 Poster: A snowHead
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Flights and car hire at Geneva booked and a hotel in Flaine on reserve with Expedia. If i cancel the hotel by the 25th we don't loose anything.
As there is nothing of any great significance forecast to happen for the next 10 days in Flaine, do you think i should change my plans and try to book somewhere with easier access to higher runs. Thinking maybe Tignes, Val Thorens? Neither of which are fantastic at the moment but i kind of think we have nothing to lose by going higher. If it stays poor at least will have a full resort to go at and wont be riding on snow cannon stuff. If the snow does come we ride powder with way less rocks and tree stumps than there would have been in Flaine.
I'm thinking a 3-4 hour drive from Geneva might be better than ice and rocks all week in Flaine. Any other suggestions?
I realise this question has no real right or wrong answer but some feedback or reassurance that my idea makes some sense would be good 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If you are free to cancel until 25th then I'd say wait and decide then. The snow gods may have been by then.
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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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There's a metre of snow forecast for 10th and 11th January, and in all likelihood more to follow over the ensuing 2 weeks before your trip
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| On the rocks wrote: |
| There's a metre of snow forecast for 10th and 11th January, and in all likelihood more to follow over the ensuing 2 weeks before your trip |
while there's still time for change, i'd question the validity of this forecast at the moment!
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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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If I could tell you how much snow we are going to have in 3 weeks, I would no longer be on snowHeads as I would have forecast the Euromillions result and would be heliskiing round the world!!!
Being slightly more helpful, next week is going to be more unsettled so there is a good chance of snowfall, how much I have no idea as it will depend on the passage of the most active parts of the fronts.
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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 skied Flaine in the week before Xmas for a couple of days with my family and we had a nice family ski. Sure, there was no offpiste and a limited area but what they had managed to open was excellent.
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I skied Flaine in the week before Xmas for a couple of days with my family and we had a nice family ski. Sure, there was no offpiste and a limited area but what they had managed to open was excellent.
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| qwertyuiop7 wrote: |
I'm thinking a 3-4 hour drive from Geneva might be better than ice and rocks all week in Flaine. Any other suggestions?
I realise this question has no real right or wrong answer but some feedback or reassurance that my idea makes some sense would be good |
In terms of a ski season, three and a half weeks is a long time and forecasts are fairly useless beyond 4-5 days.
I'd hold your booking for another couple of weeks and see what happens. Chances are there will be some significant snowfall over next few weeks. If you were heading out this week, I'd be on the phone to make the change immediately.
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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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Going higher isn't going to help... Unless things change either hop on a train or drive to the northern alps.
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I really like the GM ski area and look at that to gauge snow depth around that general group of ski domains and have done that for many years. From that stance I'd take a resigned acceptance that if Flaine hasn't much snow then anywhere close is also unlikely to have much of significance either. It's nearly always there by this time of year as a reliable place to ski in that bowl so any predictions would seem optimistic at this point.
I'm certainly no forecaster, but it seems even harder this year to get a read on what may happen than in any previous winters.
If it where my choice right now I'd consider as above, waiting for a week to see if anything turns up to significantly change the snow depths there.
If not I'd look at Val Cenis as it seems to have some good coverage right now and just as importantly keeps it really well. We've been there the last two years running and fee it offers a nice alternative to GM. It doesn't have any huge numbers (a bit like GM in that sense) but offers just as much.
Look at the snow depth for that and Bonneval Sur Arc, which is at the end of that valley and you'll see they've got around 200cm at the top and decent all round, right now. It's also an easy drive from Geneva.
There appears to have been a tract of snowfall that came end of November in a geographical line down from Tignes through VC and on further south through Sauze D Oulx that all seem to have got a good base. So those areas appear to have much more base cover than anywhere else around.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Courmayeur has ok snow right now and isn't a 3-4 hour drive from Geneva, but wait til the 25th is still the best idea.
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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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Val Cenis and Maurienne valley has significantly more snow right now than Courmayeur, also a much bigger ski area, plus associated domains along the valley.
It's not even that far from Geneva, very easy route as well. You can also get direct access into Val Thoren from that valley if you want a day over there as well. There are just far more options with snow already there.
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| ski3 wrote: |
Val Cenis and Maurienne valley has significantly more snow right now than Courmayeur, also a much bigger ski area, plus associated domains along the valley.
It's not even that far from Geneva, very easy route as well. You can also get direct access into Val Thoren from that valley if you want a day over there as well. There are just far more options with snow already there. |
Just had a look at weathertoski.co.uk and it confirms what you say that "The deepest snow cover in the Alps remains at altitude in the south-western Alps (e.g. Cervinia, Sestriere, Montgenèvre, Val Cenis)"
Thanks for the help, I'll take a look at Val Cenis as its not a resort I had considered or know know much about. Cervinia and Sestriere also look to be less than 3 hours drive from Geneva
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