 Poster: A snowHead
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@stewart woodward, No issues leaving Tignes at 11am this morning with 4wd and snow tyres apart from being held up with those trying to put chains on at inappropriate places. Snowed all the way down to Albertville so probably a lot in resort today.
Two and a half hours for Albertville to Chambery at 5pm!!!
Big mistake stopping to buy a new touring ski setup 
Peage chock a block and doofer no advantage today. Overnight in Aix les Bains with fingers crossed for Chambery and Leeds/Bradford working together tomorrow.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We are travelling out to Tignes on Sunday. What better way to spend St Vs day eh? Me the mrs-to-be and 3 kids aged 16,13 and 2. Nothing like a challenge!
@ chocksaway - appreciate your posts and feel like I owe you a beer because of that. Will happily buy you one if you have the time to spare at some point. Stopping at Campanules which I think is round the corner from your gaff. Here's hoping for an uneventful trip from GVA. Glad we aren't coming tomorrow....
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks for the updates as always @chocksaway and have a nice time in the UK 
I was wondering if anyone in the know could answer this question please - I last visited Tignes in March 2013 and I still have my old pass which was an Espace Killy full area 6 day pass. Can I use this same pass and just get it topped up when I arrive in resort or even better online prior to my arrival?
Thanks in advance.
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| Minion1980 wrote: |
Thanks for the updates as always @chocksaway and have a nice time in the UK
I was wondering if anyone in the know could answer this question please - I last visited Tignes in March 2013 and I still have my old pass which was an Espace Killy full area 6 day pass. Can I use this same pass and just get it topped up when I arrive in resort or even better online prior to my arrival?
Thanks in advance. |
Minion the passes usually last for 3 years ( I think). If you buy on line ( and have patience with the online system) the system will tell you if you have to buy a new one or not.
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@chocksaway have a good trip - can you bring some sun back with you please?
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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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| Mrs W wrote: |
| Minion the passes usually last for 3 years ( I think). If you buy on line ( and have patience with the online system) the system will tell you if you have to buy a new one or not. |
Thanks!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Special equipment is now compulsory between Tignes 1800 and Tignes Le Lac / Val Claret.
Extremely windy out 
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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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2 hours and one minute from Le Lac to Grenoble - made it for the second game of rugby.  Massive queue from A'ville to Moutiers as I came down.
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No worries chocks. Can't blame you for escaping the half term crowds. Early start tomorrow but looking forward to it!
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You know it makes sense.
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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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Fair play to Grenoble Airport and Monarch, departed on time and arrived early - so here's the forecast:
The snow will stop and there is a chance of seeing some stars tonight, tomorrow will be made up of sunny periods and a stiff breeze. It will feel cold with the freezing level at 1000m. There is a lot of uncertainty over Tuesday some forecasts say snow some say sunny periods. The low to the south east seems to be tracking away from Genoa - but it may come back. So for now we will say sunny periods with a chance of light snow, it will feel a bit warmer with the freezing level around Les Brevieres, and depending on how close that low comes it may be windy. Wednesday will be very similar with lighter winds. Much the same story for Thursday but a chance of snow late into the evening, Friday looks like a mixed bag.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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There will be a chance of light snowfall this evening but this will clear by midnight and tomorrow will be a day of sunny periods with a strong breeze at height if the isobars on the Atlantic chart are to be believed, the freezing level will be at 1500m so out of the wind it may feel a bit warmer, in the wind mmmmmm. Wednesday will be much the same but with less breeze. The forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday is still a bit uncertain as the low pressure has now moved south into the Med, I wish it would make its mind up!! Thursday looks colder with the freezing level in Bourg and it will be overcast all day, there is a chance of a light snow shower in the afternoon. Friday looks like a mix of sunny periods and snow showers. Still 2 inches of snow on the Yorkshire Wolds this morning!!
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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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Indeed, and on NYM......
so... chocks you are not too far away
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Maersk, but I can't see any shipping containers from my viewpoint  . Snow on Wolds now melting......
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Well NYM continues to have cover. Should make MTB interesting tomorrow..
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Too far inland......
