Have a great summer Steve. Look forward to tuning in next season
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
j b - thanks appreciate that - yes its a nightmare eh. arghhh!
Gnoe - we shall try - but never that far away - we can physically see snow from our front window for about 11.5 months of the year (if we look closely enough into the distance!)
endoman - haha yes we need to talk about your disloyalty to Val - haha!
NoMapNoCompass - a little peak into whats happening here eh!
mooney058 - ill have updates on Ben by next season as well! Won't be able to keep track!
stefoy4me - too kind - go on you can make the dream come true full time eh!
PeakyB - ill throw a free lesson into the 'offering' if it helps tip the scales in our favour on this one!
vipul - March was the time to come this year as it turned out wasnt it - nice!
TommyJ - well the combined demands of all the SH's should speed the negotiations up somewhat I would hope!
gixxerniknik - blimey scary to think next season is already something to consider already!
Frosty the Snowman - thanks so much you too!
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?
Is it all over? On the good news front I’ve reserved an apartment in Val d’Isere for Feb half term 2024 so I’ve got an excuse to keep following Steve.
We arrived yesterday in Val Claret. I've been here 6 years ago and it looked more lively so at the end of the season. A large Club Med building has arised on a big part of the open parking place, impressing, but not sure if that is an advantage .
Nice to see there's an on-piste apres-ski bar Cocorico to have a pint after skiing. Also the terrace of La taverne des neiges lookes much more appealing compared to last time. I remember this cheap plastic furniture...brrr.
Anyway, today's skiing was great! The morning started half-cloudy and we took the first funiculaire to the gletcher (9:15AM). Grande Motte was hidden in the clouds so we skipped the cabin to the top. We had a great run down back to VC and decided to go to Val d'Isere side, because the sun burned the clouds a bit away. First we did Orange to La Daille and the funival up to the top. Then the quite easy but nice black piste 'Epaule du Charvet' down and had to pole a bit (as @Steve already mentioned) along the nice chalets to get to Val d'Isere for a well deserved espresso in the sun.
Then we took the Solaise cabin up, Lessieres up&over the mountain to go to glacier de Pisaillas, where we played a bit around on the top area of the gletcher. It looked like the weather was going to turn so a good time find our way back to VC. When we arrived at the bottom of the Tommeuse lift a group of UK girls asked where to find Vallee Perdue . I knew we were quite close but didn't really try to find the starting point today. Anyway we pointed them a bit in the right direction and hope they found it. We noticed on several piste signs 'Village Perdue' but that is something different! Anyway, we'll search for the entry later this week, hopefully after some fresh snow.
So we took the Tommeuse lift to Toviere and went straight back to VC where we arrived at 3PM. Snow was slushy below and we decided it was good to finish here for today. No need to see the complete skiing area on the first day!
As I type it is snowing, so hopefully we have a nice fresh layer tomorrow. Weather conditions are still quite unpredictable but today will not be taken from us!
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
AndrewBailey wrote:
Is it all over? On the good news front I’ve reserved an apartment in Val d’Isere for Feb half term 2024 so I’ve got an excuse to keep following Steve.
Gnoe - what a great report and first day! Not sure that many people would agree the Epaule is 'quite easy' - perhaps after it has been pisted but its not on many peoples list as being one of the easier ones usually! Also the Vallee Perdu.... immediately as you get on the Tommeuse lift its the little valley below and to the right - thats the easiest way to describe it so you can literally just ski under the loading zone to get access to it. The Village Perdue - yes thats a new addition - effectively a serious of linked treehouses and walkways etc organised into a kid orientated 'village' in the trees same (vertical) height as the Trifollet restaurant is but way over to the side of the Orange piste basically! Anyway enjoy the rest of your week!
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
We were a bit forced to take Epaule because Santons was closed. There was a warning 'piste tres difficile' so we were a bit hesitating first, but the steep part was not very long. Yes there were buckles, but quite easy to take. We'll take the Face de Bellevarde later this week (I did that one several times in the past) but it looks more difficult to me.
