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The view from............ Val d'Isere and the Espace Killy

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead

Some lovely walks to be had out there

One of the many Summer activities on offer - star gazing!

The Summer really is a nice time to come with so many varied activities even for kids.... Val d'Isere especially by British standards is just a Winter resort but its so much more than that.

Anyone for fishing!

The ball of August 16th

The Tour A'venir for young and upcoming riders passed through town again this year. To be honest its a bit of a faff the whole thing as not many people follow it but the whole of the road to and from Bourg towards Bonneval via Val has to be closed for many hours - oh well good luck young riders!

Sorry picture was not too big but they did a great commemoration for those Brits / Italians and French that died in tragedy of the Galise in the 2nd World War relating to people trying to get to 'safety' in France (Val) but never quite making it!

Reentre last week and the kids are happy to be back at school (parents even more so!)

We enjoyed a couple of days away in Morzine seeing some friends which was really nice!

The team have been hard (quickly) at work on and off over the last few weeks... here the underlay for the flooring was going down.

Olivia chose her own colour in the bedroom - its not as dark as it might seem! I quite like it actually and sure she will - since May she has not wanted to see any photos or anything of the build - wants it all to be a surprise!

Ben on the other hand could not get enough and loves his bedroom colour!

Whilst Olivia was off left, right and centre doing ski / fitness related things much of the time Ben loved his trampolining time. Olivia too when she was about

Down at the Plan D'eau near Aime there was some good fun days out and activities!

Spot Olivia in there somewhere... the slope is about 600m long there and they were doing 2x2 hour training sessions a day for 5 days with fitness every afternoon - blimey kids!

Late August and myself and friend took our respective kids away for a night in the Prariond refuge which was really fun! We saw a lot of marmottes on the way in and Ben decided he would become a professional photographer - there were a LOT of pics taken on that camera!

The hike in and out is not for the feint hearted though it must be said!

Back to school and they are certainly growing up!

Poor that scree boys!

But make sure all the underfloor heating is covered up please!

Now does that ceiling look lovely or what!

Any finally Kimmeridge Bay in Dorset where we scattered my late sisters Ashes yesterday

Joint01 - welcome to the forum. Glad I could inspire and help!

Another busy month but at least the building site is back full steam ahead again!

Well I hope the photos above give you a nice flavour of what the last month and a bit has been about. Certainly it has been a mix and transition from warm, long sunny days with lots of outdoor activities, tourists and holiday mode to more recently with kids back at school, homework, full steam ahead on the building site and more varied weather.

We did get away for a lovely long weekend in Morzine to see some friends... Olivia got away to ski on a camp up in northern France for a week meanwhile Ben had a lot of sleepovers.

I cant believe Olivia is now in her last year of primary school - where has the time gone! Ben is loving being back at school with his friends too and all going well on that front although I dont really enjoy the stress of getting them on with their homework and evening routine but hey ho ce la vie.

The building site is cracking on well and I seem to be making decisions pretty much non stop. Clare and I were down the valley last week choosing carpets and worktops.

I have also been back here in the UK from the beginning of this week until middle of next week. The main motivation for being here for so long was to get Alis ashes scattered... its quite complicated as location was in her Will, plus we needed the other half brother down from Manchester and we needed good weather to do it.... no point going into detail but basically Tuesday and Wednesday this week were the first couple of options and then again same days next week... ultimately I needed to be back in the UK all that time (I have plenty of other things to be doing whilst im back here too!). Luckily we got the Ashes scattered yesterday and it was perfect weather and conditions for it actually. So after a nice pub lunch we parted ways and dare I say that that is the end of that matter and with it bar a couple of lose admin ends the end of the administration periods for both my parents and sisters deaths and estates. Blimey what a decade it has been since initially taking on 'admin' for my parents and dealing with, what was to be, Dads last Stroke all the way through to now. Im just happy to hopefully be able to enjoy some proper time with my family and kids and enjoy the new house. All I can say is that it has taken its toll over 10 years it really has - my life has totally changed and that is even without becoming a Dad of 2 in that time!

Im sure there have been a million and one other things but I really have had a memory blank this evening having started this monthly update. Whoops. Hopefully the photos will do their job and elaborate where words let me down.

Ill be back next month for another update but as we move into November I dont expect to be doing daily updates until much later in November and possibly not until into December. I certainly wont be skiing or working until mid December this year such are the needs of the building site.

