 Poster: A snowHead
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Idris - awesome love it. Always fancied a parallel world job as a pisteur in this life. Thanks for posting.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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One of the reasons skiing is not too "risky" a sport is that there are expert people just waiting to whizz to your rescue. Typically on a piste in Europe they'll be with you in less than 20 - 30 minutes. I broke my pelvis on a French ski slope - got taken to medical centre, X-rayed, no treatment needed (pain killers and crutches issued), an ambulance whistled up with two nice French guys to take me home to my apartment and get me down the concrete stairs, equipped with anti-thrombosis injections to give myself. Picked up by ambulance to get checked out, a couple of weeks later. Cost = very little, paid for by my insurance.
If that had happened on, say, the Brecon Beacons, or if I'd fallen off my bike on the coastal path round Chichester Harbour, it would have been FAR more hassle and would probably have included 12 hours in a horrendously busy A&E department.
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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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love this!
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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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@Idris, brilliant, thank you!
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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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| Orange200 wrote: |
Fantastic inside info.
Most rescues are after lunch? How often do you feel alcohol plays a part? It certainly does on the roads. |
Good question. Very rarely drink during the day, but I'm very aware that a fair few people do.
Any thoughts on this @idris?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| SHAP wrote: |
| Orange200 wrote: |
Fantastic inside info.
Most rescues are after lunch? How often do you feel alcohol plays a part? It certainly does on the roads. |
Good question. Very rarely drink during the day, but I'm very aware that a fair few people do.
Any thoughts on this @idris? |
Tired and over confident having survived the morning. Drink plays a part at the end of the day, but most ate just having a hard time getting home, rather than broken.
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| davidof wrote: |
| Good luck. 5 a day is probably more like it at Megeve |
That's about the average for the whole team, and the record for solo.
Most so far in a day for the team is 13. Some rescues solo , some required three.
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@Idris, good stuff
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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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@Idris, Thankyou. As others have said, very interesting, great pictures.
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The Season is now very much done and dusted, I am back into jack hammer n drill mode (House foundation). This was my first full season of being a real ski patroler. Because it was my first I realy enjoyed it, BUT. It was full of ups n downs, especially downs caused by mother nature. Some major parts of the resort were closed and opened again 4 times.
Until mid december, I'm really going to miss seeing this at the end of my commute.
And having this for my toilet window
Think this is a pic of our last real fesh snow day, 4th of April or so. We've just skated over from the Teleperique (Tram) beind us and have stopped to say hi to Jean-Eves (in Blue) The Mechanic/Electrician in charge of the Caboche Telecabne (Gondola) before we ski off to open our assigned runs for the day.
On the skate accross the flats this is the view as the sun crests the Italan border to shine into France
Some days you just have to make the most of what snow you have (I'm driving not skiing).
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/M0ruyoJuS-A
Being a season of open one min, closed the next we had 140 less rescues than the revious year, but I was still involved with this contraption 4 times. (I think there was 30 or so helis called this year)
To deal with this sort of rescue, not always of piste but serious (An 11 year old with a suspectd broken Femur) case.
And towards the end of season a fair few calls like this, get there and somone let the wrong lifty use a radio, you turn up and the kid has long since picked them selves up and is back doing laps.
Way too much of the season the runs looked like this, we would love to install snowmaking here. And it's not money or resources that are stopping us. It's running a ski area with 238 different property owners, and a few (a very small few) are a PITA
Resulting in a client experience like this. These runs were actuall closed, but in France, that means please don't go. And if you do have an accident you are footing your own bills becuse you invalidated your insurance (although it will still be lesss than your co pay in the USA).
In the end we threw in the towel with the runs in the middle of the resort and bit by bit dismantled all of the signposts and safety gear. This is the tower/pylon protection.
Of course we got a few dumps of snow needing the digging out of the signs on the runs that remain open.
A fair number of people didn't understand why we couldn't just re open the closed runs. Even if everything was still in place, 30cm (a foot) of snow over mud n grass, while nice looking, dosen't make it skiable.
At the end of the season we closed the main area a week earlier than in a good year and the upper area 2 days later - it then snowed for 2 days straight, but it also rained to the summits and everything slid bigtime.
Am I going back? Put it this way I've already returned the neccesary paperwork to say yes.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Impressive. Lets hope there is just a little more snow next year.
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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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Thank you for doing your best to keep the runs open
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Great thread; already looking forward to it again next season.
..Nick
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You know it makes sense.
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Yes please do post again next season.... my alter ego wants to be a pisteur! Was really cool seeing your job from afar.
Talking with one of my pisteur mates here in Val yesterday he was telling me he is trying to get a CPD mini pisteur training sort of course going for BASI and ENSA (French system) folk next year... I said count me in ill be there! Sounds ace.
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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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| Quote: |
Great thread; already looking forward to it again next season.
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+1 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Loved the pics and info.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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As someone who has skiied Megeve a lot, that was fascinating. Although it looks like we might have made a good choice to go elsewhere this year.
Interesting about the landowners bit - do you think that is the same in many resorts, or is the land often owned by a smaller number of people?
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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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Great report, cheers and very pleased you enjoyed it so much!
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FAQ
