 Poster: A snowHead
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One girl died by sled in Italy in Jan 2019 and a man died in Maine in Jan 2018.
Slammed into trees, etc.
Western ski resorts want to stop sledding on or near slopes.
Particularly dangerous in Dec to Feb of peak-winter, when trails can be very icy.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@John617, oh yes! its not on the new map, so that just leaves the Colorado sledge run in Plagne Centre.
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I'm surprised there isn't a small run set up (officially or unofficially) around Belle Plagne as it's such a family resort. Avoriaz tends to have lots of sledging happening just off Village des Enfants (once it's closed for the day). Only small slopes but it keeps the kids happy. Similarly in Val Thorens, the little sledging run by the magic carpet that splits the town works really well.
Once the kids finish skiing for the day, then it's not uncommon for them to want to sledge so it's in the resorts interests to have some place for them to indulge that keeps them off the pistes but close to the apartments/bars/watching parents.
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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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The bottom of the main slope into La Tania is also a mass of sledging kids most evenings when I've been there
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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There IS plenty of unofficial sledging in Belle Plagne - on the gentle linking runs connecting residences to/from pistes at the top of the village (and occasionally on the main piste through as well).
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Cheers for confirming, @ecureuil - good to know.
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@ecureuil that is good to hear, take more energy out of the children.
I was going to leave my E Bay sledges at home, however when I read their sales description again, it was so glowing, I am sure they could take on the twisting run that skichamp highlighted, which is located above Roche. 
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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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There's been some cannoning round the back of Plagne Villages
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....system testing or confidence that the weather's going to be cold for a while ?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| ukredsox wrote: |
| ....system testing or confidence that the weather's going to be cold for a while ? |
On that note... There's been quite a bit of snow over past week, and more to come tomorrow but it's still only mid-November, and we've all seen early snow disappear in a warm spell in previous years.
So at what point do we get a high degree of confidence that this early snow will stick (barring an unseasonally warm spell). Are we already reasonably confident that anything above, say, 1800m will stick now. Or should that figure be 2000m? Or do we have to get into December before we're confident enough that it'll then be cold enough to stick around.
Obviously there's loads of caveats but just interested in what the consensus is..
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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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Handy Turnip, there is no magic point.
All possibilities have occurred.
Wonderful deep November snow has been washed away in early December torrential rain - i think that happened 2010.
Then the following year there was no snow until December 5th, and then it dumped and kept dumping.
Past seasons are not really any help in suggesting what is going to happen.
As the experts on the Weather Thread keep emphasising: beyond a few days it is little better that guesswork.
Even so, we all grab at straws.
Much to the amusement of Mrs Jonpim, i avidly watch weather sites with increasing frequency as the Season gets ever nearer.
It is almost an obsession.
MeteoFrance suggests rain then snow and staying cold.
MeteoBlue is more positive with no rain, just snow.
So, ignore the negative forecast sites, and go with the snowy ones.
You have to Believe! 
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@Handy Turnip, these are quotes from my live TR report to Oz-en-Oisan (ADH) - which is at 1350m in 2013:
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| Woke up to today, Wednesday Christmas Day, to lashing rain. The snow in the town is now all but washed away. Prediction for snow overnight and falling temperatures. |
Followed by:
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Yay! Woke this morning to this...
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Things can change either way in 24 hours.
I would say 2000m+ should stick
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You know it makes sense.
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@Jonpim, you've sold it to me.. i'm on board!!
@Layne, fair point about everything can change in 24hrs. Above 2000m seems about right. Val Thorens is at 2300m and they open in the next week or so, so they must be pretty confident.
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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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Accepting that it all could still be washed away, it's still better to look at than a year ago
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Poster: A snowHead
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ukredsox, you're worse than me.
You don't only watch the webcams: you take screen shots and keep them for next year . . .
Way to go! 
(and very good you do too: most interesting to see the difference)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Jonpim wrote: |
ukredsox, you're worse than me.
You don't only watch the webcams: you take screen shots and keep them for next year . . .
Way to go!
(and very good you do too: most interesting to see the difference) |
Unfortunately, I can't claim credit for this.
It's a new feature on the LP webcams that allows comparison with earlier photos.
The centre bar slides horizontally.
