 Poster: A snowHead
|
Piste conditions were great in chatel today. I have been teaching skiers with between 5-6 hours of experience and thanks to grippy soft snow in most places (odd icy patches but rare) they did great. My neighbour has skied over to Avoriaz but everything coming into the Lindarets valley he said was very icy and scraped off unfortunately.
Hoping its similar tomorrow. Perhaps a fresh dusting soon. We still really need a top up on the beginner areas at the base to make life for beginners easier as currently I am having to chuck them in the deep end somewhat, but they have all been coping well!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
We had a great day today, snow up top was good. As peeps have said there is a bit of ice but beggars can't be choosers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
Agree with what @R555MAC says re. Piste conditions in Pre la Joux area. Really good considering. A friend arrived yesterday and said it was much better than he'd been expecting. There's some ice about but mostly it's not actually ice but very scraped hardpack. Pistes are fairly busy considering it's now low season. So we skied ankle deep powder off piste instead  hoping for more snow soon to improve beginner terrain for those learning as it's not easy at the moment.
Bon ski a tous!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Conditions in Chatel today were once again decent lower down. Some of the higher slopes have suffered where the wind has taken the snow back to the hard pack icy layer underneath. Maybe 2 inches due tonight and the same tomorrow. Colder temps on the way which will allow snow making. Again a nice day on the hill with some great skiing on largely empty pistes.
The top up is needed, however winds are due to be gale force at times high up so I would still expect some of the roll overs (or convex areas) of the pistes to be stripped of snow for the next couple of days to come.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
@R555MAC, none of which is terribly unusual, even in a good snow year
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Well, we had to abort. Got to super morzine cabin to be told that on 25% open due to high winds. Decided not to bother. Back to the GM where links stayed open until about 2:30 so had a good if windy day. Thanks for the info guys. Will try again when back in feb hopefully.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mmmm... It was very windy this morning up here. Almost got blown backwards at times! But everything was open here. Piste conditions today in one word - variable!
Nice weather when the wind dropped, good day.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
| Quote: |
to finish on a positive. I think they have tried hard to keep as much open as possible in these challenging conditions
|
@snowcrazy, from the sidelines I agree.
I'm currently injured off games so I don't have direct experience but what I hear from our clients and friends (Chamonix) and read around here... it's really not too bad out there. Most comments are "better than expected".
My question is "what exactly is expected by most people in a good season?"
Which I'm sort of about to take into its own little thread 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I'm in the mountains, I can ski, I'm not at work, the beer is cold,
True there could be more snow but I don't care......
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
@Timg60, yeah I agree. We have all had better conditions but we are making the most of it and it's good Craig. The wind was strong today, my wife got stopped in her tracks skiing down a run today 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Agree. The newer telecabines at les Prodains and bottom of the Pleney get people more quickly up the mountain. Also pleased that it is still possible to ski back down blues on the Pleney side to Morzine village. It would be useful to have bigger maps at key lifts to show which lifts and pistes are open (red and green lights) eg as in Zermatt. (It's possible to do this before going out at the start of the day on the Portes du Soleil website.) Also some lifts could do with having larger names on the side so can be easily seen from a distance. Hoping for more snow soon.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
And I have just had. Smoked salmon to start and a perfectly cooked duck breast for mains washed down with a wonderful bottle of red....
Full happy and I get to go skiing in the morning. Life doesn't get better😄
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
@sarah,
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
@sarah,
| Quote: |
I am skiing like a bag of spanners
|
no, that's me -
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Spelling mistake corrected. IMO you were making it sound better conditions than i found last weekend. But yes! I agree, at least you can go riding which is better than being in the office. But I did have a fun day on Sunday after the little fresh snow that did come. Fingers crossed for more snow everywhere soon!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
They are blasting in Avoriaz this morning
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Judging by how heavy the rain has been in Morzine all morning, I would say a decent amount....
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
It is chucking down with snow in Avoriaz right now, very windy though.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I didn't mean to start a Facebook link posting frenzy, I was specifically asked for our link, and only after making a passing comment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Much improved skiing with the new snow above ca.1400m, probably unto 20cm higher up but very windy out of the protection of the valleys. On exposed slopes there were still some icy patches to look out for where it was wind scoured, else some very welcome powder to be had. Arare looked closed assumed due to wind, so spent most of the time over in Plaine Dranse & Linga.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
@Mountain Addiction, yours was a good photo the other day, thanks for sharing
well it's been snowing hard most of the morning at Pre la Joux, heavy wet snow down at the base. I didn't get up higher today. Reports of good conditions on the runs into Lindarets this morning but very windy high up.
