 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi,
We're planing on going to Chamonix this weekend. At the moment, it seems like it'll start snowing again this weekend after 2-3 weeks of no snow fall.
I have never been to Chamonix, so I was wondering if you could give me some ideas about its runs. How does the scaling compare to 2 Alpes, Alpe d'Huez or 7 Laux? I am comfortable on most blacks of these resorts (except for the infamous Le Tunnel, especially when it hasn't snowed for 10 days.)
I can handle moguls (Plan du Pra of 7 Laux for ex) or a steep slope (Bellecombes 5 at L2A for ex), just not both at the same time. 
A SH wrote that The Pierre a Ric at Chamonix is a very difficult run for a red piste, it sends the most skiers to the hospital, etc.
What runs at Chamonix would you advise to start with, which ones to avoid? Especially if it still won't snow...
Thanks a lot!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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themothandthestar, i don't think that the runs in Chamonix are really so significantly different from anywhere else. I'd accept that generally they're in the upper ranges of the colour categories but no worse than that.
Pierre a ric is a pain because a. At home time everyone is on it and b. a significant number of them can't ski as well or as safely fast as they think they can. In and of itself, it is not any more than a proper red run. Just often full of idiots.
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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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pierre a ric isnt a difficult piste by any means.
chamonix's easily accesible off piste is just a mogul field at the moment, 3-4ft deep in places, as are the un bashed pistes (ie, most of the black runs)
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Charles Bozon has one genuinely steep section that can be bypassed. Point de vue and sous pylones are not particularly easy if you are not used to ungroomed snow but the views are stunning. Don't go outside the piste markers. Both are more difficult than either Valentin or Diable at LDA. Slightly shallower than the tunnel in both cases and less prone to the melt freeze conditions that make the tunnel such a pig first thing in the morning.
I tend to download from Lognan rather than ski Pierre a Ric for the reasons outlined above.
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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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Charles Bozon in the Brevant sector is a rather benign black I seem to recall. It's worth heading over to Argentiere where there are a few tougher ones (names escape me at the moment).
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We did Pierre a Ric at 11am and it was the nicest run of our week -definitely a fabulous run when quiet.
The black from the top of the second gondola at Brevent was nice for me who isn't very used to black runs.
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the run from the top of brevent at the moment isnt much fun at the moment, neither is the charles bozon. if you dont like steep pitches and moguls i'd stay clear of them for sure.
go to the top of brevent though, its got one of the best views in the valley....
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| halfhand wrote: |
| Charles Bozon in the Brevant sector is a rather benign black I seem to recall. It's worth heading over to Argentiere where there are a few tougher ones (names escape me at the moment). |
There are easy variations for all the steep sections. It's not really a black at all in my book, it's a fairly standard red run with some steep optional sections. However, if you take the steep options it's a good black run.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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The majority of blacks in Chamonix are just blacks because they are narrow (IMO). I haven't found any particularly difficult and I wouldn't exactly say I'm advanced. If you have the MBU pass then the Grands Montets cable car takes you up to the top (3300m) and has 2-3 ungroomed blacks, which can take you all the way to the bottom. The view from the top is spectacular here!
B/F are pretty rubbish at the moment (IMO) and are not very enjoyable so hopefully it'll snow soon! Been spending most of March at Grands Montets, but beware, at the moment it is plastered with moguls everywhere. There are still plenty of groomed pistes that you can enjoy such as the Bochard, Combes and Chamois (black run).
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So, as i understand, Pierre a Ric is fine as long as one does not do it at the end of the day. And Charles Bozon has several branches some of which are less steep than others.
Bochard, Combes and Chamois are groomed pistes.
Point de vue ans sous Pylones are ungroomed. They are shallower than Tunnel of Alpe d'Huez and don't get as icy. I think one can have a look at sous pylones from the chairlift and have an idea already?
Actually, i don't mind, i even kinda like ungroomed pistes. As long as they're not very steep at the same time. (i understand that at the moment they are exceptionally difficult with the lack of snow, but perhaps they'll be alright when/if it snows again this weekend?)
Any opinions about Blanchot, Nants, Bouquetins, Pic janvier, Les Praz, Floria, Kandahar? Is there a black piste that you'd suggest to avoid unless you're a very experienced skier? Something like Pas du Chien of 7 Laux, as in, very steep with rocks, ungroomed etc?
The main reason why i'm asking is that the piste plans show that once you're in most of black pistes of Chamonix, you can't escape them, you have to go all the way down. So i am trying to get as much info beforehand as possible.
Thank you very much!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Pierre a Ric is the run down from GM? I am a total wuss, hate icy scraped off pistes and crowds and I skied down this quite happily each time we skied there at the end of the day, I had my own 98mm badly needing serviced skis and on one day a 106mmish ski I was demoing so not like I was on race skis either. We didn't do Charles Bozon but I wasn't bothered by any of the other pistes we skied either, I think most of the blacks we skied were ungroomed which I prefer, moguls>ice.
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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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I dont really know the names of many of the pistes, but the nantes is the brevent home run i think, thats closed, it wont re-open this season. most of the more difficult terrain in chamonix is off the pistes
kandahar isnt really a black, its a medium red at best, i've never understood why its a black, something to do with racing i should think....
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Pierre a Ric is lovely at the start of the day, I often use it as a warm up. Charles Bozon is great most of the time, just watch out for less good skiers sticking to the easiest bits and going a little out of control - it can be quite a narrow track!
Brevent and Flegere home runs are unlikely to reopen now this season.