Thanks for the guidance and we will definitely find the Vallee later on. Will also check all your other recommendations. Honestly I think we will see all pistes (that are not closed) this week
When we took the TK3000 black piste we noticed that the 'tunnel' seems permanently closed? It looked quite small though, like a kids slide. What is this tunnel exactly?
/EDIT: Just googled a bit and wow that one can be really challenging: http://youtube.com/v/J3uFDhBQj7Q But most of the time closed?
After all it is free
After all it is free
Quote:
Not sure that many people would agree the Epaule is 'quite easy' - perhaps after it has been pisted but its not on many peoples list as being one of the easier ones usually!
Did it once, never again. Someone had dropped hundreds of white bungalows onto the piste.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
We are planning a 3 week road trip around the Austrian, Italian and French Alps this summer .... we are an active family of 2 adults and 2 teenagers. We have been to both Tignes and Val numerous times in winter but never in the summer. Even though we much prefer Val as a base for skiing and boarding it feels like being close to Le Lac and all the water-based activities on offer will be more advantageous? Do people agree? And can anyone recommend a self-catering (we do like a bit of luxury though) option please? The Maison Bouvier suites are the frontrunner at the mo. Thanks very much.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
franga wrote:
Even though we much prefer Val as a base for skiing and boarding it feels like being close to Le Lac and all the water-based activities on offer will be more advantageous? Do people agree?
Completely agree. Val every time in the winter, but there's a lot going on in Lac in the summer, if only for the lunch spots around the lake. For a change of scene on a warm early evening drive round to Val for rose on the square outside Coin des Amis. The walk between Val & Tignes is also an excellent way to generate an appetite.
Book Lo Terrachu for the best lunch & view.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Interesting - why do you say Val every time in Winter? I would have thought Tignes better for ski in and also quicker access to glacier if conditions aren't great? Is that wrong?
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.
@8611, I'm biased as Val has been my winter home for a few years now. But in a nutshell it's a proper town with a high street, shops bars restaurants all within a few minutes walk, local community going back several generations and a large and established ex-pat community. Tignes, for all its merits, is an artificial construct spread out over separate centres that are extremely disjointed in the evening. (also, the glacier skiing is hugely overrated, imho)
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@Dr John, agree on that for sure, its a space station. Reason I ask is I may get out this weekend and would have my choice of either. Tignes also cheaper accommodation I would think. I remember Val as being kind of spread out along a road with accommodation at times further from lifts as a result but maybe my recollection isn't good.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@8611, there is a lot more ski-convenient accommodation in Tignes, in Val the bus is often required but it's (mostly) very efficient. It's a balancing act of priorities. For me Val is very much my social life as well as a ski station, for many others I know Tignes is the same. It's very much horses for courses as far as a holiday skiers choice is concerned.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@8611,
Back when I was doing Seasons I used to reckon that if you wanted to party the season in the Espace Killy you based yourself in Val D'Isere, if you wanted to ski the season you based yourself in Tignes.
Just my view.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Yeah, won't go far wrong with either. I'll be in and out so not hanging around long enough to worry too much. Although I do like a nice bit of grub and a hot tub in the evening sun wouldn't go amiss!
Hopefully I can get out will watch the snow report updates with interest, unfortunately due to warm up over the weekend I think.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@franga, Family had a few nights at the Montana when they did a bit of a Summer Euro tour. Really enjoyed their stay in Tignes, lots to do during the Summertime.
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?
GeorgeVII wrote:
@franga, Family had a few nights at the Montana when they did a bit of a Summer Euro tour. Really enjoyed their stay in Tignes, lots to do during the Summertime.
Thank you! We've just booked a week at the Montana - 2 bedroom suite on a HB basis for £2.2K (a bargain for a family of 4).
Not sure if anyone is still interested in updates here so at the end of the season...I'll give it a try!
