and more noise in the form of explosions than this morning. It will then continue to snow throughout tomorrow, the wind may slacken off or it may not depending on whose charts you look at. I'm plumping for windy throughout. The swimming pools will be busy tomorrow! Tuesday looks cloudy throughout with light winds and light snow showers in the afternoon. Wednesday will be similar but it will snow all day. Currently Thursday looks like a day of sunny periods and snow showers, beyond that requires an astrologer!
As Steve is missing from next door, I will relate a few 'holidaymaker's tales' from yesterday courtesy of Radio Val - reminiscent of a certain Billy Punter cartoon.
A mother and daughter could not find their apartment in Val, unfortunately they should have put Alpe D'Huez in their satnav instead.
After a car threw a snow chain the driver walked for half a km to get it after parking safely in the storm, obviously there was another half k uphill - in moonboots!
Somebody leaving Tignes decided to stop and take photos - in the middle of the road. Cue a 20 minute holdup as people couldn't overtake!
A group of 12 arrived in Val looking for the chalet they had paid €1000 for the week on the interweb. Funnily enough it was a scam!
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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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Just home after an awesome week in VDI. Yesterday was my first time ever being blown backwards up a red run! At one stage I was trying to position my body like a sail to try and get down lol
Solaise gondola closed mid afternoon with lots of folk stuck in the new cafe wondering how they were going to get down. I later heard some people were taken down by piste basher! Was that true???
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@Pending, Yip, I think the wind caught everyone out yesterday. A Brit Dad also stuck his 2 kids in the closed lifties hut at the Fornet side of the 'up and over' whilst he went for help. Good job it was only windy and not that cold and that there wasn't a lock n the door!
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Between 30 and 40 cm of fresh this morning, but high winds at altitude meaning there is a lot of avalanche prevention going on. Just Palafour and Bollin open so far.
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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 may be a while yet before posting!
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That's the best view of me!
As you can see we have had a lot of snow, what you can't see is that it had the consistency of concrete in most places, thanks to wind and relatively mild temperatures. So I type with aching legs (not literally). It was about an hour before the majority of the resort opened this morning as it was made safe. It was a mix of cloud and sunshine, which was replaced by hill fog in the afternoon and a stiff breeze above 2400m. We had a look round the Palet sector and over into La Daille in search of the elusive soft stuff but really to no avail. All round the usual off piste routes there was lots of straight lines as people tried to keep up momentum, even the boarders were having difficulty. We did manage to link a dozen turns off the side of Borsat but that was about it. Lunch was well deserved. However, the amount of snow now means that the pistes will be in fabulous condition for some time (once they have knocked down all the moguls tonight). Off piste is probably going to settle quite quickly, we will have to see what it turns into.
The light snow will soon stop this evening, an odd star may appear and there may be a glimpse of the sun early tomorrow. But by mid morning we are expecting overcast skies and light snows like the majority of today, but the winds will be lighter. Cloudy and light snow will be the order of the day on Wednesday. It looks like Thursday will just be overcast, but the wind is going to return at altitude. Friday promises sunny periods and a couple more degrees warmer.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The sun made an appearance today. Snow is lovely: visibility less so most of the time.
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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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@Dr Rock, Now there's a thing those 2 photos were taken within 150m of each other.
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| chocksaway wrote: |
| @Dr Rock, Now there's a thing those 2 photos were taken within 150m of each other. |
Like ships that pass in the night eh? 
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You know it makes sense.
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A very accurate review of today.. a strong skier in our gang decided to try the powder and promptly stopped with the inevitable forward roll ...just glad it was a fit young 30 year old...The trees were the only option and lower down the snow was ok and possibly lees wind affected particularly as you skied into la Daille..
Lunch took longer than normal and the decision to move on to an après bar was unanimous..
The Ski Club ...Val chapter..
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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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probable needed a layer like this to be fair
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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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@Alex A, Absolutely, without it, it would have been carnage on piste for the French hols, in lower resorts I dread to think.
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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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The sky was pink as I tucked into the cornflakes this morning, a sentinel of the approaching weather front. First thing the light was good although the sky started filling in rapidly. We were among the first dozen up the Col de Ves chair. So there was some nice, pisteur secured, steep and deep, thought it was still hard work, but not as hard as yesterday, thankfully. There were also one or two nice pitches below the airfield. I should also mention that the pistes are in excellent condition now. We then tried up Lanches and found nice new untracked snow off Genepy, it was softer here but still far from the champagne powder, in fact it was so good we did it twice. By 11.30am the sky was darkening and it started to snow. So we opted for an early finish, which was only prolonged by the Grattalu lift which stopped for 20 minutes. Once the lefties had climbed the pylon it didn't take long to get it going again, an oversensitive microswitch perhaps??
