The view from............ Val d'Isere and the Espace Killy

A snowHead

Arrive early on Saturday but by the looks if it won’t get to go skiing when we arrive.

A snowHead

Thank goodness, some proper old skiing challenges for everyone to be concerned about! Remember those? Makes a welcome relief from all those tiresome covid/brexit issues. wink

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

I'm going to be driving up to Tignes on Friday afternoon in a rental car.

I know this may be difficult to predict, but do the snarl-ups generally start AFTER Bourg St Maurice? I was planning on abandoning the effort and taking a hotel in BSM if the roads are really bad.

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@Contrarian,
https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=157428#4873903

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@mooney058, thanks.

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muppet - well if other balconies are anything to go by you had better boil the kettle for a brew a few dozen times!!!!!
FrediKanoute - thanks - you'll like todays pics then too... see below
Mike S - probably jinxing it now but these sorts of letters are quite generalistic more often than not... I think tomorrow it could be bad!
userscott - dont think it'll come to that!!!! (sleeping in car) but yes to getting stuff en route.... lcoutts - could be an interesting drive up BUT on the positive side of things the rush (well the go slow I should say) on the road will be done by then I should think.
Old Fartbag / muppet - its an option certainly.
muppet - its been replaced has it - its probably buried under snow by now thought and useless again!
therock - they constantly clear the roads all the time... its not usually the road itself that is the issue its people ignoring signage and not being used to driving on the mountain roads.... with a single lane road up / down it takes very little for a small blockage to occur and everything grinds to a halt and in that time the road gets real bad.....but they are constantly working on it when the snow is falling! The carnage subsiding by then point - it generally only gets worse as the day goes on (assuming its still snowing that is). The earlier in the day the better to avoid anything... but it you can't be early to the valley then you'll just have to grin and bear the carnage or hole up down the valley for the night!!!!!!!!!!
ajc2260626 - tomorrow Friday I should think 20cm's over the course of the day maybe more... easing off into Saturday hence reason I dont think there is going to be any real issues on Saturday - not sure where this warning is coming from - I dont think it is going to be particularly bad!!!!

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Following a review of a few different sources we have made a reservation in Albertville for tomorrow night, we will hit it at 0300 ish hopefully on the morning of Saturday. By that point we'd have been driving 14 hours so I think we've decided to not be heros on the climb up to Val given the lack of sleep...

I hope you're correct Steve, I trust your judgement however we should have probably always planned for a room at the inn for our trip!

After all it is free

Turned out nice

The weather had taken a break this am but that did not stop my body feeling a little achy this morning but there was fresh pow to be had and with the kids on the school bus I wandered over to head up La Daille gondola to meet my 'easy guiding' group for the day! There was always going to be a slightly slower start to the day with PIDA clearing but it was never going to be a massive issue I didnt think. As I was waiting at the top of the La Daille gondola for the team to get over from Tignes I was treated to a nice display by the Tignes pisteurs as they were clearing the Tommeuse ridge next to the chair! They put 4 charges in (see my Instagram today @SteveAngusSnow) for videos of the action. Nothing moved but always good to see them doing their thing. Some people somehow managed to duck the rope at the top and ski down so as they were sending the last charge the pisteur observing had to take radical action forcing people away from the possible trajectory of a slide - phew!!! Nutters!

Anyway with everyone finally present and correct we headed to La Daille to warm up before heading up into the doom and gloom up high! The weather all day was teasing us all before more sun than cloud gradually won the day over and improved towards the days end. But initially it was a case of chase the glimmer of lightbulb overhead! Anyway we had some really love runs off the Collet, under the Grand Pre especially on the Club des Sports piste that has not been made up yet as well as Borsat too! We had lunch at Marmottes which was the usual excellent value (I bumped into an old client in there I had not seen for donkeys which was nice).

After lunch the weather was now pretty sunny and visibility was pretty decent so a few runs off the bonnevie drag and then under the Mont Blanc chair (which was closed all day so the whole sector was not trashed thankfully) resulted in amazing snow. Finishing with one in Famillial was atmospheric but the cut out was not in the usual place by whomever had put it in therefore it was somewhat challenging to put it mildly! By 1600 everyone was ready for home.

The ski back from the top of Toviere was amazing - see my photos.

I feel pretty shattered this evening so looking forward to a day out of ski boots tomorrow - I'm mr handyman again as needed to help out at Mountain Rooms at a new build up towards Legattaz somewhere - not exactly sure what I'm up to!

Cant think of much else this evening so I'm off to bed.