As I expected, the weather conditions are quite unstable. In the Sunday-Monday night, a lot of fresh snow has dropped down, yeah! Monday morning however was grey and windy with still some snowfall. Visibility was poor so we decided to stay low in the Tignes Area and we took the Tichot lift to visit Aiguille Percee. The fresh snow was great, but because of the weatherconditions we couldn't take much advantage. Several lifts and pistes were closed (i.e. Colde Ves, Sache) but we expected the snowfall was sufficient to go all the way down to Tignes les Brevieres. At Aiguille Percee we took the red ones down and it was nicely skiing to Brev. We took the cabins back up and went down to Le Lac, to take the cabin to Toviere. Weather was not very well and we decided to have lunch back in the apartment in VC. Though the sky opened quite a bit after lunch it remained windy and we decided not to go out for skiing anymore this day.
When we woke up this morning it snowed again and the weather conditions were again not very pleasant. Lots of wind, poor visibility, snow-showers etc. So we had a lazy morning and wanted to take our chances after an early lunch.
Top of the Grande Motte was still closed but we took the funiculaire at 12:30h with only a few other die-hards to take the pistes from there. Because of heavy wind and visibility we decided to take the Genepy all the way down. Suddenly, there was some better light and we had the complete piste with fresh snow (almost) for ourselves! Amazing fun and surrealistic.
Genepy at some point becomes Prariond piste and has flat parts where the heavy winds forced us to pole to move ahead. Once down we took again the funiculaire up to go down through Dahu/Double M. Lots of fresh snow, but visibility above 2500m was still very poor so I was a few times launched by lumps of this fresh snow. Luckily that absorbed the falls.
Down in VC again, the sky seemed to open on Val d'Isere side, so we took Bollene/Tufs to Toviere in search of.....la Vallee Perdue!!
On bottom of the Tommeuse lift we started our search. We went a bit down with 'Verte' piste but didn't see any fresh trails or skiers going to that lost Valley. We noticed several 'off-piste' warnings and were definitely not sure if we were looking in the right direction, so we decided to follow Verte all the way down. And suddenly we heard voices on our left. We noticed a group down below and I recognized the small bridge over the valley! But still we were unclear where to enter this d**n trail. But at least we had a sign of life now.
So we took the cabin in La Daille up again, went again to the bottom of the Tommeuse lift, where we came to the insight that we were searching in the complete opposite direction The entrance was not down/lower than the Tommeuse lift, but under the lift. Usually no reason to go there and because of fresh snow it was not really visible as entry point. We double checked with an off-piste skier that came in our opposite direction and when he confirmed we were confident to go down there. We were the only ones and it felt like a big step to jump in that off-piste hole
Anyway, it was a great experience and we were there completely on our own in much better weather conditions than Tignes/Grande Motte today... Snow was still sufficiently available except for the last part where we had to walk the trail a bit down. When we were almost at the end we noticed a family going down on ski's through the trees, so apparently there was a different trail down we hadn't noticed. On the other hand, it looked challenging to get down there without hitting a tree.
For my wife this Vallee Perdue was a bit outside her comfort zone but she did complete this and it's definitely something to remember. We managed to have the latest connection to Toviere to get back to VC after this exciting day of skiing. And Vallee Perdue is finally checked!
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@Dr John, You won’t be surprised that I have a different view. Ultimately, it’s horses for courses but Tignes has a large expat community, families that go back many generations(albeit they had to move up the hill a bit). Extremely disjointed is not a way I would describe Lavachet and Lac unless you can’t walk for 5 minutes. VC has more than enough to keep anyone occupied. And we have a satellite village, 1800 which is similar in facilities to Le Fornet. Brevieres has to be treated as a stand alone. In terms of tourist population Tignes is far bigger and therefore you have to be careful in making size comparisons.
There are quite a few reasons why I chose Tignes but they might be seen as too stereotypical or denigrating Val which I don’t want to do.