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An early forecast today, the sunny periods will continue into tomorrow and the temperatures will remain similar, the breeze at height should drop - so maybe the day to go to the top of the Grande Motte. On Thursday the temperature will drop a bit, there will be a thin layer of cloud in the morning which will thicken through the day and there is a chance of a light snow shower after the lifts have closed. Friday will be a bit colder again and we are expecting light snow all day. Saturday will be a mixed bag with sunny periods and light snow showers, so currently not too bad a day for the 'big transfer'.
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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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Another beautiful day in Tignes. Blue skies all day long with just a hint of wispy clouds towards Italy this morning.
The pistes are in excellent condition and the off piste, whilst well tracked is still very good. We are nearly mid way through the holiday period and conditions couldn't be better.
Looks like a few snow showers later this week but nothing to worry about on transfer day 
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@stewart woodward, Glad you are having fun - miserable here in GOC today, although a day out on the coast yesterday was pleasant if chilly!
To more important things - the weather. Tomorrow the sky will be obscured for most of the day by a high weil of cloud, there may be the odd break to light up the pistes though. The temperatures should be similar to today, but there is a chance of a snow shower after dark. Friday will be a bit cooler as the freezing level drops a 1000m to 600m and there will be light showers on and off through the day, these will tail off in the afternoon, and there may be a glimpse of the sun. Saturday looks cloudy and windy so it will still feel cold despite the freezing level coming back to 1500m - so that will make traveling easier. The showers I mentioned yesterday seem to have disappeared - but its all a bit of a mixed bag at the moment. Sunday will see sunny periods and a marked rise in temperature as the freezing level pops up to 2900m! Monday doesn't look to bad, but then it appears the conveyor belt of weather systems turns itself back on - a real mixed week with a lot more snow about, confidenc in this forecast is not that certain though!!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The cloud will thicken overnight with a few flocons overnight, which should stop by breakfast time tomorrow. So it will feel a lot colder as the freezing level disappears to Lyon. Saturday will be odd, starting chilly with sunny periods and then a rapid increase in temperature as the freezing level shoots up from 800m overnight to above the top of the Grande Motte - this will have an impact on snowpack stability off piste - beware. Sunday will be glorious - blue skies and sunshine and again very warm for mid Feb - think early April. Monday starts OK and then goes downhill, with snow showers in the afternoon, after that its all a bit unpredictable!!
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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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GOC as you know is magnificent today, albeit rather soggy under wheel. A cloudless bluey........
Scarborough or Brid? My money's on Brid.....
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| chocksaway wrote: |
| The cloud will thicken overnight with a few flocons overnight |
Currently snowing very lightly but enough for a covering of the pubelles
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You know it makes sense.
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@Maersk, North Cliff! Doing a spot of liaising with a builder....
The weather is all a bit unpredictable for tomorrow - it would now seem that snow showers are now on the cards in the middle of the day, with the snow line being somewhere near The Dam, the weather fronts seem to have crept a bit further south than expected yesterday. It will clear overnight and then spring will arrive on Sunday - warm and sunny all day. Monday will be cooler with the freezing level dropping from 3500 to 2300m and there will be a strong breeze - so it will definitely seem cooler. Tuesday now looks a mixed bag of snow and sunny periods and then snow following that, but I wouldn't bet my house on that!!
For flying tomorrow there is a chance of a blustery shower anywhere in the UK, so a bumpy ride perhaps. Nothing over here to cause concern, with the exception of a bit of sleet at Geneva. With 31000 cars coming and 29000 leaving there will of course be traffic jams and extended transfer times.
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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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Tomorrow will be like late spring, warm and sunny all day - so enjoy it! There will be more cloud about on Monday morning and it will be a couple of degrees cooler. There is a chance of a light shower in the afternoon and the winds will pick up above 2700m. Tuesday and Wednesday are a bit difficult to call, there is a cold front lying east to west across France and it is not certain how far it (and therefore the weather) will come south. At the moment Tuesday looks OK during the times the lifts are open, mainly cloudy and significantly colder than tomorrow with a drop in temperatures and an increase in wind speed. Wednesday looks snowy down to 1600m - but this is not a certainty by a long shot!