Unfortunately, tomorrow will be a mirror image of this afternoon, the snow may get a little heavier in the afternoon. It looks like the weather front is going to stall over the top of us. The air will be a little bit colder but there shouldn't be anything more than a gentle breeze. Thursday looks grey and overcast with little or no snow, the breeze will pick up again, but nothing too dramatic. Friday and Saturday look like two days of sunny periods, it will get a little bit warmer, offset by a light wind.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Well the view from the window was not that appealing this morning, cloud! It started snowing lightly just after 9,, so a quick round-robin phone call resulted in a unanimous decision - it was a day for reading a book! The snow has continued to fall all day, mostly lightly with the occasional heavier spurt. Looking at the melting going on on the balcony it is also quite mild at resort level.
So what of the forecast: the light snow will continue until around midnight when the skies will only be obscured by a thin veil of cloud. This will continue into the morning, but it will then break up to leave sunny periods with clouds on the peaks. As the afternoon progresses the cloud will thicken and we will probably get some light snow as the lifts close for the day. There will be a hint of a breeze higher up the mountains. Friday should start with sunny periods and some light snow showers, it will improve in the afternoon. Saturday should see a relatively nice day with a thin layer of high cloud but nothing much else. It will be a little warmer on Sunday with sunny periods, there may be quite a strong wind at altitude, strong winds are currently forecast for the area just to the west of us. The outlook for next week is a little unsure but currently seems to be mainly sunny periods and positive temperatures by lunchtime, it may feel like spring!
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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're mirroring me Chocks: I got out of bed @ 3pm. All caught up and ready for tomorrow. Hopefully get to take the others up the glacier and down Sachs.....
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The Val chapter were out and about with some viz on the Motte..
Tomorrow looks more encouraging...let's wait and see..
Good band tonight in the Alex bar ..
Thanks to Jock and the boys..
Cheers
Val
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Well overnight we had between 10 and 20cm ore snow, much lighter than the previous dollop! The sky was a patchwork of various clouds this morning but there was more than enough sunlight to see the bumps. The sky did become overcast by about 4pm So there was freshtracks again for everyone. Luckily I was with Evo2 for another day's off piste adventure. Initially we hiked up from the top of the Combe Folle drag and skied Familial Sud then on to the east face of Charvet which was just excellent, deep snow even pitch - perfect. Cugnai followed, by traversing away from the main route we found untracked, this was the deepest snow that we found, not powder light but very enjoyable. A well earned lunch was next followed by Danaides, where towards the bottom my legs packed up so it was time to call a halt and come home.
The cloud will thicken tonight and there may be some light snow through the small hours of the morning. Expect an overcast sky for breakfast and then the sun will break through and we will be left with conditions like this morning. It may just feel a little cooler, compounded by a light breeze. It should be good for transfer day with sunny periods and clouds on the peaks. Sunday now looks like a day for a thin veil of cloud well above the peaks, the wind will pick up at altitude. Monday will be pretty similar but a little bit warmer as the wind moves round to the south east.
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And while you were doing that, we did the Grand Motte runs and when that closed we went and did Col des Ves, then Sache and finished off with the L'Aiguille Percee, which was much eased than last year.. A good day and all boxes ticked. Roll on tomorrow!
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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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@Dr Rock, snow looks lovely and grippy!!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Looks tremendous - 9 dayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyys to go ....
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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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The weather behaved itself today and we had the promised sunny periods, the sky is almost a perfect blue. There was a chill breeze at height, notably on the Borsat Chair! For a quick morning, we revisited the east face of Charvet. With the warmth yesterday it had already started to settle and on sunny facing slopes there was a thin crust after a bit of thaw and freeze. So it was good fun bit hard on the legs Poling back along the Manchet Valley to escape was warm work. After that we tried the north face of the Borsat, a bit wind scraped at the top but after a couple of turns it was great. During the afternoon the pistes in Super U were delightfully quiet!
Tomorrow will be a bit like today, sunny periods and a hint of a breeze above 2700m. The cloud may thicken for a couple of hours over lunchtime to stop you getting sunburnt on the terrace. There might be a dusting of snow in the middle of the night but Sunday will essentially be good with a thin veil of cloud well above the peaks, this should break up in the afternoon to leave a nice day. However, there will be a stiff wind at altitude which may close some lifts, it will be quite gusty. Monday should be nice low down as the temperature will rise by 3 or 4 degrees and there will just be a few clouds on the peaks; the pesky wind will remain at height. For Tuesday and Wednesday the current forecast will be for blue skies, sunshine and warm temperatures, up to 7 deg C in the villages at lunchtime, the winds will be light. Yes it looks like a few springlike days. However, there is some weather not far to the west, so I will be keeping an eye on its progress.