TTFN
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Hey Steve,

Wouldn't it have been easier to buy on of those apartments in the new Chalet de Chevril? After all the 94m 2 bed was only E3.1m. Shocked Shocked Shocked
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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?
chocksaway wrote:
Hey Steve,

Wouldn't it have been easier to buy on of those apartments in the new Chalet de Chevril? After all the 94m 2 bed was only E3.1m. Shocked Shocked Shocked


Yea for sure - considered buying 2! Toofy Grin
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
just about to book a 3 night trip to Val D in Dec 12-15......been offered a great looking appt in La Daile, would have preferred in town more but at 500 euros a head saving compared to hotels, its a significant saving and lots of apres vouchers!!!!..and with the buses should be easy to get around

in tow with 3 yuts that will want to savour FD so easy ski or down load back to LD

realise it clashes with WC ski races that weekend on Face, so maybe being LD way is better anyway.

Any restaurant and apres bar reco's??.....Rose Blanche still popular, petit Danois in town ??
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
stefoy4me wrote:
just about to book a 3 night trip to Val D in Dec 12-15......been offered a great looking appt in La Daile, would have preferred in town more but at 500 euros a head saving compared to hotels, its a significant saving and lots of apres vouchers!!!!..and with the buses should be easy to get around

in tow with 3 yuts that will want to savour FD so easy ski or down load back to LD

realise it clashes with WC ski races that weekend on Face, so maybe being LD way is better anyway.

Any restaurant and apres bar reco's??.....Rose Blanche still popular, petit Danois in town ??


Awesome.

The WC ski races wont have really any impact on the resort bar the Face being closed - other no impact really! As far as recommendations - sure someone will come along and comment but yea Rosees popular still and the Danois is still going strong too. Otherwise usual haunts still going strong! The Garage looks like it is back yet again for another Winter so recommend there.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
If you are thinking along the lines of FD style apres, then CocoRicos on the main Val snow front will probably fit the bill.

The new(ish) TonTons bar and restaurant in La Daille is also good. There is also now Jami Delivery in the La Daille centre which is good for takeaway pizzas, burgers and other dishes.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Trying to place the summer green picture is that Arcelle on the left?
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@therock, yes - I think you are correct, with off-piste Cugnai route directly down centre of pic from grey rocky area at top.
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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.
@Steve Angus, wonderful updates as always. Smile

Challenging time on the graft front but will be worth it all for the outcome.

Remiss not to mention your 250th page of this thread, as the latest milestone reached.

Thunderous applause and congas from the cheap seats, with multiple back slaps from the Members’ Pavilion.

Splendid, old chap snowHead
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
PeakyB wrote:
@Steve Angus, wonderful updates as always. Smile

Challenging time on the graft front but will be worth it all for the outcome.

Remiss not to mention your 250th page of this thread, as the latest milestone reached.

Thunderous applause and congas from the cheap seats, with multiple back slaps from the Members’ Pavilion.

Splendid, old chap snowHead
+1 Very Happy
(Don't know why, but although I can see the first few photos, I can't see the last 14, apart from a little symbol, either on my laptop or my phone. Confused )
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@Hurtle, I get that all the time and have done for years on SH. Never figured out why.
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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.
@PeakyB, its only page 167 forme...you can set how many posts you see per page
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 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
Layne wrote:
@Hurtle, I get that all the time and have done for years on SH. Never figured out why.
It's the first time I remember it happening to me and I really want to see those photos!
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@holidayloverxx, d’oh, of course.
Still, let’s not let that spoil a closed season celebration.
Maybe change your settings for a while and join in the plaudits?
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
You can't embed images from FB/Insta that way with the cut-n-paste url - you need the .jpg file listed not the lookup address string.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
^^^^ thanks one and all for your kind words! Alas to say im not sure when I am going to start my dailies next month or possibility not until early December as it is going to be one hell of a run in to the season this year!

Re the pictures.... I think I understand what you are saying Richard_Sideways.... what I do is load my photos onto my publicly viewable Facebook page under the album 'for this year' and then I copy the picture address and do the ( "img src = " location insert here " > method.... it seems to me as if the photos are visible for about a month and then 'my' photos disappear - replaced by that icon yes... I have the same thing.

So basically if you want to see my photos you got to get in there pretty quickly.... in the Winter its not so much of an issue as after a few weeks its old news anyway.!
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@therock, yes the picture is taken from the Vanoise National Park. The left of the 'dark green rock face' is where the Arcelle piste narrows down as you drop towards the bottom of the lift.

