 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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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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GrahamN,
Hope you have scoped it out so you can be our guide next year..!! 
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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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It was a rather wierd and changeable day today. At times rather warm (when the sun appeared), and at other times very cold. The temperature plummeted this afternoon and the forecast is for cold again tomorrow and then snow. It was/is snowing a little bit at the moment, but you couldn't call it anything much. It should be cloudy tomorrow with snow arriving later inthe evening. Piste (and off piste) conditions remain good, although there are a few hard patches appearing on certain over-used pistes late in the day. You'd have to be a moron to complain though! 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| easiski wrote: |
| GrahamN, "Area off the side of the glacier towards the chairlift " Echines des Chevres and it's le Clot de Chalance - where Nick Zotov desparately wanted to go and we couldn't cos of the avalanche danger - sshhhh - don't tell him......... |
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we had a very odd day today. There was about 5 cms fresh onthe cretes, but about 15cms at 2,600 (I discovered in the afternoon). The Cretes wqas freeeezzzing this mornig, very unpeleasant, with the weather in and out - some snow, a little sun, mostly grey. However this afternoon at 2,600 we found two little spots where the powder (and it was the real McCoy) although tracked, had not been tracked out so of course I had to teach my students how to ski in it ........ Later skiing down Les Gours we found super 10cms powder at the side of the piste (the snow had obviously fallen after pisting last night), where we could make a whole series of turns .... Most of the Lemmings were just going straight down the centre of the piste
At any rate, the snow's super and it's been snowing gently off and on all day - will wait for tomorrow. 
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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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Another very cold an in and out day. visibility good one minute, flat the next. It's been snowing on and off all day too, but very light snow as per the last couple of days - too cold for big flakes methinks! However, conditions up on the Breche this afternoon were super as was the Combe de Thuit, and even the bottom of Valentin wasn't toooo hard except in a few places. It's a pity about all the avalanches that were "provoked" at the last snowfall as much of the easier off piste is now unskiable, but the more rigorous slopes seem to be OK. Supposed to start snowing heavily tonight and all day tomorrow and Saturday. Hope so, but still no problems if it doesn't arrive.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Been snowing all day and it's now snowing very heavily. I think there's been high wind, but I haven't been up due to first day off for 6 weeks - no chance of getting to LG which was the original plan.
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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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easiski, LG top lifts (i.e. above P2) were shut all day due to high wind, and unstable snowpack. Our hotelier reckons it'll be shut for another couple of days. We went over to Serre Che today becquse of that, but it looks like visibility in LG is pretty much zero at the moment (can't even see p1)
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Very heavy snow overnight, and been snowing really hard all miorning, but the temp is rising and the village snow is now more sleety. Nothing much is running, but I can see the Village chair going and the Petite Aiguille. i dearsay the Belle Etoile is also going so the face is skiable. I can't see behind to the Pied Moutet though and have no intention of going out to look! - sorry!! 
No doubt we'll get a full report from Arno later today.
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You know it makes sense.
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Switching between snow and rain most of the afternoon. Arno went skiing with a friend of mine, but they packed up early due to ridiculous winds spoiling it. Aparently they found some excellent powder though.
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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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Well I did the unimaginable - I went skiing today on a day off! The snow has pretty much stopped now and is horribly slushy everywhere in resort. I was expecting to find windblown packed snow and very heavy due to the warm temps and rain yesterday but ............ The face was great.
I did the Grande Pente first and then Posettes. Neither were tracked out at 11.00, although the GP was a bit more tracked by snowboarders. Going up the Belle Etoile chairlift all I could see were snowboarders, so I expected the worst - what I got was nearly knee deep soft snow - perhaps not light enough to call powder, but easily skiable. I was able to make nearly all my turns in virgin snow the whole way down. Lower, where it's been heavily tracked in the "Bas des Pistes" area it was pretty ghastly though. Then up again to ski Posettes, which was fab - hardly any tracks hard on the left and the whole of the first part in untracked snow - definitely knee deep there. Missed the second bit and took the third which was pretty good too (although a bit more tracked - not so steep), right up until the very last little slope down the the Village (LDA 1800). That was wet clag - but still skiable where it wasn't tracked.
The visibility was very in and out (fog), but if you waited for 5 mins you could see although with fairly flat light. I was maybe a bit foolish to try out my newly foamed inner boots in these circs - ouch. Great at first and then 10 mins later feeling as though my feet were being squeezed to death! A few more wearings will sort them out though. A nice coffee at the Bon Cannon and then home, where I spotted my friend Bernard (local, ex team skier from the 70's) going into the second hand shop run by Remy Vifquin. Natuarally a short reunion had to follow, in which Bernard proposed to take me off to some places in LG that I haven't been later in the week
What a lovely day! 
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Poster: A snowHead
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easiski,
And we exepct a rave review from LG...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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JT, LG closed! 
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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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easiski,
But soon it will open...and on a day off.....
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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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easiski, glad you had a good day on Sunday. We certainly made the most of it. I started out with a couple of runs down Sapins. Knee deep freshies all the way (except a narrowish bit half way down where it was tracked). Second time round, visibility was good so I'm afraid that I had no option to go very fast indeed. That's what the Legend Pros were made for after all 
A bit more playing around on that side and it became clear that the world and his uncle was descending upon it. Time to check out Pied Moutet.
