Tignes and The Espace Killy 2016/17 (Useful links in Post 1).

A snowHead

@Mark1863, the offpiste risk yesterday was 4/5 although if we have the forecast weather this week it will soon drop to 2/5. Yesterday it was very heavy and deep so all lines were virtually straight.

After recent incidents the pisters were taking no chances, delaying opening times and blasting everything that looked iffy.

A snowHead

About what I expected. Skiing St Anton two days ago. 17.5C at the bottom of the main Galzig lift out of town. Unpleasantly hot. Very tiring. Actually would like to see a bit of cold weather. That does not look on the cards.
Still worth coming out for a last blast? Booked up for 3 weeks in the EK. Exhausted before I start.

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Another cloudless day across the 2 resorts today which became a "double glacier day". We set off early for Le Fornet, hoping for some off piste. However, there was a very hard crust, sometimes breakable, sometimes not on the surface which made it virtually unskiable. So by 10am we were on the pistes as was everyone else, despite huge tracts of untracked there was no one beyond the poles and little or no spring snow developed.... However, the snow on the pistes at le Fornet was sublime, velvety smooth. After lunch we sampled the Solaise and Arcelles, all in great condition, even Rhones Alpes was enjoyable. There is a 4 day avalanche dog training session going on near the Datcha Restaurant, so if you like watching working dogs that's the place to be. The rest of the afternoon was spent u the Grande Motte, where there was a big mogul field from top to bottom!

Tomorrow will start as today but a few clouds may bubble up in the afternoon and there is a chance of a light shower as the lifts close. After that its easy, 3 days of sunny spring weather. Lets hope the freeze thaw gets into operation to give us some spring snow. The weekend looks a bit showery, but frankly who cares when its as good as this!!

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Heading out this weekend, excited beyond belief.

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I only visited there once or twice in the two dog era. Lovely hounds, but very nervy if I remember rightly (which is questionable since most visits were tinged with Mutzig induced amnesia).

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Great conditions this morning. A good freeze overnight, which firmed up the pistes, and wall to wall sunshine to enjoy the snow.

@Mark1863, Def still worth coming out. It will be busy for the next couple of weeks due to school holidays then the resort will be super quiet Very Happy

After all it is free

There was just the odd cloud to spoil the blue today, with a few contrails criss-crossing the sky. There was a good refreeze last night which meant hard pistes this morning, at altitude they took a long time to soften up. So we took a trip down to Boisses where it was quite soft by mid morning, but still plenty of snow. And the lunch venue was La Daille - again at 1230 the pistes were deserted and in good condition. Off piste there was still a very hard crust which was showing little sign of turning to spring snow.

It is the Delancey British National Alpine Championships in Tignes this week and next, so the Lognan Stade is full of Union Jack Lycra!

High pressure continues to dominate and tomorrow will be another sunny day, a couple of degrees warmer than today. Add another couple of degrees for Thursday and the forecast is the same, the race courses will chop up quickly I think! Friday will be a couple of degrees cooler but again a glorious day although it looks like there may be a stiff breeze at altitude. The weekend is going to be showery with a snow line at around 2100m by day and 1600 by night. As ever with spring showers there will be periods in between and it will feel a bit cooler.

@chocksaway, thanks for useful update. Sounds like snow holding up well. Thinking of getting out next Sunday for a week. Only Les Brev and Les Boisses looking reasonable deals just now. Should be good even if downloading on last gondola, do you think?

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@intermediate, Tignes stays open to may bank holiday, you will be fine.

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18 sleeps to go Toofy Grin

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@chocksaway,

@kitenski, thanks, yes I was there last May Bank hol. Fresh snow, sunny, uncrowded, fabulous. This recent warm spell and predicted heavy rain is spooking me a bit though. Confused

You know it makes sense.

Just back from another adventurous day with Evo2. The snow off piste has improved remarkably over the last 48 hours, combined with a welcome drop in the avalanche risk. We spent the morning in the Sache Valley. The first adventure was Trou de Souris (mouse hole) where you have to lower yourself through a cleft in the rock with the aid of a rope, its only about a 5m drop, but its good to hang to something! As not that many people carry a rope, it was virtually untracked and the far slope having had now sun was still compacted powder. After a slow ride in the sun up the Marais Chair we did the east face of Dos Rond down onto the Sache piste, this os one not to get the navigation wrong on as there are a few rock faces. After a relatively early lunch we headed up the Grand Motte where the deep snow has settled into something more skiable and then into The North Face of Petite Balme, again really pleasant snow once you had negotiated the moguls at the top. However, beware the traverse in the morning it will be very icy. It was then over to Val for a portion of Spatule (more spring snow) and then Grizzly back home.