Centre of the picture shows the old hamlet of Le Manchet. Beautiful area in the summer.
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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?
Steve Angus wrote:
.... what I do is load my photos onto my publicly viewable Facebook page under the album 'for this year' and then I copy the picture address and do the ( "img src = " location insert here " > method.... it seems to me as if the photos are visible for about a month and then 'my' photos disappear - replaced by that icon yes... I have the same thing.

So basically if you want to see my photos you got to get in there pretty quickly.... in the Winter its not so much of an issue as after a few weeks its old news anyway.!


It's a Facebook "thing" >>> they seem to implement some time limit (and potentially a number of viewable image count limit) ... as I posted on the thread about disappearing pictures....
Quote:

if you right-click>open image in new tab you get

Quote:
URL signature expired


the Url comes from some Facebook rubbish....

https://scontent.ffab1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/459196362_10169453887000416_8947546455680430861_n.jpg?stp=cp6_dst-jpg&_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=f727a1&_nc_aid=0&_nc_ohc=P1OtjFmVv3AQ7kNvgHdJr8d&_nc_ht=scontent.ffab1-1.fna&_nc_gid=AtnZCIE3ZQiZoZmyvqcdqlZ&oh=00_AYAq8e5NcTXoEg63NhHAGPFZ2pY8oXYK-XV-vQi1hGcZ9Q&oe=66E91A59


Putting my geek hat on and googling for this issue - the oe=66E91A59 at the end of that URL string value equates to a unix timestamp of 1726552665 - which means the date that image URL expired was 17/9/2024

I guess it must be there to prevent their servers from getting overloaded by billions of views of embedded image urls in sites like this snowHead
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@Steve Angus, I've found your public Facebook page, so all is well. Very Happy
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@geoffers - thanks - good to know. Not a lot I can do about it - people just got to get in there quickly to see the pictures!
@Hurtle - Toofy Grin
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You'll need to Register first of course.
In a 400m running race we have just turned onto the home straight....

Thats how I see this Summer! Not just purely in terms of time before the next Winter starts after the old one finished all those months ago but also the idea that the finish line is in sight (30th November) with a little 'warm down' time after you cross the finish line before you can breathe again (early to Mid December before I get back into 'skiing' mode!).

So as usual a lot has happened in the last month since I posted last time.

I got back from my UK trip (what a sunrise as we left Heathrow that morning!) and its been knuckle down guiding the build ever closer to completion!

In local news its been the Autumn blues... the weather has been awful for the most part with lots of rain etc. People in general know Val as a Winter playground full of vibrant, happy holiday vibes but the truth is for several months of the year (maybe the two months of the Summer aside as well!) its a pretty quiet and cut off place... the main 'action' at this time of the year is builders running around everywhere and (when the weather is OK) kids (when not in school) doing their thing.... and the various parents. So as usual the long autumn is pretty glum as the Winter edges closer... this year at least I have the (constant) distraction of the building works!

Val d'Isere as a tourist town has also been rocked a little (you can read on Radio Val all about it and even as 'local' I struggle to understand the exact implications of what it all means) by financial issues at Val Tourism which is a separate entity of the town hall.... in a nutshell there might have been financial mismanagement and my understanding is that in effect it will mean that things like evening animations in the run up to Xmas will need to be cancelled... they will scale back fireworks displays in general when they happen and all sorts. However as the lift pass company, pisteurs, grooming department as well as things like the leisure centre are NOT run by Val Tourism these will be unaffected. So to you the reader I suspect not a lot will change too much - maybe there wont be free vin chaud and hot chocolate on pedestrian nights and I also believe they cant increase prices elsewhere (whether that be property tax / lift pass tax etc) to accommodate this shortfall. All I really know is that something has gone amiss and its not good news for the internal working of Val Tourism Ltd! You'll have to read all the online paperwork to understand anymore than that!

The town on the other hand (as well as the school kids for that matter) have been doing the annual clean up days - getting the place shipshape for the Winter ahead! They do manage to collect an awful lot of junk they really do!





The weather as I said has been pretty awful but that is good as there is certainly early snows up there and its currently sitting at about 2800m... non of course in town apart from the odd teasing falls:




The kids are working hard at school and the 2 week October half term started yesterday this basically is going to be broken down into two single weeks for us... firstly a week of sport stuff with Club des Sports for Olivia for the main part interspersed with homework! Ben on the other hand will do lots of play dates this week which he is more than happy about and some homework of course. However next Thursday after Olivia finishes her sport for the day we will get in the car and head back to the UK en-famille! We have exactly a week back there before heading back on the 2nd November for the start of the Winter season run in!

