 Poster: A snowHead
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Les Contimens was in fantastic condition this morning, shame about the visibility
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| rjs wrote: |
| Is the ticket office at Cote 2000 open anymore, or is there just a machine? Thinking of trying to use one of the free days that I get with my Espace Diamant pass. |
No, Credit card only machine. Welcome to the world of the CMB
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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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We drove from Megeve to Les Saises, its free parking at the car park at the far end of the village, got a day lift pass and had a great day cruising around in a new area. Stayed high up and enjoyed the views. Recommend it as a day trip from Megeve when snow not at its best in the Megeve area.
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Les Contamines very soft this morning - no overnight freeze and the popular blue and red runs below 1600 still chopped up from yesterday. Bottom of Nant Rouge into Jonction very sticky. Rain at Col du Joly began around 12:30 today and expected to continue on and off until mid morning tomorrow.
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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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@NoDosh, however it’s the best snow available locally. Actually I was impressed by what the pisteurs achieved given the lack of a freeze - even that stretch at the bottom of Nant Rouge - until it all began to disintegrate around 12. They were helped by the cloud, yesterday some pistes got unpleasantly soft much earlier in the full sunshine.
Just hoping for one more decent ski tomorrow before we head home, it will probably be Les C and finishing early again.
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Good to know your trip to Les Saisies went well, @No Style. It usually has about the best snow around (along with Les Contamines).
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@Origen, its your championing of Les Saises that inspired us!
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Cote 2000 now cut off from the rest of Megeve for the rest of the season! Rochbrune end, only Rochebrjne area main lifts and Arpette chair remain.
We lost the return from cote 2000 yesterday to flooding, the access today by an avalanche.
Jardin chair only 2 runs were remotely viable and no one is going to skate both ways along the ridge to access Rochefort, sorry.
Also no news on the ongoing fight with the fake ecologists and one very greedy chalet owner over the two new chairlifts.
Fight brewing over who will control Mont d'Arbois for the next 20 years. On this one I disagree with almost all my work colliges as I have a different grasp of maths and logic from living in many countries on many continents, as opposed to calling Sallanches another country!
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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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Do you have any links that I can read more information on the Mont d’Arbios situation on?
Thanks
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@Jonny996, I agree, that is a tantalising statement from @Idris.
From openings and closures I have the impression that different bits of Mont d'Arbois are controlled by three different outfits anyway - Megeve (Mont d'Arbois telecabine/Ideal chair and Mandarines and adjacent pistes), Demi-Quartier/Combloux (Princesse telecabine and pistes down to it) and St Gervais (Monts Rosset chair and Finance and related pistes).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Idris wrote: |
Cote 2000 now cut off from the rest of Megeve for the rest of the season! Rochbrune end, only Rochebrjne area main lifts and Arpette chair remain.
We lost the return from cote 2000 yesterday to flooding, the access today by an avalanche. |
If (and I appreciate it's a big if) a cold snap between now and Easter weekend does bring some more snow will that open up again? Or is it past the point of saving now? The webcam at the top of the Jaillet isn't looking too positive!
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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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| michaelf wrote: |
If (and I appreciate it's a big if) a cold snap between now and Easter weekend does bring some more snow will that open up again? Or is it past the point of saving now? The webcam at the top of the Jaillet isn't looking too positive! |
Sorry no.
Taking down the protection on the Jardin and Fontaine chairs today.
Only Rochefort would remain skiable, no one is going to skate both ways for that.
Cote 2000 will stay open through the 7th (plenty of snow) Rochbrune Alpette if snow permits.
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I can't say I am surprised. Looking across at the Rochebrune ridge from Mont Arbois last week, it was clear that the access on skis to Petite Fontaine was almost completely gone - we decided it wasn't worth heading over that side. Les Contamines got our custom!
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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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Thanks @devilabit, what a lovely bit of local French political bitching. It looks as if my perception of commune involvement was roughly right.
M. Peillex is clearly quite an experienced political operator, his success in getting finance for the bridge, and now the valley gondola shows that. My guess is he is fed up with the bullying attitude of Compagnie des Alpes and this is a political ploy in the hope heads can be banged together and a constructive compromise found. Hopefully in the short time before the start of the summer season, though if the Bettex lift won't be open anyway he might not feel an obligation to be bounced into an unfavourable resolution.
I certainly understand frustration from the St Gervais side about the Demi-Quartier and Combloux sectors - those runs down to Princesse haven't been open any of the times we've been this season - and a feeling that the STMBA could manage that better.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| j b wrote: |
Hopefully in the short time before the start of the summer season, though if the Bettex lift won't be open anyway he might not feel an obligation to be bounced into an unfavourable resolution.
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That is a very good point, that lift not opening in the summer is going to have little affect on StG as the bottom part is out anyway.
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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 are obviously complicated rules in France about transport which crosses a commune boundary. I assume that is why the navette connecting Le Fayet to the StG telecabine takes the minor road via Fayet-en-Haute rather than the main road which is partly within the Passy commune; and why there isn't a navette directly connecting the StG and Les Contamines telecabines (though you can change navettes at the boundary). And why the original route for the Valleen gondola starting near the big supermarket just outside Le Fayet (in Domancy commune) was abandoned in favour of one completely within StG.
(And presumably similar rules at departmental level, judging by the way the public buses starting in the Arve valley don't extend along the Arly valley beyond the boundary with Savoie).
On the ski lifts though, St Gervais looks in a pole position politically. All the other commune's main lifts need collaboration with StG, whereas only the Bosses drag lift from StG territory crosses a boundary. It is probably why the skiing in the week before Christmas was so restricted (basically just those up to Freddy and Mont Joux), and no doubt a source of friction with Megeve and Demi-Quartier who chose not to open them.