For those flying tomorrow, the UK will be dogged by showers and blustery winds (again!), but nothing too severe. At the snowy side it should be OK, but the forecaster at Chambery is hedging his bets with a 30% chance of early fog patches, but we have been here before........
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Poster: A snowHead
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A glorious day to arrive back! The air has a real spring like feel to it and the sun has shone all day on great pistes. There was a cheeky breeze at height which closed the Grand Motte Cable Car, but other than that just a perfect day. The breeze may hang around tomorrow, but the sun sill disappear behind cloud shortly after breakfast. It will start raining/snowing just after lunch, initially the snow line will be above all the villages in the Espace Killy, but through the evening it will drop well below Tignes Les Brevieres. It will be a day when the early bird catches the best weather. Tuesday looks like being snowy and cloudy with the wind picking up through the afternoon, though the passage of that tricky front is by no means certain. It will certainly feel a lot colder, winter will be back!! The wind will blow hard into early Wednesday which will have a mixture of cloud and sunny periods through the day. Thursday and Friday will be a mix of snow showers and sunny periods, catching the good conditions will be all about............timing
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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A day of deteriorating weather - the sun was out this morning and it was well above freezing at 2100m so the pistes around the villages were already soft, so a quick charge round was in order. Sadly the heat of yesterday had mangled the off piste, very few folks were tackling the melange of crud, lumps and higher frozen crust! The clouds gathered through the morning and by lunchtime the sky was mostly obscured. Luckily the showers amounted to little more than drizzle, so the roads are all wet and the snow by the sides is all brown and horrible. Luckily order will soon be restored and by the morning alpine glory will have been restored!
There will be light snow showers through the night with the snow level well down the valley - so hopefully we will have a new layer of 5-10cm of snow in the morning. With a bit of luck this will start arriving before the damp snow on the surface freezes, otherwise it could be quite skaty in the morning. With the rain, snow and temperature changes the avalanche risk will be considerable - Level 3. The cold front to the north remains stubborn and will not make its mind up how far south it is going to come. So forecasts of how much snow we will get tomorrow vary, from a little to a bit! I will plump for cloudy all day, quite breezy and intermittent light snow in the morning and more in the afternoon. It will feel a lot cooler than today though. The winds will pick up as the lifts close and it should get snowier. The wind should abate by Wednesday morning when there is a good chance of a sunny period in the morning, with the cloud filling after you have had the 'Plat du Jour'. Wednesday night and Thursday will be another grey one with light snow showers. Friday will have a little bit of everything. For a summary of this week I will leave it to Forrest Gump: "Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."
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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 day of deteriorating weather - the sun was out this morning and it was well above freezing at 2100m so the pistes around the villages were already soft, so a quick charge round was in order. Sadly the heat of yesterday had mangled the off piste, very few folks were tackling the melange of crud, lumps and higher frozen crust! The clouds gathered through the morning and by lunchtime the sky was mostly obscured. Luckily the showers amounted to little more than drizzle, so the roads are all wet and the snow by the sides is all brown and horrible. Luckily order will soon be restored and by the morning alpine glory will have been restored!
There will be light snow showers through the night with the snow level well down the valley - so hopefully we will have a new layer of 5-10cm of snow in the morning. With a bit of luck this will start arriving before the damp snow on the surface freezes, otherwise it could be quite skaty in the morning. With the rain, snow and temperature changes the avalanche risk will be considerable - Level 3. The cold front to the north remains stubborn and will not make its mind up how far south it is going to come. So forecasts of how much snow we will get tomorrow vary, from a little to a bit! I will plump for cloudy all day, quite breezy and intermittent light snow in the morning and more in the afternoon. It will feel a lot cooler than today though. The winds will pick up as the lifts close and it should get snowier. The wind should abate by Wednesday morning when there is a good chance of a sunny period in the morning, with the cloud filling after you have had the 'Plat du Jour'. Wednesday night and Thursday will be another grey one with light snow showers. Friday will have a little bit of everything. For a summary of this week I will leave it to Forrest Gump: "Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."