Currently a mix of rain/hail/sleet here at 1200m.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thanks @sarah,
It slightly irritates me that SnowCrazy has come and posted a report like they have. By doing so, SnowCrazy has sort of made it sound like the conditions in Les Arcs are near perfect, just without actually saying so - it's more of a read between the lines hint. When one reads SnowCrazy's reports in the Les Arcs thread it's the same, in some cases the wind effects the workings of a higher resort more, yet no mention is made of the less than perfect conditions in Arcs in this thread. It's slightly irritating is all. I'm not trying to cause offense, but find the report biased towards Arcs - even by saying 2200m is quite low and then going on to discuss on the Arcs thread that the skiing in Arcs at a similar height (and lower) is of a similar standard to here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
Anybody in Les Gets who could give us an on the spot report?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
@mheadbee, been snowing on and off most of the day, down to about 1350 I should think - we are at 1240. Woke up to rain, saw it had been snowing higher up. We drove up to the Chavannes about 9.30, quite cloudy then, snow on the road up there and the clouds cleared bit going up the Chavannes on the lift. Down the Belle Mouille which was lovely as we went down it till we had dropped down onto the track down to the lifts in the Charniaz bowl, it had been very wet down there. Only a few people around as we took the Troncs up, pisteurs had worked hard at the top. We skied down the Lievre to the bridge. The slope down to the Pre Favre lift was pretty bare so we went across the bridge which has not been improved one iota. Lift up, into the Cornette for coffee as pretty wet by then. Afraid that after that we called it a day, and back down the Chavannes to our car, but it was snowing quite a bit up there, the skies were clearing and there must have been about 3 inches on our car. Took my (old) skis in for waxing and edging and found other things to do this afternoon. Oh, and it was windy too. My OH has been looking on the web and seen that a lot of Avoriaz seems to have been closed today higher up, so it will be interesting to see if that actually is true.
If it has carried on snowing today higher up, which it looks as if it has, and they can get out and bash it down tonight then tomorrow will be another day, as they say.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Up the hill till half four today. All Avoriaz higher lifts shut all day. Snowed on and off all day. Took a run over to Pra Le joux at 3 and it was dumping over there. I would say head for Chatel tomorrow as it wasn't snowing at all when I went back to Lindarets to head home. Conditions will be much improved tomorrow although there are a lot of scoured areas from the highest winds I have experienced in the alps....
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
Arare area via express des intrets was closed due to wind exposition, however grande combes (my fave lift in the entire area) was open, and overlooked by most. Take the black before the snowcross, hook a left where the run turns right, and sure enough, at 15.00 the 4 of us were blasting down fresh snow, grins ear to ear and not another person in sight. The run is marked coupe du monde, but everyone must be screaming past the entrance.
Followed up with a jolly to lindarets to find a sizeable queue for prolays, seems everyone has gone on autopilot and stopped looking at which lifts might be open.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
| matteevan90 wrote: |
Arare area via express des intrets was closed due to wind exposition, however grande combes (my fave lift in the entire area) was open, and overlooked by most. Take the black before the snowcross, hook a left where the run turns right, and sure enough, at 15.00 the 4 of us were blasting down fresh snow, grins ear to ear and not another person in sight. The run is marked coupe du monde, but everyone must be screaming past the entrance.
Followed up with a jolly to lindarets to find a sizeable queue for prolays, seems everyone has gone on autopilot and stopped looking at which lifts might be open. |
Sounds very fortunate. I checked grande Combes on several occasions today and didn't see it moving at any stage
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Seems they're making no effort to patch up the runs in Les Gets, Particulary around Chavvannes? Looks as if they're banking on there being a big dump this weekend at village level... I thought i would have seen snow cannons on overnight by now?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
| Quote: |
Pamski
snowHead
Posts: 3427
Location: Les Gets/Chichester
@mheadbee, been snowing on and off most of the day, down to about 1350 I should think - we are at 1240. Woke up to rain, saw it had been snowing higher up. We drove up to the Chavannes about 9.30, quite cloudy then, snow on the road up there and the clouds cleared bit going up the Chavannes on the lift. Down the Belle Mouille which was lovely as we went down it till we had dropped down onto the track down to the lifts in the Charniaz bowl, it had been very wet down there. Only a few people around as we took the Troncs up, pisteurs had worked hard at the top. We skied down the Lievre to the bridge. The slope down to the Pre Favre lift was pretty bare so we went across the bridge which has not been improved one iota. Lift up, into the Cornette for coffee as pretty wet by then. Afraid that after that we called it a day, and back down the Chavannes to our car, but it was snowing quite a bit up there, the skies were clearing and there must have been about 3 inches on our car. Took my (old) skis in for waxing and edging and found other things to do this afternoon. Oh, and it was windy too. My OH has been looking on the web and seen that a lot of Avoriaz seems to have been closed today higher up, so it will be interesting to see if that actually is true.