Quite nifty
I just did a screen grab and posted a cropped version
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@ukredsox, That does seem odd, I remember when learning to ski in La Plagne that my instructor described that piste as the only genuinely green run in La Plagne. Looking at the rest of the map I would guess that they are deciding that green piste="nursery slope" which this one doesn't really count as since it actually goes somewhere!
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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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There is a nice base at the moment and cold. The cannons were running for 2 days solid and there is some great big mounds of snow around Plagne center and by the becoin chair. Talking to a local they wouldn’t waste the water if they did not have confidence of it staying cold.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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He had an early start...
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I'm about to book lessons with ESF Montalbert for the kids this Christmas and the lesson and lift pass combo is cheaper than buying them separately.
The downside as far as I can see is that I cant get my Edenski points on the lift pass bit. Unless anyone knows differently?
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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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following this thread again as it dropped off my watch list 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@SteveM, don’t make me jealous now! Another barron season looms for me 
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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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I've found myself on the webcams a couple of times.
One was sat on a bench in Montalbert eating my lunch.
More excitingly was finding myself walking up the piste above the Glacier lift in order to get the Yuge App to register me at 3000m 
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Finally sorted something out for xmas after trawling the internet for deals and places than mostly meet criteria, heading to La Plagne 1800, looking forward to skiing somewhere new...
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You know it makes sense.
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Little Martin, 1800 is an excellent choice to be for Xmas. A quiet village with an excellent bar and some good restaurants. One of Father Christmas's favourite places
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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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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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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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*** REMINDER TO ALL ***
If you're planning on a season pass for Paradiski / Les Arcs / La Plagne - or planning on more than a couple of weeks here - then buy your pass before the end of November as the 20% discount expires at the end of the month. The current adult price of €856 for a whole season in Paradiski is currently below the price of a 17 day pass, so get in there while you can!
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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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| ukredsox wrote: |
| Jonpim wrote: |
I wonder if any can explain why weather forecast on La Plagne site is so pessimistic?
Webcams show snow at Plagne Centre (rain at Montalbert ).
Forecast for next few days is rain rain rain on La Plagne site.
But MeteoFrance and other sites all have lower temperatures and snow 
I'm doing the usual and going with snowy forecast and ignoring any rainy ones |
I tend to stick with snow-forecast.com and Bergfex.
How reliable are those ? |
The different base forecasters producing different models and then different providers to end users such as TV channels, websites, etc.
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Where does your weather model come from?
Although the actual snowfall forecasts are made using our computers at snow-forecast.com, the raw weather forecast data comes from the National Weather Service (NWS) in America; the largest organisation of its kind in the world. Serious weather forecasting requires massive computer power, vast expertise and an almost unlimited budget. Only a very few organisiations in the world can achieve this, arguably only two! If they are honset, most small weather companies derive their products from people like NOAA and ECMWF, and those that don't would probably become much more reliable if they did! To our credit we do much more than simply re-package NOAA products, but without them as a basis, our service couldn't exist at all.
We use the Global Forecast System (GFS) weather models for our input data. For our purposes these are ideal, not only because they are detailed, reliable and frequently updated, but also, because they are intended for aviation planning. Thus, they contain accurate descriptions of how conditions vary with elevation. This provides the key to how we derive surface temperature over a wide range of altitudes using digital elevation models. When we combine this with preciptiation forecasts, we arrive at snowfall.
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Bergfex I believe gets their information from each of the ski areas who will get it from one of the base forecasters or a weather service they supply.
Here's an article about forecasting in the States: https://www.theweatherprediction.com/habyhints/122/
And another general one: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jun/30/weather-forecast-apps-smartphone-predictions-forecasting
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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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Over the years I have found this Meteo France site the best, it was compiled in Bourg St Maurice, not sure if it still is.
It's certainly accurate ish 24 hours ahead - as for the rest its about as accurate as The UK Met Office.
http://www.meteofrance.com/previsions-meteo-montagne/la-plagne/73210
The drop down menu on each day gives the LIMITE PLUIE/NEIGE this is quite accurate hence its raining in Montalbert this afternoon but snowing higher up
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Yes, boredsurfin, I tend to go with Meteofrance (on your advice), and it certainly is the jolliest site for snow at the moment with snow today, then sun for a bit, then temperatures lowering and back to snow next week just in time for our arrival
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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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FAQ
