 Poster: A snowHead
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@MoodyFFS, 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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Heading to the Portes du Soleil at the end of January, but still can cancel accomodation and head elsewhere if needs be. Assuming the forecast mentioned on here from the 10th is correct and snow starts falling, will the PDS be worth it by the end of the month, or would it need longer than that to improve the conditions sufficiently?
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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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@Msmy, Welcome to snowHeads 
No one can tell you, the thought of snow from around the 10th January is pretty vague currently. Maybe there will be blizzards and lots of snow but it could also amount to no more than a few snowflakes. You cant base holiday choices on squinting at ensembles, the latest ones suggest less snow than the ones yesterday did, in all probability the ones tomorrow will be different again. It is reasonable to say there will be snow over the next few weeks but how much is unknown
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Yeah, I get what you are saying. I suppose my question was more around considering how bad the snow is now, would it have to take mega snowfall to fill up again?
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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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@Msmy, up high in PdS is fine - it’s down low it’s really bad. Late Jan is still an age away - it’s only three weeks ago resorts in PdS were opening up early. A lot can (and probably will) change by then.
BTW you’ll probably get more specific help on the PdS thread.
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Fri 30-12-22 9:24; edited 1 time in total
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Msmy wrote: |
| Yeah, I get what you are saying. I suppose my question was more around considering how bad the snow is now, would it have to take mega snowfall to fill up again? |
Irrelevant to end Jan. Cold temps and 30cm and PdS will be great. But another warm spell and it will turn quickly. I would hold off booking accommodation until the week before. That way you can choose somewhere higher if necessary.
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Cheers folks!
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I’d be pretty cautious about saying there’s a forecast for snow from the 10th. That’s still over 10 days out. What there is is a suggestion that we might see a pattern shift from roughly that date towards cooler and snowier weather.
A. It might disappear.
B. It may be very short lived.
C. It might not deliver much.
D. It might be significant and sustained.
At present both GFS and ECM are laying the groundwork and there is a degree of consistency beginning to develop in the GFS op run, but it’s too early to tell if it really represents a signal or is just noise.
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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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| Quote: |
munich_irish
FreeRider
Posts: 2884
@Msmy, No one can tell you, the thought of snow from around the 10th January is pretty vague currently. Maybe there will be blizzards and lots of snow but it could also amount to no more than a few snowflakes. You cant base holiday choices on squinting at ensembles, the latest ones suggest less snow than the ones yesterday did, in all probability the ones tomorrow will be different again. It is reasonable to say there will be snow over the next few weeks but how much is unknown
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I have gone to the PdS the last week of Jan or the 1st week of Feb for the last 13-14 years. Only once has there been anything less than brilliant skiing. One year there was a massive drought and the whole of Chatel where we stayed was green with two tiny slushy pistes open, we went to Linga and everything was open on artificial snow and we had a great 3-4 days skiing.
There are no guarantee's but I am due to Morzine on the 2nd Feb and I certainly will not be changing my plans, if they can keep Avoriaz and Les Gets open in the current conditions then I fully expect 5 weeks of colder weather, snow making and hopefully a few top ups of fresh snow ad it will be fine.
Many times in the past we have had doom and gloom this time of year and then by mid Jan the whole place kicks off. I think a lot of people who go regularly of live out there judge good conditions diffirently to people like us, they see anything less than 1 metre of fresh as being poor, whereas I see half the pistes being open as still a great weekend.
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Bergfex predicting some cooling from Tuesday and a small snowfall (5cm to 10cm) in various Austrian Tyrol resorts
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Models are definitely trending a bit more seasonal temperatures + precipitation in 7-10 days time although that is still quite far off in meteorological timescales and can change within a few model runs.
Hopefully just in time for my trip to VT on the 7th  (though to be fair it looks like it has held up reasonably well there).
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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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| Quote: |
| I think a lot of people who go regularly of live out there judge good conditions diffirently to people like us, they see anything less than 1 metre of fresh as being poor, whereas I see half the pistes being open as still a great weekend. |
Fair points, well made @mheadbee
Over the years, we've spoken to locals in the US and Canada who have described perfect packed powder as 'kinda icy,' or who only skied on powder days, and an instructor in Tignes at the end of November this year (when conditions were great) who hadn't had his skis on this winter as the skiing was too limited.
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| mountainaddict wrote: |
Over the years, we've spoken to locals in the US and Canada who have described perfect packed powder as 'kinda icy... |
Or hardy Scots, who define "Ice" as that shiny, blue-tinged boiler plate, that you can see your face reflected in.....Everything else gets the comment, "That's no' ice. If you want to kno' what ice is, come and ski in Scotland!"