One thing I can forecast with certainty for tomorrow is traffic jams! With 34000 vehicles heading for the Tarentaise (not far off the highest I have seen) and 27000 going down t'hill there will be jams at peak times. Leave before 8am would be the best advice (or leave tonight). For once there should be no problems over here for those flying, unless the mist thickens a bit at Chambery. The issues will be in the UK, where all the airports (with the exception of Glasgow) are forecasting snow showers. They will be hit and miss and most will be light, but if a heavier one parks itself over your airport they may have to shut the runway to clear it off. Additionally, any snow on an aircraft will have to be removed by the de-icing teams which always causes a delay or two. Basically, the rule of thumb that Biggles applies is if he can see any visible solid slush or snow on the wings then it needs de-icing. There are pages and pages of detail in the operating manuals about temperatures and time at altitude, etc etc but in simple terms that's it. Hopefully, they will be sparse and not many flights get affected. Doors to automatic and cross check!
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You know it makes sense.
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@chocksaway, I wasn't expecting to encounter spring temps / snow so early in the season (we arrive in a week)! But if there is one place I'd rather be in these type of conditions it's the EK. BTW ... do you know what the best time to go down the Face and the Sache is if the freeze / thaw cycle commences next week? I'm a boarder, I don't like ice underfoot!
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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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@franga, We usually reckon that 11 am is the best time for the Face. By that time it's had time to soften up a little but usually won't have had too much traffic.
Chocksaway may have different ideas though and he is there all season long. 
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Poster: A snowHead
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We did Face two days ago around 11am and it was ok, a few blue ice patches so keep your eyes peeled. Also done it sunday or monday when the visability was bad, but the snow was quite nice, few moguls though! Havent done sache yet this season.
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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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Yep my boyfriend chanced it early in the season too and said it was horrible, worst decsion ever!! I suspected it wouldnt be nice and took the Olympique
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@franga, If there has been a hard freeze then Face is easier to predict as it is in the sun from sunrise, so 1100 is about right. For Sache, as it is north facing it gets very little sun so you are relying on temperature alone to soften the snow so just after lunch but no later than 1500 when it starts to cool down rapidly. No promises though
There were a few high clouds this morning but only at a distance, so just a glorious day on empty pistes as everybody else was sat in a traffic jam down the valley or waiting on the tarmac at a UK airport. After a couple of laps of a deserted Grattalu, pisted to perfection we set off up to the Grand Motte where we discovered a sneaky wind above 2600m. As we crested Vanoise we saw the pisteurs blast a cornice into a more eye pleasing fashion by Descente, this allowed us to be in the first cable car to the top. The snow up there on piste was good, not too polished. The bumps on Leisse are getting bigger again, the access to the lift is not easy. We then shot down into La Daille for coffee before coming home for lunch and rugby!
The cloud increased through the afternoon and the sky will be obscured by dark, this will break in the morning to leave sunny periods, accompanied by a breeze at altitude, so essentially a nice day. Monday looks like being mostly cloudy as the weather system to the west sneaks a bit closer. There may be a scattering of snow in the small hours. Tuesday looks very similar. High pressure starts to dominate on Wednesday, by the late afternoon there may be fog down the valleys, it will be glorious in the mountains. The same applies for Thursday, warm and sunny throughout, unless some fog drifts up from below the dam.
For the aviators it will be fine over here near the Alps. In the UK it will be cold and damp with a chance of a sleet or snow shower anywhere, so there may be delays for the reasons discussed yesterday.
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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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The holidays are here! The resort is noticeably busier this afternoon with quite a few instructors working.
Fingers crossed for a few days of good weather
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Just booked to head out on Easter Sunday for 5 days.
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@GeorgeVII, Hope the beer was cold! But by being delayed they probably missed the worst of the traffic. Hopefully GVII Juniors bathroom is not a fish tank this year!!!
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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, Yes, hopefully no showergate this time. They're DIY'ing in a Palfour apartment this time around. Reported back about fantastic conditions this morning. Light a little flat first thing before the light cloud dispersed. (they were probably on the first lifts).
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Warm winds from the south! They were strong enough to close a couple of lifts but conditions are excellent on piste, off piste is now consolidating. There was a whole mixture of clouds around but on the whole it was just a great day. Today's plan was to cover a lot of miles on piste, which we achieved, from the Eye of the Needle to Le Fornet, even Piste L is in great condition, but the bumps on Epaule de Charvet were imitating Volkswagen Beetles, luckily the snow is still soft!
On a more sobering note there was a helicopter evacuation at the bottom of Trolles as I came home.
The wind will still be a feature tomorrow but there will be less cloud and we should see a good deal of the sun. Tuesday will be very similar but the winds will drop to a light breeze. Wednesday will be a real spring day, blue skies, sunshine and little wind. There may be some fog down the valley overnight. Thursday will be warm with a few clouds on the peaks, which will disappear for Friday leaving another fine day.
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FAQ
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