 Poster: A snowHead
|
I'll be there tomorrow, and those webcams look VERY nice 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Looks amazing today!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
@HoneyBunny, Oh Yes!!
The hill fog was hanging round the village this morning but a quick shufty at the webcams 'en haut' showed there was much to go out for. The fog cleared above 2000m by 10, some of the higher lifts were late opening after last nights fine snow and wind had coated the cables (and piste poles) with a crust of ice. Some of the grass was also coated in hoar frost making it look like coral. We aimed high - thinking we might get on the cable car - but there was still a long queue - unusual for a Saturday - perhaps we picked up some of the Val T/Les M weekend trade. The snow on Leisse was particularly good - and there was still some tracks to be laid around Genepy. After a pit stop it became apparent that cloud was moving in from the Val D side so we had a quick explore of Col De Ves - again some freshtracks (if you know where to look  ). The sky is now virtually overcast heralding the arrival of unpleasant weather tomorrow.
Sunday will be snowy with the wind picking up through the day. The intensity of the snow will pick up through the night and Monday will be very snowy and windy. As to how much - Mmmmm. The front is actually going to reverse direction midway through so just when it does that or if it parks itself over us means the snow forecasts are pretty much a lottery - but between 30 and 60cm would be my guess - but that could be out either way. Initially tomorrow the snow line will be about 1800m and it well then progressively move back down the mountain to where it belongs.
For those flying tomorrow (that's if you have got out of Val Thorens by then!!) it will be damp/wet over here but nothing to prevent flying. Back in the UK it will be showery and windy, the wind will be worse Newcastle and northwards where wind limits might be reached for a short time if you happen to arrive near one of the more intense showers. "Please fasten your seat belts tightly as we may encounter turbulence".
The rest of the week looks unsettled and not much sign of the sun - tricky to be any more precise.
Right - off to the pub to watch France/Wales
Edit - and to look for any very quiet Scots!!
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Sat 28-02-15 17:15; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
@stewart woodward, Hi Stewart. Just going off topic here. A couple of weeks ago you posted a link of some bumps skiing? (possibly a Canadian instructor) Damned if i can find it now. Wanted to show it to Claire.
Good to hear Mrs W was out for a ski with you. Will see you on or after the 8th. Hoping the forecasts for next week materialise into some proper amounts of snow. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lots of snow in Val this morning in a huge queue in snowberry.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Is that heavy snow I spy on the webcams?❄️❄️😄
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
, looking heavy to me
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@stewart woodward, Have pm'd you BTW.
Looking very snowy now
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
Just gone officially heavy on the Chocksaway scale and the temperature is dropping at last - its all been a bit damp today in Le Lac - slush on the roads and melting on the balcony (but not on the slopes ) Windy on high so all in all decided to have a duvet day before going to the 'Paka for the big game.
Weather forecast remains much like yesterdays - still showing the main amount of snow through tonight, tomorrow will have light snow and a lot of avalanche blasting first thing I suspect.
RIP to the 2 guys killed in the road accident near Seez this morning.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
It was snowing quite heavily all the way to Moutier at 7ish this morning. Home now 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
Thanks @stewart woodward,
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
Its a slow start - sat in the Pad waiting for a few more lifts to open - currently only Tichot plus the village lifts. Webcams showing large queues of expectant holiday makers. Very wet snow in the village and high winds in Le Lac so certainly no 'Pow alert' in the village - more a wet concrete alert! As its blowing a gale at the top I suspect it will all be tiny grains of snow blown into gullies rather than fluffy powder.
Just looked out of the window - the queue for the Almes Poma runs neary to the Jam Bar. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
@chocksaway, seems like it's pretty wet all over the area. Wet concrete alert, as you say. Real leg-breaker snow. Go easy out there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
Officially there was 21cm in the last 24 hours in resort and 30 cm up top. Still having heavy showers interspersed with moderate snow. Still blowing a gale, Brev sector is open but no lifts back. For the foreseeable future it looks like Paquis and Tichot only up here; so salopettes swapped for gym kit!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Most lifts shut. Very windy. Mix of snow and sleet. Forecast says it's going to be 60-80 kph mist of the day. Queued 20 mins to ski nursery slope. Off to the pub. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Sounds horrible. Pub definitely the best idea (after the gym, maybe....). Just goes to show higher resorts not always best. Lifts will be open in lower resorts - though the weather is still foul, lots of rain around.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Rain changed to sleet in Les Brevieres, with wind picking up.
Chardons red run in to the village was interesting with knee deep piles of wet snow, littered with people, until the Sache bubble closed. Brevieres chairlift to Tignes 1800 / Les Boisses still open and relatively busy.
Most people appear to be seeking refuge of an early lunch in the hope of improvement. Optimistic but probably a good safe option today.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
how is this rain/ sleet affecting the slopes? slushy runs around?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@chocksaway, so hows the snow held up in E-K, ive heard some say fine and others say not?
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
The north western alps seem to have a bit of a rough ride this season with poor weather and quite a few days of restricted lifts and runs? You must be due some more stable weather soon ?
Currently dumping it down in the Dales today with several inches of lying snow and drifting across the higher roads.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
I don't think lower resorts with runs open in the pouring rain would be preferable either!!
Skiing in freezing rain is miserable.