Gnoe - im very much interested on your reports and whats happening - thanks. Im just taking a back seat on the season now and (attempting) to get my French tax return done and navigate wife and daughters birthdays and parties etc! Sounds great. Maybe my description of how to get to the Vallee Perdue above on the 23/4 wasnt clear enough "Also the Vallee Perdu.... immediately as you get on the Tommeuse lift its the little valley below and to the right - thats the easiest way to describe it so you can literally just ski under the loading zone to get access to it." but glad you found it in the end! Its not 'hard' persee just tights and adventurous eh - at least you can tick it off now!!
chocksaway / Dr John - before we have a 'baguettes at dawn' battle break out I think suffice to say each to their own. For me I LOVE Tignes in the Summer - the lake is amazing and we love heading that way. I love the piste skiing too in the Winter and getting to the glacier which is way better (for piste skiing) than the Val glacier. Brev is a nice day out too. Val on the other hand is a nice villagey village feel and because of the Iseran road feels active all year round. We have trees and its quite flat to get around and unless you are heading to Fornet you can walk everywhere and bump into friends etc.... the piste skiing and variety is good but I love the off piste here. The buildings and vibe feels very villagey but on the flip side when its silly party season / folie kicking out time or hoorah Henry time of the season it can be a bit up its own rear end.... Tignes is 'honest guv, lets just ski' territory! So take your pick really! For me I chose to live here for its long season, year round village feel, LOTS of (yes I know generally well heeled) British clients and a small tight expat community. And (even though it sounds silly but really it is quite important) because we have trees here it doesnt feel as bleak. I just wish we had a lake and a decent glacier but we drive to Tignes for that if we want it!
BTW ill leave this for here for the next monthly update but interesting plans for the new gondola at Fornet (Vallon!)
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
An endorsement from @Steve Angus on what Tignes has to offer in the summer (as well the winter of course) confirms that we’ve made the right choice for heading that way this summer. And we will be visiting Val d’Isere too.
After all it is free
After all it is free
We used Vallon a few times this weekend just gone and it definitely felt like it needed an upgrade. I actually went on to check the journey time on it online as it felt like 20 minutes but turns out it’s only 11.
Aside from that, had a great long weekend and thanks for the suggestions of blues and reds to have a go at @Steve Angus, we covered the lot and more besides. First time in Val and really liked it, not least the great snow for this time of year and complete lack of crowds.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@Steve, it was my interpretation of 'under the loading zone' (as in 'lower') that let us look in the wrong direction. Anyway if it is easy to find it shouldn't be called 'Lost Valley' right?
Waking up today was very nice with a clear blue sky! It was expected that the Cabin lift to Grande Motte would be open for the first time after the snowfall, very exciting!
Our appartment is really close to the Bollin lift and we have direct/full visibility to the entrance of the Funiculaire. We hurried to the ski locker when we looked outside and noticed we were not the only ones to go for Grande Motte to make some first fresh trails. So the funiculaire up was completely full and we managed to be in the 1st run of the Cabin lift.
At the top there was still a lot of cold wind, but the view was great and the pistes had patiently been waiting to be skied. We had a great run down directly to Leisse that was covered with a thick layer of fresh snow. Really nice to take this one, though I would have appreciated the float of powder ski's (I have short SL's...).
After Leisse we went at highpeed down to VC through Double M and went up to Toviere to go again to VdI area (we took Face de Bellevarde). I needed to tick some boxes as advised by Steve, so we played around at Solaise. First Cugnai and Arcelle; both were quiet pistes and great for some quick runs. After that we deserved a lunch in the sun before going down with Germaine Mattis. I believe I did this one before, many years ago, but it was definitely very quiet and beautiful!
After that we went up, took Route du Col and Plan down to VdI. Because of the nice weather, there was a lot of folks on piste. It definitely looks like many more people are discovering the benefits of season-end, compared to 6 years ago when I was in this space for the last time. So we decided to go back to the appartment for a cool drink and some rest after another great day of skiing!
The weather forecast for tomorrow and Friday are not as good as for today. Still quite windy as a result of the macro weather patterns, but we'll see when I open the curtain in the morning where we go. My daughter wants to take her snowboard so the options & range are lower. Gives my older legs also some rest instead of competing with the 16yo on ski's!
