 Poster: A snowHead
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PG, thanks for the report. I'll be out on Thursday, so hoping that the snow holds up well with current low temps.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Here are the pics and yesterday's report - in the blog. Just going up to Arc 2000, then down to check out the Villaroger side. La Plagne tomorrow, if things work out.
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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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PG, Excellent set of pics, I have never seen the resort that quiet, what luxury. 
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Thanks PG - much appreciated
30 days and counting.............
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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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Cheers for the update PG. I am arriving on 30th for my annual new year visit to Vallandry and hoping not to spend the week dodging rocks like last year. Especially as I have a new board! Lets hope it will be like this
http://www.fridgemiller.co.uk/Pages/Video_Boys_Tour_2004_Part1.htm
the first part is taken under the 69 (Plan Bois) lift.
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Cheers for the update PG. I am arriving on 30th for my annual new year visit to Vallandry and hoping not to spend the week dodging rocks like last year. Especially as I have a new board! Lets hope it will be like this
http://www.fridgemiller.co.uk/Pages/Video_Boys_Tour_2004_Part1.htm
the first part is taken under the 69 (Plan Bois) lift.
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PG,
Club Med....are you referring to the existing one at Les Arcs2000 or is this a new one? I was there about 8yrs ago, very grotty!
might go back if they have refurbished it. I think for skiing they are pretty good value as it includes everything, even ski lessons/guiding and the lift pass.
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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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PG, Great set of pics, and your narrative really gives us an idea of what's going on. I'm surprised to see that the run to Villaroger is looking so good. I have skied it in far worse conditions...day after day!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I found a great deal going out to Les Arcs2000 on 8th Jan but given PG's very helpful snow review I am reluctant to book it now. Looking to ski off piste and do not fancy hitting rocks so perhaps I wait for better snow cover.
On a different note can anyone recommend a good off piste guiding operation in Les Arcs, one that allows skiers to join a similar ability group for half or full day.
Thanks.
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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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Snowman ,
I'm based over at 1950, and the guys there have always been excellent for us - www.Spirit1950.com
(btw, we're not expert, carry-a-transceiver-&-shovel-at-all-times kind of free-riders, just people who like the occasional challenge of more than a groomer every now and then)
For what we've done, the first test is a swift decent down the blacks from the Varet, and they assess the group abillity based on what they see there (they have occasionally turned people away - although usually at this point, people instinctively know if they are out of their depth and often volunteer to try another day/group if they feel they are way off the form).
The leader then chooses the off-piste from those available according to what they have seen performance-wise at this point. They do both full and 1/2 days.
I am told that the guys at 1800, Arc Adventures are also pretty good ( http://www.arc.adventures@wanadoo.fr ) , have been established longer, and are possibly cheaper, but have never tried them personally.
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snowman, just as a bit more info to the excellent stuff from Jim, the price on the Spirit 1950 web site for a full day "off piste ride" with a minimum group size of 4 and maximum of 7 was €80 - this was probably last years price but doubt it will be too much different this year. Contact details are on the web site but I must admit I am having some difficulty getting a response to my e-mails at the moment.....
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You know it makes sense.
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Struck me as pretty efficient on the admin side, although there's a new girl behind the desk this week that seemed a little out of her depth. Other one I vaguely knew from nearly three years back from a couple of visits to the Foncia estate agents, immediately remembered my name as I walked in, impressive.
Vincent himself comes across as very customer-oriented, we differed slightly on what the average Brit customer is looking for at a French ski school - he believes there's a preference for a local instructor with very good English and local knowledge of customs and mountains, as opposed to the Brit instructor with perhaps slightly less awareness of the last two. He definitely agreed that old-style ESF teaching methods were less appropriate for foreign visitors spending a limited time in the mountains each year, and that the French still had something to learn in that respect from some of the private British and other independent schools.
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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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PG, always has been for very efficient for me before although the admin for our trip in April consisted of us agreeing a time for a beer or two in the Belles Pintes on our arrival day to sort out lessons for the week!!.
I strongly second your comments about Vincent - I really like him and have a lot of time for what he's trying to achieve there. We've had private and/or group lessons from Lionel, Jean Paul, Olivier and Alex and an hours free skiing (with a bit of instruction) from Vincent for the wife and I and two kids and have been very happy with all the instructors at Spirit.
BTW, good to see your recent posting average back up as well - blogs, reports and pics very much appreciated.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Ventured up to 2000 today but didn't stay for long. Stones becoming a big problem on a majority of the pistes. Coming back over the top from 2000 towards 1800 as well. Cachette at 1600 was in excellent condition still - really is advisable to stick to the runs with artificial cover until will get another dump. Not much forecast for a couple of days, unfortunately...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thanks eveyone for the guiding advice.
