 Poster: A snowHead
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First time in Alps and les3vallees (B-l-B) and I'm already planning to hit some epic runs. Any recommendations?
For example via wikipedia got that the longest run is 12 km - Cîme de Caron, but can't figure it out looking at the trail map, where does it start first 
Thanks!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Creux in 1850 is good for clocking up some speed once you are down the first bit which is a bit steeper, although if it's clear you can do some great carving turns down it.
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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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The two runs from the top of Mont Vallon lift at head of Meribel valley Combe du Vallon and (forgotten name of the other one  )
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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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cime de caron starts in val thorens. also try to get over to courchevel to do jokeys and jean blanc.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Runs off Masse were very nice a couple of weeks ago.
Although a cruisy blue, Grand Lac off the top of Plattiers all the way to St Martin makes for a nice run in the morning, maybe with a diversion to Jerusalem?
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I really enjoyed Lac Blanc, from the top of Peclet in VT...although that could just be because the sun was out and it was fairly empty. Not a big run, but my favourite of the week.
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Jockeys all the way down to Le Praz(when the snow's good).
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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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Oh brilliant! So many replies, hope I can do everything adviced in those 6 days.
Thanks
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So many great runs in 3V. We're just back from a week there and, amongst others, really enjoyed Chapelets in 1650, Dahu and Coqs into Mottaret and Combe de Vallon
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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JERUSALEM!!
One of my favourite ski runs ever. Takes you down into St Martin de Belleville. It's a wonderful rolling red and you can get a bit of weightlessness off the top of the rollers, it's fabulous. Do it in the morning when it's been pisted and you'll be grinning from ear to ear (and feel free to sing 'Jerusalem' on the way down). The run parallel to it called Pramint is nice too.
Saulire into 1850 is lovely first thing, and all the runs over in 1650 are fantastic for a morning's gentle cruising.
As for blacks, do the Grand Couloir just to sh*t your pants on the way in (I'm far too much of a pussy to do it myself).
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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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So many runs, so little time. The runs from the top of La Masse, with spectacular views a bonus. Beyond Val Thorens into the 4th valley has a couple of great reds. The black from the Cime de Caron to Val T. If snow is good then the red from 1850 down to La Tania can be a blast. Top of Saluire down to 1550 without stopping is good for building the quads.
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second that one.....ski paradise.....
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You know it makes sense.
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Jerusalem.
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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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If you are looking for the longest possible non-stop run maybe it would be to go to the top of the Moraine lift and go onto the Col.
Skiing back from there onto the Moraine blue run and then through the village and onto Les Manures along boulevard Cumin (which is a lovely trail in the summer) must be the longest non stop run i would have thought. You would have to record on ski tracks how far it is.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Folyeres down to La Tania is a smashing hoon and quite demanding for a blue. I like Mouflon above Mottaret - a steepish red with some interesting camber. Creux always good. So many to choose from.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Folyeres, La Tania.
Jerusalem gets all the headlines, but Folyeres is a stunner through the trees down to La Tania.
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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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@magicrichard, agreed, remains one of my favourite runs.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Chris Bish, posted almost simultaneously. Completely agree with you on Creux and Mouflons, although if it's deserted I'd say Venturon is even better down that same side.
Taking Arolles into Folyeres is the ideal warm-up too, IMO. It's intermediate heaven with the option of mellow and accessible off-piste through trees if the conditions are right.
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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 Suisses black on a powder morning. Chapelets is great in powder too
Enjoyed the Cime de Caron black a few weeks back, it starts at the top of the Cime cable car, plus points for one of the best view in the alps (possibly only the view from the top of Ag Midi in Cham beats it).
The skiers right hand side run off Mt Vallon is great provided it's not full of tossers skiing beyond their limits, think its called Combe du Vallon.
Second the Jerusalem/Creux/Jockeys shouts.
many other great runs too.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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As I've heard, it takes 20-25 minutes for the gondola from Brides-les-Bains to arrive in Meribel. I'll use that time to go over your comments and recommendations and plan the day.
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| Quote: |
JERUSALEM!!
One of my favourite ski runs ever. Takes you down into St Martin de Belleville. It's a wonderful rolling red and you can get a bit of weightlessness off the top of the rollers, it's fabulous. Do it in the morning when it's been pisted and you'll be grinning from ear to ear (and feel free to sing 'Jerusalem' on the way down). The run parallel to it called Pramint is nice too.
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Jerusalem can be bad when it hasn't snowed recently. We were there at half term and the top half hadn't been pisted for a while due to lack of snow and wasn't in great condition. The bottom half, which they had pisted was more like skiing on ice rubble. There is no snow making on Jerusalem so it does need snowfall to keep it in good condition.
Pramint was great first thing. Nicely groomed and easy to ski on. Easier than Jerusalem and remarkably quiet early on.