Tomorrow will be pretty much like today but super warm, add another 4 degrees onto today! Friday will be pretty similar, so another couple of great days. Saturday will be a mixed bag. The wind will pick up (closing the highest lifts), the temperature will drop 5 or 6 degrees and we should have sunny periods in the morning followed by showers which will be snow down to 1900m in the afternoon. These showers will continue through the night with snow down to 1500m but by Sunday morning the snowline will be up to 2300m. These showers will continue all day and it will be breezy in and around them. Order will be restored on Monday with more sun and springlike temperatures. First Marmotte by the middle of the week anyone?

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Not been in the EK since the first week of the season so looking forward to arriving on Saturday after a busy couple of days travelling (Yorkshire, Ayrshire and Edinburgh in the next 48hrs)
Looks like I'll need sun cream and my rosé drinking ability. I'll also pack my extra waterproof shell which I've done on every trip this season and not needed, so fingers crossed.
@chocksaway, presume the roads are going to be busy.

A snowHead

@muppet, they have just issued the forecasts, 22000 vehicles passing between Albertville and Moutiers, which is a slack week (17000 in early Dec to 37000 in Feb!). So if you hit peak time then maybe the odd elay but nothing much. That said, the price of late deal hols this week seems to be directly related to resort altitude, so it may well be a bit busier from Bourg to the EK than a normal week!

A snowHead

Some forecasts are pointing to Sunday being a pretty decent powder day. 15cm over night and a cold start.

I'm heading over early tomorrow for a boys weekend so hoping that's the case.

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Today was pretty much a repeat of yesterday, ladies in bikini tops, very pinks faces and busy terraces up the mountain. The mornings routes pretty much matched yesterday but instead of crawling through holes in the rock we chose Vallon de la Sachette. The snow was soft and compacted, but there were still freshtracks, as ever at this time of year aspect is everything. Even a few metres or change in slope angle can lead from heaven to hell (and a tumble). Having nipped down to Boisses (getting quite slushy now, but just the odd stone on the piste on the track below the cliff) we emerged from the bubble to find them building a stage for Franco Folies on the Marais Plateau. They are also building one in the centre of Le Lac - so free concerts for all next week. Next stop was Dos Rond, again a mixture of really nice snow and crusty stuff. After a restorative coffee it was off to find the elusive spring snow and we hit the jackpot on the 'pimples' near Grand Huit. It was just magic sliding across the surface, sublime. So round we went again. The same kind of snow was found on Lognan and then it was time for a late lunch.

Tomorrow will be another nice day, a couple of degrees cooler, not that anyone will notice. A thin veil of cloud will sneak across the sky as you are having that last beer of the week. As the cloud thickens a breeze will develop on high. Saturday will be cloudy and much cooler, there will be a sharp wind which may close the highest lifts. There will be a few light showers with snow down to 1900m in the afternoon. Sunday looks a bit miserable with wind and snow showers all day, the snowline will hover around 2000m. So in the trees where there is visibility it will be damp at best, on high a bit bleak. Spring will return on Monday with sunny periods all day, clouds on the peaks and temperatures like today. Beyond that it looks pretty similar, nice spring weather for the concerts. The avalanche rsik rises to 2 then 3 tomorrow as the wind at altitude moves some snlw around a bit.

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I am heading out to Tignes on the 8th April and not too sure what skis to take. As the family will be in lessons (until 1.00 pm) I was thinking about a pair of all mountain skis and doing a week of mornings off-piste with ESF, but I also fancy taking my hard charging piste skis (which I love) and scooting around on piste until they soften up at lunchtime.

Thoughts @chocksaway ? Will there be any decent off piste left if we don't have another dump by then ?

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@JoyZipper, There doesn't appear to be much snow on the horizon, next week will be cooler thankfully but the heat returns for your arrival. So I suspect the pistes are going to be soft from fairly early on, certainly before lunch. So perhaps all mountain would be better if you are going to go off piste and maybe more suited to soft pistes that will mogul up. Unless the forecast changes you will be looking at spring snow off piste,so moving round with the sun.

There was a very thin veil of cloud this morning which thickened through the day, so I had a day off after 2 weeks of non stop skiing! the preparations for the Franco Folies concerts continue apace in Le Lac and Le Marais. Tonight also sees the annual Charity Dinner for SOLEA (a local cancer charity) at La Queue de Cochon so it could be a late night.......

Tomorrow, will start cloudy and from around mid-morning we are expecting light snow down to 1600m, it won't amount to much but every little helps. There will be a sharp breeze above the level of the villages and it will feel a lot cooler than today. Sunday looks pretty similar, the snow line may rise a little. It will warm up a bit on Monday, th sun will shine through the morning and a few fluffy clouds will develop on the peaks after lunch. Tuesday and Wednesday look like a couple of days of sunshine and light showers with a snowline averaging around 2200m, again nothing much to get excited about.

