 Poster: A snowHead
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Dumping it down in the valley in Bourg D'Oisans(720m) 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Does Alpe d'Huez have any issues with "to much snow"?
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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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Any update on how things are looking?
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Rain in resort last two days but still lots of snow about the place. People I have picked up have had a great time.
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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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Temperatures due to drop quite a bit and heavy snow forecast. Just in time for me coming down on Friday
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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In vaujany last week. Had some good skiing in fresh snow before the rain but had to go fairly low because of Avalanche risk and weather high.
Managed to make the most of limited options by skiing with the great guide Denis Ailloud of Pureguiding.
We stayed in vaujany where we loved the quiet and restauran tabledelafare in the village.
One HUGE negative of vaujany was slope access. We chose it for its apparently rapid access via the 2 cable cars. This is an illusion as on every day we skied the upper cable car failed to open until 9.30-10.00. This was not weather related they just had "technical issues" every day. Maybe taking the operators up at the same time as clients on the 1st lift didn't help.
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@barnsleybob17, Welcome to snowHeads 
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@barnsleybob17, Glad you made the most of it despite the poor weather. The situation regarding the lifts sounds very odd, assuming you mean the second lift up to Dome de Rousses at 2800m? It can be badly affected when its windy and there were no issues with it during 2 weeks I was there at Christmas other than some bigger than normal queues due to the lack of pistes open. Sounds like you were unlucky, the other option then is to rattle down the Alpette to Oz (assuming it was open?) and pick up the Poutran lift then barge onto the DMC at its mid-station, obviously a lot further round though
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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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It may have been unlucky but it certainly wasn't wind as lifts opened just not in time to allow rapid access to the dome des rouses if you caught the 1st cable car ex vaujany. Yes you can take the long way round but with the piste down closed its a long and tedious journey preventing rapid access to the high slopes with the best snow.
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How are things looking in Alpe d'Huez? Is it getting much of the snow that was forecast?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| conor90 wrote: |
| How are things looking in Alpe d'Huez? Is it getting much of the snow that was forecast? |
Snowed all day today and it's still snowing. Skiing is good.
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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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Thanks, great to hear! I'm there on the 30th
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Going out on Friday for the weekend. How is the main access road up to the main resort, looks pretty snowy - are people chaining up?
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You know it makes sense.
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Lots of snow over last couple of days. Still snowing and a bit dull first thing, with lifts starting a bit late due to securing the pistes. Lovely sun and fresh snow later on.
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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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Thanks for the update, keep them coming!
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Poster: A snowHead
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How are things now after all the snow?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| joe.b wrote: |
| How are things now after all the snow? |
See post above 
(Welcome to snowheads)
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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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Thanks!
Are you in resort? How much snow has fallen over the past week?
All pistes and lifts now open?
Finding the ADH website rubbish to follow!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| joe.b wrote: |
Thanks!
Are you in resort? How much snow has fallen over the past week?
All pistes and lifts now open?
Finding the ADH website rubbish to follow! |
Plenty of snow. Not all lifts and runs are open, but plenty are. The top didn't open today - I suspect this was due to avalanche risk.
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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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URGENT
got to ADH yesterday but boot bag lost in transit - easyjet found it and sent it to Lyon but I got a message telling me to pick it up on the way back on Monday Grrr.
If anyone is arriving in Lyon today and would be able to pick up my bag from the airport and bring it to ADH, or know anyone who can, I would be very grateful. I know this is a long shot, but it might be better than trying to argue it out. They don't realise that rental boots aren't the same thing when you have had your own boots customised.
Please PM me if you can help.
BTW extremely cold here and the conditions are looking excellent. Report to follow.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Just in case anyone is interested:
I'm staying in ADH currently and the snow conditions are good but getting steadily worse. The best skiing is definitely to be had in the mornings but even then the snowpack gets pretty chopped up and softens quickly. The temperatures are just incredible!
The snow depths are retreating lower down and I'd say a substantial top up is required at these levels.
On the plus side - great weather for a tan.
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I'm heading to ADH on Saturday, I don't like the look of the weather!
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@simplyme, a friend questioned a sales rep following my uncertainty about the conditions for week commencing 6/2 and got the following response:
"Im not sure why they would be worried about snow conditions in Alp d’Heuz. This resort has had some of the most snow out of any ski area in the alps this winter with over 524cm of snow this season, a resort height of 1,860m - 3,320m it is one of the most snow sure resorts in the Alps."
