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Valley blanche advise please!!!

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Valley Blanche advice please, so i'm out in chamonix just now and booked to do the valley blanche tomorrow.

But I've had a bit of a crap week so far with the off piste side of things.

Sunday i did a bit up at Brevant and Flegere after all the fresh snow and i had a total nightmare, couldn't control my turns at all.
Monday went up to the Grant Mottes and skied the runs off the back and ok i maybe wasn't the most graceful but i made it down safe, in control and without binning it.
Tuesday, down in Megeve in the fresh snow on piste and was having a ball.
Today, over in Courmayer i did the Youla off piste run again in pretty fresh stuff and i suffered really badly, fell about 4 times, only once it levelled out a bit and was a bit more compacted did i regain full control.

So now i have the issue that it is snowing again in chamonix and i have never done the valley blanche and would like to hear from folk who know it how difficult it is.

As far a skier, i consider myself pretty good, I'm not fantastic but i can safely make my way down pretty much any piste and when it comes to reds i can do so with good form, on good condition blacks I'm very comfortable and only once it gets properly bumpy to i suffer.

Advice folks.....go do it or give it a miss this time


Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Wed 7-03-18 16:50; edited 1 time in total
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Quote:

couldn't control my turns at all


I'd give it a miss. It's not steep but you absolutely must be able to make precise turns as you could be skiing over narrow snow bridges and close to crevasses.
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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?
To me the "classic route", in terms of difficulty, can be anything between no-harder-than-a-tough-blue, and farking lethal, depending on weather conditions, snow quantity, how many people have skied it before you, which guide you get, and of course your general technique.

It's not difficult in terms of pitch, there's lots of flat sections.

I'd give it a shot - it's a great place. Although if there's lots of snow tonight, they might cancel on you. For taking casual skiers up the VB, they normally want to wait for snow which has settled a bit. Only the gnar-heads really put fresh tracks in it.


Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Wed 7-03-18 16:24; edited 1 time in total
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the reason I'm questioning myself is its currently snowing hard in town, its due for 25-30cm tonight.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@enduroaid, go do it. As the guide doesn't know you, they'll only take you on the classic route, whuch is pretty easy. There's a good chance you'll have decent conditions tomorrow too - looks like less snow showers, but plenty of fresh snow!

Just go in relaxed and listen to your guide - they'll look after you.
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@enduroaid, sounds like you are having trouble in the deeper stuff (like me) because you can't pivot/force your skis to turn like you can on the piste. Really need unweight your skis before the turn and be more patient. I tend to panic a bit on those conditions as I can't always turn when I need to, or as quickly as I need to. Practice in the deeper stuff is on my agenda.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
fixx wrote:
@enduroaid, go do it. As the guide doesn't know you, they'll only take you on the classic route, whuch is pretty easy. There's a good chance you'll have decent conditions tomorrow too - looks like less snow showers, but plenty of fresh snow!

Just go in relaxed and listen to your guide - they'll look after you.


All great advice. Providing you're a competent skier, the guide should accommodate your ability in their decisions.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
I'd watch the weather and not go when it's snowing or threatening snow, you want a blue sky day to really enjoy it. A lot of it is easy skiing but you have to have the views and better tracked out for holding some speed on the lower part.

Wrt timing if you're competent and don't need a rest every 5 minutes wait until early afternoon, you'll miss the carnage of the ridge walk then you can get the run very quiet indeed, and arrive back in Chamonix at a good hour for a couple of sherberts in Chambre Neuf. Blush
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if you're struggling to control turns in fresh deep snow i'd say no, you shouldn't be doing it.

you'll be putting yourself in a situation that you know you wont be competent, you'll hold the rest of the group up and the guide will become responsible for keeping a fractured group together in a dangerous environment.
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@Klammertime, +1

Need sun for le picnic snowHead
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@eddiethebus, exactly. In this case I'd say it is best to go back on a sunny day when it's skied out and easier to handle. Others might prefer powder, but in this situation it seems like it would be no fun for the OP or others in the group.
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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.
Current forecast is for about 20cm up top overnight and blue skies all day tomorrow. i'm not concerned when its been allowed to settle but no one has been up for two days as its basically snowed solidly and my fresh snow ability....as today showed is lacking.

Think i'll go along tomorrow morning and chat to the guiding staff.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
My neighbour just got back from VB today - it was closed so the guide took them to Grand Montets instead.
One of the party was a boarder and was happy as he didn't have to push for the last 4km.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@enduroaid, what skis are you on?
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Volkl kendo... 90mm under boot
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
don't waste your time@enduroaid,
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
According to Blister Gear review not an easy ski in powder. Can you rent something soft and full rockered for your powder day - like an Armada JJ or similar? Suspect it would make a big difference to your enjoyment.

http://blistergearreview.com/gear-reviews/2015-2016-volkl-kendo

Powder

Hmmm, there is nothing about the Kendo’s design that makes it optimized for deep snow. If you’re really talking about skiing knee-to-waist-deep pow, (1) I’d recommend something wider than ~90 underfoot, and (2) I’d recommend something with more pronounced tip rocker.

That said, if we’re talking about six inches of pow—and especially if we are talking about a few inches of dust on crust—then the Kendo is certainly a viable option. But I think the key here for me is that the Kendo still wants to be skied as if you were on a groomer: short-to-medium radius turns, working edge to edge. This isn’t some surfy / smeary pow ski. It’s a ski that is a good carver, good in moguls, and can be made to work in some fresh snow.
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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?
enduroaid wrote:
As far a skier, i consider myself pretty good, I'm not fantastic but i can safely make my way down pretty much any piste and when it comes to reds i can do so with good form, on good condition blacks I'm very comfortable and only once it gets properly bumpy to i suffer.

Advice folks.....go do it or give it a miss this time


Very hard to say having not seen you ski, but I'd suggest more practise/lessons in the deeper as well as unpisted snow (not all off piste is deep) before committing to a major OP route in deep, fresh snow. I reckon you'd be fine when it's tracked out.
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@enduroaid, just looked at what you have skied on each day, with the conditions and results you describe. Now looking at my diary out here and comparing.

You are clearly struggling in fresh, unpisted snow. Nothing wrong with that. It is horrible until the penny drops, and it can take lots of lessons/time skiing those conditions/money on skill compensating kit/etc to resolve it.

In your shoes I would not want to be anywhere near the Vallee Blanche. I don't doubt for one minute that you would make it down in one piece. But conditions would not be easy. It is currently nothing like the hard packed semi piste that it can be, on the classic or not. Sunday we skied across to Helbronner then down the Italian side down to Chamonix. There was lots of fresh snow, windblown snow, sastrugi, the lot, but not firm snow. There has been quite a bit more since then.

Do your self a favour and ski something fun. If you want to go off piste, go to Le Tour, under and around the Tete du Balme lift. Tank around on the piste. Get your mojo back, then think about it.

Hope you find this helpful. Skiing is supposed to be fun.
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