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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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There are days when you look out of the window and think to yourself - I'm glad I'm here for more than a week. It looked bleak, foggy, damp and breezy with the odd snow flurry, a quick check of the webcams confirmed that this was the case from top to bottom. So a lot of admin got done and then I managed to hit the gym at a quiet time, though by the time I left the swimming pool looked like a fish farm at feeding time! There was 10cm lower down yesterday and 15cm higher up. There were a few bright patches during the day and the wind picked up closing lifts on both glaciers but it is now snowing heavily
We are having a bit of a cultural week this week, tonight its the "Swing Cats" on the snow front in Le Lac (VC tomorrow and Lavachet on Thursday), tomorrow we have the French Comedian Titoff (no sniggering at the back Jenkins!) and on Thursday a rock pop combo called Mountain Men in Tignespace.
Meanwhile, the heavy snow and wind will continue until about midnight, meaning a bit of work for the pisteurs in the morning, so expect a few delays in the higher lifts, but the wind will drop and we should see the sun in the morning. But by lunchtime it will have clouded over and we expect more snow down to 1700m, the wind will also pick up in the afternoon, which may close some lifts, maybe not a day for being at the opposite end of the resort at half past 3. Thursday looks snowy with a stiff breeze before Friday heralds sunny periods in the morning and thickening cloud in the afternoon - possibly the best day left this week. After this it all gets very unpredictable, the Atlantic charts are a mess and there is a low crossing to the south of us, depending on its passage we may get a lot of snow or we may be on the margins. Some of the apps are getting very excitable about dumps of snow - its all a bit premature! (Hopefully they are right though). Currently Saturday looks Ok in the morning with wind in the afternoon and snow showers.
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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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Well, I'm back at my desk after a great week in the EK over half term. As usual, I shirked my snowheads duty and didn't report at all on the weather whilst there, but as others have noted, it was far better than was forecast before we flew out.
We travelled Sunday to Sunday so avoided the worst transfer days and didn't experience any delay on the road between GVA and Tignes (and back), save for one driver (my dad would call him a "creeping Jesus" - anyone else come across that term before?) who slowed up everyone for the last few kms approaching Le Lac for no apparent reason. Our return flight was a bit hairy, with one aborted landing in Leeds Bradford, due to the windspeed gusting above the plane's limits when we were all of 5ft off the tarmac, but a swift ascent, a bit of circling and 10 minutes later we bumped down onto terra firma. Better than being redirected to Manchester and bussing back, which apparently is what happened to most of the earlier flights that day.
Yes, the pistes were busy, but they were in fine fettle so no complaints there. Off piste too was great up until Friday, when the sun disappeared and the vis dropped dramatically, which was a little unfortunate as it coincided with the timing of my 3 hour hors piste cours particulier with a nice bloke from ESF who turned out to be a coach for the Belgian race team. I asked him the obvious question about how a flat country comes to have a ski race team, but apparently they train in France. We did a few nice bits that I'd not done before - Vallee Perdu (which was interesting but not exactly flowing, at least the way I skied it), a brief run to skier's right of the Toviere gondola, but only as far as the trees, beyond which the pitch steepens and the big watery terrain trap awaits. Then onto a bit of technique and a run down Les Glattiers from somewhere off the top of the Chaudanne chair, past an isolated house and a yurt and down through the trees to the road above the reservoir. I've done this one before, but on Friday the snow was superb and by that time the vis had improved dramatically, which made for a fantastic end to the afternoon.
Finally, a word for Hotel les Campanules - what a lovely base for week. Very friendly staff, well managed, cosy and great food. But not cheap that week.
And I think that's it for me this season. We normally manage a long weekend in Samoens/GM in March but that looks unlikely to come off this year due to our ski buddies' work commitments. And my attempts to convince the other half that Ski Totals Easter "Revise and Ski" package in Tignes' poorer neighbour would not dent my son's AS level hopes seem to be falling on deaf ears. Ho Hum.
