 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi
Just wondering what your thoughts are on Flaine 9th April, is it too late? What are my chances the snow will be ok and the links open to Samoen?
I'm debating changing the booking to somewhere higher however I have got a good apartment and instructor booked and I've read Flaine has a little micro-climate of snow and usually holds well into April, still nervous though.
Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@wonderwoman, Latest I’ve been is last week of March, links were open to the whole of the GM, the lower Flaine resort runs that were exposed to the sun were slushy from lunch onwards, higher up and north facing were fine.
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Flaine is usually open till late April so I think 9th April would be a good week to go there as whilst there may be a bit of slush at the bottom in the afternoon it will be less busy than the week before. Flaine is normally better late season than early season and often has impressive snow depths in late March/early April.
The second week of April is a bit riskier in the lower GM resorts eg Les Carroz and Morillon but you could strike lucky in a good snow year and find yourself skiing really quiet pistes above those villages. Samoens 1600 is north facing and there would probably at least be enough open for you to ski over to Flaine and back. However I think Flaine would be the best base for that week.
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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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@wonderwoman, Grand Massif shuts on 18th April, so you will be skiing the last week of the season. The risk with Samoens (and all the other low resorts les carroz etc) in getting to Flaine is it is dependent on a south facing blue run Tormaline, that gets progressively narrower and very thin snow in the late season. However if you go at the very start of the day it is usually ok, i.e get first lift, but after that it is usually grim. Flaine bowl is cold, so usually great at the end of the season, up to lunchtime. Links back are better, unless you go back late and it will be a chopped up mess at the top of tete des saix.
Saying all of that, in a good snow year I have skied very last day of the season, empty pistes, down to the gondola base in les carroz at the end of the day, in bad years had to download down the gondola, and also in Flaine had to download down the chair lift to the vernant car park, which was slightly interesting.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I guess you don't mean skiing down to Samoens village?
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@pam w, I don't think there is a ski run down to Samoens village. If skiing back from Flaine you'd ski to Samoens 1600 and take the gondola down to the village. I think @wonderwoman, means the Tete des Saix/Vernant/Tourmaline link between Flaine and Samoens.
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Sorry I assumed @wonderwoman, was staying in Samoens, and you can't ski to samoens village itself, only vercland (which will most likely be shut that late)
If you are in Flaine at that time of year stay there, it will have the best snow, and should be fine, it will get slushy to the top in the afternoon, but snow depth will be ok.
So stay in Flaine unless snow is really very very good, as the way back to Flaine from the other villages has to be done via tourmaline, which can be very grim in the afternoon that late in the season, even if a good snow year. I may be being slightly looking on the darker side as I guide a VI skier, and rocky, grassy, slushy, brown bumps are exhausting physically /mentally for her and mentally for me.
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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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Grand Massif options on the Giffre valley side:
- GM Express: park in Samoens and use the telecabine to 1600.
- after Samoens 1600 there's a piste down to Vercland but (1) parking there is as hard as in Combloux, and (2) at 850m, even if North Facing, it's unlikely to be open mid April.
- there's obviously Cascade, a 12km run down from the top of Flaine to Le Fay (800m), but again it'll most probably be closed by then.
- Morillons 1100 (Esserts) has a parking, else down in Morillons itself the parking's practical but again, it's unlikely imho the piste down from Les Esserts to 650m is enjoyable (if open) in April.
Not too sure about the southern part of the domain (Arache/Carroz) but in my opinion, for April, park at Flaine or just stay there.
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Flaine wouldn't be my top choice in April.
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