 Poster: A snowHead
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Apparently Internet and Mobile Phone network has been in near meltdown in Savoie today. Autoroute FM also had difficulty - I couldn't pick it up with the house radio.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Side roads treacherous in Rutland around my brother's place.
As I've got the winter tyres on I'm designated driver? Supermarket trip achieved and now just a niece to drop off at 18.00 before I can enjoy the evening.
Thin layer of snow but -4C and ice forming.
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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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A mate just texted to say it took just over seven hours from Dijon to Flaine. He arrived within the past hour or so.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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Set off from Dijon at 0715 arrived Vaujany 1445, usually only takes about 4 hrs. Ford Kuga 4x4 with winter tyres had no problem but everyone else caused us to sit and wait in queues for hours. The last 3 miles up the hill were slippery but didnt need chains. However cars with chains on didnt follow me. Still have family in the queue who set off from uk at early o clock this morning.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Set off from Dijon at 0715 arrived Vaujany 1445, usually only takes about 4 hrs. Ford Kuga 4x4 with winter tyres had no problem but everyone else caused us to sit and wait in queues for hours. The last 3 miles up the hill were slippery but didnt need chains. However cars with chains on didnt follow me. Still have family in the queue who set off from uk at early o clock this morning.
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Having taken 7 hours for the 7 miles or so from St Sorlin D'Arves to St Jean de Maurienne a few years ago I can only commiserate 
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It was almost as bad this time last year IIRC..
Gendarmes stopped traffic at Bourg and many peeps stuck in cars for hours.
I arrived mid afternoon on the Sunday in St Foy to be met with tales of the chaos the night before.
On the plus side when you do get to resort the conditions are going to be MUCH IMPROVED compared to Xmas week.
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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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whats quickest way currently from bourg to chamonix? is it through megeve or up round annecy?
mate is trying to work out what to do?
andy
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I'd just stay put for tonight and try in the morning!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@ajc2260626, Annecy. I would not risk the roads round Megeve at the moment. Assuming the Val d'Arly is even open in the first place.
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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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Col du Lauteret has been closed since early afternoon
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According to the minister for the interior, of 36,000 vehicles en route to resorts, only 7000 have arrived so far. THis suggests that there are more or less 29,000 carloads of people out there either sitting in traffic jams or looking for accommodation and food.
If I was the manager of McDonalds in Bourg St Maurice I would have ordered three extra lorryloads of burgers, buns and fries for delivery yesterday. 
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You know it makes sense.
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Worst transfer day in living memory according to French media.
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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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2000 people sleeping at Chambery airport tonight. The Emergency center in Chambery is already full with 700 people.
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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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Eric Jalon, prefect of the Savoie department admits that despite knowing of the snowmaggedon they underestimated the problems. He blames the fustercluck on two factors: unforeseen freezing rain in the valleys, especially Albertville, around midday and lots of cars up in ski resorts with no equipment that caused accidents early in the day that took many hours to clear.
French media points out that tollbooths were not fully open and snow clearance on the autoroutes was chaotic.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Sat 27-12-14 19:27; edited 2 times in total
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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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This is what happens when everyone starts posting threads about the season being doomed due to lack of snow...
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Emergency accommodation in Chambery now full, and they're opening school sports halls. 2000 people still at the airport with no overnight accommodation.
Why isn't Twitter alive with this? Or have I just not hit the right hashtag? TOs are very quiet on the subject.
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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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Emergency phone number: 08 11 00 06 73, the French will tell you where to go
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Ironically we always eulogise about the ability of alpine areas to manage snow compared to the UK where a couple of cm can cause chaos.
The snow was forecast wasn't it.
I would imagine this us the 'perfect storm' of transfer days.
Heavy snow ,cold temps, huge volumes of cars heading up the hill,many with summer tyres,and many more without chains. 
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Well, Santa Cristina to St Anton today was almost perfect, only half hour delay on the approach to St A, and avoided the last slow bit by going through Schnann and Pettneu. About 40 cm of fresh on the Galzig, nearly lost a ski in powder:-) still snowing!
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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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left chambery at 7 this morning, got to Sainte Foy at 6. The first 40 or so miles were fairly steady then everything stopped just before moutiers. Was waiting for nearly 4 hours just outside Seez as there were a few abandoned lorries on the route up to val D/Tignes and they were only letting the outgoing traffic through. Complete chaos!!!
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@hedley, it's the sheer volume of traffic which is causing most of the problem.
I confess to running about on summer tyres myself at the moment, but I'm not about to buy four snow tyre for an X5 which I'm in the process of selling. (Partly because I can't afford to supply it with things like tyres. )
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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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You just can't please some people.
Yesterday there wasn't enough snow... Now there's too much. FFS. 
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More seriously, my observation today is that all the problems I saw were due to,
- cars with summer tyres
- drivers who don't understand snow.