Kandahar in Les Houches is glorious, but not very black as above. A very enjoyable long run though.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
Is there a black piste that you'd suggest to avoid unless you're a very experienced skier?
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Not really. If you are happy on something like Point de Vue then you are probably going to be ok elsewhere in the valley.
Re Pierre a Ric - it varies. The main hazard here is being cleaned out from behind. You can gauge how bad it is going to be from the start of the piste pretty much.
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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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eddiethebus, there's a very steep often icy pitch in the middle, it's also often closed. With that pitch it's dark black. I would recommend the Charles Bozon. Also the Flora.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| jbob wrote: |
| eddiethebus, there's a very steep often icy pitch in the middle, it's also often closed. With that pitch it's dark black. I would recommend the Charles Bozon. Also the Flora. |
what on the kandahar? dont remember it.... the shape of the kandahar tends to mean that you can straight line the steeper bits as they're quickly followed by a flat or uphil section.
its an awesome run for gettting some real speed up 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
Brevent and Flegere home runs are unlikely to reopen now this season
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Have they actually technically been "open" this season? Anytime I've skied them they've been closed. And in various levels of condition!!
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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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| themothandthestar wrote: |
So, as i understand, Pierre a Ric is fine as long as one does not do it at the end of the day. And Charles Bozon has several branches some of which are less steep than others.
Bochard, Combes and Chamois are groomed pistes.
Point de vue ans sous Pylones are ungroomed. They are shallower than Tunnel of Alpe d'Huez and don't get as icy. I think one can have a look at sous pylones from the chairlift and have an idea already?
Actually, i don't mind, i even kinda like ungroomed pistes. As long as they're not very steep at the same time. (i understand that at the moment they are exceptionally difficult with the lack of snow, but perhaps they'll be alright when/if it snows again this weekend?)
Any opinions about Blanchot, Nants, Bouquetins, Pic janvier, Les Praz, Floria, Kandahar? Is there a black piste that you'd suggest to avoid unless you're a very experienced skier? Something like Pas du Chien of 7 Laux, as in, very steep with rocks, ungroomed etc?
The main reason why i'm asking is that the piste plans show that once you're in most of black pistes of Chamonix, you can't escape them, you have to go all the way down. So i am trying to get as much info beforehand as possible.
Thank you very much! |
As previously said, Pierre a Ric is great in the morning but deteriorates later on, however, it's fine to do at the end of the day and saves you getting the cable car back down! The only reason it's not nice later on is because A) there are a lot of beginners doing it and a number of ski schools generating long snakes traversing and B) the artificial snow/slush can pile up in areas so there are icy patches.
Pic janvier starts off as small parts of the pylones piste so you can see what it's like and change your mind. There are moguls near the beginning just off pylones and then it's groomed and is great! One of my favourite parts as it's quite wide, usually quiet and can build up some speed. You can join the groomed part off the pylones piste later on which is what I normally do as it's more enjoyable.
Haven't done Floria in a couple of weeks but I imagine it's quite icy in parts. It starts off quite narrow and then joins Crochues in the middle section before cutting off to a steep-ish section at the end. It is usually groomed but has had moguls at the beginning (will probably stay groomed for the rest of the season).
Blanchets has loads of moguls but you can avoid any steep sections by taking a slightly different route. You should be able to see where these are as you go down.
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| under a new name wrote: |
| Quote: |
Brevent and Flegere home runs are unlikely to reopen now this season
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Have they actually technically been "open" this season? Anytime I've skied them they've been closed. And in various levels of condition!! |
Yes they have been open a few times, but not often! Nantes has been awful everytime I've done it but Les Praz was good in February and more enjoyable thanks to the off-piste shortcuts enabling you to avoid the narrow piste.
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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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duno actually, i dont think they have. i've only done them both a couple of times and they havent been much good!
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All of this was a great pile up of info to have an idea of the black pistes of the resort. Thank you very much!
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Bump ...
Hope the mods don’t mind an old thread being moved up. I haven’t been to Cham since 2003 though I skied there a lot in the preceding ten years or so. I like to work my way around the marked blacks and so wondered if I could share my recollections so that snowheads who know the area could advise how things have changed.
From the end of the valley:
Le Tour - what happened to the black run down the back towards Vallorcine?
Argentiere:
- point de vue as consistently challenging, not pisted, one of the hardest but most enjoyable runs. A real tough but good one. Pleased to have done it, in no rush to repeat (I was more worried about falling down the steps than on the run ...)
- Pylones [just] steep sustained moguls, bit less steep lower down.
- Chamois pisted all the way down, not much harder than the red Bochards. Pleasant
- Remuaz a little bugbear of mine, mogul field under the chair
- Blanchots. If I remember this at all, it’s as a red. Left off the chair and slanting sideways across the hill
- variante de l’hotel - used to be off piste red?
Flégère:
- pic janvier I am sure used to be red? Bumps under the chair
- Floria - smashing pisted run in a quiet area
- Les Praz - just a road, not really black at all
- Lachenal - which I know is a red - is that pisted nowadays? It only became a marked run on my later visits
Brévent:
- Bozon - one steep move about half way down, the sort where you stand on a road which traverses the slope and hold your nose before making the first turn. Sustained steep for about ?20 short turns. Has a variation (the road) which used to be red
- Charlanon - is new to me, it used to be red only over there?
- Les Nants - killing fields on that narrow, straight-down pitch in the trees. Above and below that just a road like Les Praz
Les Houches (though I won’t be going there) - I remember the World Cup run as a cruising run but not really a black. Wasn’t it called Piste Verte once?
Grateful for any comments from anyone who has the time available. I am sure my memory is playing tricks.
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