Poster: A snowHead
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Bored with summer already, time to think about the coming winter!
So I thought I would punt around and see what is happening in the Sella Ronda by way of lift changes for next season.
First in Val di Fassa - the Ciampac cable car at Alba is being replaced by a 10 person gondola. See here for details. I think this is good news for going up to do the Skitour Panorama, but there will still be bunching on the way down to it from Col dei Rossi as that new lift from a couple of years back is effectively a cable car.
In addition to this there are other lift upgrades in the Ciampac area (same page) - the Sella Brunec chair that starts from the top of Ciampac cable car sounds like it will get a better stop at the halfway point which would be better for less advanced skiers. I think it becomes 2 lifts - Sella Brunec itself staying as modernised lower half, then a new lift Roseal which is effectively the upper half of the old Sella Brunec.
Not far away, looks like the Vauz - Pordoi (Fodom) chair which provides the link when travelling SR orange (clockwise) from Arabba to the Passo Pordoi above Canazei is getting upgraded from chair to a 10 person gondola. Some (myself included) will not necessarily see this as an upgrade because it means yet another "take your skis off" interruption, but they do seem to love their gondolas in this area. See here. See also here.
Then in Alta Badia, looks like the Biok chair is getting an upgrade from 4 to 6 person detachable chair - probably a good thing as it was the focus of queues in the blue heaven area.
Will be popular with friends who like to lunch at the Rifugio Bioch at the top of this lift. See here.
Yet another new 10 person gondola, this time around Val Gardena from Plan de Gralba leading up to Piz Seteur but I think it then continues onwards beyond there.
See here. English text here. Then this photo reminds me of Meccano.
I think it looks like it opens a slightly new way from top of Gran Paradiso onto the Sella Ronda green (anticlock) but maybe that was in fact there last year.
Makes me think, I don't think I have ever skied the red down from Citta dei Sassi back to Piz Seteur. Not even sure I knew there was one there!
Still, the flat Citta dei Sassi run across to Sass Levante will still be the same pain as it always is.
The other benefit I think is that the positioning of the intermediate station makes it easier to get off and join to Comici if you want to go that way, without the nasty little run down from Piz Seteur - because the lift is not finishing where the old one did. That in turn would mean that if you are going round clockwise then you might be better skiing on down past the Sole lift, down to PdG and uplift there to intermediate station.
See this photo for the new layout in the area.
Finally, there seems to be something going on at Seceda, see here but I cannot work out actually what it is.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@SteveM, Thanks for the updates.
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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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Very interesting..
"....Finally, there seems to be something going on at Seceda, see here but I cannot work out actually what it is...."
They are building something at the start of the 'la longia' piste - you can see it on the Seceda webcam (no idea what it is tho'..)
https://valgardena.panomax.com/seceda
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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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albob wrote: |
Very interesting..
"....Finally, there seems to be something going on at Seceda, see here but I cannot work out actually what it is...."
They are building something at the start of the 'la longia' piste - you can see it on the Seceda webcam (no idea what it is tho'..)
https://valgardena.panomax.com/seceda |
Looks more like a restaurant than a lift station
Either way, isn't the scenery just stunning!! Need to get out there next summer!
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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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Alpin forum speculates that it is a water storage facility for snow-making...?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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SteveM wrote: |
Then in Alta Badia, looks like the Biok chair is getting an upgrade from 4 to 6 person detachable chair - probably a good thing as it was the focus of queues in the blue heaven area.
Will be popular with friends who like to lunch at the Rifugio Bioch at the top of this lift. See here.
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This will be a good upgrade. Literally seemed to be the only lift where I queued for in the blue heaven area. Though to be honest it was never that long a wait!!
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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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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Cheers @albob, glad somebody else used the coffin word, as that was what sprang to mind when I saw them but I decided not to call them coffins in my original post! Maybe one day I will visit in summer, thinking of combining with a visit to the northern Italian lakes....
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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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Looks like the new gondola is opening up possibilities for summer walker/biker use. I've been up there in early June as a daytrip from Lake Garda, there was still a fair bit of snow on the Sella Pass.
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