I think we all need a break as everyone is shattered and the Winter has not even started yet! eeek

So the last month of school for the kids has been them working hard and playing hard and lots of sport and homework so thats the status quo!

There was the annual ski sale in the old swimming pool hall when all the brands came along so both Ben and Olivia (we spend WAY more on kit for them than ourselves) are sorted for kit for this Winter in the form of SL and GS skis, new goggles, helmets, back protectors, you name it! Blimey the bank balance has taken a battering although the Rossignol voucher she won for winning the JB Cup back in the Spring helped soften the blow!

Around town there has been a lot of ongoing building works and to pick a couple out - the Hotel Christiana has nearly been raised to the ground now whereas the Parc complex next to Snowberry is rising from the ground (well the new luxury apartments that is!)

The only project that seems to have ground to a halt is the new bus station in La Daille building... the concrete columns are in but no sign of a roof (even the beams for the roof!) let alone internals etc! Hmmmmmm be interesting to see if that comes to fruition before the Winter!

Meanwhile the building works continue apace in La Daille at ours....

A month ago some of the ceiling wood wasnt finished, much of the walls finished in wood werent done either and ditto for much of the wood flooring. Certainly the tiling hadn't been started and dont think the kitchen had even been ordered yet. The windows were ordered but were yet to arrive.... now a month on most of the above are tick or partial tick lists. The next few weeks is all about skirting boards, finishing trims, more windows, tiling and bathrooms.... oh and doors. But the joiners have started arriving with all their hand made, home made, fitted pieces of furniture and the guy making the staircases even was on site late on Friday afternoon therefore I am hoping he will be on site this week installing the stairs (well at least starting anyway!).

Finding some personal time is tricky one way or another but Olivia and I did manage to complete the via ferrata right to the very top of the Toviere route a few weeks back which was an awesome achievement.... and Ben and I got away to Tignes last weekend for lunch out together - The Moose was awesome food - Ben had a spicy chicken burger which was amazing ! Of course my little boy (almost the same size now as his big sister!) had his birthday too - 7 - I cant believe it! A cool party and he was also spoilt with presents - lucky boy!

See photos below for more of 'my' memories of the last month.

As far as the next month or so.... well as say we have one more week here, then the UK for a week and then November is going to be HECTIC - even more so than normal.... running around getting everything ready for a 'normal' winter whether it be lift passes, boots out, parking pass sorted and the rest of it but it will (as I started this months update) an all out sprint to the finish. To that end I have NO IDEA when I will be starting my daily updates and even when I might get a monthly one back in before the Winter starts. November itself will be flat out and the property should be habitable from late November but then we need to move back in - buy the last few (but important) pieces of furniture that are not being built in such as a desk each for the kids etc and then when its been cleaned a few times and the curtains (which we ordered a couple of weeks ago now) are hung we hope to move in perhaps about the end of the first week in December.... certainly we need to hand the keys back to this place on the 13th December. Apart from 'launch' day on opening day of the season when we all have a TDC ski together and start of season meetings etc I will not be going anywhere near my ski boots until about the 17th December I reckon!

So what I am saying is if there is radio silence fear not im just flat out right up until the last minute getting us back in the front door and settled, so to speak!

TTFN

P.S. Sorry to miss you all at the PsB but im sure you'll have a wonderful time!


Wonderful sunrise leaving Heathrow on the 19/9 heading back to GVA!


I do like the 'old wood' effect - its actually reclaimed wood stained with a colour called 'Chamonix'


Lovely floor too!


Excuse the red circles - was a note to tell Clare something about it.... anyway cant wait until we have a new door/window in here and triangular window above!


You'll have to look VERY carefully to see my builder out on the roof fixing the venting from where we had the VMC air unit moved too!


Our fake fireplace and tv will go on this wall!


Custom made bed head for yours truly (the actual bed has now been ordered too!)


JUST LOVE this new window - brightens the room up so much!


And the mezzanine windows make such a difference too! The kitchen is going to be awesome too!


Still some work to do on it but Olivias bed itself is on a mezzanine level of her own!


The weather has often been like this though - booo!


One very excited 7 year old with his presents!


Climbing to the top.....


Dont look down!

TTFN
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
The Val d'Isere "press kit" has been released for the 2024-25 season.

There are 21 pages of updated info about VDI for the upcoming winter.

Folie Douce is 30 years old.

There are 150 ibex in the area.

Download the PDF here...

https://www.valdisere.com/en/press/press-kit/winter-press-kit/
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