 Poster: A snowHead
|
@timlongs, last time this happened I believe they used the sports hall on the outskirts of Moutiers. Just looked at it on google street view and it looks horribly familiar. That building is on the Avenue de la Liberation.
Hope that helps and good luck.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
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?
|
Press Release of the prefecture of Savoy:
Traffic in this weekend of chassé is still dense on the department, especially in tarentaise.
There are still major corks in the valley due to the congestion accumulated during the day due to the snow disruption.
However, weather conditions are now favourable; roads are now "Black"; access to stations is possible.
Users are therefore invited to patience.
The possibility is, however, offered to motorists who feel tired or who would not consider joining their tourist accommodation that night to be welcomed in reception facilities managed by the following local authorities:
- Albertville Contact: 04 79 10 43 00
- Moutiers Contact: 04 48 84 06 50
- Bourg Saint Maurice Contact: 04 79 07 63 87
These numbers have been reachable for 19 hours.
These halls are in a position to offer motorists who want to have rooms in their municipality or in the surrounding communes and are available to them if necessary.
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Sat 30-12-17 20:34; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| Hells Bells wrote: |
Just love this quote from Twitter.
| Quote: |
| @crystalski excellent job, to get us out of VT on an early transfer last night to avoid the storm, to a beautiful hotel with free meals and a 10 minute airport transfer. Shame about the moaning, self absorbed family on the coach, no pleasing some people. |
|
Someone's complaining that their flight has been delayed until tomorrow and they won't arrive, wait for it, until MIDWAY THROUGH THE GALA DINNER!!!!
Honestly....
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Canal+ news channel have been up here and down in Bourg d'Oisans reporting on the situation. Report has been running every 30 mins or so (similar format to Sky News).
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
I cant wait for Jeremy Vine on Monday - I couldn't get through last time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Some great footage on FB Radio TV Val D'Isere page of a snowplough and the numpties it encounters. Can't work out how to link it here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I read one tweet from a lady who is acting as unofficial translator on a coach with reps who do not speak French, and can't communicate with the driver !! Now that situation could have been avoided.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
See if this works for the snowplough vid
It didn't - just go to the front page and click on the vid!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hearing that the road up to VT from Moutiers is closed, does anyone have any on the ground info?
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
| Hells Bells wrote: |
| I read one tweet from a lady who is acting as unofficial translator on a coach with reps who do not speak French, and can't communicate with the driver !! Now that situation could have been avoided. |
Our transfer rep in Austria last year genuinely spoke to the driver in English with a German accent - 'All ze guest are on board. Please, ve go now!'.
It didn't help 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
| timlongs wrote: |
| Hearing that the road up to VT from Moutiers is closed, does anyone have any on the ground info? |
It is open. Possible to reach les Menuires without chains.
However there are jams from Montmelian to Moutiers so be prepared for a long night.
There is an avalanche blocking part of the road up to Val d'Isere and Tignes. Chains still required, ditto for la Plagne. Chains required above Arcs 1600.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| davidof wrote: |
| timlongs wrote: |
| Hearing that the road up to VT from Moutiers is closed, does anyone have any on the ground info? |
It is open. Possible to reach les Menuires without chains.
However there are jams from Montmelian to Moutiers so be prepared for a long night.
There is an avalanche blocking part of the road up to Val d'Isere and Tignes. Chains still required, ditto for la Plagne. Chains required above Arcs 1600. |
Hi Davidof, thanks as always for your helpful info. How did you hear about the avalanche on the Val/Tignes road?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
Has anyone seen @pandora ?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
| timlongs wrote: |
| davidof wrote: |
| timlongs wrote: |
| Hearing that the road up to VT from Moutiers is closed, does anyone have any on the ground info? |
It is open. Possible to reach les Menuires without chains.
However there are jams from Montmelian to Moutiers so be prepared for a long night.
There is an avalanche blocking part of the road up to Val d'Isere and Tignes. Chains still required, ditto for la Plagne. Chains required above Arcs 1600. |
Hi Davidof, thanks as always for your helpful info. How did you hear about the avalanche on the Val/Tignes road? |
Prefecture website. Radio Val d'Isere is also good for information.