Back to lurking now 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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There was the odd sunny patch this morning - but not very many and not for long . It was also a bot warmer than was forecast so in general the pistes were in good condition and the snow off piste was mostly heavy and damp. Not that that bothered our intrepid instructor from Evolution 2, as we ticked off couloir after couloir in very mixed conditions. After a warm up down Campanules, it was the north face of the Petite Balme, followed by the main Chardonnet Couloir in cloud! the light returned for a trip down La Pente du Lac (Le Lac side of Golf naturide) but with lots of terrain traps to avoid courtesy of the Golf Course - I believe they call them bunkers! After lunch it was Couloir de Palafour and then 'Under the Boisse Gondola' a run where a guide is almost essential - cliffs abound. Finally, we popped down Cheminée du Gurran - but the weather had deteriorated quite a bit so the photo lacks a bit of postcard quality!
I now need a lie down!
The light snow will soon stop, only to start again for breakfast time in the morning. We should have light snow all day, with the odd heavier shower. It will be a degree or two colder than today which will make for better snow. Friday looks a much better day, it should have stopped snowing by the time the lifts open and we will have sunny periods all day and a freezing level at 1500m. Then it all gets a bit complicated, the low pressure systems over the Northern Med are still proving unpredictable and the snow forecasts on various apps are up and down like te proverbial fiddlers elbow! Saturday will be a mix of cloud and sunny periods and it will be cold, when you throw in the gusty wind it will definitely be a day for an extra layer or two. Sunday will be a real mixed bag of snow, rain to 1800m over the middle of the day, sunny periods and more snow. Monday will be similar but the snow line will be down the valley where it belongs. As the wind will be a south easterly for most of the snow, the snow forecast amounts between Le Fornet and Tignes (and Tignes and Paradiski for that matter) will vary by a lot so I won't be tempted to try and guess how much is going to make it over from the Aosta Valley.
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It has snowed all day . Despite the odd tempting glimpse of the sun we have had moderate snow since before I woke up. It is a little cooler than yesterday so the snow is in better condition but it was still quite damp in the lower villages where all sensible people headed. There was much more definition in the trees and less wind, the Grande Motte Cable Car remained closed due to the high winds up there. Its also nicer to ride up in a bubble when the snow is damp!!
It will carry on snowing into the middle of the night when the cloud will start to break up - so we should have sunny periods in the morning, the air will be a degree or two colder and there will be a breeze to make it seem chilly. However, its going to be a good day so hopefully people will not notice. The weather for Le Weekend and Monday will be dominated by a Genoa Low so its a bit tricky to forecast as it all depends how much the precipitation breaks over from Italy. As an example I have just looked at one site that forecasts snow depth (the actual amounts don't matter - its the relative ones that make the point) and totalled up the snowfall for Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Val D'Isere is expecting 41cm, Tignes 35cm, Les Arcs 21cm and La Plagne 17cm. East to west as the Chuff flies that is only about 30km, so location is everything!! Le Fornet might be a top tip! Saturday will be cloudy, another degree or two cooler and there will be strong winds - so it will feel like winter is back. However, for the 31000 cars arriving and the 28000 departing the weather should not cause too many problems. Of course, there will still be traffic jams in all the usual places but the numbers are 5000 or so down on the peak weekends. Sunday morning will be windy as well, but there should be some good breaks in the cloud during the day to enjoy the fresh snow. Monday will be a real mixed bag, Tuesday looks a little better. The Jetstream will still be to the south of us or above us for the rest of next week so unsettled looks like a good summary.
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Breaking news from next door in Val. The pisteurs have filed a legal notice to strike (over pay). This expires on Tuesday, so if negotiation fails and they go on strike (the vote was 90% in favour) then Val will be shut from Wednesday - lets hope both sides get round the table! (Details on their Facebook page - in French)
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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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yea commented on this over on 'View from...' - it was brought up by the mayor yesterday. I dont think at this stage it is really anything more than the fact that they have to sit down (pisteurs and mayor) to thrash out a pay deal.... after that if talks fail then strike action may come along!
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This possible strike action is it likely to happen in the coming week?
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FAQ
Don't worry about the snow we have loads and more forecast for this week 
