 Poster: A snowHead
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| Jo225 wrote: |
@eps, @Owlette, as Boris says, you will be fine  It was really quite warm yesterday, but the temperatures are forecast to go down, and in any case, there's plenty of snow now. Admittedly, you won't be wanting to spend a lot of time in the lower parts of the resorts, but you will have lots of fun higher up! As johnE says, getting down to the Vanoise Express is a bit of a pain (although it will be better when it's cooler) but the skiing on both sides is worth the effort.
We drove back home this afternoon (would have liked to stay longer, but have stuff to do), but we are seriously considering another trip in a week or two. These are the best conditions that we've seen this season - it's way better than December and January. |
That's good to hear. We skied in Austria in December and it was like an ice rink. That was only our second time skiing. We never fully appreciated how perfect the conditions were on our first trip.
Kids have been told. They are very excited. Hubby is out checking tyre pressure and buying fuel and snacks as we speak. I plan to load the car this evening.
We're going skiiiiiiiinnnnng!!!!!!!!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Owlette, Where are you staying? We'll be in Les Arcs until Monday.
The snow is actually pretty good at the moment but it could do with the temperature to drop. Once the temperature gets above freezing overnight then the snow can go very quickly. Day temperatues don't matter much. Iv'e skied when the temp has been 20 degrees in bright sunshine and it was great. The rain today wan't too bad, but the forecast for tomorrow doesn't look too good but should get better over the weekend.
Have a safe drive down. It took us nine a three quater hours on Monday from Calais to parking up in the resort.
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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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@eps, my first pic is not far above the Vanoise Express cable car, on the La Plagne side, above Montchavin.
As mentioned by @Boris, the 2nd one is heading down just above Vallandry, on the Myrtilles Red piste.
My impression from today, having skied mainly over in La Plagne, as high as Roche de Mio glacier (above 2700m), is that snow quality has been better in Les Arcs, above the 1800m level.
All change this weekend anyway.
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2 more pics from same spot, in Vallandry…
…with 3 days between them…
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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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@Owlette, how very exciting for your kids  That’s so lovely! Bet they don’t get much sleep tonight...
Bon voyage!
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@PeakyB, hasn’t the glacier been closed for the past few days? Avy risk & vis? But we did leave today, so don’t know the current situation... If you did get up there, how was it? Might get back there in a week or two.
We found the runs down into the Champagny side to be quite lovely (As usual! It always seems to be nice over there).
I do agree that Les Arcs has been very good though! Getting down to the Vanoise Express wasn’t the best experience (& getting back was a bit of a slush fest at the bottom too) but it was worth the effort
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@johnE, We're in 1800. How about you?
Leave home tomorrow morning for the 1320 Chunnel. Then stopping over in Auxerre, which looks roughly halfway between Calais and Les Arcs. Aiming to arrive in 1800 around 1700 as that's the earliest we've been told we can have the key. May do a shop in Bourg before heading up if we arrive there early enough.
Just going to take it easy and stop when it suits.
Car is all packed. Tips on packing were game changers. Everything in the boot with room to spare. I don't think we've EVER done that. Key game changers were a giant vacuum bag for linens/outer ski wear and a bag for life each instead of a suitcase. Those things are cavernous.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Thu 30-03-23 22:28; edited 1 time in total
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@Jo225, Merci!
Boy11 has been down three times already. Boy9 is snoring away (but did have his school disco this evening so that wore him out).
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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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Have an epic time! We'll be on our way on Saturday morning at zzzzz o'clock
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@Jo225, yes, Roche de Mio glacier has been closed but was open yesterday. The snow conditions were better higher up but still quite heavy by midday. Lumpy snow and not such good visibility. Still plenty snow cover though and a drop in temperature of a few degrees would see it good again.
Indeed the piste snaking down to the Vanoise Express from La Plagne side is hard work. Needs more snow and good grooming. They’ll keep it open through Easter I’m sure.
Expect the unexpected, relax and take it easy everyone.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The forecast for you Easter bunnies arriving this weekend is looking good.