Amusing.
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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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@simplyme, sad to hear it's deteriorating that quickly but thanks for the news, really good to hear how it is on the mountain. I'm out on Saturday and was hoping that, while warm, the on-piste conditions would be holding up pretty well. Is it better higher up, or in some sectors more than others? I noticed they've open Fare down to Vaujany - if you've skied it, does it have reasonable snow cover or is it getting pretty brown in the heat?
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@simplyme, @Drogue, we're out this weekend too. Was hoping that the reported forecast temps were a little on the high side as it's looking warm for a god few days yet.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Drogue, it is definitely better higher up but can still become wet quickly. I did the sarenne today and found it refreshing to feel the cold up top. There was quite a lot of traffic churning up the snow which probably didn't help conditions.
Yesterday we did the runs on the Auris side which were nice as they were shaded so preserved the conditions nicely. Quieter too!
Haven't done the Fare but did the Vaujenette and down to the bottom I noticed a few patches of brown but that said it was still perfectly skiable.
@narbs, isn't the weather supposed to get a bit colder and snowier next week?
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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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off to Alpe dhuex next week, hows the snow looking now pleaase
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@simplyme, Meteociel has it back below freezing at resort level from Weds with some snow flurries that night. Mind you it also has heavy rain forecast for Sunday 
Meteo France just has it raining. Still, only a couple of days till I find out first hand.
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You know it makes sense.
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@simplyme, is the lift over to Auris still that rickety old scare chair?
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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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Does someone that is a little more knowledgeable than me have an opinion on Sunday's weather? Some forecasts are saying rain, others snow. Does this just depend on altitude?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| conor90 wrote: |
| Does someone that is a little more knowledgeable than me have an opinion on Sunday's weather? Some forecasts are saying rain, others snow. Does this just depend on altitude? |
Kinda. It will be snowing at some level and it will be raining at some level. Where exactly that level will be is difficult for them to predict and may change as the front comes in and drifts away.
If it was me I would be looking at Sunday as a bit of a write off. If it's raining/snowing all day ADH isn't the best of places to be IMO due to the lack of tree skiing. And if it's raining lower down you'd want to stay higher up anyway, if it's not too windy that is. Probably best to stay local, lark about in the fresh snow, head inside for a vin chaud and hot chocolate.. and repeat.
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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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So the temperature ensembles are calculated at 850hPa which equates roughly to 1500m. As you can see the temperature ranges from roughly zero at the start of the snowfall to about 4 degrees (the thick green control line is the one a lot of forecasts run from and as you can see that represents the higher end of the spectrum), with a bit of a range in between. Freezing level therefore could range between about 1500 and 2000m during the snowfall. Remember that snow line and freezing are not the same, snow line being a couple of hundred metres below freezing.
IIRC Alpe D'Huez centre is about 1850 or so, so if the graph above is correct, my interpretation is snow at resort level, but could be a bit wet(ish). Good snow higher up, and Auris/Oz will be a bit soggy and miserable. Stay high, stay dry.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Layne @rogg Thanks a lot for clearing that up. It looks like the wind will probably keep us away from the good snow higher up on Sunday, we'll just have to get in some practice lower down so we can be rust free come the better weather!
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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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@rainman, unfortunately not! It's a proper 4 person lift now.
We're arriving on Sunday so a damp day low down won't affect us and hopefully will freshen things further up the hill.
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@rainman, not sure what it may have been before but it is still a scare chair! We went on it a couple of days ago and my friend crapped himself. He had to close his eyes!! I wasn't quite ready for it myself but was still good "fun".
Noticeably colder temps today which is welcome.
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@narbs, what a shame -I was hoping to scare the bejeesus out of my son on it this year!
@simplyme, it was small, rickety two man, akin to the best kind of rollercoaster when it suddenly drops into the valley. Loved it. My wife didn't
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It's really not too bad out here at all! Pistes are generally in decent condition with the odd bare patch and some icy stretches here and there and of course no OP to speak of at all. Certainly needs some more snow soon if the warm temps of this week continue but perfectly pleasant piste cruising conditions at the moment.
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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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@Nick D, Sounds like you had a good enough week. Hopefully arrive on Sunday myself.
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Looking promising for tomorrow night/Sunday for some snow.
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FAQ
