 Poster: A snowHead
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Either of the two reds off Mont Vallon and they lead on to a short but wide whooshy run called Mouflon which is my all time favourite so far. 
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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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| Chris O'Loughlin wrote: |
ashton parker,
When snow conditions are good Serre Chevalier is one of the greatest ski areas in the World and that is why I have a property there, if you have not been then it should be on your list of ski areas to visit. |
Chris,
I've never been to Serre Che but I have (long-term) plans to buy a place in the Alps - we love the mountains and would look to use it summer and winter - weekends as well as weeks. Although I've never been, Serre Che is on my radar because I think it could be nice year round, a bit less hectic than Cham and I'm guessing a bit cheaper too.
A few questions for you if you don't mind:
1. getting there - one of the (many) great things about Chamonix is the easy 1 hr drive from Geneva. I guess Turin is the best option for Serre Che but what's the drive like?
2. you say "when snow conditions are good", how reliable is the snow cover. Over the years I've tended to stick to snow sure resorts (3v, cham, verbier, St Anton) -is Serre Che significantly worse?
3. am I right in thinking Serre Che is not far from La Grave? that would definitely be an attraction
Thanks,
Jed
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jedster,
Hi Jed,
Many Questions OK I will do my best to answer them.
Serre Che is very beautiful in the summer it is at the centre of 5 mountain valleys so there is lots to explore and do. The weather is outstanding, it is one of the sunniest places in Europe over 300 days sunshine a year. It is hectic New Year/Feb/first two weeks in August rest of the time it is mainly quiet.
Getting there Stanstead or Luton to Turin then about 1.5 hours drive, mainly motorway, last section is over the Mongenevre pass which is open virtually all the time and is OK to drive over. TGV to Oulx in Itay on the other side of the Mongenevre pass, connecting bus service in season. I drive approx 10 hours from Calais. I use the Frujus Tunnel 10 ticket pass valid for 2 years works out at around £6 per journey through the Tunnel. Motorway all the way apart for Montgenevre pass. Not much longer to drive to than to Val d' or 3 valleys.
Snow conditions (THIS IS A VERY INVOLVED SUBJECT) are usually good, they have say about 1 poor season in 5, but so do other resorts however the poor conditions can be for a longer period than other resorts. Weather wise the French Alps can be split into the Northern and Southern section, SC is at the northern most end of the Southern section. Sometimes the southern section has much better snow condtions than the northern and vice versa. Alp d'Huez and 2 Alps are about an hour's drive away and tend to get northern snow falls (Val Thorens is about 1hour 10 min drive via Frejus tunnel and then the Orille lift). Puy St Vincent is about 40 minutes drive and is a Southern Alp snow pocket. I went to Puy at Christmas about 7 years ago there was NO snow anywhere else in the whole of the Alps, Puy had mountains of it.
Also they now make snow on a massive scale, last year was a very poor season for snow, but we still had excellent skiing on artificial snow at Easter. The main problem with this is that after about 4/5 days you get a little bored of the same runs, but they are extensive and you can get lots of skiing in.
La Grave is about 35 minutes drive away, this is one of the Worlds great off piste ski areas, however you need good snow conditons usually towards the end of the season, and a guide is fairly essential.
In the past SC has been let down by its lift system, but a big new company has taken this over and this is problem has now been rectified, 3 new 6-man detachables this season.
Property is considerabily cheaper than Cham but is now going up quite quickly.
Further info on my web site
http://www.brianconbandb.com/Index.htm
Suggest you be a guest at my place sometime possibily in the summer, I can then provide you with much more details.
Happy to answer any more questions whether or not you become a guest.
Cheers Chris
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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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many thanks Chris, that's very helpful
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Chris O'Loughlin, I am pleased to see you haven't mentioned the best run in serre chevalier, let's keep the crowds away
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pistemeister, that's a bit like on my list - I've put down the runs I'm prepared to show others, not where I'd go myself.
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surely the places we really like to keep secret aint pisted?
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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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It's a bit like choosing your favourite girl or horse - too much choice and they all offer something different. The run to Aschau is lovely with a good lunch at the bottom, as is the run to Alagna. I just want to go skiing!!!! 
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jedster, about half of what I listed is not pisted.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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jedster,
You asked about snow conditions in SC, how are these figures ?
Snow Depth from the SC web site
Info Neige - information mise à jour le 08/12/05
Hauteurs de neige Etat de la neige
A 2 800 m : 100 cm N.C.
A 2 000 m : 90 cm Fraiche
A 1 400 m : 50 cm Fraiche
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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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Tonnes of great suggestions but I like the runs at Les Menuires on La Masse - never crowded and steepish. For all round splendour Schilthorn at Murren though.