For the jolliday makers on transfer day, there should be few problems with the weather at the airports, perhaps a shower at any of the ones in the UK, one or two of these could be heavy and maybe even thundery around London in the afternoon. With only 22000 vehicles coming up and 19000 going down there may be a few holdups but nothing significant.

And finally: Méfiez-vous des poissons

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@chocksaway, I need you to look in to your crystal ball and tell me if the snow will last 16th-22nd April? We are coming out for our annual end of season trip and to look at a flat in VC for possible season rent next year!

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@chrisrawles, The snow depths are slightly lower than average but I fully expect to be skiing most of the resort until 17th of April. Unless we have more snow I suspect Brevieres will be a slush fest by then, maybe closed, (and perhaps even Boisses) but the pistes around the main resorts are still in good order. And up the Grande Motte all the steps off the cable car station have vanished, so plenty up there.

After all it is free

@chocksaway,

@chocksaway, This trip is more to make sure we want to live in Tignes for 4 month and check out other things to do rather than just hitting the slopes. We tend to stick high in April anyway so it sounds like it should be ok. Just waiting for the TO's to stop trying to rip us off and drop the prices.

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Any news from the British Championships today? @stewart woodward,

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Interesting day. The biz has stayed ok but what was soft is now frozen solid. Still lightly snowing.

You know it makes sense.

J'arrive a Tignes. Here for up to 3 weeks. On my own. Looks Ok for this time of year. Not bothering this afternoon.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@chocksaway, Looks like quite a lot of snow nearby around the France/Italy border ridge, maybe 50cm+ over the next 48 hours. Far side of Val d'isere could do well.

A snowHead

Going on the EURO4 high res model which I normally find very accurate.

A snowHead

Firstly, I will clear up the fishy tale! April Fool's Day in France is known as 'Poisson D'Avril' (April Fish). The kids go round trying to stick paper fishes to the backs of their mates. Evidently its been going on for donkey's years, the origins are kind of lost in the midst's of time. So, we'll have no more carping Wink

.

I went out for a bit of fresh air, as it was quite windy on high I thought I would pop down to Les Brevieres, not the greatest of plans as it was waves of frozen slush, so unless we get more snow then that is probably it for down there. The Lad du Chevril is very low now, the bridge at the La Daille end is starting to loom from beneath the murky depths. Lots of power been generated over the winter.

There have been very light snow showers on and off, barely making an impact on the ground though. The traffic down the valley seems to be running OK. They have been trying a convoy system from Bourg to Moutiers today, where a municipal vehicle travels at 25kph so everything keeps moving and doesn't cause a traffic jam at the tunnel. Can't see the locals being particularly happy to obey that!

The light snow will continue until late and then the intensity will pick up through the early hours. There is a mini retour d'est going on so Le Fornet will get more than Val and so on. So the eastern end of the resort will do best. Nevertheless there should be enough to turn the place white again. The snowline will be around 2000m, it might get a bit breezy during the night too, a spot of work for the pisteurs in the morning. The wind will drop after breakfast and the snowline will rise a bit so it will be miserable in the villages tomorrow, the precipitation will carry on until lift closing time. Spring returns on Monday, a few fluffy clouds will build up in the afternoon. Tuesday morning looks good with a chance of a shower in the afternoon and evening, again the snowline will be about 2200m by day if you catch one. It is the reverse on Wednesday, showers in the morning, clearing later. However, the atmosphere is all a bit wishy-washy at the moment, so don't hang your hat on this forecast! No problems weatherwise for flying tomorrow.

@chrisrawles, Just be a bit cautious with estate agents in VC. When I was looking to buy I was shown a really nice apartment, but we seemed to go a long way round to get to it. As we left they tried to shepherd me away, so I deliberately walked around the back to see the bedroom balcony was one floor above the all night kebab shop! There are some quiet corners of VC, there are also a lot of noisy ones.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@musehead, Great minds think alike as our posts crossed in the interwebsphere! I'd be a bit surprised if it was 50, here's hoping!

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@chocksaway, Just seen an interesting post on Tignes' FB page.

There's talk of a five year project to link the E.K. to the Paradiski/La Plagne areas. Not sure if this has done the rounds before. A Tarentaise Tour without the hiking/touring sweaty bit wink

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@GeorgeVII, I think today's date might have something to do with it.............

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@chocksaway, Yes..... I did wonder about that Laughing

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Fingers crossed for skiing down to Brev when we get there on 16th. Does not sound promising though Sad

After all it is free

Stopping in Boisse. So as long as we can ski back then we will be happy. Always go at this time if year and always been able to ski back to Boisse. Not always benn able to ski to Brev though.

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Just wondered how conditions look after snow/rain during last 24 hours please? Good snow down to Les Brev sounded promising! Very Happy

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Tignes and The Espace Killy 2016/17 (Useful links in Post 1).

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