 Poster: A snowHead
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If 1950 is anything to go by, and I arrived too late to sort the kids' ski-hire stuff out, I'd queue at the shop pre-lesson. If the shop opens at 8.30 a.m, I'd start queuing at 8.00 a.m. You'll be glad u did.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Cheers Don - I think that's got to be the plan, just need to persuade a 5 and a 10 year old that it's a good one!
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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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@Jon_b, don't forget it's hour change time next weekend, so an 8:30 French start will feel like a 6:30 UK start... you may want to get them to bed early!
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@Jon_b, The only lottery about the mid station is if there is insufficient snow to get there - and there may me. Once you get to the station you press the button and the next train stops. At Easter (or just before in your case) it can feel very odd waiting in the warm sunshine for the funicular to arrive.
For the Sunday morning I would get someone to drive you as close as possible to the hire shop, which one are you using? Then trek across to the ski school meeting at the bottom of the Combettes lift. If you need any more help or guidance then ask
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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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@Arctic Roll - Clock change - tick - thanks for the reminder
@johnE Using Precision Ski-Skimium, so a bit of a trek across to the ski school meet. I think we're going to make best efforts to get there in time on the Saturday night! If not I think a lift in the morning is the way forward.
If we can get down to it then we'll have to try the mid-point funicular at least once then, just because. I know what you mean about the weather down in the valley at Easter though. Got stuck with a broken car in Bourg once and spent a very pleasant few days walking (short and t-shirts) on the other side of the valley.
Thanks all 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Jon_b, Is that the place at the bottom of the 3 arcs building. If so it is pretty easy to drop someone off there with the kids to collect the skis. I think it is a 15 minute walk from there to the skischool meeting place with little legs.
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Yes - bottom of 3 Arcs. Pick it because it looked easy to get to, but hadn't twigged that the ski school meet was the other side of 1600! 15 mins should be fine, as long as there aren't too many boulangeries or toy shops on the way 
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One toy shop (or rather tat shop) and one rather nice boulangerie with nice cakes and a good line in morning coffee, but you can avoid that by cutting up to the left at the place of the dead tree. and along the bottom of the piste to the meeting point.
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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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Cheers - good knowledge
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More later with some photos but in the meantime. Glorious day. Skied the morning and boarded this afternoon. Used ski tracks app for 1st time. Covered 12 miles skiing this morning in 2 hours and 10 miles on boards in 2 hours after lunch. That enough work for today. Snow softening below 2000m but even down in Peisey by the Vanoise all was fine (via SMS)
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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What a glorious day. Up and out with plans to go up glacier, went up Varet, queue for glacier 30 min, though burger this and scooted off down arandelles and up plagnettes and down to peisey. Lovely snow, Transarc to peisey as good as we have skied. Quickly made our way back into bowl for round 2 of going up glacier, back up varet and 45 minutes queues, again gave up and went to apartment in 2000 for lunch. Now very warm, not blistering, just warm.
Decided then to board for the afternoon, the snow had softened heavily so boarding is great fun in that. Again through bowl, up arcabuelle and down to bottom of derby, it was so nice we went back up derby but this time down to peisey, glorious. mrsfatcontrooler was in the zone boarding this afternoon, struggled to keep up, she even did her 1st jump, tomorrow she is going to try a jump and a landing. Back up from Peisey and boarded down to 1800, up varet, down to arpette, back into bowl via lac run, up marmottes and home.
That ladies and gents is how you ski and board 23 miles in 4 hours on the slopes, top speed 41mph and total vertical 5,500m. Finished by 3pm as we went down to Bourg for some shopping. All in all a beautiful day or skiing and boarding and to cap it all as we head back up Month Blanc is shrouded in cloud. Snow is on its way.
Some photos.
top of Transarc
top of arandelles
the 'bowl' from top of bois chair
and last but not leaset.
Our car is parked underground at 2,200m and it was covered in these paw prints today. Anyone know the animal
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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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@thefatcontroller, lovely photos - the snow looks like meringue.  Sounds like a terrific day. I had an email from a friend who is in Les Arcs for the first time. Said there's plenty of snow! Fingers crossed for snow rather than rain later in the week. The forecasts are all over the place.
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7.30am here in Arcs 2000. Not so sunny this morning. Dark clouds around, not due to snow until this evening but definitely looks colder outside. The plan is to head to La Plagne to experience some slow lifts 
For those that know 2000 we decided yesterday after 10 years of looking at the run to venture down 'Tuffes' yesterday. Glad we waited 10 years and unlikely will ever go back in. They ain't bumps, they are mountains with crevasses in-between. Truly awful.
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You know it makes sense.
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Assuming it's not a very badly behaved small dog, they're fox tracks
Fingers crossed for the weather here!
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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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@thefatcontroller, I actually like Tuffes, but you are right the entry is a bit tricky. Most often now we cut that bit out by more or less following the lift down and being embarressed by how badly we ski in a very public arena. However there are some nice really steep bits.