Hopefully the temps and wind will drop and you'll get some decent snow in the EK.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well - it is now truly vile and blowing a proper gale - they have even closed Paquis and Tichot. I can barely see the hotel across the road - a mix of cloud, snow from above and snow from every nook and cranny of the surrounding buildings.
So, @GO1996, my best guess (based on the following evidence )is:
The snow will have held up fine in the E-K if you look at the Les Brev webcam archive there is significantly more snow on the roofs today than yesterday. This will mean there will be more snow on the cold pistes (as opposed to slightly warmer roofs). I imagine it is hell down there at the moment with piles of wet snow. However, as it cools overnight and those jolly brave chaps go out in the piste bashers, tomorrow will be a very good day on piste. This should apply to the whole area with the exception of high exposed pistes or ridges where the wind may well have stripped most of the white stuff away.
As for off piste, I have just walked back from the Supermarket and I was shot blasted by Graupel (soft hail) as I caught some of the more extreme gusts. I suspect this will also be the case at height. Therefore, any thoughts of powder have left the noggin. I suspect the only powder in the E-K tomorrow will be on the marble surfaces of some of the more hallowed chalets in Val - or the odd seasonaires den around both resorts. With the wind there will be a lot of wind slab, Sastrugi like the surf on Fistral beach, cornices over ridges and a good deal of crust lower down as the surface freezes up tonight. There will be soft snow in some of the gullies but more like lots of polystyrene balls. The Avi forecast has just been published - I am a little surprised that it is only risk 3 (probably more due to the amount of snow that has fallen and all the complex relationships with the rain that affect the snow pack - they are the experts and I'm not).
In summary - tomorrow - will be great on piste - off piste will be variable at best with a lot of traps for the unwary.
And now over to the weather studio: at some stage overnight the wind will drop and the snow will stop. Tomorrow should be a pleasant day with sunny periods and relatively warm with the freezing level at 1700m. Over Tuesday night and into Wednesday it will start snowing again and the freezing level will be down the valley (yippee). Wednesday will remain cloudy, sunny periods for Thursday and Friday. But the wind will probably pick up again on Wed afternoon reaching gale force (well blinkin windy) through Wednesday afternoon and Thursday - expect a lot of lifts to be shut if it happens. As we are not far from the high pressure system building over northern France this could easily change - 100 miles is not far in weather terms.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
We got back on Saturday after an amazing week.We absolutely loved it.I think the Val side has the better runs though but the Tignes side was amazing as well.This was only our second week skiing but we coped fine with all the runs expect one called Saxifrage.We had constantly heard about Le Face and Sache being difficult but we didn't find them difficult or scary at all.Saxifrage was labelled as a Red run but we just couldn't do it at all.It must have took us 30 minutes to get down it.It was ungroomed,steep,the snow was really heavy and icy and we just couldn't turn on it so basically fell little by little the whole way down it.We also didn't meet one other person on it despite the slopes being packed.Can anyone else explain how the hell that is a red run?I honestly don't think i will ever be able to ski a run like that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
Are you sure you didn't go off down the black itinerary Oeillette (sp?) by mistake? Saxifrage leads into it if you don't keep right...(iirc)
Glad you had a fab time! La Face is fine in good conditions, no more than a steep red. However it's a different story when it's sheet ice all the way or full of massive moguls. The steep bit of Sache can be very mogully too, so it's great you found them in good nick.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
how have the slopes held up after yesterday's weather? all looks good on the webcams!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| FullyTucked wrote: |
| We got back on Saturday after an amazing week.We absolutely loved it.I think the Val side has the better runs though but the Tignes side was amazing as well.This was only our second week skiing but we coped fine with all the runs expect one called Saxifrage.We had constantly heard about Le Face and Sache being difficult but we didn't find them difficult or scary at all.Saxifrage was labelled as a Red run but we just couldn't do it at all.It must have took us 30 minutes to get down it.It was ungroomed,steep,the snow was really heavy and icy and we just couldn't turn on it so basically fell little by little the whole way down it.We also didn't meet one other person on it despite the slopes being packed.Can anyone else explain how the hell that is a red run?I honestly don't think i will ever be able to ski a run like that. |
IIR 'Saxifrage' is a red marked run. It starts at the top of the Palafour chairlift, at the same spot as the black marked naturide (ie unpisted run, but marked out by piste poles) 'Oeillet'. If you came out where the bottom of the Stade de Slalom meets the blue 'Combe' run you were on it. If you where skiing parallel to and then under the Palafour chair, joing the blue 'Anemone' run near the bottom of the lift you were on 'Oeillet'.
In past seasons 'Saxifrage' has been a red marked naturide, but I don't know if this is the case this season.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
I think Saxifrage has only been in existence this year for a couple of weeks at most (mainly due to lack of snow cover over the rocks) - I remember looking up there last week thinking 'Ahhh piste poles' but not much bashing. According to this years piste map it is a standard piste whilst Oeillet is indeed a 'Naturide'.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Few years since I did saxifrage. It was not yet open when I was there in January. It faces the sun so the snow can be very hard and it is left ungroomed. It is reasonably steep. I would consider more difficult than the oeillet black run.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Quote: |
So if you are coming out this weekend - you have the timing right - far fewer people, loads of snow and plenty of opportunity for a tan. (But we will have tracked out most of the off piste
|
That'll be us then! Just hope it is quieter.........looked like The Alamo on the "Square" this morning!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@GeorgeVII, Kettles on!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Looking good. Has the wind dropped?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