Good dump of snow overnight, Friday into Saturday, with rain/snow transition level around the 1500m mark. Quite heavy snow higher up.
More light snow during Saturday with temperatures around zero or lower. Moderate breeze.
Then Monday to Wednesday, mostly clear, sunny spells with occasional light snow with light breezes.
Temperatures consistently well below freezing overnight from about 1400m level and hovering around zero at lower levels during daytimes.
Could hardly be better this time of the season and should be great spring snow skiing.
Should be back looking like this.
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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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| PeakyB wrote: |
The forecast for you Easter bunnies arriving this weekend is looking good.
Good dump of snow overnight, Friday into Saturday, with rain/snow transition level around the 1500m mark. Quite heavy snow higher up.
More light snow during Saturday with temperatures around zero or lower. Moderate breeze.
Then Monday to Wednesday, mostly clear, sunny spells with occasional light snow with light breezes.
Temperatures consistently well below freezing overnight from about 1400m level and hovering around zero at lower levels during daytimes.
Could hardly be better this time of the season and should be great spring snow skiing.
Should be back looking like this. |
Oh that's exactly what I wanted to read! Thank you!
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You know it makes sense.
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@Owlette,  spare a thought for us here in a thunderstorm this morning.
Safe travel, expect and plan for driving in snow as you get very near your destination.
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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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We’re taking our little car down lower tonight, as on summer tyres. While we have chains I really don’t want to fit them for 2-3 miles.
Discovery on winters will cope I hope
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Poster: A snowHead
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Not sure what situation is elsewhere but lifts in Vallandry closed to 10 due to thunder
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Woken at 7 this morning by thunder. Looking out the window now it looks quite miserable. Everyone has gone back to bed. However looking across the valley I see ( our apartment looks down on bourg and across to Mont Blanc and the aiguille des glaciers) I see the snow line has dropped a bit.
@Owlette, if you are doing a shop in the Super U remember to take some boxes or at least big shopping bags to put the shopping in I often forget and end up with loads of loose shopping rolling about.
We are in arc 1600
I’m not sure if this has been mentioned earlier but the arpette lift has been closed all week. Yesterday, the fencing around it had been taken down and it looks as if it will not open again this 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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@johnE, it has a “en panne” notice Tuesday, looks like they’ve given up as you say. Shame as a very useful lift to get over to 2000
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Further update on weather: thunder still rolling around, cloud now right down and the valley full of the stuff.
Huge shows the whole resort closed at 10:00 . The prospect of being on a lift struck by lightning doesn’t bear thinking about.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| johnE wrote: |
Further update on weather: thunder still rolling around, cloud now right down and the valley full of the stuff.
Huge shows the whole resort closed at 10:00 . The prospect of being on a lift struck by lightning doesn’t bear thinking about. |
Looks like all of Les Arcs is ferme a ce moment mais La Plagne est ouvert!
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Vallandry lifts both now running so hopefully due to open soon
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@Boris, A storm has arrived over the Bellvarde in Val, maybe yours has moved on. Think it may be happening all day.
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Pouring with rain here in Arc1800. Last day for us, shame but it’s been incredible conditions all week. Found a new to us lunch restaurant in arc1600 - La Sangliere Fume. So good! Gonna have to have a long lunch today as I don’t fancy getting soaked and then packing wet kit.
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Sorry to hear that - especially as we arrive tomorrow! Just hope the freezing level can lower...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Got up but all lifts closed on return to village.
Vanoise express open and a few lifts on other side showing as open. But soaked through - calling it a day
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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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Eeesh. Sorry to hear about todays weather.
We are on our way. We've just stopped at Cobham services, and then we'll be on our way again. Kids have already worked their way through half the snack bag! It's chucking it down in the UK too. We're 99 miles in, and it's rained throughout. Some interesting driving on the M4 and M25 happening too.
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I think I saw on the Arc 1800 website that the Dahu lift is free for 'pedestrians'. Do they let you take skis on ? We'll be bringing the first timer kids down from Edenarc to the ESF for lessons.