Last edited by 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  on Fri 30-12-22 19:29; edited 1 time in total
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You know it makes sense.
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@mheadbee,
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I think a lot of people who go regularly of live out there judge good conditions diffirently to people like us, they see anything less than 1 metre of fresh as being poor, whereas I see half the pistes being open as still a great weekend.
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Not totally convinced. Show your workings pls?
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
| But it's generally those hardy Scots who are most vocal in highlighting your wimpishness. It seems to give pleasure. |
But they've never highlighted my wimpishness - as they've never had cause to 
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| mountainaddict wrote: |
I once heard a woman shriek as she emerged from the Cairngorm funicular top station into the teeth of a gale and whiteout...She was with a local instructor, who remarked 'Come on, you're no in Courchevel the noo!' |
Superb
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
Or hardy Scots, who define "Ice" as that shiny, blue-tinged boiler plate
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What we usually refer to as Scottish powder
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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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@snowheid, 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| BobinCH wrote: |
| Msmy wrote: |
| Yeah, I get what you are saying. I suppose my question was more around considering how bad the snow is now, would it have to take mega snowfall to fill up again? |
Irrelevant to end Jan. Cold temps and 30cm and PdS will be great. But another warm spell and it will turn quickly. I would hold off booking accommodation until the week before. That way you can choose somewhere higher if necessary. |
Wise advice.
Looking like a return to winter in the second half of January with snow around the 17-19th. More rain early next week though, but how high?
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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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It’s a standing joke with my kids…”this is nothing compared to Glenshee in 1979..”
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Anyone for sunbathing?
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You know it makes sense.
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6° outside my house at 1000m.
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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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Going to reach 16 degrees in La Clusaz today apparently! Thanks goodness we're going home, not been my favourite conditions...
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Poster: A snowHead
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| davidof wrote: |
| BobinCH wrote: |
| Msmy wrote: |
| Yeah, I get what you are saying. I suppose my question was more around considering how bad the snow is now, would it have to take mega snowfall to fill up again? |
Irrelevant to end Jan. Cold temps and 30cm and PdS will be great. But another warm spell and it will turn quickly. I would hold off booking accommodation until the week before. That way you can choose somewhere higher if necessary. |
Wise advice.
Looking like a return to winter in the second half of January with snow around the 17-19th. More rain early next week though, but how high? |
Isn’t there something interesting(ish) potentially arriving around 9/10 Jan? Maybe not massive dumpage but colder and at least a few days of snow?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| andy from embsay wrote: |
| davidof wrote: |
| BobinCH wrote: |
| Msmy wrote: |
| Yeah, I get what you are saying. I suppose my question was more around considering how bad the snow is now, would it have to take mega snowfall to fill up again? |
Irrelevant to end Jan. Cold temps and 30cm and PdS will be great. But another warm spell and it will turn quickly. I would hold off booking accommodation until the week before. That way you can choose somewhere higher if necessary. |
Wise advice.
Looking like a return to winter in the second half of January with snow around the 17-19th. More rain early next week though, but how high? |
Isn’t there something interesting(ish) potentially arriving around 9/10 Jan? Maybe not massive dumpage but colder and at least a few days of snow? |
Yes looks much better for mid Jan but my point is that if it then gets warm and rains end Jan PdS will suffer again and he’d be better off somewhere high. If it stays cold you only need a 30cm dump and even somewhere very low like Morzine will have great skiing - and if there are a few days of cold storms forecast might even be a better choice than high alpine.
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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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Ah, I see what you mean @BobinCH - didn’t realise you were specifically referring to the end of Jan trip.
Next weekend looks fairly good for 1500m+ but I think our garden in Morzine will be staying green.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| footsoldier wrote: |
| It’s a standing joke with my kids…”this is nothing compared to Glenshee in 1979..” |
Glenshee looks to be the better bet today, for snow at least !
https://www.ski-glenshee.co.uk/Webcam
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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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Glencoe is filling in nicely
....with some hardy souls braving the boulder field of the Spring Run I hope they're using their old rock hoppers! 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Foehn gusting to over 110kph at the 7 laux today. Each time you did a run there was less snow ! 11C at 1600 meters with the zero iso > 3000m. Skiing okay but entirely man made snow below 2000m.
Hottest New Year's Eve on record in Chamonix, apparently but worry not, the records only go back to 1947.