TTFN

P.S This weather warning stuff that is out there - was thinking about it - I suspect it will be more of a worry to any areas down the valley that gets snow rather than the actual roads up to the resort personally - but we shall see how much of the white gold actually falls eh!

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These sites may be useful for monitoring road and traffic conditions:

Flash Info Tarrentaise 73 (Savoie): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1731305403849643
Savoie Traffic Information: https://savoie-route.fr/?lang=en

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Thanks for all the advice - we were going to chance the roads and pull into a hotel last minute if it wasn’t looking great but it’s now looking like our flight into Geneva might be cancelled because of the weather - so not sure when we will be able to get out!

lcoutts - hope you make it sooner rather than later!!!

You know it makes sense.

Wow!!!!

The snow started falling bang on the stoke of 0700 and boy it came down hard all day - as the sun set this evening it stopped (more or less).

The kids were off to school and I sorted out a few jobs at home before heading off to help with a chalet installation. Cutting a long story short a very nice new build up near the Club Med so ski in ski out. Within this development a lovely off plan 200m2 apartment. The whole building was way behind schedule and the owner was hoping to be in situe for Xmas week which as we know is just around the corner. The interior designer from the UK had to ship the delivery lorry of furniture (much made to order and including things like solid wood tables weighing a LOT - I mean a serious amount of weight!) and possessions from the UK. At the same time the keys were being handed over to the handler and this was all in the midst of the majority of the building still being a building site with hundreds of workmen painting / cutting etc everywhere. The clients apartment seemed to be the closest to being habitable but it was supposed to be that way back in October!

So we unloaded as much as we could from the back of the lorry (didnt help when they decided to lay levelling compound all the way through reception which meant we had to come in via the ug parking and the -1 lift access) but when the heavy things started to get uncovered the cavalry needed to be called! The cavalry took the form of a massive forklift with extending and rotating arm... so a couple of people were loading onto the pallet out the back of the lorry and a couple of us were taking the stuff off the pallet as it dangled over the balcony. All went well as the 18 tonnes and over €100k worth of fixings and fittings etc came over the balcony. Trying to get the solid oak leg to the sideboard over was somewhat interesting as was the dining table... however between 6 of us we got it in there!

So that was basically my whole day. The highlight must have been the pizza that we ate at lunchtime from Chez Paula - awesome!

I got Olivia from the school bus whilst Clare went and took Ben to his swimming lesson.

And here we are.

Just one photo from today as I walked home showing the crazy amount of snow we now have as these series of buried cars shows!

The weather from now on for the next few days should be warm and sunny so quite a change to what it has been the last week.

TTFN

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

looking forward to watching the racing for the next couple of days. Looks like a stunning start to the season.

A snowHead

Awesome pics! What a fabulous start to the season.

A snowHead

Thanks @Steve! We managed to get to Tignes Val Claret at 1.30am this morning!! A few scary moments on the ascent up, but roads were mostly clear until between Les Arcs and Tignes. Our rental car had snow tyres fitted and in the end they seemed to do the job fine without needing us to stop and add snow chains.

Hoping some lifts open later today as we can’t wait to hit the slopes!

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

Just landing at GVA. We’ve been flying over snow covered Switzerland for some time - always a good sign.

Hoping snow tyres will be sufficient to get us up the hill ok. Would really like to be clipped in by lunchtime. Fingers crossed.

Steve, was nice to meet you again on the broken door bus.

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Glad to see they have managed to ensure the racing happens - some midnight oil will have been burned.

Conditions look fantastic (biggest snowfall since the 70s, at this time of year?) - wish I was heading out for Christmas.

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endoman - indeed amazing start to the season - this time three weeks ago it was looking the complete opposite but now quite clearly virtually the opposite and the best in living memory! Racing was good to watch today - lots of photos coming up!
Honeybunny - thank you... yes just what we need
lcoutts - thats good. Yes chains generally only really needed when its actually snowing (hard). Snow tyres awesome things. And you will also know that lots of lifts opened today so you will have gotten in a full day of skiing.
bar_shaker - roads totally fine today so you will have gotten up OK. Oh yes the broken door bus the other week - those blooming doors do that from time to time (get stuck). Enjoying the skiing!
Old Fartbag - after the last 18 months and the couple of blank years before that when the weather etc would not allow much they were desperate to get it happening this year! They were up there at 0230 this am sliding the course and getting all the soft snow off the race ling - a massive team effort (and expense) for / from the resort!. Its not too late to book for Xmas you know!!!! Haha

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What a treat

The day started nice and gradually with breakfast with the kids as Clare went to get the special passes needed this year for entry to the World Cup finish area (they are charging €10 an entry to recoup some of the massive costs of organising). Anyway it was nice and chilled.

