Ski Club 2.0 Home
Snow Reports
FAQFAQ

Mail for help.Help!!

Log in to snowHeads to make it MUCH better! Registration's totally free, of course, and makes snowHeads easier to use and to understand, gives better searching, filtering etc. as well as access to 'members only' forums, discounts and deals that U don't even know exist as a 'guest' user. (btw. 50,000+ snowHeads already know all this, making snowHeads the biggest, most active community of snow-heads in the UK, so you'll be in good company)..... When you register, you get our free weekly(-ish) snow report by email. It's rather good and not made up by tourist offices (or people that love the tourist office and want to marry it either)... We don't share your email address with anyone and we never send out any of those cheesy 'message from our partners' emails either. Anyway, snowHeads really is MUCH better when you're logged in - not least because you get to post your own messages complaining about things that annoy you like perhaps this banner which, incidentally, disappears when you log in :-)
Username:-
 Password:
Remember me:
👁 durr, I forgot...
Or: Register
(to be a proper snow-head, all official-like!)

Alpe d huez/ les duex aloes link

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Property agent circulating property details suggesting it was announced in the telegraph and 'reputable' news sources that the link via auris will be in place for 2018. Anyone any insights. Personally although it creates a large ski area it will look like 2 area and unless they sort the queues out in bergers it's a lot of money to invest for something that people wouldn't sensibly nip between.
snow report
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
sounds like the sort of thing property agents like to hint at......
snow report
 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?
Entirely agree. It sounds a huge expense to create something that will be pretty disjointed and won't work with out significant upgrades to other lifts
ski holidays
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
Apologies for the typo in title auto correct on iPad
ski holidays
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
All official http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/snowandski/france/les-deux-alpes/6763419/Ski-Les-Deux-Alpes-resort-guide.html. I wonder if les dux apples advertises with the telegraph Very Happy
snow report
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
Apologies for the typo in title auto correct on iPad
snow report
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
It's all come from some rumour from the 2012 ski show. What happened is the local communities voted to finance a study in 2012. The SATA then had a bust up with Oz and Vaujany and the study and project were dropped again (this is a project that has been talked about for 30 years). They may start to look again at the project, it is largely driven by Christian Pichoud Mayor of Freney who also sits on the Isere General Council in charge of Tourism as well as being president of the Ecrins national park He's one of those old style politicians with a finger in a lot of pies. He's also made a lot of enemies and the link will be a very difficult project to get through. A link from Grenoble to the Vercors by cable car was supposed to be a sure thing with all the local politicians and local paper etc backing it with pressure from Pomagalski and that proved impossible to get off the ground.

So it won't open in 2018, just to get the planning permissions will take years once the communes decided to go ahead and les Deux Alpes is currenty investing in its core ski area.
latest report
 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
A nice new block of apartments going up in Auris, the first major development there for years as I recall suggests there may just be something in this one. 😜
ski holidays
 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.
David, is the Grenoble - Vercors cable car dead in the water then? there was a lot about it in the local papers / Metropole Magazine and I thought it was pretty much a cert; but I've not seen anything about it for ages. Shame.

I never really understood the cost benefit behind the AdH / LDA thing. Though a mate who has an apartment in Oz was convinced it had the green light.
latest report
 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Red Dave wrote:
David, is the Grenoble - Vercors cable car dead in the water then? there was a lot about it in the local papers / Metropole Magazine and I thought it was pretty much a cert; but I've not seen anything about it for ages. Shame.


Totally dead, as is the Grenoble Chamrousse link, as is the Bourg d'Oisans - Alpe d'Huez link. There isn't the financing available. The problem is cable cars are incredibly expensive to run and both would have been a drain on public finances. Allevard seem convinced they will link to the Collet but to me it is fantasy island, there is no stomach for tax payers to finance such links.

Red Dave wrote:

I never really understood the cost benefit behind the AdH / LDA thing. Though a mate who has an apartment in Oz was convinced it had the green light.


No, nowhere near a green light, there isn't even a project. A couple of weeks ago the mayor of Alpe d'Huez, Jean-Yves Noyrey, said that he would like to study the link idea again. From saying you'd like to take a look at something to lifts opening is years of work and the objections would be huge.
ski holidays
 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
I never really understood the cost benefit behind the AdH / LDA thing. Though a mate who has an apartment in Oz was convinced it had the green light.[/quote]

Totally agree.
ski holidays
 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.
There's some pretty pictures of the 'impending' Allemont to Oz lift and the Vaujany to St Sorlin link is due to happen any day apparrently 😀
ski holidays
 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@Nick D, ha!

