 Poster: A snowHead
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pam w, marmotte16, well I'm going to invite myself along on that day out too 
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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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sorry, just to make that clearer. Does anyone know whether the road is closed between Megeve and La Clusaz or whether it is only the road after Flumet that is closed.
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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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thanks pam w, by my understanding that looks as though the section of road closed should not effect getting from Megeve towards La Giettaz and over the Col de Aravais?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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charlie.wilkinson, no, that doesn't involve the route from Megeve towards La Giettaz - the Gorge d'Arly is the section west of Flumet. The Col d'Aravis is sometimes closed by heavy snow but generally not for long - miranda would always be aware of any difficulties on that route.
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pam w, thanks for clearing that up, wasn't really sure where the gorge road actually started. Will give the Col a go tomorrow and see what it's like, don't think I've seen it shut at all yet this winter so fingers crossed.
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Back on the snow today so did a bit of a tour to see how conditions were doing. The answer is that they're doing very well but I stopped at 2 pm when the south facing slopes were definitely getting grabby. Not slushy - didn't really see any slush - but sticky. I went over the "liaison" to Praz sur Arly, for a coffee in the Serrason Restaurant overlooking Megeve (it was too early for one of their delicious fruit tarts) then across and down to the bottom of Notre Dame de Bellecombe, at 1150. I was a bit hesitant about going down there but the piste - the blue Reguet - is delightful, and I was glad I did as the snow was absolutely fine, right to the bottom. That was at 1215. Almost all the pistes have very good snow cover - the only "brown" bit I saw was the piste down towards Notre Dame from the top of the Trois Coins drag - that's often a bit dodgy and it's not a pleasant piste. It's graded blue because it's an essential liaison to come back at high altitude but it's quite steep at the top and has a bad camber - which, along with the dodgy snow cover, isn't nice. It's short though. I didn't use it today because there was plenty of snow down in the Arly Valley and I wanted to come back that way to try the fast new 6 man Mont Rond chair - which is great, such an improvement on the interminable old one. The layout at the top of Mont Rond is now different - the only chair to the top is the Gueux.
There were people around, and Les Saisies village looked busy as I went over on the Chard du Beurre chair - lots of cars. But nothing even remotely resembling a lift queue - a very pleasant morning.
I know there are a couple of people coming to the Espace diamant this week. There's certainly no problems with snow cover in the bits I skied today (I'll go down to Hauteluce tomorrow to see how things are down there) but I suspect it'll be a week for packing by 3 pm at the latest because it's so warm. That sticky snow is hard work.
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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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We are just back today from 4 days of skiing in the espace diamant, staying in Le Cernix. Was disappointed that I couldnt get any internet connection to contact you Pam to meet up as it would have been good to see you again, but I am sure we will be back again and will be more prepared before we leave. I just assumed I could get a wifi signal somewhere and message you through the site to make arrangments, but I couldn't get a signal anywhere. All the restaurants seemed to have a signal but were secured only.
We tended to stick to to les saisies and Crest Voland mainly because I like those areas the best. On Wednesday we decided to go to that restaurant we had went with you for lunch (near Mont Rond) but as we started skiing down the Aret, i was convinced that the restaurant shoujld have been there. A bit perplexed, we continued down the Vores run then down the Lac to the bottom. The snow cover was really in pretty good condition all the way to the bottom and even at 1pm wasnt too churned up. At the bottom we decided to take the Lac chair back up and head back over to the restaurant at the bottom of the Verdets button but I suspect that if we had of taken the Plan Desert button, we would have found that restaurant? but I find that the skiing on that side is not as easy cruising as Les Saisies and Crest Voland.
We had a glorious week basking in the sunshine. So much so that hubby didnt wear his ski jacket most days because it was so warm (I am not that brave lol - I did do one day without gloves and burned my hands lol) Most days the snow was great. By afternoon, as Pam said, it wasnt slushy it was just very sticky, sometimes a bit like velcro and for me going down runs which were half shaded, I had to watch my balance as I would go fast in the shaded bits then stick like velcro in the sections hit by the sun.
We particulary loved the Daoust and Ruine pistes and did them quite a few times as they tended not to be very busy (not that anywhere was very busy, we rarely had to wait more than 30 seconds to catch a lift) but the snow seemed really nice there too. We did the pechette run just the once. It was very chopped up at about 1pm (and was out of my comfort zone). We also did Sangliers which was in good condition.