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You know it makes sense.
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Mixed afternoon, went for a few runs which were pleasant enough, but then ended up in Arc1800 when they closed all the lifts as too windy 
Bus back to Vallandry passed us, stopped but wouldn’t let us on or tell us which way the stop was. Thankfully the access road is only a mile, but didn’t really want to walk it.
After 20-years coming here, the lack of comms on the app and from anyone has really peed m off. Sure they won’t care they’ve lost some business
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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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Anyway - at top of Vagere lift good couple of inches of snow, I’d say snow/rain line is around 1600m currently.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Yes - no issues taking skis on Dahu. Be warned that it is a low capacity lift and the queue may look short but can easily take 20 minutes after ski school. It can sometimes be faster to go way higher on Vagere and ski down to the top of Dahu.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Mainly rain in 1600 a few minutes of sleet then back to rain, heavy at times. And a couple of seconds of sunshine.
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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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| PeakyB wrote: |
| @Jo225, yes, Roche de Mio glacier has been closed but was open yesterday. The snow conditions were better higher up but still quite heavy by midday. Lumpy snow and not such good visibility. Still plenty snow cover though and a drop in temperature of a few degrees would see it good again. |
Thanks for the update Quite worrying that the snow was still softening up on the glacier. But I believe it's getting cooler, so yes, crossed fingers!
To everyone going down from & up to resort this weekend, safe journey! Looks like it might be a bit tricky... Best of luck to you all
Oh, & as regards fuel, no problems at all on the motorway, or in Albertville & Chambery off the motorway. I can only be of help for the journey to Lyon, tbh, because we weren't going back to the UK so went in the Clermont-Ferrand direction rather than Paris. I think the main issues at the moment are in Normandy, Brittany & the SE - certainly there seem to be no shortages in central France.
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@Jo225, it was a little strange that the snow conditions yesterday seemed better on the Les Arcs side than La Plagne. This was despite the La Plagne pistes we sampled being higher.
That’s all in the past though and already tonight we have a decent sprinkling of fresh snow at 1600m altitude. Plenty chat about first lifts tomorrow morning
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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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Re: Arpette lift closing …
We are staying in 1950, arriving Easter weekend for the week.
Arpette is ‘usually’ on our morning circuit - down to Comborciere, down Mont Blanc or Belvedere and back up to 2000 bowl to collect kids from ski school. At this time of year, saves skiing down to 1800 to pick up the Carrelley lift back up to the ridge.
So that’s a little dissappointing.
Other than the Transarc, there isn’t another option?
Clocheret - down the short section of black, connect with Secret and then pick up the Pre St Esprit … ?
They should never have shut the Grand Renard chair (? / or whatever it was called) that gave another option up to the Dentes de Peigne
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@Richie_S, agree about Grand Renard chair, that was a great way to hop up onto ridge.
Personally think Carolley is best alternative option
Just gone 4:30, about 1” of fresh snow at 1600m so bound to be more up top. We’re heading down soon
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La neige est arrivée…
1600m, 8am.
Here we go again
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About 15cm fresh snow in 1600 this morning and still snowing lightly.
The roads are clear if you are driving up to 1600 and I expect 1800 this morning, not sure about 2000
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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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@Boris, thanks Boris.
I took a further look at the piste map. The black off top of Clocheret is now marked red - so for my son and I that is a good option Mrs S and the youngster won’t appreciate the steeper bit of red thou.
It does look like Carrelley is the option. I have never experienced a queue there. I guess partly because a lot of folks carry on down to Vagere and you already have to be on the hill to ski to the Carrelley.
I imagine there will be queues this time, thou.
I can only imagine that the Transarc will be a queuefest as well.
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@Richie_S, muguet is quite steep for a red but don’t worry about carrelley queues there have been non anywhere all week. If you have a essentials pass then there is an express line there as well.
My dislike of the transarc is getting worse and I think it’s been 5 years since I’ve been in it. I miss the grand renard lift and have a strange affection for charmatoger.
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