Tailback is from the peage at Albertville to Moutiers now.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
@boredsurfin, good info. I do feel sorry for families that are stuck in coaches, airport and school halls.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
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?
|
I believe also a large avalanche in Col du Gets is blocking the main access in/out from Morzine-Geneva 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| jbob wrote: |
| @boredsurfin, good info. I do feel sorry for families that are stuck in coaches, airport and school halls. |
Agree . . . . . except for Princess Gala Dinner
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| under a new name wrote: |
| {what the op wrote} |
Et... Well spotted mate. Almost whitegold prophetical.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Things starting to flow a little better round Moutiers. Mates joined the queue at Albertville at 1430, passed through Moutiers at 2200! Lukily the roads aren't too bad beyond there. Looks like I am serving dinner at midnight 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@snoozeboy, didn’t think thismwqs going to happen !
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
| Weathercam wrote: |
| @recz, where are you staying ? |
I'm in Skiiers Lodge in La Grave. Road is dead quiet outside the hotel. Just dug the car out to avoid issues with melt-freeze whenever that kicks in, but at the moment it all still feels quite warm and very wet. Keeping everything crossed it'll turn out to be a good'un tomorrrow after our 'rest day' today.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A bit long-winded but copied from what I posted on Tignes thread.
After receiving a phone call from Chocksaway moments after clearing passport control at Grenoble (flightradar stalker!) we made the decision to hit the road towards Chambery to do some shopping and get a bite to eat. This would give time for the traffic to clear. My own car was parked at the airport. The other option would have been go to Grenoble for the night where there was plenty of hotel availability.
After commiting to the Chambery route, we started getting messages from other people telling us that the road was gridlocked back to Albertville and most hotels in Chambery were full and Albertville definitely was. A quick change of plan resulted in a confirmed room in Aix Les Bains which is a very nice spotting stay anyway. Having no urgency we had a leisurely shop in Chambery and a KFC as a treat for Mrs T.
On arrival at the hotel I was told "No room at the inn" Very seasonal. No record of my confirmed booking through Hotels.com and totally full. The hotel staff did try other hotels for us to no avail.
Back on the road at 9.45 to Tignes, we caught up with the crawling traffic jam just through Albertville. Stop start to the traffic lights before Moutier which do serve a good purpose in thinning out the traffic on the mountain roads after that point. Really good progress from there on.
Seez to Tignes was interesting as the Special Equipment signs were all on show and we were in an ever diminishing flow of traffic. Ever diminishing due to going through 3 different checkpoints checking cars for equipment. All cars were thoroughly vetted at each point and no snow tyres meant put chains on. We saw this being applied to some 4wd vehicles as well. As we got higher we started passing plenty of cars with chain problems or simply not confident driving with them on. Further up there seemed to be some having to put chains on because they were struggling on their snow tyres with loss of traction.
We were very happy to finally arrive at the apartment at 2.50am. The roads past Seez did get gradually worse and were covered with a layer of hard packed rutted and frozen snow from the dam upwards.
The wind is now starting to howl down the valley so not much hope of skiing in the morning. Time for a glass of Lagavulin 😀
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
Having experienced snowmageddon and sleeping on transfer coach overnight a couple of times, commiserations to all caught up in it. Especially families with young children. Hope you get to destination soon.
Most important, once mountains open to skiing again, do best to stay safe. Don't want to be reading about fatalities on snowHeads given Avi risk is gonna be v high!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
We left La Tania at 2.30 and whilst the drive to albertville was slow it was ok and after that no probs. Coming the other way looked a mare.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
We got home mid afternoon today 24 hours later than planned after we paid for a hotel near chambery airport and somehow managed to book 4 seats on the Flybe Cham to man flight today. And paid for taxis to hotel and back. Guess that money is gone but worth it to be home.
Crystal can’t be blamed for the snowmageddon but they deserve the kicking they are getting for being continuously disingenuous with customers at Cham (and on coaches) until the last possible minute at which point they said you will be sleeping in the airport.
They kept saying don’t worry, we are sorting flights, don’t worry , we are going to get you in a hotel etc etc. Then the Red Cross arrived and starting unloading boxes so we decided to work on our contingency plan.
I guess they either screwed up or made a deliberate decision not to block book enough hotel rooms to save money (or they simply have too many customers and not enough capable people).