The home runs into le cernix where we were staying were really hard work and very chopped up at the end of the day, but I suppose they wouldnt be much different to most home runs at that time of day. There was one section at the very bottom which was turning to mud (but no one seemed to use that section anyway). The piste bashers seemed to be doing an excellent job of maintaining the pistes.
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polo99, There is free WiFi at the Tourist Office in Crest Voland.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Well, so much for Meteo France and their "quelques flocons" today. It's hammering down. Overnight we had 20cms in the village, 30cms up the hill and there's been a good few cms so far this morning.
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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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after the Shiite week I've had at work I'd so love to be in the ED now skiing fresh powder! I'm very envious of you pam w, enjoy!
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jirac18, I'm not going to be skiing much, if at all, this week as I have visitors, including a 2 year old. I am on chalet maid and childcare duties.  I hope the snow will still be good after I've driven them back down to Turin on Thursday.
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You know it makes sense.
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Pam - any thoughts on the runs holding up from this latest dump through to mid April? Can't quite make my mind up just yet....nothing like leaving it to the (very) last minute lol!
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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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any thoughts on the runs holding up from this latest dump through to mid April?
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It's really difficult to tell at the moment, but much more optimistic now with some cold days and decent snowfall already, and more to come. I hope it'll be OK because my daughter and family are coming out in the school hols and will be v disappointed if there's not some decent skiing. I think it'll be OK up in Saisies but of course much of the lower part of the ED will be closed.
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Poster: A snowHead
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yep, am expecting the main Saisies area to be ok but i think NdB is shut, Praz will be closed and I suppose the links to Crest will be heavy if nothing else but I'm ok with that. Will keep a watching brief this week and then decide.
If nothing else, I'm expecting it to be fairly quiet as usual given the late Easter this season
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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skinutter, Crest Voland closes on 11 April. The linking drags have been replaced by a chair.
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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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skinutter, after some doom and gloom about conditions I thought I'd post some pictures from this morning. This is a panorama of the Mont Bisanne side of the Saisies bowl.
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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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This is the bottom of the Chenavelles and Girolles runs - on the south-facing side of the bowl, still looking good.
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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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The top of the Carrets chair - and the green nursery run down
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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The Carrets lift and nursery slope in the distance - and the toboggan run on far left, which my 2 year old grandson enjoyed enormously last week.
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not very relevant to snow conditions, but we've been entertaining the montgolfieres this weekend - a lovely spectacle.
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Last but not least - still loads of snow in the cross-country area (this is at the bottom, on one of the easy green circuits).
As you can see the whole place is hideously crowded.
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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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Snow depths are generally good but already dropped considerably from just after the last snowfall - 99cms and 166cms this morning. Another warm week will see those numbers dropping even quicker. 
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Thanks for the visibility, seems to be holding up cover wise.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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skinutter, yes, cover is excellent at the moment except on the "usual subject" pistes such as the south facing Bouquetins black run down to our place. In Les Saisies itself all the green, all the blue and all but 2 of the 13 reds are open. Apart from the Bouquetins the two steep narrow black runs (Cuberotte and Sapiniere) are closed but both are sun-facing and often sketchy. But no matter how deep the snow, you only ski on the top couple of inches and the sun is taking its toll!
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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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By the time we got to (2-3 ish I guess) bottom of Covetan lift, it was hard work in slush - what a comfortable chairlift though
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yes - and fast. New for last season. The previous lift was a 2-man, both slow and uncomfortable. Nice to have been able to say "hello".
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You know it makes sense.
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They're working hard on the pistes. This is just next to my apartment - south facing at 1550m, surrounded by grass and crocuses now.
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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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I went for a walk above Flumet today. This was taken from my picnic spot.
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Poster: A snowHead
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spring has definitely sprung. We went on the Mountain Twister last week and the whole thing was surrounded by crocuses on the way up. Far cry from last season when the track was barely above the snow.
Still, rather be sat in Flumet in the sun than in the UK 
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FAQ
). Great coverage on many (acutally most) of the pistes still, even on Friday though of course warm temps and sunshine doing their thing. We were able to get along the top as far as Douce. By the time we got to (2-3 ish I guess) bottom of Covetan lift, it was hard work in slush - what a comfortable chairlift though 