If it has carried on snowing today higher up, which it looks as if it has, and they can get out and bash it down tonight then tomorrow will be another day, as they say
|
Thanks Pamski. Still just under 3 weeks until I head out so plenty of time but great that its starting to pick up. In your mind you always fear that awful year about 4 years ago when it was all green so anything above that feels great. Most of the resort being open is good enough for me even if it is a bit tricky in places.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
@mheadbee,
Best snow conditions in Morzine area since 4th January. Fresh snow on the pistes above the top of Pleney lift - particularly good at la Rosta. Piste D / B well maintained all the way down to Morzine Village. More snow forecast for Friday.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Everyone out there do the snow dance please... I arrive Sunday!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Very sunny afternoon - its now 7.1C at our chalet but dropping as 10C when we drove home half an hour ago. We still have snow over most of our garden - someone who lives in Montriond was amazed when I said that the other night.
We were over in the Rosta bowl by 9.30 - the red down there was good first thing, quite a few coming down off piste to the side of the Yeti, then over to the Grains d'Or lift, and we managed to have coffee in La Paika for the first time this year. The Vorosses is open down as far as La Paika and then there is a wide piste over to join the Melezes. Poma not running from La Turche at the moment. We just stayed and skied the Melezes till we went back to pick up the car at the Chavannes which was looking, and feeling a whole lot better today. Some of this might be as I finally succumbed and had my 'old' skis waxed and edged last night.
We went over to check out MC then - very quiet, the Lievre was ok and nice to ski, the top of the Marmotte a bit bare but the track round the side fine.
Home to enjoy the sun on the terrace with my book now. Bit of sunshine makes everything better.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Skiing was amazing today and easily the best conditions of the Season. Although the wind had some affect on the running of the lifts, surprising it didn't really affect the pistes too much. The snow which fell yesterday had a slightly heavy quality too it and the warmer temps today seem to have aided the bonding process between layers. Heavy snow normally gets tough reviews but this season it seems to be what we need, if the new snow was powdery it would be windswept before the lifts opened.
Today was our day off from the chalet, so we decided on the option of a big ski (goes without saying really) and decided a change of scenery was in order. We headed through Lindarets, through Avoriaz and up Stade (intrets wasn't running when we got there) hopped on the drag (intrets started running) and got to the top with No one else in sight snow conditions were brilliant finally allowing for some hard carving. Took the blue to Fornet Chair didn't fancy the off piste under it as there were a few people and I could hear the scraping and see some rocks. So we took the piste back to Chavenette drag, again lovely snow, stopped for a coffee at the top - first time going inside Opadcha, nicely re done inside and the Table service is a big plus - nice to get out the wind. After we took the Up & Over chair and got off at the top, nice ski down to the drag which meets Grande Conche (never learnt the name of it) the Wind was SHOCKING at the top so got off the ridge down in to Lets Crosets, at one point the Wind was so bad I actually had to sit down on the piste for fear of getting blown over (only for a few seconds) The Wind seemed to be coming from the Swiss side and Lets Crosets has definitely suffered as the bonding process between snow layers didn't seem very strong, quite a few Icy patches were showing with large drifts gathering in places. We didn't want GC to close due to wind so headed back up and over to the French side. Decided on returning to Lindarets down Abricotine - a good opportunity to practice your racing tuck attempting to get under the wind, only small amounts of skating were required. Up Chaux Fleurie, down the Red for a well earned Lunch at Fantaski in Plaine Dranse.
headed up Chaux de Roses, took the Blue to the left, then the Red to the right (I forget the names of pistes) and got on Combes, a brilliant ski back down the Red run under the Combes chair, hopped on Cornebois and took the Red to the left, the blue to the left, the red to the left, and joined the blue back to Plaine Dranse before heading down to Pre La Joux Chair. The Red run under Pierre Longue was a bit sketchy at the bottom with large sugary piles of snow building.
Overall, today has been amazing. We didn't want to venture off piste - although the risk was 3/5 conditions looked slabby and didn't want to chance our luck. Not to mention there were some questionable displays of mountain safety (or lack there of) and several times I saw people under prone faces sitting around, taking there time having a mothers meeting before skiing/boarding off not allowing each other time to get to an island of safety. This is not to suggest that off piste is out of the question - just that we didn't fancy our chances today. After all, I have to cook breakfast in the morning 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Mountain Addiction, Do I take it you quite enjoyed yourself today?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
I avoided Avoriaz today myself because of the wind, and the fact that everyone would head there for their 'pow' cause the high lifts were closed yesterday.
I headed to Chatel and as ever it delivered. Empty well groomed pistes, no queues and lovely fresh tracks. Highlight was the red off Cornebois (closed) but the gulley was in great condition with better cover than I've yet seen. Fun in there. Best day of season yet apart from big snow at end of December.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