Clare took Ben out for a ski whilst Olivia and I watched much of the first run of the GS on TV before we too went out for a ski. It was a real pleasure to go skiing with her and the last time I skied with her was a run down the Face just before lockdown in March 2020.... but the last time just the two of us skied together was even longer ago than that!

Anyway we headed up Solaise and the snow was just incredible - pistes in perfect condition and the sun was trying to make an appearance but the vis was fine. Just off the side of the pistes was yet more powder about 30cm deep. Anyway so some laps on pretty much all the runs up there on and weaving wherever we saw some powder to ski was in store! By about midday and an hour before the second run of the GS we skied down the front of the Solaise. The piste was rather lumpy but Olivia loved it even more as little jumps to jump off. She then kicked ever more butt skiing the Rhone Alpes and then the Combe Martin - thats my girl - so proud of her.

We popped into the Gourmandine for lunch and Olivia ordered a kids spaghetti bolognaise whilst I had a burger and I could not believe how big the kids bolognaise was - a whole frying pan full!!!!!!!!!

With Olivia fully laden we headed into the fan zone and watched the second run of the racing and Olivia loved it (mainly as she could play with her friends!). But it was fun to be there. Glad to have seen the racing - tomorrow I am working so won't see the SL and Dave Ryding and co - oh well!

The afternoon was a mix of having an old university friend of mine who is here on holiday with her husband and new born and also seeing Ben playing with his bestie who was over for a play. Finally we got the Xmas tree and decorations out and put that up - wow what a day!

However the drama for the day wasnt over as when Olivia was getting into her bed (she is in a loft bed) she slipped and fell from the top step... she seems to have landed and no only whacked her wrist but the main injury was a LOT of blood coming from her nose in the form of a nose bleed - we dont think anything broken just lots of blood and tears. So anyway she is now sleeping in my side of the bed and ill be sleeping in her bed tonight! Doh!

The only other thing to note was that there seems to have been millions of UK students arrive today - our block was overflowing with them today.... welcome back to a snippet of what it used to be like!

TTFN

Ready!

Quite pleased with herself after coming down a choppy and bumpy Combe Martin!

Not a lot left of that MASSIVE spaghetti bolognaise!

Getting into it!

It was quite busy actually!

After all it is free

The drive wasn’t quite event free. The weight of snow brought this tree down two cars in front of us. Very lucky no one was seriously hurt.

Epic conditions everywhere. Great loose powder up high. 4/5 so caution needed though.

Very jealous @Steve Angus, just watching yesterdays first runs on catch-up

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UK students, loads of fresh snow, high avi risk?
The Pisteurs Secouristes, medical centre, ambulances, police & Gestapo are going to be busy. Toofy Grin

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Have you got much availability this week for a lesson? If so, how can I contact you? We are around till Sunday night! Thanks @Steve Angus,

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@Steve Angus, the link to your website in your signature is broken

@lcoutts, you can send him a private message on here

Thanks! Can you tell I’m new here..

You know it makes sense.

@Kenzie, They were very busy today. Ambulances lined up in LaDaille.
My son knows of 2 broken legs, 1 dislocated shoulder and 1 broken arm and that’s just MMU and Loughborough.
He reckons at least 12 different Uni’s are in Tignes and Val d’Isere this week.
Seems to be get out early while the students are still hungover.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

russ_e - sorry!!!!!!! Well you had better just pack your bags and get out here then!
Kenzie / muppet - its bonkers isnt it. I can certainly remember my student days - lots of broken bones (empty wallets and pickled livers too) after each trip back on the coach! Either way you need to get up and out nice and early to avoid the carnage (but on the flip side you need to dodge the odd pile of puke here and there!) on the slopes.
lcoutts - thanks, yes have a couple of spots available and thanks for the pm - I will reply in a moment - thanks!
holidayloverxx - hmmm yes I need to look into that link issue as the website host has just been migrated to another provider so need to fix that but thanks for the heads up on the pm.

A snowHead

Hot

Well I slept OK in Olivias bed last night and I think she was OK too as was on form again this morning! Anyway since I needed to get out to a lesson it was not a particularly relaxed start to the day but the opposite as Ben was in a lesson this morning too so Clare took Olivia for a ski! Go, go, go.

Anyway getting out the front door took quite a lot of effort this morning as there were millions of students all over the shop... chatting / room swapping / lining up to get their rental kit from SkiSet down here in La Daille etc....pretty chaotic!