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
The morning started with a blue sky! We went to the green space around Col de Fresse so our daughter could get up-to-speed with snowboarding. The pistes were good to practice and after several runs we went to Toviere to go to Aiguille Percee/Du Chardonnet via T leLac.
My daughter didn't feel sufficiently confident to take the black piste Toviere > le Lac by Snowboard and took the cabin down. On the other side we took several runs (Cyclamen, Merles, Perce Neige, Grattalu etc) and I did the groomed run on Col de Ves, which appeared to be a just a pathway down, but had nice views.
It looked like the weather was changing so we decided to go for lunch at the appartment. After lunch the sun showed up again so we went to the Grande Motte top twice. This afternoon the cabins to the top were fully loaded, but the pistes were in good condition and we had two thrilling runs top-down (Descente/Double M).
When we were down in Val Claret around 16h, there was nice Spring Break activity organized next to the Tichot lift: crossing a pool of water by ski or snowboard. Many dare-devils, young and old, showed their skills, very nice.
Tomorrow is our last day of snow fun. Plan is to go to Glacier du Pisaillas, but lets see if the weather agrees with us.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@Gnoe, following your updates with interest and a tinge of envy. Snow conditions sound exceptional for vary late season. Reminds me of trips to Tignes at the very end of April and into May with the much missed Mountainsun.
The Tunnel, which you mentioned, has been the subject of a few threads on here. Way back in the day I think it was a drag lift served high-wind alternative way to cross over into La Fornet sector, when the old up 'n' over chairlift was closed. I only skied it once and that was enough. The quite steep terrain, moguls, narrowness of the so called piste from the tunnel exit and proximity of many rocks made it less than relaxing. By comparison, Epaule de Charvet at its most mogully adverse camber challenging was a walk in the park. I've viewed the exit area from the tunnel many times since from the up 'n' over and remain puzzled about where the hell they actually fitted a piste in on that barren rocky terrain up to the right, heading towards La Fornet.
I can see you've enjoyed all the pistes I flagged up a couple of weeks ago as well worth doing. What about the Foret itinerary run? Starts not far below the top of the Fornet cable car and takes you steeply back to the valley. I wonder if snow conditions are good enough for it to be skiable this late on?
Have a great last day!
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.
@Steve Angus,
Quote:
BTW ill leave this for here for the next monthly update but interesting plans for the new gondola at Fornet (Vallon!)
Great to see the old cable car is to be replaced. Must be the oldest lift in Val D'Isere if not the whole of 'Espace Killy'. It served us well though and I wonder which hotel or bar garden it will end up in as a shelter, for it's relaxing retirement?
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Quote:
Great to see the old cable car is to be replaced.
D'oh! I mean the the old gondola being replaced, not the telepherique. I blame my age and snow deprivation.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
What do the regulars make of this weekend through Monday? I don't mind skiing a whiteout but I'm worried the freezing level is too high and it will be functionally rain to very high?
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@8611, purely based on the forecast, my experiences of skiing in the sort of weather forecast rather than any particular local knowledge it looks grim.
FL 26, 27 at best. And even if you can stay that high vis is going to be a bit rubbish.
Great for any tourers over the next couple of weeks once is cleared through though.
Last edited by Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name: on Fri 28-04-23 11:58; edited 1 time in total
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Wise advice I think. It looks like its my last window beyond Hintertux as tied up next week.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Conditions today were a bit sticky at times, but pistes well covered e.g. the “L” had wonderful cover. Meto France says there are currently showers here, but I haven’t seen any yet. Their forecast seems to have improved a little from what they were suggesting earlier. We are intending to stay until the final day unless it should get really wet.
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?
PeakyB wrote:
@Steve Angus,
Quote:
BTW ill leave this for here for the next monthly update but interesting plans for the new gondola at Fornet (Vallon!)
