 Poster: A snowHead
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Contemplating A d'H for a weekend snowboarding with my wife at the end of March.
Her confidence is low on a board ATM following knee problems/ surgery.
I've read that AdH gets very busy and can be prone to ice as well.
Wanted to get this confirmed or denied.
How severe is this likely to be in the final weekend in March?
If very bad, where would you recommend at that time for a better balance of piste conditions and crowds?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If you're only going for a weekend, go for the shortest transfer and somewhere likely to be warm. Low confidence probably means shorter days so it doesn't matter if it gets a bit slushy PM. Southern Alps would be a good shout, I'd suggest somewhere like The Milky Way which does have much better coffee and Bombardinos then anywhere in France. Turin for shortest transfer.
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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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@Adam123, it won't be particularly busy (nowhere will be at end of March as the school holidays are all over) or icy (ADH is predominantly south facing and sunny).
That said it wouldn't be a go to weekend resort.
Have you sorted out flights?
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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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@Adam123, if you are committed to the Grenoble area, you might want to think about Les Deux Alpes; it's snow will probably be in better shape than that of Alpe d'Huez low down. That said, you would need to consider a lift down in the evening - in late March the lower slopes get heavy and busy.
I have not skied the Milky Way - but if you are not committed to the Grenoble area, @RedandWhiteFlachau's suggestion looks attractive.
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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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Flights not booked yet. Thanks for the tips.
My memory of the milky way is that it's quite low, though, no?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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No! Just looked it up. Interesting...
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| Quote: |
so it doesn't matter if it gets a bit slushy PM
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Slush is good on a snowboard.
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| Adam123 wrote: |
| Flights not booked yet. Thanks for the tips. |
Flights, and going to a resort with a short transfer, are critical to a weekend jaunt.
Flights will have been out for a while for March so you need to find something that works for your budget sooner, rather than later.
Where to go becomes easier once you've sorted flights. End of March isn't late but not peak so should be plenty of options.
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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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Alpe D'huez will be icy low first thing, freeze/thaw, but will soon soften in the sun.
Sestriere etc will be a slush fest that time of year. I drove over for the weekend 22 - 24 March last year. Lovely weekend but swimming low down.
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@Adam123, you could have cold temps and blizzards end of march, or hot sunny days, or a mixture!
You'd be better looking for somewhere with wide open forgiving slopes that are at a reasonable height to allow her to gain confidence.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@kitenski, that more or less describes Alpe D'huez tbh. Extremely wide greens and blues at resort level at 1800m.
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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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| Claude B wrote: |
| @kitenski, that more or less describes Alpe D'huez tbh. Extremely wide greens and blues at resort level at 1800m. |
cheers, years since I've been! sounds spot on then!
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| Claude B wrote: |
| @kitenski, that more or less describes Alpe D'huez tbh. Extremely wide greens and blues at resort level at 1800m. |
They are certainly available. The place is a bit like a saucer - it gets steeper the further from the centre you go. The Tunnel is as tough a black as I have skied - and there is some good off piste above Vaujany. But it certainly would be a good resort for building up confidence.
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You know it makes sense.
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Went to ADH at the start of April a few years ago and can remember it being pretty much bluebird and t-shirt weather on all but the highest slopes. Lots of slush - La Sarenne was like soup down at the bottom - but all in all, it was pretty good considering the temperatures.
Can't remember if they did much snowmaking at that time of year to top things up, but there were very few areas above the main town where you had to worry about thin snow.
Loved it as a place to just have a slash around and gain some confidence.
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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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Echo what's been said. ADH is an excellent place to build up confidence, with those wide bowls. I wouldn't have thought it would be too icy late March, maybe first thing in the morning. Most of the pistes face South and should soften fairly quickly: ADH claims I think to be the "sunniest" (most sunny days) Alpine resort.
As @achilles, suggests, best to stay away from Tunnel, mind  (you can however get the cable car up to Pic Blanc and back down again if you want to see the wonderful view).
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