 Poster: A snowHead
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I am totally flexible on travelling, where has snow worthy of a trip in Euroland this weekend?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Nowhere as far as I know. Save yourself and go in a few weeks.
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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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Milton Keynes, Castleford or Tamworth
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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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And Hells Bells reported heavy snow yesterday around Gateshead, I believe. And as for the Scottish Hills.......
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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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To be a bit more helpful, if you're desperate to go, the northern alps are doing much better than the south, east a little better than west, and you should go as high as possible. Ischgl looks to be doing well, for example. I'm going to Engelberg tonight, but you can do a bit better if you are flexible in location.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Tignes currently has best snow and most open by a country mile
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| peanuthead wrote: |
| most open by a country mile |
Not correct at the moment, sorry.
As above Ischgl is just about the best at the moment - 158km of slopes open today with more to open at the weekend.
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| AthersT wrote: |
| peanuthead wrote: |
| most open by a country mile |
Not correct at the moment, sorry.
As above Ischgl is just about the best at the moment - 158km of slopes open today with more to open at the weekend. |
Ischgl doesn't count - it's not in France. This is Snowheads - Alps = France.
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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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@telford_mike, of course haha
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| Cptsideways wrote: |
| I am totally flexible on travelling, where has snow worthy of a trip in Euroland this weekend? |
Appears to be some snow forecast for Austria tomorrow and Thursday. Go this weekend or else wait until after Christmas period.
There is snow and lifts are operating but not enough to cope with holiday crowds.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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and if you go to Austria, go high. Lots of rain forecast at lower altitudes. But really, there is likely to be a lot more choice later in the season - the few places with decent snow are likely to be very busy.
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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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Wherever rob@rar/his apartment are have the best snow, all the time, ever, without fail. No vested interest.
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You know it makes sense.
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O for goodness' sake @Lauka, don't you start with all that crap.
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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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@Lauka, i thought that was at my house! 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Reasonable amount of snow in Scandinavia. Trouble is, won't be many runs open......
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@pam w, it was a joke I don't really think that as evidenced by several posts elsewhere.
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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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@flangesax, there too, snowHeads will descend en masse next week!
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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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@Lauka, OK, sorry. Winkie smiley might have helped?
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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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Mount Baker, US, and Whistler, Canada, have the best skiing conditions in the world right now. Parts of northern Japan also quite good (but mixed).
Andorra, Ischgl, Tignes and Zermatt are the best in Western Europe right now (but generally not great).
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I should have specified that Tignes combined with Val d'Isere would have the greatest amount open combined with decent depth throughout most of resort. Snow depth in resort is currently pretty much equivalent to snow at top of Ischgl.
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| Cptsideways wrote: |
| I am totally flexible on travelling, where has snow worthy of a trip in Euroland this weekend? |
| Whitegold wrote: |
Mount Baker, US, and Whistler, Canada, have the best skiing conditions in the world right now. Parts of northern Japan also quite good (but mixed).
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Er, the OP lives in Dorset and wants to do a weekend.
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@Cptsideways, cervinia probably a good bet , tignes good for long weekend , and another vote for ischgl ,
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| and if you go to Austria, go high. Lots of rain forecast at lower altitudes. But really, there is likely to be a lot more choice later in the season - the few places with decent snow are likely to be very busy. |
Austria high or snowheads blinkered France high  I've done many Easter trips to Stuben at 1400m, and always been able to ski to the base station. Think it's open now as well.
PS - not a dig at you Pam!
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@kitenski, High by anybody's standards. FL in Austria above 2000m (well over 3000m by the end of the week in some forecasts) and quite a lot of rain about - snow only up top. Probably even warmer in France, but drier.
Given that the few places, whether in France or Austria, with decent snow left after another week of very warm temperatures and rain in many places are likely to be crowded, I'd not be rushing to book a Christmas ski holiday in Europe right now. Though there are no doubt some spiffing bargains to be had. I'll be in the alps, and having a good time (especially if, as now seems more likely, it'll be sunny rather than raining) but for me there is no marginal costs.
I've never known Easter skiing in my neck of the woods anything approaching as limited as it's going to be next week.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@pam w, fair points, Easter always more reliable than Xmas IMHO but I still have a strange hankering for a family Xmas white Christmas with skiing!!
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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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| Cptsideways wrote: |
| I am totally flexible on travelling, where has snow worthy of a trip in Euroland this weekend? |
Here, of course, been bucketing down for weeks, this was Sunday:
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| Quote: |
I still have a strange hankering for a family Xmas white Christmas with skiing!!
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So do I...... had several a few years ago but last Christmas was crap from the skiing point of view and this one might just be a teeny bit better....
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You know it makes sense.
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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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| pam w wrote: |
So do I...... had several a few years ago but last Christmas was crap from the skiing point of view and this one might just be a teeny bit better.... |
Jeez, you're like Ebeneezer Scrooge. I thoroughly enjoyed ever km under my skis last Christmas.