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And if you want to say you've done an Olympic downhill run, Face in Meribel
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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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I would second Chaplets, followed by a coffee at the Bel Air then Chaplets again!
I was hanging back on Jerusalem, it is my favourite run in a snowy season, but I avoided it this year because the snow quality did not look great, also the queues at St Martin 2 were horrendous.
I dis Suisses at the wrong time, in the shade and it was horrible.
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1650: Chapelet, Bel Air (possibly my favourite 3v run) and Indiens is quite cool
1850: Creux, Combe de Saulire
La Tania - Folyeres
St Martin - Jerusalem and Pramint
Les Menuires -Anything on La Masse, Allemands, 4 Vents, Grand Lac
Val Thorens - Boismint, Tete Ronde (oh those curves) and Moraine if you want to blast a blue
Avoid: Boulevarde de Cumin
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| DavidYacht wrote: |
| I dis Suisses at the wrong time, in the shade and it was horrible. |
Suisses is a bit of an odd one. First time it was waist deep and only my 3rd week skiing so had to master the textile turn to get down it and vowed revenge on the Swiss, not helped by the several hundred meters of sheet ice on the flat bit at the bottom. 2 years later after a week of lessons although moguled it was quite a joy except again for the bottom that was again sheet ice
Since becoming a better skier I have developed a bit of a fondness for "M" although only when the snow is a little deeper. When the snow depth drops I have always found the gap below the orange netting on the sharp corner half ways down to prevent you going over a very nasty drop if you get it wrong rather disconcerting....
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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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Raffort and Villages are great runs down through the woods and across the meadows to the lower villages below Meribel. They are old-style runs with a number of variations and a bit of route-finding is often required. Usually very quiet even when everywhere else is packed. However they are often (officially) closed!
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You know it makes sense.
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| Frosty the Snowman wrote: |
| Avoid: Boulevarde de Cumin |
Especially if you're a boarder or have boarders in tow. I spent the whole of that run either dragging my mate, waiting for him or lending him my poles and having to try and skate myself. Trouble is that it's one of the easiest ways to head down to Les Menuires (or whatever it's called down that way)
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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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| SnoodyMcFlude wrote: |
| Frosty the Snowman wrote: |
| Avoid: Boulevarde de Cumin |
Especially if you're a boarder or have boarders in tow. I spent the whole of that run either dragging my mate, waiting for him or lending him my poles and having to try and skate myself. Trouble is that it's one of the easiest ways to head down to Les Menuires (or whatever it's called down that way) |
ok, will stay away from Cumin, thanks! Yeah, I'm a snowboarder.
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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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Avoid Ours as well in that case, it's bad for a skier, but horrendous for a boarder!
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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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Shame you have the lift from BLB to get up the mountain first thing.
Once in Meribel, get Tougnette 1 and 2 and head for Jerusalem-utter fave run ever.
Creux. All the way to the end.
Boismint and Plan de l'eau in VT-long steep red with views right down the length of the belleville valley.
Mauriennaise in the Orelle valley section above VT.
Combe du Vallons, but do not on any account, take Ours as the route out at the end. Instead make sure you get the Mures Rouge lift out.
From the top of Saulire, drop down the Combe de Saulire and just keep going to Courch 1850.
Folyeres into La Tania.
Or from the top of Saulire, drop into the Meribel side, keep right, follow the signs for Meribel, keep on keeping right and enjoy the blues down to the Altiport, then Lapin to Meribel Village.
Avoid- Aigle into Mottaret (usually hard and nasty), ditto the top section of David Douillet above Les Menuires.
Jockeys and Jean Blanc which go down to Le Praz are fine in new snow, but suffer from being low down, so get hard and quite unpleasant IMHO.
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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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| Quote: |
Creux in 1850 is good for clocking up some speed once you are down the first bit which is a bit steeper, although if it's clear you can do some great carving turns down it.
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+1
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
Les Menuires -Anything on La Masse, Allemands, 4 Vents, Grand Lac
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+1
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Jerusalem and Combe Saulire are my favourites. Both make me smile.
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@ao12, Ecrueiel (sp) and Blateau on Meribel's east face. Good snow, no people.
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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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Good snow, no people sounds like my kind of slope. Thanks again snowheads (@Little Martin included).
I'll report back.
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I just remembered another fave of mine nobody has mentioned. Combe du Laitelet which is a twisty blue run that winds through the trees around the back of Mottaret. Often very quiet, on a nice morning you can stop half way down and listen to the silence of the forest.
If the snow is reasonable low down, start from top of Saulire and ski down through Courchevel 1850 under the little bridge and right on down to Le Praz 1300, a huge vertical descent without getting any lifts - nice seats by the frozen lake at the bottom for a rest or a sandwich!
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