 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Great conditions here in Andorra too! As Jon Ford has been reporting, the forecasts have been overly pessimistic all week, including today where the supposed storm has so far materialized as merely a couple of hours of snowfall at midday. It's very overcast, but perfectly skiable. Yesterday was a different story (as surely tomorrow will be), weather-wise:
The whole of Grandvalira is open apart from one solitary steep red piste down the north face in Soldeu's Solana valley (which lacking a bit of snow, but skiable enough if you go carefully). I think that's the most comprehensive opening of the season so far.
Anyway, I have to say that I was hoping for more from this storm! With luck it'll put in another appearance tonight.
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Ski Guide, I agree, Baqueira town is the last place I'd want to stay in that area! There are some much prettier places further down the valley.
But Baqueira-Beret it's not, in the photos. katedenhaag will recognize it, if she's checking in on this thread this year...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Pyremaniac, Give us a clue ? So better than Baqueira ?
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| Pyremaniac wrote: |
| Dr. Will, fantastic - you've convinced me! I'll definitely give it a go this season. (I never made it to Puigmal despite years of saying I would, and am now living to regret it.) |
Bad news for this season I'm afraid:-
A sad state of affairs, apparently due to 9.2 million € of debt.
Please sign the petition to help save some of the best skiing in the whole Pyrénées.
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| Dr. Will wrote: |
Espace Cambe d'Aze is certainly a hidden gem. The map doesn't look particularly impressive at first glance
But if you look at it carefully you will notice the reasonable altitude difference and different continuous red/blacks you can use. When I first skied there a couple if years ago, only finding out about it by recommendation of a local, I half jokingly described it as my second favourite resort after Chamonix! Complete absence of crowds, a real in the middle of the mountain feel with trees aplenty wildlife, glades, bowls etc, and the runs are deceptively long- lovely groomed cambered rolling reds, the central black is one of the steepest and most challenging blacks I have been on and the central red in the middle is in the middle of a great free ride area. Also some off piste and a lovely slope side restaurant in Eyne.
On the one hand I want it to stay hidden for its authentic local Pyrenean feel but on the other hand I desperately don't want it to go the same way as Puigmal, another of my faves!
Now just need to convince my drag lift phobic snowboarder friend to tolerate at least half a day in it! |
The current map is better as it's based on a real photo:-
You can also download it from their site.
. . . . and you are so right about "deceptively long". If you can manage the whole of that central red (17) after recent snow then you're definitely fit. However, I would warn that there are only two runs marked as blacks, it can be easy to get lost trying to get from Eyne to St. Pierre dels Forcats and if you start high from the top of M you'll have to do half that central red and the cross link (IV) which is so flat it would be Hell on a board and that there can be bad queues for the only chair (A). If your snowboarding friend doesn't like tows: L is marked as over 50% and it is for a short stretch at the top and M is marked as "difficult" but isn't that bad.
Snow conditions there are superb at the moment as with most Catalan resorts. They actually benefit from being in the sunniest part of the whole of France because they compensate for the great weather by having abundant snow canons. This means that as long as it's cold enough at night, the pistes have excellent snow cover regardless.
By the way, I live in Saillagouse in the winter which is why I'm so damned annoyed about Puigmal!
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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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| AndAnotherThing.. wrote: |
| Pyremaniac, Give us a clue ? So better than Baqueira ? |
It's Arcalís, Andorra's little secret. Better than Baqueira? Impossible to compare really, because Baqueira is a huge resort by Pyrenean standards whereas Arcalís is a small place. But for its size, Arcalís punches way above its weight! Aside from its many gullies and its open faces, it has a spectacular tree run. My "Snowboarding the World" book has a quote from a pro snowboard photographer, Mike Weyerhaueser: "This place reminds me of Verbier but in miniature. It's so out of keeping with the rest of Andorra. Hopefully no-one will believe me." High praise indeed!
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Pyremaniac, Cheers. I'll try and give it a go 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Have signed the Puigmal petition! In the end we didn't make it to Espace Cambe d'Aze due to snow on our final day forcing us to not end too late but we still managed to spend a day at each resort- Jan 30th at Les Angles, 31st Jan At Grandvalira and 1st Feb in Font Romeu, keeping the drags to a minimum...
Only had to use chains once on way up to Les Angles (a touch hairy getting to Grandvalira the following day but we made it just and sun started shining through as soon as we got on the runs...) and was rewarded by a fresh powder topping on top of the best conditions I have ever skied Les Angles in. Brilliant conditions on the most difficult runs (Esquirol, Peborny and new area of Costa Verde that was steep enough to require jump turns!) Powder in Font Romeu also transformed the runs, Bouton d'or that is usually a moguled ice fest was fantastic. And great sunshine to make the most of the Grandvalira day trip- made it from Pas to Canillo and back!
Hopefully have my friends hooked on the Pyrenees now!
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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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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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Same story in Andorra, where the winds closed all but the lowest areas in all resorts.
Pal-Arinasl: 130/180cm
Grandvalira: 140/250cm
Arcalís: 180/280cm
Thursday looks like it'll be epic!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Currently in El Tarter for the week. Storms on Tue which shut the upper half of the mountain but left plenty of snow behind, but now warmer weather is apparently moving in; up to 15C in the afternoon Sat/Sun. There was sleet and running slush at street level, wet snow on the last run down this afternoon. But lots of fresh snow in the last few days. Last day skiing for us on Friday so we've resolved to get up earlier the next two mornings.
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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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FAQ
who's a big fan of the place on these threads 
, and say that it's a spectacular resort. The amount of accessible, challenging off-piste available is incredible.