Plus they made no effort to get us out of resort early even though I contacted them to say the weather was bad and forecast to be worse... I was reassured no problems (but we did get a helpful text advising we packed extra snacks and drinks for the transfers ). In the end they were actually an hour late picking us up which had a knock on effect for the rest of the day. Think they forgot us as we were only guests in our resort. At one point the crystal rep in bourg asked me where our property was as driver could not find us!!
I spoke to a senior skitotal ops guy at Cham who looked after us in Val d’Isere last year and he said they moved faster and all of their clients were placed into hotel rooms or , eventually put on coaches to resort later in the day once things were settling down .. their desk is next to crystal and it seems they went into meltdown early on and never recovered....
To top it all off , we were meant to fly from Geneva as I hate chambery with a passion but crystal decided to reroute us to Cham at bourg ... that really consigned us to our fate...
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
| sheffskibod wrote: |
| (or they simply have too many customers and not enough capable people). |
This one I think. They got it wrong in your case. Sleeping at the airport should never be part of a TO package holiday. Better to keep you at resort for an extra night and hold the inbound punters in the UK
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
@red 27, you’re right of course. Problem is if everything did run relatively smoothly they’d have been shouted at for being too cautious.
I’ve seen Crystal’s Twitter feed today and some people who have tweeted there need to take a long hard look at themselves.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
| sheffskibod wrote: |
I spoke to a senior skitotal ops guy at Cham who looked after us in Val d’Isere last year and he said they moved faster and all of their clients were placed into hotel rooms or , eventually put on coaches to resort later in the day once things were settling down |
Sorry I'm a bit lost here, what were you doing in Chamonix?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Cham-bery ?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
@sheffskibod, No offence meant, but had to have a little chuckle at your ‘even though I contacted them to say the weather was bad ‘ comment. Do you think they didn’t realise or something?
I have a very good friend who works fairly high up for a large ski company
(Not crystal) and I can tell you that they are known to look at the weather from time to time! Reality is that occasionally weather is going to do this if your on a ski holiday, and the bigger the company, the more impossible it is for them to try to make substitute arrangements.
I suspect damage limitation for the biggest companies is just get as many home as soon as possible by what ever way possible.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| davidof wrote: |
| sheffskibod wrote: |
I spoke to a senior skitotal ops guy at Cham who looked after us in Val d’Isere last year and he said they moved faster and all of their clients were placed into hotel rooms or , eventually put on coaches to resort later in the day once things were settling down |
Sorry I'm a bit lost here, what were you doing in Chamonix? |
Sorry. Chambery
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| SkiG wrote: |
@sheffskibod,
I suspect damage limitation for the biggest companies is just get as many home as soon as possible by what ever way possible. |
You are right , Crystal are obviously too big a beast to cope in these situations.
I will not use them again , I would have been better on my own or with a smaller operator.
Will consider Eurostar next time I think. I am never going to chambery again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
| Quote: |
I suspect damage limitation for the biggest companies is just get as many home as soon as possible by what ever way possible.
|
Probably not a bad starting point. We shouldn't forget that a regional emergency was declared so the circumstances were far from normal.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| SkiG wrote: |
@sheffskibod,
I have a very good friend who works fairly high up for a large ski company
(Not crystal) and I can tell you that they are known to look at the weather from time to time! |
I have a friend who is regional head of a large TO.
When we meet up when we are in Tignes, if it's close to transfer day he's ALWAYS checking status of the flights/roads/weather as situations like this can and do arrive on occasion and he wants to head off as many of the issues as possible.
I suppose it's possible that Crystal were not as organised as that, but it's also probable that they (and some of their clients) were simply unlucky.
I will chat with my mate f2f in 2 weeks and get his take, but I can guarantee that they also had clients in bad situations.
@sheffskibod, Sorry you had bad luck, hope you get some cash back off insurance.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I checked Inghams FB page, and they also had problems with stranded clients on gym floors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
@Hells Bells, if you look at the Twitter feeds there are Crystal clients saying “Inghams got it right why didn’t you ?”. And on the Inghams feed “Crystal got it right why didn’t you ?”.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A bit late to this conversation. 14 hours Dijon to Tignes. Chains for the road up. Several check points and the Gendarmes decided when you’d reached your high point without chains. We put our on for the Dam upwards. Albertville was the blocker. Sat there for 4 hours. We’re prepared with snacks and warm clothes etc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
)