Should be a basic functional requirement that if you are going to drive to a winter resort you have snow tyres and a certificate of competence.
Snow chains don't cut it. The performance gap is too wide. The roads I was on weren't snowy wnough for chains to do anything other than damage but snowy enough that summer tyres were inadequate.
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You know it makes sense.
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@under a new name, can't ever have too much snow, if you ask me. Mind you, I've spent the day splitting logs, digging the car out and making parsnip soup, not trying to drive up to 1800m, so what would I know.
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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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RD 1091 beyond Vizille at a standstill again due to freezing conditions.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
a certificate of competence
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Oh please.
Who's going to issue those? At what cost? And how are you going to test 'competence'? Driving in these conditions is a skill you acquire through extensive practice - are you going to tell us no-one's allowed to drive to resort until they've spent five winters living here and commuting to work every day?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@davidof, Bourg d'Oisans is eerily quiet! Has been for most of the afternoon.
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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 roads I was on were plenty snowy enough. I was chuntering up in around ten inches when a plough came down towards me and swept his wing in leaving a wall a good 18 - 24 inches. I was glad of my chains (not that the gendarmes had given me any choice) especially having to take to snowy verge to get past the stuck ones.
What's the news from Geneva airport? I have to get down there tomorrow for a 2pm flight.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Perhaps you could have to drive an icy course within 10% of the time of a local expert 
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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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Emergency accommodation now full and people continuing to arrive - shortage of mattresses, blankets and food.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@davidof, great updates.
I'm surprised there's been such chaos, it's not an unusual amount of snow..just maybe a bit more than expected.
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Had a text from mate going to Les Arcs with Inghams. Rep told them they can't get there and are looking for a hotel in Albertville for them but Iwouldn't be holding my breath.
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@HoneyBunny, it's the busiest transfer day of the winter. The entire world and its dog is out there getting under the feet of the snowploughs.
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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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I got to Bourg St Maurice on winter tyres alone but was so glad I had winter tyres on heading up the mountain. By that time, at lot of the snow had turned to Ice and there was so much stop-start that chains were a must have.
This is the first time I have EVER driven in snow of any sort (I was at uni when we had all the snow a few years back). I'll admit it was tough but very doable if you kept your wits about you and didnt drive like an idiot
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| davidof wrote: |
| Worst transfer day in living memory according to French media. |
TOO FECKIN RIGHT
Up early at 06:00 to see heavy snow falling, had to drop daughter off at Lac du Chambon dam bottom of Deux Alpes for a Bens Bus to Grenoble Airport departing 09:50
Left Serre at 07:30 and not a lot on the road, went pass numerous people with chains, but made good progress, only hampered by wind screen wipers freezing resulting in bad viz through windscreen.
3km from Col behind snow plough, over Col and feckin Belgian in a giant motor home sans chains going down at 5kph. Plough stopped behind him and I went pass, on and through La Grave and made it to the dam at 09:00 so still a long time.
Waited for a while but no bus, daughter rang up Bens Buses who advised her would only be twenty of so mins, so I said my goodbyes as I could see grid lock on the way.
Sure enough was looking bad as I headed back up towards the Col, numerous idiots every where, chains and socks coming off. Most of the time I could overtake though still had probs with frozen windscreen / wipers along with many others, this could well have been one of the major issues today and not just the snow!
Outside Monetier, one car in a ditch (photo to follow) and major gridlock, did think of going to the lift station and skiing home from there but suspected link not open.
Eventually home by around 11:30 to hear from my daughter that the bus turned up and a hour and a half late, and her poor feet were frozen, though I did tell her t wear her ski boots just in case!
So out up the hill with my mate to ski the pow - and all going well..................................
Then once back down after some nice lines (more photos to follow) went to the Cocoon bar and it was all going off with the main man from the ESF opening and spraying champagne over everyone as it was a "snow party" to celebrate the snow!
Dogs liked it licking it up 
Then the phone rang, my daughter, at Grenoble airport, Bens Buses were not running the bus to Tignes and would take her into Grenoble where she would have to find a hotel, and that was that, and no buses tomorrow to Tignes!
We then met a mate who said he was picking his sons up at the airport tomorrow, and that he could take Loulou back to Serre, so we told her that it would probably be best to crash the night in the airport, which actually she thought was better than chancing finding a hotel in Grenoble.
Ironically my brother who lives close to the airport is in the UK visiting my parents, and my OH had an idea to ring his ex wife who I thought was in Hong Kong visisting her daughter and new born, but hey ho the phone answered and she's on her way to get my daughter and take her back to Grenoble where she'll spend the night and then take her back to the airport in the morning.
But why do I suspect that this is not the end of the story..............
Have to say not too impressed with Bens Buses, do know that these were very difficult times but to leave people totally stranded, but it is the worst transfer day in living memory!
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