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Poster: A snowHead
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you're like Ebeneezer Scrooge
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No, I'm not, but as I spend around 3 months in the alps every season I CBA to ski on a few rock hard, icy, pistes full of people, thanks.
From everything but the skiing point of view I had a lovely Christmas. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I skied at Christmas too, and from where I was (3V) it was pretty good actually, although I believe at the low resorts like Saisie it may have been a different experience. I did have the afternoon doing the Praz sur Arly, ND de Bellecombe, Flumet circuit on the 28th Dec (the day after "the saturday"......) and it was awesome, but I understand it was their first day.
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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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at the low resorts like Saisie it may have been a different experience
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Saisies had the best snow for miles around, as is usually the case (the village is at 1650 so not that low) but it was still crap.  Only 11 pistes open - same as St Anton at the time. The worst of it was that it was SO busy, because the lower areas had nothing open so people were being bussed in. It didn't bother me - I didn't bother - but it was a shame for my daughter and family who were visiting just for the week.
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| Saisies had the best snow for miles around, as is usually the case (the village is at 1650 so not that low) but it was still crap. Only 11 pistes open - same as St Anton at the time. The worst of it was that it was SO busy, because the lower areas had nothing open so people were being bussed in. It didn't bother me - I didn't bother - but it was a shame for my daughter and family who were visiting just for the week. |
How strange, I was based in Les Menuires and Christmas week wasn't noticably busy, the snow wasn't as good as a "great" year but it was pretty damn good and apart from not being able to do things like ski all the way down to the lower Courchevels we were able to potter around pretty much as per usual. Val Thorens actually seemed better than the year before and again the days we went there didn't seem very busy, we never queued such that you'd notice. I was surprised at the time, sounds like I had reason to be!
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| Quote: |
you're like Ebeneezer Scrooge
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No, I'm not, but as I spend around 3 months in the alps every season I CBA to ski on a few rock hard, icy, pistes full of people, thanks.
From everything but the skiing point of view I had a lovely Christmas. |
I'm sure you CBA doing that but then I wasn't skiing a 'few rock hard, icy, pistes full of people'. I skied well over 300km on mostly quiet pistes over Christmas and up to Hogmanay in the 3V, Praz sur Arly, Plagne and Les Arc and didn't meet the 'crap' conditions you describe.
I had great skiing and a lovely Christmas.
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@swiftoid, but you are from Scotland.
Being able to ski without desperately wishing for windscreen wipers on your goggles is an enormous improvement on "situation normal".
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@under a new name
'Situation normal' is skiing in the alps. While I'm not lucky enough to spend 3 months a year in the alps I do average over 30 ski days there a season compared to about 3 or 4 in Scotland. But, anyway, to declare that the skiing in Saises was crap, with it's 11 'rock hard, icy, pistes full of people' yet it had the 'best snow for miles around' is nonsense. If that's what Saises was like I know for a fact there were better places to be with more open pistes which were less crowed and with nicer snow not that far away.
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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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What reports are people looking at? I have ishgl with 30cm. I have solden and tignes as the most open.
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Some posts from the 3V last Christmas:
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Rain is ruining and thinning the snow pack unfortunately. Raining at 2200m ATM and due to continue all day with very high freezing levels overnight. Will try Val T again tomorrow as most of Courch is fairly poor right now. Hopefully it freezes soon and will at least provide a base for January. (18 Dec)
Val Thorens getting worried about the numbers being bussed up to the resort. (22 Dec)
They have a couple of screenshots from a Meribel webcam posted up on Skynews website. Pretty grim viewing. Would be hard to blame a resort manager if he/she "accidently" hit the off button on a few of the webcams!! (22 Dec)
most of val is open, the others in my groups were there today.
15 min queues for some lifts, and busy. (23 Dec)
Before we dropped in to Orelle we had a look from the top over the other resorts, its pretty scary looking at how brown they are and even VT is in need of some snow . The pistes that are open are in good condition but you really do need to stay high to get the good stuff. (23 Dec)
Today skiied snow, ice, grass, and stone. Some pistes in terrible condition.
More pistes open across the 3v. 1650 had some open on top. Saw some cannons on in meribel this morning under saulire express.
Creux was good. Creux du lac was ice.
(24 Dec)
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Obviously the 3V is one of the places with access to high skiing but there were similar reports from many areas. IIRC Flegere and Brevent in Chamonix had practically no skiing (?closed). Suggesting that skiing conditions last Christmas, in the northern French Alps, were good is really to re-invent history.
I had a great Christmas in mostly warm sunshine and my grand-daughters invented grass-toboganning. To have put two prone-to-travel-sickness little girls (who can't ski) into a car and driven to Val Thorens would have been utter madness.
Nevertheless, and I know it's heresy, but the skiing was crap. The OP is looking for advice as to where to go this weekend. My advice is to wait for better conditions later in the season.
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