The Bourg -> ADH one would make the most sense to me. Could see it getting a reasonable amount of use in the summer with cycling related traffic (MAMIL rides up; cycling widow takes the gondola etc)
ski holidays
 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@Arno, Locals are adamant that the Allemont – Oz Station lift is a goer, would be disastrous for Oz IMHO as the ageing uplift creaks now at busy times and the additional visitors would be unlikely to bring much in the way of business to the station. Most of this talk is part of the posturing since the SATA/Oz-Vaujany split which certainly hasn't been good for anybody on our side of the mountain with reduced investment and less staff. I hope an agreement can be reached to rejoin with SATA as some of the Oz-Vaujany lifts really need some investment in the medium term.
snow conditions
 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@Arno, Locals are adamant that the Allemont – Oz Station lift is a goer, would be disastrous for Oz IMHO as the ageing uplift creaks now at busy times and the additional visitors would be unlikely to bring much in the way of business to the station. Most of this talk is part of the posturing since the SATA/Oz-Vaujany split which certainly hasn't been good for anybody on our side of the mountain with reduced investment and less staff. I hope an agreement can be reached to rejoin with SATA as some of the Oz-Vaujany lifts really need some investment in the medium term.
ski holidays
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Nick D wrote:
@Arno, Locals are adamant that the Allemont – Oz Station lift is a goer,


There is a study underway to assess the impact of the lift, that's a long long way from it being "a goer".
snow report
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@Nick D, interesting. again, i could see it being more of a summer thing for mountain biking. maybe daytrippers for the skiing. but Allemont has a long way to go before it would be an attractive place to stay in the winter unless you are a tightwad like me

were you serious about the Vaujany St Sorlin thing?! That does sound nuts and would carve through some fairly undisturbed (if you don't count hydro electric schemes) countryside
ski holidays
 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?
@Arno, I think its more to capture the day skiers from Grenoble, or worry SATA into thinking that it could happen - more info here www.consultingbymdp.com/fr/projets/liaison-par-cable-vallee-station-allemontoz-en-oisans/

I think the St Sorlin link is impossible for the environmental reasons you mention, still rears its head now and again and would suit Oz/Vaujany to keep skiers on their side of the hill.
snow report
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
[quote="Arno"]@Nick D, interesting. again, i could see it being more of a summer thing for mountain biking. maybe daytrippers for the skiing. but Allemont has a long way to go before it would be an attractive place to stay in the winter unless you are a tightwad like me"

It does have the advantage you do not have to drive up, or down, through the 21 accidents, sorry bends, on a snowy Saturday though. It is actually a handy place to travel from if you want to visit multiple places, Deux Alpes, Grand Serre, Col d'Ornon etc as well as easy access to ADH via Vaujany /OZ / Villard Reculas. Was a bit concerned about Davidofs comments on another thread about pollution under the inversion layer though.

I also would have thought that a car park / cable car in Allemont / Bourg d'Oisans would swipe most of ADH income from day trippers so maybe....

Interesting that the foreunner of all these lifts and things was a cable way from ADH to Bourg d'Oisans for bringing the coal down from the mines. One of the pylons is still standing on the side of the sarenne.

And don't be embarassed about being a tightwad Toofy Grin, more dosh for gear Very Happy I had a night in the Douce Montagne last weekend actually, sound hotel / restaurant provided you do not have any sort of hatred of the Dutch, which I don't.
snow conditions
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Similar stories for years about linking Megeve and the Espace Diamant. Unlikely to happen and fairly pointless I reckon.
ski holidays
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
@skitow, I actually spent a winter season living in Allemont so I am all to familiar with it Skullie I wasn't aware of the pollution but it makes sense. You get some wicked temperature inversions in that valley. I quite like the Douce Montagne - it's where I'll generally stay if I want to ski the ADH area
snow conditions
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Arno wrote:
@skitow, I actually spent a winter season living in Allemont so I am all to familiar with it Skullie I wasn't aware of the pollution but it makes sense. You get some wicked temperature inversions in that valley. I quite like the Douce Montagne - it's where I'll generally stay if I want to ski the ADH area


watch out, I was talking about St Gervais which has a particular problem with a dense population, an incinerator and a lot of trans-national road transport. Bourg d'Oisans doesn't have anything like the same pollution level although obviously a temperature inversion will trap PM10 from domestic wood heating.

Locals seem split about the link to Oz. Many are not keen on the village becoming an enormous car park for day trippers from Grenoble with little or no benefit to them. SATA/ADH and Vaujany don't like the idea much either presumably they could exclude Oz from the ski area if they wanted.

With any of these lifts you have to ask the simple question, will they bring in more in revenue than they cost to build and operate? The Oz link doesn't add any new ski runs and will be very expensive. Does the expense merely split the existing cake into smaller parts when the core ski area would rather invest in its current lifts and snowmaking?

There is the political question, Pomagalski have the ear (and pockets?) of local politicians and they want a new glamour project near their HQ to show visitors. The Oz lift might be sold on environmental concerns - less cars going up hill. At the same time local tax payers don't like these projects being funded out of public money. The revenues Oz/Allemont raise from the EDF might be enough to fund the lift.