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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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PG PG, I will certainly be stopping by the Flying Squirrel as I have known Will for a couple of years. No doubt I will see him in the early hours of New year's Day, when he turns up at the Mont Blanc looking overheated in his squirrel suit!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Much colder today in Les Arcs than it has been recently. Currently -12 at resort level, and forecast to be colder for the next two or three days. Snow cover is getting pretty thin on piste, with frequent stones in areas of high traffic. Quite icy on most pistes, although areas with snow cannons are not too bad. A light dusting of snow is forecast over the next 36 hours, then a moderate-heavy snowfall around New Year. After several days of perfect blue skies the cloud has come in, and there is a very fine frozen drizzle in the air.
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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 fine drizzle of earlier today has turned into light snow. Not much is accumulating, just a millimetre or two, but at least it's snowing!
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Woooop!
Put the big order in for next week Rob, please!
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We had a little bit of snow yesterday evening, perhaps four or five centimetres at resort level, enough to whiten the trees and perhaps freshen the pistes a little. This morning is cold (-15) and sunny. The current GFS forecast is for approximately 30cm of snow over the next six days, with the heaviest snowfall on the 31st and 1st.
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rob@rar.org.uk, good news. Very windy down in BSM, no more than a few mm fell here! I've seen similar forecasts but they show snow for today, and at the moment not a cloud in the sky! Let's hope there's a rapid change soon. After my last outing on Saturday 24th and encounters with rocks all over the domain except at 1600, I haven't bothered getting up there since. Any damage to skis Rob?
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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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| PG wrote: |
| Any damage to skis Rob? |
Spent some time yesterday sorting out edges, filling gouges in the base, then waxing. Nothing too serious, and I was quite pleased with the result (first time I've used a gas gun rather than ptex candles - it's a much better result).
It's still cold up here (-12 according to my thermometer) so we've stopped for an early lunch and to warm up before heading out again. Last night's dusting of snow has helped on some pistes, but it is getting swept off others fairly quickly. We didn't have any wind last night at Arc 1800, although 1950/2000 didn't seem to receive as much snow as we did (it's all relative of course, as not that much fell anywhere).
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3 weeks to go before my first visit - sounds like we are needful of a major dump. Well, we and most of the region by the looks of it.
And it was all so hopeful in November - what happened to all that optimistic white stuff? 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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JimW, just wasn't enough, there was no base to speak of at altitude and the snow we had - and it was thigh deep at 1600 on the Cachette - compacted down to not much at all. Away from the sheltered areas high winds removed a lot; it was mostly that very fine powder that without warmer temps is easily blown away... and temperatures have remained very low indeed, at 800m in Bourg the snow has barely melted at all.
Still the first grey skies for a while at the moment, anything would be welcome!
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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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Three of the webcams back up and running, at last. Few cms overnight, not a lot, certainly not enough to make much of a difference. Overcast at the moment, poor visibility, hopefully some more on the way...
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PG, the different forecast models seem to be coming into line for a decent amount of snow over New Year, with GFS (which seems to overestimate snow fall a bit) saying up to 45cms.
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You know it makes sense.
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Belated blog update for Christmas Eve, will head up for a gentle cruise around the domain either this afternoon or tomorrow early. Hope it's slightly better than the 24th... but I doubt it. Here's hoping that the projected New Year snowfall will materialise... rob@rar.org.uk, fancy heading over to the Cachette tomorrow morning?
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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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| PG wrote: |
| rob@rar.org.uk, fancy heading over to the Cachette tomorrow morning? |
Yes, if I can defrost from today's skiing that would be good! Jane wants a lie in tomorrow so I'm happy to meet up.
It was bitterly cold today. Currently -15 at resort level, where it feels quite balmy compared to up top. Skied mainly down to Peisey this afternoon, where at least the trees helped with the visibility. Fortunately not much wind, otherwise the temperatures wouyld have been life-threatening!
Bernard Condon always take the GFS forecasts with a pinch of salt, as they tend to over-estimate snowfall amounts (I think it is the data set that snowforecast.com use). The current GFS run says 35-40com between 30 Dec and 4 Jan.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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rob@rar.org.uk, Still GOODY! GOODY!
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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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rob@rar.org.uk, howsabout 10am at the Arpette?? Want to try out the new DX2 so with what feels like 10kgs of gear in the rucksack, I'll be taking it a bit easy tomorrow...
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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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PG, OK, sounds good. See you at the Arpette.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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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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Fantastic to see that new snow - 3 weeks till I'm up there 
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PG great pic
i am back now let's try and have a ski and a beer
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FAQ
... think they still use the coloured tokens?