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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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I suspect a lot of this is not because of "rules" but because of endemic local animosity and jealousy between communes.
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@Origen, you are probably right, what above I called "local French political bitching".
They have long memories. It is probably all because of events dating back to about the seventeenth century, when a StG landowner (minor aristocrat) hired a good lawyer and got the French courts to declare that the alpage on the top of that ridge belonged to StG.
The same thing happened on the other side of the valley, the alpage (and thus the ski area) across to Prarion is part of StG and the relevant parts of the Les Houches ski area have to be labelled as such. And resultant animosity, requests by StG for a joint ski pass covering EMB and Les Houches (to which there is direct access from StG by the Tramway) have been consistently rebuffed.
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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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It's not just old resentments and long memories. I don't know much about how the communal forests and alpages work. But it can be of immense economic and financial importance. The town of Beaufort got a LOT of money (and still does, I believe) because "their alpage" was drowned by the Roselend dam. If that had been in the UK the land would probably have been owned by some huge land owner and the local peasants would have seen none of the compensation.
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Rochebrune now closed for the season. Cote 2000 stays open to the 7th but isn't realy worth the visit at Coq d'or starts tomorrow, follwed by the Championat de France. Recommended les Contamines
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@Idris, to misquote the poet it seems the season is ending not with a bang but a whimper. There can't be much open anywhere, I assume Mont d'Arbois above the Ideal/Nants/Mont Joux lifts is functioning, and the webcam page claims there is still access to Megeve and St Nicholas but those must now be ribbons of slush across green grass.
As you say, Les Contamines. Over three visits this winter we have spent nearly half our time there. Fingers crossed for 24-25.
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For anyone based at the Megeve end of the domaine, there's a fair bit open in Les Saisies and over to Bellastat and the top of Notre Dame de Bellecombe.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Origen, Bellasta wasn't open today because of the wind, it seemed to be funneled up to the Col des Saisies then up the pistes on each side of the bowl, was difficult to get up any speed to ski.
Saw several instructors from Megeve with groups.
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That's interesting, @rjs. My family and friends heading to Saisies this weekend (sans moi). Hoping to find about the same range of skiing there was at Christmas (i.e. not as much as usual, but a lot more than some places around). Not surprised you saw Megeve instructors. We sometimes used to see instructors from Flaine, too.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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According to the StG news letter email, the StG gondola closes today & they start dismantling it, to redirect it to the new gondola house.
This has to be the point of no return for the project & let's all hope it goes to plan & time ready for Christmas 2024.....
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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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| Jonny996 wrote: |
According to the StG news letter email, the StG gondola closes today & they start dismantling it, to redirect it to the new gondola house.
This has to be the point of no return for the project & let's all hope it goes to plan & time ready for Christmas 2024..... |
The new lower gondala house is already built. 2days ago the car park was full of gear ready to start work this morning.
Lower section has only one pylon left to finish before installing the cable!
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@Idris, it is impressive how they are working. We only left a fortnight ago, and having seen how they put together the Valleen stations I could imagine the new lower Bettex station would soon be ready. But at that point there were no pylons on the Valleen route, while we were there some large lorries unloaded pylon sections in a corner of the car park (by the Fire Station) but I hadn't realised they were being installed so quickly. Presumably using helicopters.
Do you know if they are installing brand new pylons on the Bettex route, or are they modifying the cable runs on the existing ones? (Some of them are the 85 year old originals).
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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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Thanks @Idris, seems like all pylons being replaced.
Apparently the original plan (prior to the Valleen project and the idea of combining the lift stations) was for the current Bettex lift to keep going until 2039 when the pylons would have reached their centenary.
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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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Are they still bashing ahead with the hotel at the top of the Princesse lift or has it stopped again?
Also wish they would put a webcam up pointing at the old/new StG lift house so I could see progress.
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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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| Jonny996 wrote: |
Are they still bashing ahead with the hotel at the top of the Princesse lift or has it stopped again?
Also wish they would put a webcam up pointing at the old/new StG lift house so I could see progress. |
I havent seen any reports about this but it was due to be ready for the start of next season, as of last summer it was still in the pipeline.
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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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@j b, I have just found my second favorite site, cheers,
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@Jonny996, if you go up a website level on that forum you will also find the thread for the Valleen project (the new gondola up from Le Fayet).
Acknowledgement to @Idris above for the link.
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Not a "conditions" report, but very relevant to this thread given the frequent references to how snow-sure Les Contamines and Saisies tend to be. I received an email yesterday from SECMH Les Contamines saying they are in discussions to create links.....
"The operating companies of the Saisies, Contamines-Montjoie, Crest-Voland Cohennoz and Val d'Arly ski areas are currently working on a project to create a link between the area's areas.
In addition to extensive and varied skiing possibilities and offering a better guarantee of skiability in connection with the context of global warming, this project would open up superb prospects for our destinations.
Whether you are a professional, owner, vacationer or user of our ski area... your opinion on this project is important.
We thank you in advance for your valuable collaboration."
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@NoDosh, Do you happen to have a link that perhaps leads us to a link to leave our options?
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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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Fascinating @NoDosh. I found I couldn't get beyond the first page of your link without filling in the questionnaire - it didn't actually say anything about the project. But I might do it, we spend nearly half our skiing time this season in Les C chasing the decent snow.
Although you can see part of the Espace Diamant from Les Contamines I would have thought the best place for a link would be from near the top of the present Lanchettes/Rochefort lifts over in the Rochebrune sector of Megeve - it would be less south facing. However @Idris has reported on the difficult politics there.
But a fascinating prospect, it would create a really big ski area. Actually so big you would be limited by how far you could do in a day and still get back.
Do keep us updated if you get more emails.
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