 Poster: A snowHead
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Actually been refused access to / from their resort for not having snowchains whilst having all wheel drive and a set of full snowflake M+S winter tyres?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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No, but I wouldn’t have been allowed up Treble Cone without chains. In fact I don’t think I’d have got up there without them.
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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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No, drove a Defender with winter tyres the past few years and got waved through quite a few roadblocks in that time.
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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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Got stopped on the Avoriaz road about 10 years back by Gendarmes who had the same car as me a Defender 110 ( Technically mine is just a 110 as its a 1987 model, and the name defender wasn't used until 1988). I had snow tyres and local plates. When I pointed out that they had the same set up as me sans chains, they said that they could not be seen to be letting locals thru and making tourists chain up.
I pulled over and went thru the motions of getting the chains out the back. As soon as they left me alone and went to stop the next car I got back in and drove on up.
When I got to the top, and went into the Avoriaz staff car park, the policeman at the top did not seem to give a monkeys that I did not have chains, and on another occasion I was waved thru in my Subaru with snow tyres. I think it depends if its Gendarmes or Local Police who are manning the control point, and even then which Gendarme you get and what mood they are in.
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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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| WindOfChange wrote: |
| I think it depends if its Gendarmes or Local Police who are manning the control point, and even then which Gendarme you get and what mood they are in. |
Agree, I've seen local with 4x4 and 4 winter tyres stopped and asked to put on chains whilst a Motorhome allowed up with snow socks.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Some socks have the required certification to be acceptable so in theory no issue with this - but wouldn't want to be driving a MH myself with them
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It's been suggested in the past that the state of your tyres could affect a police decision - ie if they're not in good nick, you are more likely to be required to put chains on.
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No. Never been ordered to put them on when working as a resort driver with a Defender or as a local in either my previous Subaru AWD or current Audi quattro (in EK and 3V's).
And to @nozawaonsen, I've been up Treble Cone in an AWD hire car with winter tyres and no chains when there was too much snow to open the resort... back in 2007 though, maybe things have changed.
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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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Was at Whakapapa once when they required even 4WD to have chains otherwise you werent allowed up the hill. Winter tyres dont seem to be around in NZ so they didnt enter into the equation.
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@ster, I'm 99% sure I had winter tyres when I was there because I'd planned a week long drive around various ski hills and wanted to be properly equipped. I rented out of Christchurch though, if that makes a difference. From memory, tyres were available with the car but chains weren't.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I rented out of CHC before to get to Mt Hutt and couldnt get winter tyres but no trouble getting AWD with chains. I also remember looking around for winter tyres for our own car when we lived there and couldnt find many options at all which I found surprising given the weather you get in the South Island. Having said that I did find the general attitude to road safety there rather casual, "she'll be right" as they say.
But happy to stand corrected on the availability of winter tyres in NZ.
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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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| Raceplate wrote: |
| And to @nozawaonsen, I've been up Treble Cone in an AWD hire car with winter tyres and no chains when there was too much snow to open the resort... |
Sounds like a bit of a wasted trip.
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One particularly bad day for road conditions I was waved through by local police at Bourg St Maurice on the road up to Les Arcs in an AWD shod with winter tyres. Most other cars I could see were being directed to the chainage area before going up the hill, including what I think was an Audi A4 Allroad directly in front of me. The police officer checked my tyres closely and confirmed with me the car (Kia Sportage) was AWD, then waved me through. The road up to the resort was grim, but the journey was just about OK and I was relieved not to have to faff around with chains as its a job I hate. I had chains, or perhaps socks, in the car which I think is the prudent thing to do, not least because the police can direct you to fit them regardless of what kind of car you are driving if they consider the conditions require winter equipment.
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You know it makes sense.
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Chains are mandatory at Victorian (Australia) resorts. Very few people have proper snow tyres and they are hideously expensive in Australia.
The police do periodic checks in the declared snow areas and send people back down the mountain if they don’t have chains. There is also a substantial fine, but it does not seem to be applied all that often.
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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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Yes, I have witnessed the Swiss police turning back Range Rovers at the top of Julierpass coming from St. Moritz -> Chur.
Point being that even a 4WD only has four wheels to brake with downhill.
They could have stopped people at bottom at Silvaplana of course, but that just says something about the swiss police!
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Poster: A snowHead
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While a 4 wheel drive helps traction but is no different to two wheel drive when braking.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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It just wouldn't have been possible to get to many of the NZ ski fields without chains & they were put on & needed every visit I made last season.
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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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A few times Mrs M was stopped with her locally plated X TRail without chains whereas they waved me through with my Defender 110 with UK plates and without chains a couple of minutes later!
I hesitated for half a nano second as to whether I should stop and help Mrs M 
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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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The Dec 2017 Snowmeggon we were waved through numerous checkpoints on the way up to Tignes in our AWD SUV. At the dam however the gendrames were making everyone fit snow chains (orders from his boss our friendly gendarme told me when I engaged in conversation). I never saw what happened to anyone without chains as the other cars around us all had them as well regardless of tyre type.
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