As for the ADH / LDA link. It is seen as a long term glamour project to raise the international status of the ski area. The timescale seems to be to open it in the 2025 - 2030 timeframe assuming the project is feasible and gets planning clearance.

Vaujany / St Sorlin ? I don't think that is on the table. The SATA project is to open up the Pic Bayle with a tunnel through the mountain onto the Etendart glacier but it will not get planning consent in the current environment.
ski holidays
 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
davidof wrote:
Vaujany / St Sorlin ? I don't think that is on the table. The SATA project is to open up the Pic Bayle with a tunnel through the mountain onto the Etendart glacier but it will not get planning consent in the current environment.


I'm glad too! That's a wonderful wild area but quite accessible if you get off your butt and walk there (or take a light aeroplane...) - would be a terrible shame to blow a hole in a mountain for the sake of a couple of blue runs and some bragging rights about interlinked ski areas
latest report
 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.
@davidof, "watch out, I was talking about St Gervais which has a particular problem with a dense population, an incinerator and a lot of trans-national road transport. Bourg d'Oisans doesn't have anything like the same pollution level although obviously a temperature inversion will trap PM10 from domestic wood heating. "

Sorry I did not mean to misquote you, it's just that I was following the other thread, about permanently / semi permanently relocating / retiring to an alpine area because I have a similar plan in mind and, as you may know from here, I have a small place in Alpe d'Huez but because of some of the reasons discussed in that post, I had been looking at getting a larger place in the valley so your post about the effects of the inversion layer stuff alarmed me, unnecessarily so by the sound of it.
Where did you get your information from ? I found this http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/air/air-quality/map/real-time-map but could not get it to work properly. I also found another one that I have now lost the address for but it did show some high levels of pm10's in quite a few alpine places and also a lot over Northern Italy ?
The UK, in general, seems to relatively free of the worst of this, especially outside the major urban areas.
snow report
 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Anyone crossed the La Plagne/Les Arcs one or the Whister Peak to Peak?
I always wondered if these things were worth it.
The obvious big new link in the Alps would be Champagny to Courchevel wouldn't it? Along with St Anton/Lech which appears to be happening and possibly St Anton Ischgl
snow conditions
 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@Arno, Yes I have tagged on a day or 2 at the beginning / end of half term for the last couple of years by staying at the Douce Montagne, they have had free rooms on the Friday or Saturday because of people leaving early on the Friday or arriving late on the Sunday and it means we can miss all the Saturday pantomine stuff and get the one and only Monday or Thursday flight at Grenoble. Interesting that their quoted rates for rooms are actually higher for the summer than the winter.
snow conditions
 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.
Firstly, sorry for my slight detour of this thread. Thinking of visiting LDA for the first time and have heard that the week's ski pass also covers a few days in ADH / Oz / Vaujany, Serre Chevalier, Puy St Vincent, Montgenèvre Voie Lactée and Sestrière. Would there be buses in LDA that will allow us to take advantage of this or is private transport needed? If buses available, does it take long? Thanks.
snow conditions
 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@Kennyboyo, There are buses 2 days a week I think to Alpe D'Huez. Doesn't cost much and takes 45 minutes or so. You'd need to blag a lift with a tour operator or have a car for the rest. Also reliant on the road re-opening.
snow conditions
 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Thanks @Claude B. I'll have to sharpen my blagging skills. Reliant on road re-opening?
ski holidays
 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=120415

All the others are in that direction.
latest report
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@Kennyboyo, you also have the option to take a helicopter transfer between the resorts.

Perhaps Claude can shed some light on that option
latest report
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Thanks kiteman. I'm going cheap and cheerful on account that the boss wants a new bathroom. My wallet may object to helicopter transfers Laughing
snow report
 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?
Helicopter is surprisingly cheap and runs daily, can't find a link but its about 80 Euros return.
snow conditions
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
davidof wrote:
Red Dave wrote:
David, is the Grenoble - Vercors cable car dead in the water then? there was a lot about it in the local papers / Metropole Magazine and I thought it was pretty much a cert; but I've not seen anything about it for ages. Shame.


Totally dead, as is the Grenoble Chamrousse link.


Chamrousse is once again suggesting that the Grenoble Chamrousse link is on the table as well as building a "super" resort on the southern tip of the Belledonne. It will be hard to get that one passed local environmental groups as the new lifts will be in the equivalent of an SSI - not sure diesel fuel from piste bashers leaking into pure mountain lakes will go down too well.
ski holidays
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
From 2alpesnet.com

Quote:
On Wednesdays and Thursdays during the winter there is a direct shuttle bus to Alpe d'Huez which leaves at 8:45 and returns at 17:20 - the service costs approx 11 € return and needs reserving from the VFD bus station.
ski holidays
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
I believe there have been similar rumours for years about a link from Briancon to Montgenevre.
latest report



Terms and conditions  Privacy Policy