 Poster: A snowHead
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Well...now laid up with a nasty virus from all the coughing crowds on the ferry back. Kids now acclimatised to getting ready for school in UK fug rather than getting ready for ski coaching in crystal clear Alpine light. And Meteox is predicting heavy snow from Jan 10th across CH.
What of Christmas? Out the moment school ended, overnight hotel and then thrash down the autoroute to CH. Back on the Monday for school on the Tuesday. We cram max time in.
Crans Montana managed its artificial brilliantly this year. Apparently the head pisteur takes huge interest in the management of artificial, and used the very cold snap before Christmas to create vast piles of carefully-monitored crystal forms. Indeed this year, the artificial did not reduce down to boiler-plate within a couple of hours of sun and overnight freeze - really excellent snow right down to Barzettes bottom station throughout the period. The long Plaine Morte run (3000 to 2000m) stayed ice-free and rock-free until the last couple of days, again through brilliant management and grooming. Last year's snow management in a snow-drought = 4/10 - this year 10/10. But there was still the nagging anxiety that if there's no snow, we simply shouldn't be skiing - the environmental demand of artificial does not feel right at all. Indeed, maybe resorts with high undeveloped areas (such as Crans Montana) should put money into those rather than the somewhat obsessive ski-back-to-village snowmaking capacity.
Obviously the skiing was very limited, but crowds were low, and training circuits excellent. No maniacs around, so even with slightly higher densities, no obvious elevated hazards. Snow at the margins of the piste was excellent, so tight turns in the edge-piles and around poles was one way of feeling apart from the main drags. By the middle of week two, the Nationale competition piste was an ice-sheet, but as usual, youngest could still do tight turns down it, and I could dig edges in most of the time.
Throughout the two weeks, brilliant Alpine sun. Every day bar one. The asset of all day sun is not to be ignored. Less huddling on chairs, more time out and about, excellent pauses with local friends on sunny cabin terraces, and plenty of people shouting greetings since they could actually see you at a distance. And lots of smiling, which is good.
One day of lifts closed by high wind. A few lift breakdowns, but these were times of meeting instructor and guide friends in the gathering crowd and having a long chat about life and the world.
And the final day, sitting having extended lunch with family and friends and with almost empty pistes in front of us, the sun encouraging a strip to thermals, was a huge pleasure. Sticks in the mind.
Since we had added the MOSIAC option to our annual passes, we made a few excursions to the Val D'Anniviers.
Grimentz was cloudy and cold, but a lot was open, with excellent snow quality and no-one about at all. North facing, reputation for holding on to snow. Mostly natural snow - apart from the steep home run - and the snow was REALLY GOOD. Everything high up open. A day of a bit of huddling on cold lifts and regretting the lack of sun, but an excellent excursion. Ski in, straight onto all the lifts - chairs and drags. Quite a few flat-out circuits on deserted pistes, breaking the family rules about b+++s-out hurtling around, but the opportunity presented, and my young one and I took it. Back on the huge new gondola down to the village - and noting that we could have skied back to the village - my worry about the 'no bail out areas for daughter' black were, on observation, probably unfounded. A very good day.
Buoyed with success of the day out to Grimentz, three days' later we go to Zinal. North facing - reputation for good snow. Good parking, fun to ride the big gondola with locals. But hell, a day of wall-to-wall boilerplate. I'd serviced all the skis - edged and waxed - and still it was a hell of an effort to ski anything other then defensively. Low crowds with only 2-3 minutes' wait for drags and chairs, and some ski-in and straight off. But the ice. I watch one steep red and see everyone attempting it going down sideways - Ok, let's have a go. Young Alex was fine, and my second attempt saw a reasonably tight line without massive side-slip. But it was an exhausting day. Daughter and OH retired to the restaurant fed up with the icy horror, while young one and I went for more ice-practice. Two reds in particular were just pure sheet ice. But great practice, and began to induce hilarity rather than worry - 'I can get more turns in on this than you can....'. Throughout the resort - mostly open, and natural. But did I mention the ICE? All slept well that night.
Then off to St Luc and Chandolin. St Luc bit sun exposed, while Chandolin north-facing. St Luc lots of excellent natural - no one there, plenty of space to truly carve all over the place, and ski-in straight off on all the lifts. Savage boilerplate red off one top lift, caught me out a bit but held it together. Bit icy down to Foret link to Chandolin but pleasant to grapple with soft with icy patches. Hello, lots of real snow. Lots of good quality real snow. And no-one here. So...repeated circuits around the long Chandolin runs, Illhorn chair and down to bottom village stations, Beautiful tree line-skiing, even some just-by-the-piste excursion zones for the kids, after verifying that it was actually safe. Still no-one there. On two runs from the Illhorn we are the only group on the piste. Excellent snow. Gorgeous views of the valley from the chairs, great lunch in the Tsape restaurant - excellent plat du jour rabbit (YOU CAN'T EAT RABBIT (daughter obsessed with furry wildlife) ... er, we did. A great day, and back again for another a week later.
So ... this Christmas, not artificial throughout .. bit of searching found the high-quality natural, and no crowds at all. Some extraordinary skiing - OK, all piste-bound but great nontheless. And all with the benefit of blue skies, diamond-white light, and fantastic vistas. Bit spoilt really. Didn't need to endlessly clear the steps and managed to get some gardening done. Feb likely to be snowbound huddling on lifts and peering through cloud. Or maybe not, who knows. And I am not going to think about the off piste quality and avalanche risk - we'll think about that when we scope out the meteo in Feb.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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A fascinating read. Thank you and Happy New Year!
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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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@Hurtle, likewise - very best for the New Year ...
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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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Wonderful glass half full view, very inspiring, many thanks 
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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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Sounds great. We had a less complicated but lovely Christmas with limited but beautifully managed pistes in Les Saisies. No ice. No crowds, no queues and the "mini team" lessons my 4 and 6 year old grand daughters were booked into (max 5 kids) both had just two kids on. Like private lessons for 5 mornings. The sunshine was perfect. I did a bit of skiing and my knee still feels like I did week off-piste. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@pam w, Oh dear. Are you wearing a brace or something? What a nuisance. 
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@valais2, Really interesting report. Thank you. 
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@valais2, So good to hear such an upbeat report..thanks so much. We have had a pretty good start over on the 'other side', Christmas week great, New Year got a bit busier as to be expected, but so much better than last year. Happy New Year to you.
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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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@valais2, my daughter once had a massive meltdown in a restaurant when my son ordered game stew and the waitress let slip there was rabbit in it. Only when we managed to get the chef to pop out to say there wasn't any rabbit in it (lying through his teeth - good man!) did she calm down.
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@valais2, Thanks for your report, a refreshing view indeed.
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