Also on a Scots theme, top runs I reckon are 1. White Lady with bumps 2. Snowgoose for high speed 3. Back Corrie, Aonach Mor for steeps 4. East Wall 5. Glas Maol
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A-Basin, Colorado.
A bluebird day, with fresh powder from the night before. Up the Lenawee lift and then down the Lenawee Face, making fresh tracks in the bowl, then a gentle cruise down Wrangler where my boyfriend got down on two knees (we are snowboarders) and proposed to me.
We are getting married on the mountain at Lake Louise in February...any suggestions for a good location?
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
| We are getting married on the mountain at Lake Louise in February...any suggestions for a good location? |
Maybe somewhere away from the several hundred tourists per hour 
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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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Jake,
I'll second the Schilthorn suggestion. I can well remember a day 24-ish years ago when my father and I got the first cablecar up after about a foot of fresh snow overnight on a beautiful, sunny January morning and had just the best morning's skiing ever in powder before making our way back to the village via Kanonenruhr, Blatfang and Blumenthal where the walk out at the end was well worth the effort. (At least, I think that was the route, but I have no sense of direction and never know where I've been!?!).
BTW I can never understand how the guide books reckon Muerren is only good for a couple of days as I was lucky enough to spend 3 weeks or so there every Christmas for a number of years as a kid.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Gordy - I spent a few Christmas there too - you didn't race train did you?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Jake,
Guilty - are you a fellow antelope?
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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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Gordyjh, I think from small experience that Muerren on piste is limited by today's mega-resort standard but I suspect that the off-piste (by obsevation, sadly) could be awesome. It is also quite a fun place to party when there are a few of you...
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Gordy - Antelope? I've never heard that...I race trained with K. club. Great fun.
Murdoch - I think the idea was that the Schilthorn piste was special because resorts are so large / developed now...Murren a great place nonetheless
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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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Not many people talk about the skiing in Bavaria, but there's a couple of gems that are definitely worth doing:
- The Dammkar: Take the cable car up from Mittenwald to the top of the Karwendel ( an impressive ride in its own right ). Walk 400 meters through the tunnel to the start of the Dammkar and enjoy a seven kilometer run. No pistes. Just powder. Sometimes you have to walk a bit at the bottom to get back to the cable car. If you get this on a good day it's one of the best powder bowls in the Alps, and, because of the walking aspect, is usually totally empty!
- The Zugspitze: Usually decried as being a flat and very boring glacier. What is usually forgotten is that the Zugspitze has an enormous area of untouched powder slopes surounding the pistes. Because of the altitude the snow is almost always powder. And because it's only really used by the locals and a few American servicemen it is never busy on a weekday. Weekends are different and should be avoided!
Other than that I guess one of my favourite runs is off the top of the Schindlergratbahn (St.Anton) either down one of the couloirs to the Ulmer Huette, or under the chair back to the Schindlerbahn. Also the standard run down from Schindler through the Schindlerkar down to Happy Valley is good fun, and there are about a million different variations on doing that one. I'm not too fond of the giant moguls in the Schindlerkar itself so usually go down one of the runs to the side of the mogul field.
Only problem with St.Anton is that there are too many good skiers there, and it all gets skied out in a single morning after a big dump 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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jilly, I can't help with your question, but apologies for your not being taken seriously. I hope someone helpful will come along soon. Welcome to snowHeads.
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Jilly, personally I would go to "Outer Limits" which is a black mogul run on the front face. It can only be accessed by a difficult button bar which has limited traffic per hour, plus most who use it go off into the back bowls. You get a view of the continental divide and the Lake & Chateau from there. It's one of my favourite playgrounds on the mountain as it's empty.
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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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Hello jilly, have I read it correctly, you're getting married on the mountain. Is it lodge or al fresco?
If the latter, you may have to cut down on the amount of hymns, and tell the Minister, Vicar, Rabi (or whatever is your preference) to "cut to the chase" 'cause in Feb. you may find it's -20!!!! Waiting around for the photographer might not so much be boring as positively life threatening!!!
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Sorry Gordy excuse my ignorance of the animal kingdom....I remember some spectacularly drunk cases in late 80s / early 90s too. All immense fun esp. jumping off the top balcony into the deep snow
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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Alexandra, thanks for the tip...will have a look when we get there.
Ken L, yep, getting married al frseco on the mountain. Myself, hubby-to-be, two friends and marriage comissioner will ski/snowboard to our chosen spot to do the deed, all rounded off with a burger and beer back somewhere a little warmer.
Only concern is that if it's a powder day we won't want to stop long enough to get married! Can't wait...
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FAQ
). We tried Mount Vallon again - the snow was much better (but not as good as 2004) and Combe du Vallon did its best to dislodge the 2004-vintage Jerusalem.