I met my lesson but not without witnessing the busiest I have ever seen it at the bottom of the slopes - the UK army meeting for their sessions amongst others and that was before taking into account the visitors for the slalom racing - wow! I had a couple of sisters from Oxfordshire (9 and 11) and neither of them had skied for a couple of years since before Covid hit. Anyway we headed up Solaise and given the amount of time since they had last skied etc we took it easy but it was apparent that we really needed to go back to the basics again! So thats what we did on the long magic carpet.... Despite the younger one falling off the end of the carpet and then admitting she wasnt feeling too well and then was physically sick on the snow and also complaining of a headache etc - blimey what a start to the lessons I have with them! Nothing a hot choc would not sort out and we were off again.

So it ended up being a successful session but one thing was sure it was (as will be the case all week) unseasonably warm today... very warm almost spring like!!!!

I dashed home for lunch and to get out of ski boots before heading to the building site I had been working on on Friday as I had promised I would pop in today to do some more odd jobs for them as they really are behind schedule on the build. On the way up to the legettaz I caught a glimpse of part of the second run of the slalom and it was really cool that Dave Ryding managed to pull off a really good 5th place - good on you son!

So the afternoon was spent doing things like hanging curtains, fitting clothes pegs and a million and one other jobs. Phew

The usual Sunday evening followed that with kids bath time etc... and that brings you up to date. Weather wise this week it will be warm and sunny and now most of the resort it open it should be a good weeks skiing!

TTFN

A snowHead

Was very surprised to see the Toviere closed. Matt is now the manager of Cocorico and Victor is off to Portugal to open a Triathalon training resort.

All change.

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

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Well, well, well

Its going to be ground hog day weather wise the next week but one thing is for sure it is soooooo warm at the moment - March like. Of course the pistes are not affected but the off piste is a little heavy at low altitudes now / south facing but nothing to worry about as it'll change again before you know it!

Anyway the kids were off to school on time (although lots of end of term fatigue kicking about the place this morning - arghhh!). I headed off to the meet point (Clare was starting a little later at 1000) and with the discussions of yesterday as to how to split the time of the session up I took the younger daughter for 1.5 hours and then met the dad and other daughter at 1030 at the bottom of the magic carpet to swap over. It really was a successful morning, the younger daughter surprised me and is now ready for a blue run and the older daughter really came out her shell too - awesome!

One thing that REALLY annoyed me though this am is that they seem to have changed the opening times of the magic carpet pim pam at the top of Solaise - it now doesn't open until 0920.... its ridiculous as things like the Madelain open at 09q5... but urrrr yellow beginners up there might not be ready for the Madelaine and need to work on the carpet!!!! So you have to wait (if your lesson starts at 0900 and have done a descent down to the bottom of the carpet) until 0920 which is stupid as there are going to be a lot of people waiting each day for it to open. I have absolutely no idea whatsoever why they have changed the opening time to then - it just doesn't make sense! hmmmmmmmmmm a really stupid decision if you ask me!

Anyway mid morning I got a message to say that I had been booked for the afternoon. So at lunchtime I took my lunch break at Tartine and sat in the sun - blimey its nearly Xmas not Easter! Was good to be back supporting another local business - my favourite little sandwich shop (I LOVE chevallot but Tartine are a nice independent outfit!).

So for the afternoon it was surprise of the highest magnitude! I had a 20 year old student on one of the uni trips BUT this group of them had all clubbed together and taken a whole chalet in Val together (I know the chalet they are staying in and its quite a nice chalet at that). Anyway a catered chalet on a student budget - crikey! Alas a really nice girl who had never skied until yesterday and had 'had a go' yesterday.... hmmm well meaning friends and all that! This morning it had been more of the same for her... i was a little worried that this could be a session of taking her skiing to pieces and not having enough time to re-assemble it.... however she was really sporty and adapted incredibly quickly and by the end of the session and bearing in mind it was only her 2nd day on skis was happily coming down the glacier run (the Plan Milet). She did really well.... good on you girl!

This evening has been pretty relaxed at home tieing up some admin and planning tomorrows lessons.

TTFN

Check out the opening time!!!!!!!!!!

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@Steve Angus, has the spike in temp sorted the weak layer?

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After all it is free

@Steve Angus, cool,

@Steve Angus, were the students Oxford Brookes by any chance - lot's of wealthy ex-public school kids go there to get away with doing as little work as possible!! (My ex-wife is in the industry!!)

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The view from............ Val d'Isere and the Espace Killy

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