Great to see the old cable car is to be replaced. Must be the oldest lift in Val D'Isere if not the whole of 'Espace Killy'. It served us well though and I wonder which hotel or bar garden it will end up in as a shelter, for it's relaxing retirement?
Good news, but I feel a little nostalgic for it. On my trips to Tignes with my OH we've used that gondola as the place for our picnic more than once -- it gets plenty of sun, you always get a cabin to yourself, and there's easily enough time to unwrap a sandwich, take your time over it, re-apply suncream ... probably write a couple of postcards too.
@PeakyB: I read a bit around wrt The Tunnel (and saw the YT clips) and I agree this is not one I'll put on the bucket list
Wrt Epaule de Charvet: I think it was intentionally groomed when we took that one, because Santons was closed. So that is why it was not that challenging for us.
Anyway, today was by far the worst day of the week! The temperature last night was way too high and this noon was 15C@2500m. So it was sticky snow & slush all over the place and in the higher regions where snow was reasonable, there was lots of wind. The sky was covered and visibility not very well. Grande Motte was closed and we stuck to our plan to go to Glacier du Pisaillas.
Santons was closed most of the times (definitely in the afternoons) but this morning we were able to take it, though it took a piece of the 'belag' (not sure what it is called in English) of my ski In the afternoon it was closed again because of a lack of snow.
Part of the plan was also to visit finally Le Fornet, but because of the poor conditions we skipped this run down to stay in the higher regions and went to the gletcher with the Leissieres chairlift.
At Pisaillas top we took again the Combe du Geant piste, that we usually appreciate very much, but once completed we decided to take Leissieres right back to the other side and lunched at the Solaise top. My daughter & I did once again Germaine Mattis that was very quiet and the snow was not that bad. We only had to take the Route du Col piste back and with the wind and sticky snow we had to pole a lot.
We re-grouped at the Olympique cabin and on the top we thought to take the alternative Col de Fresse way back to VC. Oh boy, the green slopes with slush and wind were a real struggle to move forward. We took the Borsat lift and when we looked over the Col to VC side (@Fresse piste) we decided we didn't want to fight with our poles against this wind and shitty snow. So we went for the Tommeuse/Toviere way back, but still had to pole a lot in this green beginners area.
The good thing was that we were passing the Folie Douce and took a beer to close this week in a positive way
In summary we look back at a great week, with lot of fresh snow and we have seen almost all pistes at least one time. It was definitely busier compared to 6 years ago, but not overcrowded and a very pleasant time of the year to be in this great ski domain. Vallee Perdue was a highlight!
Honestly, I doubt if I want to be here before March in the Ski season and also not in the busy weeks. Many chairlifts are a bit outdated and when it is cold and windy, I would definitely miss a cover (as I am used to in Austria where we usually stay in December/January). Nevertheless, I hope to be back here in less than 6 years to enjoy the rough and spacious atmosphere.
Thank you all for reading and your suggestions, this domain is still in my heart!
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@Gnoe, was Santons definitely closed due to lack of snow? It's usually avalanche risk that closes it on warm afternoons.
@Gnoe, again, thanks for a very interesting and informative trip report.
Early to mid March has been my favourite time to visit the area over many years.
However, I suggest do not dismiss earlier in the season as always being too cold and harsh. The weather conditions in Europe are now so unpredictable.
Also the range of covered lifts (gondolas, funiculars, cable cars) make it perfectly fine to get around without using the few old exposed chairlifts.
I’ve experienced wild temperature fluctuations in March. In one 2 week trip it ranged from -20 to +20c, with the colder days at the end.
We’ve had great trips in late January, with sunny days and -5 to +5c range. Once a full week whiteout with skiing only permitted on the last day. Another time high temperatures, when heavy rain washed away snow above 2000m.
Even in early December, some fabulous sunny weeks, whole area open and great snow conditions. One reason why snowHeads Pre Season Bash trip is so popular, as a great start to a season.