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Hi All,
I am in dire need of help/advice. So my partner and I are headed to the alps in a little over a week and were planning to ski in Zermatt from January 9th - January 14th. We have done this trip a number of times in mid-January and have always had a great time. However, we’ve heard the conditions this year aren’t great as of now (we have some friends there currently as well that can corroborate this). Obviously, this is the case everywhere in the Alps, but we are trying to save our holiday. We are flying into Zurich on the 6th and are willing to travel up to 8 hours (via car or trains) to any mountain/country to find better conditions. Does anyone have any recommendations as to where has the best conditions now, or where is forecasted to have the best conditions in about a weeks time? So far, it seems like Verbier and Val-d'Isère may be the best right now, but that is just going off of what I have read on Snow Heads. Any insight is much appreciated. I posted in another place as well, but thought I should ask here because I saw others doing the same.
Thanks in advance for the help.
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| SimpleSkier92 wrote: |
Hi All,
I am in dire need of help/advice. So my partner and I are headed to the alps in a little over a week and were planning to ski in Zermatt from January 9th - January 14th. We have done this trip a number of times in mid-January and have always had a great time. However, we’ve heard the conditions this year aren’t great as of now (we have some friends there currently as well that can corroborate this). Obviously, this is the case everywhere in the Alps, but we are trying to save our holiday. We are flying into Zurich on the 6th and are willing to travel up to 8 hours (via car or trains) to any mountain/country to find better conditions. Does anyone have any recommendations as to where has the best conditions now, or where is forecasted to have the best conditions in about a weeks time? So far, it seems like Verbier and Val-d'Isère may be the best right now, but that is just going off of what I have read on Snow Heads. Any insight is much appreciated. I posted in another place as well, but thought I should ask here because I saw others doing the same.
Thanks in advance for the help. |
I would suggest getting on a plane and flying to North America. Plenty of snow here. Utah would be a safe bet. Almost 7 meters of snow so far this season at Alta.
https://www.alta.com/
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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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| Toadman wrote: |
| SimpleSkier92 wrote: |
Hi All,
I am in dire need of help/advice. So my partner and I are headed to the alps in a little over a week and were planning to ski in Zermatt from January 9th - January 14th. We have done this trip a number of times in mid-January and have always had a great time. However, we’ve heard the conditions this year aren’t great as of now (we have some friends there currently as well that can corroborate this). Obviously, this is the case everywhere in the Alps, but we are trying to save our holiday. We are flying into Zurich on the 6th and are willing to travel up to 8 hours (via car or trains) to any mountain/country to find better conditions. Does anyone have any recommendations as to where has the best conditions now, or where is forecasted to have the best conditions in about a weeks time? So far, it seems like Verbier and Val-d'Isère may be the best right now, but that is just going off of what I have read on Snow Heads. Any insight is much appreciated. I posted in another place as well, but thought I should ask here because I saw others doing the same.
Thanks in advance for the help. |
I would suggest getting on a plane and flying to North America. Plenty of snow here. Utah would be a safe bet. Almost 7 meters of snow so far this season at Alta.
https://www.alta.com/ |
I'm flying from NA to EU ... I know, I know don't get me started haha (had to see family). So any alps recs are much appreciated!
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| SimpleSkier92 wrote: |
Hi All,
I am in dire need of help/advice. So my partner and I are headed to the alps in a little over a week and were planning to ski in Zermatt from January 9th - January 14th. We have done this trip a number of times in mid-January and have always had a great time. However, we’ve heard the conditions this year aren’t great as of now (we have some friends there currently as well that can corroborate this). Obviously, this is the case everywhere in the Alps, but we are trying to save our holiday. We are flying into Zurich on the 6th and are willing to travel up to 8 hours (via car or trains) to any mountain/country to find better conditions. Does anyone have any recommendations as to where has the best conditions now, or where is forecasted to have the best conditions in about a weeks time? So far, it seems like Verbier and Val-d'Isère may be the best right now, but that is just going off of what I have read on Snow Heads. Any insight is much appreciated. I posted in another place as well, but thought I should ask here because I saw others doing the same.
Thanks in advance for the help. |
Provided you’re on-Piste, I don’t know why you’re stressing: Zermatt has the highest altitude runs in the alps. In fact, I would be more worried of having snow, bad weather, and high winds, than lack of snow. Here in the Salzburg area, the ski areas (Saalbach, Zillertal, Zell am See, Kitzsteinhorn, Kitzbühel, SkiWelt) are almost completely open. Keep in mind they didn’t get nearly as much rain as PdS/low down in France, but early December temps were cold enough to get lots of snow making running.
As for you, I would suggest you look into St. Moritz, an underrated resort in pure skiing terms. They have 150+km of slopes and two large areas: Corviglia, known for its cruisey, sunny, south facing slopes, and Corvatsch, a much more difficult glacier. For accommodation, check out the neighboring village of Celerina to save $$$, it has its own gondola that takes you to a major hub of the ski area. St. Moritz is also very high up, with the village at 1800m. Looking at the webcams, it’s still white down in the village if that’s important to you
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