 Poster: A snowHead
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here in Tignes we've had no skiing the past 2 days due to the storm and rain making conditions too unstable.
3rd - briefly the Palafour was rumoured open but otherwise only nursery slopes and they closed soon after lunch.
4th - due to avalanche risk of 5/5 (even in resort) no one was allowed out of their buildings all morning. We went to bakery in full avi gear! Then people were allowed out around lunch time but no lifts open at all.
5 th - we await the morning's piste and lift news with some trepidation. It is likely not much will open and openings will be delayed. Avalanche risk likely to remain very high.
How did other Tarantaise and Alpine resorts fare in the same storm? 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@SophieFP, from what I'm reading it's been largely the same across the Alps - certainly in the Tarentaise.
Very unfortunate. I've only ever lost a couple of days in ~27 years of skiing. This week has been extreme IME. Glad I was out the week before!!
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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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@SophieFP, as Layne says, pretty much the same everywhere at higher altitudes (which is only to be expected and why altitude is not a panacea). Even Morillon closed (before Chamonix).
Or maybe it's just you?
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Les Menuires had the usual three lifts open (Doron/ Reeberty etc) so the lift company does not have to make refunds. Otherwise shut for best part of three days. But I did not experience "extreme conditions" in my view. Some big gusts of wind but the snow/ rain combo made things worse. But very easy to be an indoor armchair commentator.
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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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I was in Tignes (Val Claret) a couple of years ago (around 2nd week of Jan), when they had over a meter of snow (over a meter had fallen the week before) and high winds. For more than half the week, all we had was Bollin (or get a bus to Lac and use the beginner lifts there), which might not have started until 10am.
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@FionaTwice, I think you are only going to get a flavour of the situation lower down. The higher you go the stronger the winds and the pictures of the snowfall on the Val T FB page were staggering. And with freezing level now so high the ava risk is at it's highest.
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Espace Diamant only had nursery lifts open for most of the 3rd, but managed to get a reasonable number - maybe 50% - open on the other days.
Nearby, Megeve looked to fare even better.
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It's really only France that suffered bad. Haute Savoie, etc.
French authorities were / are woefully unprepared for even medium snowfalls.
The rest of the European Alps has had some disruption. A bit of wind and snow in Switzerland and Austria. But nothing major.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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A lot closed or partially closed around Grenoble - tree skiing - due to the risk of trees falling.
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St Anton only had lower lifts open on the 3rd which closed early. Lower lifts only open on the 4th with no links to neighboring resorts. Slowly opened most things today but no public buses to any neighboring resorts until later on in the day. Members of our party were stuck in the gondola up to Zurs for over an hour on the 3rd during which it was swinging wildly and then had to be escorted down from top station by a couple of guides. In some ways I'd prefer the French approach but do sympathies with the difficult week everyone has experienced.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Resorts here in west Austria have had a tough few days too. Seriously strong winds closed down most lifts on Wednesday afternoon. Soelden and Obergurgl shut down completely mid afternoon. Something I´ve rarely seen happen during my many seasons as an instructor and transfer driver. There´s plenty of exciting videos doing the rounds on social media. You have to wonder if the resorts should have closed down earlier. The wind caused serious damage to some lifts too.
Heavy snow fall all day on Thursday caused slow going on the roads surrounding the resorts and probably persuaded a lot of people to enjoy the Hotel pools instead of the pistes. This snow turned to heavy rain up to 2000 meters height, destroying all the awesome powder and causing high avalanche risks.
Consequently many roads were closed through the night and up to Friday lunch time stopping people getting to the resorts if they weren´t staying in town. Even after roads were opened many upper runs stayed closed due to avalanche risk with resorts only opening up to 50% of their lifts.
A hard week for many holiday makers unfortunately. And a lot of hard work for avalanche teams and ski lift workers.
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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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@Whitegold, really you are talking out your erse.
Train blown off rails in CH.
Get a grip bot.
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@Whitegold, that’s balls. I’m currently near Arolla on a road that only opened at 4pm yesterday. Despite the fact they had rain here, the snow banks of ploughed snow are 3m deep
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You know it makes sense.
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In Belleville valley, on 3rd, minimal lifts open in Menuires, so those allowing a circuit around the resort, but even those closed by early afternoon. On 4th we drove up to Menuires in the afternoon and actually skied more than expected..lifts open included Masse 1: Roc de Trois marches 1, and the Sunny express.
Friday 5th was an excellent day. Three valley links open and the majority of the pistes. We skied over to Courchevel 1650. Can’t say how much was open in VT, but I could see the Plan de l’Eau running. Cote Brune was shut. Today we plan to head to VT, hoping for a quiet, but sun filled day on lovely snow!
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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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| Perty wrote: |
| Today we plan to head to VT, hoping for a quiet, but sun filled day on lovely snow! |
3 vallees have given free lift passes to everyone who was blocked this week, queues looks pretty long on the TV earlier but maybe the early morning rush. Heavy traffic expected later in the day on the roads now but maybe not bad to spread the depart.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Whitegold,
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A bit of wind and snow in Switzerland
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A BIT of wind?!!! You weren't here Matey I had to baton down the shutters as they were about to be torn off their hinges. Veysonnaz/Thyon closed for two days.
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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 was in Chamonix on Thursday and was literally blown along an icy pavement. Saw a few fallers. I think they managed to open Les Houches each 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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It wasn't so bad further east. Some of the gondolas were shut and I heard people were escorted off the mountain on Wednesday afternoon at Kitzbuhel. Heavy rain on Thursday put the avalanche risk up so some roads were shut but most ski areas were partially open. It was back to business as usual yesterday.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Was watching the racing from Adelboden, I had read somewhere the race would be cancelled but was suprised how little snow was there...
Thought conditions were full on across the alps...?
Cheers
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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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| Whitegold wrote: |
It's really only France that suffered bad. Haute Savoie, etc.
French authorities were / are woefully unprepared for even medium snowfalls.
The rest of the European Alps has had some disruption. A bit of wind and snow in Switzerland and Austria. But nothing major. |
Unprepared? This was in Avoriaz on Wednesday.
https://www.facebook.com/MorzineSourceMagazine/posts/1663305573731133
Not sure how they could have prepared for that?
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In the Grand Massif, limited runs in Les Carroz were open for a couple of hours on the 3rd and all day on 4th. Morillon was also open early on the 3rd, but not the 4th. Flaine was closed both 3rd and 4th, and I think Samoens was the same.
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@shiva_71, pretty much, at least in French alpes, below 1,400 or so a bit thin after the rain.
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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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After limited opening over the last few days, pretty much everything except Mont Fort and Mont Gèle opened today in Verbier. Tons of snow but also some pretty big slab avalanches! The storm on Wednesday afternoon was terrifying and they even shut the Medran -> Ruinettes gondola in the afternoon.
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Fantastic day in VT today. Despite strong winds, we skied Orelle, and all faces of the clock in VT itself. I have to say the piste security and preparation team have made a Herculean effort to get things up and running. The tide mark of the snow in the exit door from the lift toward Orelle was over my head. One closed piste we saw from the chair (how I wish I had a pic) the wind blown snow meant the only bit of the piste marker visible was the disc at the top! Quiet pistes in the main, snow amazing down to about 2300m.
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