This also provided the opportunity to swap skis with one of my new ski buddies. "Wildstyle" from TGR has a serious kit addiction, to the extent that he was supplying skis for most of his group and still had a few pairs left over. His 190cm Gotammas seemed the only appropriate choice (although race bindings with a minimum DIN of 9 might be said to be a bit aggressive for someone with a dodgy knee like me...).
I did not regret this. First we did a few laps to the side of the Vallee Blanche (no, not that one). For such easy access it was pretty untracked, but that didn't last long as the visibility improved and punters on the chairlift overhead saw us having a rare old time of it.
We needed to look further afield. We traversed over to near the Bons chairlift and then headed down towards a chairlift which, curiously, doesn't seem to make it onto the map on the LDA website. The first few turns were a bit slabby; and there was one short pitch which definitely looked like it might slide. It was only 30m or so and easily avoided though. Once past this, I was greeted with 4 or 5 turns of the lightest snow of the weekend before a we had to cross a cat track. Things were definitely looking good. Once at the cat track, the sun came out and we were confronted by a huge field of soft light snow. The only thing to do was plunder it shamelessly (powder farming? pah!) which we did. Then we did it again 
All in all a very successful weekend.
Finally a thumbs up for easiski - on Saturday, Max definitely made the best of less than ideal conditions and clearly knew every secret spot on the mountain. Unfortunately, Max's son's camera does not lie, and easiski was even able to disect my technique in the bar afterwards 
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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easiski, yes we were still on the resort side of Pied Moutet. Looking at the map, we were a bit further skier's left than Anemone. Even there, steeper bits looked like they might slide although there's nothing quite of the scale of Thuit. On Saturday, Max had a look at the stuff off the back and really didn't fancy it. I wasn't about to ignore that advice!
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Does anyone have any recommendations for ski hire at the Promenade des Ecrins end of town? Thanks in advance.
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bh1, I don't know where the Promenade des Ecrins is! My recommendation for ski hire is Ski Extreme. Jutta will look after you well, and if you tell her/the boys that you're a Snowhead you'll be treated like royalty. She's quite helpful about taking you back home in her van too if it's at a convenient time.
Arno, Off the back of Pied Moutet from the top of the Vallee Blanche Chiar is where the pisteur and AN other were killed a few weeks ago.
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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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Snowing again this morning as per forecast!
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when it it forecast to stop,please
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I think you've asked this in enough threads now. Basically the weather does as it pleases. Just enjoy whatever you get.
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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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What's the transfer time from GVA to LDA BTW?
Look forward to meeting you next week Charlotte.
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brian
brian
Guest
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easiski, what short cut ?
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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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brian, I'm not sure of the number of the road, but basically the motorway does a loop which you can cut off by going through an old town and over a very old bridge over a spectacular gorge.
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Poster: A snowHead
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easiski, is that just past Annecy?
If it is then I think that they've built a new bridge next to the old one now.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Kramer, I honestly can't remember (don't have a handy map - there is a new brdge that the road goes over (but it was there 15 years ago). So long since I've been that way - but it cuts a fair time off the journey. I used to do GVA transfers my first season here, and some of the coach drivers would not take the short cut which meant we couldn't go shopping at Chambery!! 
Clear day this morning, will report on conditions later.
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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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easiski & Kramer, the only deep narrow gorge I know is well before Annecy (travelling from Geneva). There is a narrow chain suspension bridge on 'fortified' towers and the newer road bridge alongside. The bridge isn't a bottleneck but for some reason the road on the Geneva side often has longish queues on it.
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brian
brian
Guest
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easiski, right, I know where you mean. The road is the N201 and the gorge is just south of Cruseilles. The old bridge is pedestrianised. They are supposed to be building a new bit of autoroute on much the same route to cut off that loop. Don't know if it's started yet.
I wondered if there was a secret shortcut past Grenoble.
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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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kuwait_ian, that's the one that I meant.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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kuwait_ian, brian, Kramer, That's the fella! To cut out Grenoble turn off the motorway to Uriage and Vizille, but unless it's a really busy time (rush hour) it really isn't worth it.
It was really nice and sunny this morning but clouded over around lunchtime and is now tipping it down with snow again. Unfortunately it rained up to about 1800m last night and the wind must have got up something awful as most of the off piste was nasty windpack and lower down was hard. The snow at 2600m was really nice on the pistes though, but short excursions were no fun. We'll wait and see what happens tomorrow, and how much it snows now. There were a number of people skiing Belle Etoile (wall of the Fee), and it looked OK from a distance, but I didn't go for it myself. Very few spots where it looked as though the wind had left the snow powder. Still - all good stuff for the pistes and the longevity of the season. A number of avalanches have been provoked on Rachas and Fee areas, so the warning level continues to be 4.
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Bl00dy hell Kramer, how times have you been away this season...?
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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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ise, When I was doing the transfers it added at least 45 minutes to the travel time to go all the way by the motorway. perhaps it's different now - but at any rate it's much prettier.
Snowing again this morning
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JT, this'll be my fourth trip this season.
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FAQ
) , and even the previously skied stuff was lovely. I think I like this place 