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Poster: A snowHead
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looking forward to getting back out for a few days, I should be working but looking longingly at the webcams instead! So should I be packing shorts and t shirts? 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Jon_b, Good call, there is a restaurant in La Cime, obviously food hunting. Must like altitude and the cold living up at 2,000m
@johnE, You are mad, tuffes is nuts, ducked out asap onto the 1/2 pipe beside Plagnettes. They were monster frozen bumps 
@hethbum, Toss a coin.....
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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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| Jon_b wrote: |
| Yes - bottom of 3 Arcs. Pick it because it looked easy to get to, but hadn't twigged that the ski school meet was the other side of 1600! 15 mins should be fine, as long as there aren't too many boulangeries or toy shops on the way |
Hmm - I'm using it too - thought it was in the Roc (where I'm staying), didn't look closely enough at the address. But then I didn't notice the clocks going back or the trek to ESF either.
Where's the lift ticket office in relation to that - me and missus will be juggling the queues for the tickets and the hire - see you in one or the other ! (I'll be the tall bloke with the three kids)
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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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@Pejoli, The lift pass office is in the main square; keep walking to the skischool meeting point. I have never known a queue and the women (for some reason they are all women) are really nice and helpful. BTW I would love to know what you think of the Roc de Belle Face. The apartments there look staggeringly expensive compared to the rest of Arc1600 and I wondered if they were worth it.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I'll let you know. I've actually ended up with a bit of a bargain (IMO) - a 3pc +alcove for 564 Euros for the week, having originally booked for double that in Jan I noticed the price drop a couple of weeks ago on the Lagrange website, so rebooked and cancelled the original (good old booking.com!)
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@Pejoli, I've actually got our lift passes already - the joy of the Internet and the French postal service... trying to minimise all queueing! Not been on a proper busy week for years and years (forced by kids, schools and my wife's moral compass) so being ahead of the game seemed a good plan. It will all unravel at some point of course! I'll look out for you on the trek to ski school (average height, 2 kids)
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Mmm 7am here in Arc 2000 and not a flake has fallen. The forecasts had varied to overnight snow to starting this morning. Always nice to wake up and see some fresh but fingers crossed. Looks much colder out there.
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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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Excellent, thats what we like to see, the question is whether there is rain lower down
@thefatcontroller, out of interest what are you using for photos as quality is excellent?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Llew, Sadly snow has stopped. Shrouded here in heavy cloud so hoping for some afternoon snow now. Using iPhone 4s. Nothing fancy.
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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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| Quote: |
I noticed the price drop a couple of weeks ago on the Lagrange website, so rebooked and cancelled the original
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that was a very smart move. Good price for an upmarket apartment. I've been struck the last two days with how very few people there are around - I suspect a lot of French people who might have been contemplating a late season trip have been discouraged by the relatively (to the normal March) poor snow conditions.
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Looking out my window at Mt Blanc and having experienced the white out at the top of Grand Col about two hours ago, I would be very surprised if it did not snow tonight. Local metro is pants. I was listening to the forecast of "no snow today" whilst watching it falling.Open a window, you Muppets! Otherwise very overcast with a flat light that I don't like. Other than that the pistes are holding up.
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You know it makes sense.
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And those aren't fox tracks. Prob that rabid dog one of the piste patrol drags around with him.
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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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Been barely a flake all day in Arc 2000 or anywhere we have been. Now 6pm in 2000 and shrouded in cloud. Hoping that brings some snow and a drop in temp.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
Hoping that brings some snow
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Having spent days shrouded in cloud sometimes, with SFA falling out of the sky, I wouldn't rely on it. Drizzling miserably here. Snow rather than rain, but hardly worthy of the name. I really should go and put my car in the garage - but that'll probably guarantee no more than 1cm of snow (pretty well as forecast....). Maybe if I leave it out I'll be bitterly regretting it as I dig it out in the 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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Yeah, 8pm and snowing nicely now in Arc 2000(at last)
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| Quote: |
I noticed the price drop a couple of weeks ago on the Lagrange website, so rebooked and cancelled the original
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that was a very smart move. Good price for an upmarket apartment. I've been struck the last two days with how very few people there are around - I suspect a lot of French people who might have been contemplating a late season trip have been discouraged by the relatively (to the normal March) poor snow conditions. |
Very quiet in Les Arcs, much, much quieter than we were expecting for this time of year. As quiet as the low weeks of January..
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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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10pm and still snowing in 2000. The bashers normally are here at 9pm, seems to be an indication that they expect snow overnight if they don't come at 9pm and the leave it then until 1st thing. fingers crossed.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Great. Am driving up this weekend with the family!
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This time tomorrow we will be on Eurotunnel 
Exit delays, roadworks, hgv queues, broken down trains, immigrants in tunnel etc permitting
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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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It has snowed, hard to say how much but it is definitely colder which will help.
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Thanks thefatcontroller,
Keep the good news coming
Only 7 hours of work left.
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