You take your chances with weather, one reason why I’ve often booked just a day or two before arriving. But in about 40 trips to Espace Killy, early or late, there have been maybe 2 times I had any regrets.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@sugarmoma666: yes I noticed most of the time in the App that Santons was closed because of avalanche risk. But now I took it I could see that snow condition was poor and quite some stones/rocks in the snow. One cut a piece through my 'belag' (black 'base layer'?).
Santons was closed in the afternoon when we went back, so I expect it is prepared during night and kept open as long as possible to 'load balance' the traffic down to bit and spare the other pistes.
@PeakyB: I'm usually not in the position to decide to go last minute and for family trips I'm bound to holiday weeks .
Only the end of season period gives us opportunity to book last minute and decide to go to the snow or do something else. I agree that conditions can be also great at the beginning of the season, but I cannot plan on that.
I woke up this morning with rain in VC btw... Car is packed and a good time to leave, but I hope for folks in the last week they will have a good week. The weather forecasts indicate a significant fresh portion of snow in the upcoming days, so if it is a copy of our week (and temperature will decrease from now on) it will be definitely great!
Did you go into Col Pers today?... skin back out or traverse high over Torsai or Summer path out? Bet you got a couple laps on Glacier Pers too perhaps on Winter pow?
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
We had some pretty unseasonably Wintery weather persist throughout the month!
Well what a month (well 6 weeks really) it has been!....
The end of the ski season now feels like a long time ago! Despite doing my tax return (many sleepless nights!) I did manage to sneak in some fun times too! There was some family ski days, we had lunch up the mountain on more than one occasion - mainly for Clares birthday and I also fitted in some snowboarding time especially with Ben to get him going! The snow was really good right until the bitter end to be honest... there was just the few locals about and it was a shame there was not more people around to enjoy it - ce la vie!
The weather on the most part has been a little disappointing - wouldnt say it has been dreadful but it has not been classic Spring weather thats for sure....lets hope the Summer makes up for it!
Val as a town the last month has been the usual for this time of the year.... basically just the locals (mainly those like us with kids at school here) and a load of builders everywhere and not a lot else happening!!!!! However it is nice to catch up with friends that you dont really get a chance to see in the Winter.... we even threw a BBQ yesterday for a friend (Murray and Christina from YSE!)
Olivia also had her 9th birthday and it was basically a sleepover for 4 friends (well we didnt have to organise a party but a sleepover for 5 of them total was tough!). Anyway she had a wonderful time and lots of treats were had... after Clares birthday a few days previously it was quite a week of non stop celebrations.
The big event of the month though was the first trip of the Summer .... to Paris. There is a great little campsite just on the outskirts of the city... it is on the metro circuit. Anyway a really amazing little campsite but we got a couple of days in Paris and another at the site to chill... we did all the tourist things like the Eiffel Tower (couldnt get tickets to go up it but that doesnt matter as we will try next Summer instead and stood under it which was pretty cool anyway!), a trip on the Seine by boat as well as visiting the Louvre (seeing the Mona Lisa) and a walk down the Champs Elyses etc... all very touristy but we had a very good time! The weather could not have been better - not HOT but perfect for a city trip and crucially didnt rain at all! yay!
I have been doing lots of little jobs that need doing.... currently tying to fix the seat belt in our van... already treated some rust as well as change the Winter tyres (I realise those are all car related jobs but I have done a LOT of bits). Oh and I have ordered new ski gear for next Winter (my new Transceiver arrived today!), and plenty of other things too!
The next month should see similar to the last few weeks in terms of bit jobs here and there as we gear up towards our month back in the UK (July) where we do the tourist bits around as well as see family etc. Phew its all go!
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
On the good news front I’ve reserved an apartment in Val d’Isere for Feb half term 2024 so I’ve got an excuse to keep following Steve.
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. I knew we were quite close but didn't really try to find the starting point today. Anyway we pointed them a bit in the right direction and hope they found it. We noticed on several piste signs 'Village Perdue' but that is something different! Anyway, we'll search for the entry later this week, hopefully after some fresh snow.
The entrance was not 
In the afternoon it was closed again because of a lack of snow.
