 Poster: A snowHead
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Years ago I went down the Arete as part of a fairly intermediate group (with a guide).
Roped up, no crampons.
The guide thought I was the most competent (?!) and asked me to go first.
"If the person in front falls and goes over to one side you must jump over the other side without hesitation!"
The next day I couldn't hold a spoon in my right hand...I had such muscle pain from having maintained an iron like death grip on the rope 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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@BobinCH, ah that makes sense. Some balls skiing that side of it Bob, it feels like death up there to the left, a great big yawning death
Interesting re conditions. I think with the freezing level so low was a great chance to ski more mellow stuff on lower resorts. I would have been delighted safely lapping hearse and Italian bowl in those conditions but you have that on tap in Verbier so of less interest.
@Chamwow, yeah I was surprised that day because the guide was super cautious about everything else, stopping and looking around observing conditions etc, but didn't bother with crampons. On the other hand its really very safe with a handrail and roped to other people so its probably more the tourist's illusion of more safety.
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Is anyone doing any run on Vallee Blanche between Sunday 29th - 3rd that I could potentially join in with?
My partner is pregnant and the group in travelling with aren’t experienced enough for it?
I can offer great banter and promise not to slow the group up !
15+ years of back country off piste skiing experience, including in India
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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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| Wrighty1994 wrote: |
Is anyone doing any run on Vallee Blanche between Sunday 29th - 3rd that I could potentially join in with?
My partner is pregnant and the group in travelling with aren’t experienced enough for it?
I can offer great banter and promise not to slow the group up !
15+ years of back country off piste skiing experience, including in India |
We won't arrive until the 4th, but if you're still there then, lets talk. We're a couple with 20 years of backcountry experience living in Banff. Currently on a month long European trip.
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| Quote: |
We won't arrive until the 4th, but if you're still there then, lets talk. We're a couple with 20 years of backcountry experience living in Banff. Currently on a month long European trip.
Mon 23 Jan, 23
16:04
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Oh no @TOLOCOMAN I'm leaving the day your arrive 
Im desperate to do the Vallee Blanche but can't pay £400 for a guide on my own
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| Wrighty1994 wrote: |
| Quote: |
We won't arrive until the 4th, but if you're still there then, lets talk. We're a couple with 20 years of backcountry experience living in Banff. Currently on a month long European trip.
Mon 23 Jan, 23
16:04
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Oh no @TOLOCOMAN I'm leaving the day your arrive
Im desperate to do the Vallee Blanche but can't pay £400 for a guide on my own |
Too bad. We're kind of in the same boat for ourselves. Hope it works out for you!
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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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| 8611 wrote: |
@Chamwow, yeah I was surprised that day because the guide was super cautious about everything else, stopping and looking around observing conditions etc, but didn't bother with crampons. On the other hand its really very safe with a handrail and roped to other people so its probably more the tourist's illusion of more safety. |
I think they do it that way because if someone has never worn crampons before they’re quite likely to trip, and so that’s not the best place to start learning to use them.
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Possibly yeah. Plus I assume its a lot of faff putting crampons on boots for a fairly short hike.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Wrighty1994 wrote: |
15+ years of back country off piste skiing experience, including in India |
It looks like clear weather on 29th. And it hasn’t snowed for a while so all the main routes will be like pistes. If that’s the case and you’re experienced in glacier travel I’d reckon you’d be ok to do it on your own. If you go early (lift opens 8:10 - be there by 7:45 for a ticket for the first non) there will be lots of groups going. Once you’re at the top ask the experienced looking groups if you can tag along with them in return for the first round of beers at the end. I doubt you’ll be waiting long. There are crevasses lurking on the classic route so good to have someone looking out for you.
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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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@Wrighty1994, mostly old soldiers in these threads, precious little skiing being done so no need to worry. I haven't been in Chamonix for prob 8 years but always pop back to the thread to see what's going on, this and the Arlberg thread usually good for escapism via others exploits
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You know it makes sense.
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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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How is the snow at the moment then folks? Just on piste skiing for me, usually at Les Houches or Le Tour.
I was in Chamonix the week before last and just booked flights for Wednesday to Saturday this week on a whim.
Bloody addictive isnt it? 
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Poster: A snowHead
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@PortSki, cold and firm apparently
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Better than hot and wet 
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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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Today was spring skiing on anything south facing. Will likely be VERY crunchy after the temperature drops tonight.
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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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Yeah. The problem with that plan for this month though is you book your days, then they go on strike.... Almost feel like they shouldn't be selling that option when they don't know 3+ days out if a stike will impact them. Seems kind immoral to take your money when they don't know what they can provide.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@TOLOCOMAN, have the strikes actually affected any skiing yet though?
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40 euro a day does seem a very good deal
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| under a new name wrote: |
| @TOLOCOMAN, have the strikes actually affected any skiing yet though? |
Well I guess you could argue it got me extra skiing (and a bunch of walking) yesterday when they closed Montenvers... 
On a positive note, Grand Montets was actually kind of chalky and pleasant skiing offpiste as long as it had seen enough traffic to break the wind crust.
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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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How are the pistes holding up with the last few days of warmer weather? I ski'd Les Houches and Le Tour last week (thursday and friday) and it was great but Iv seen that its been very warm this week
Im back in Chamonix next Saturday 25th Feb and hope the forcast snow next week materialises. My little one likes to ski at Vormaine so hoping that is still open?
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Great skiing! I have heard all about the lack of snow but that looks like amazing conditions and you are shredding it.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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So hot
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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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We had a very fine bbq up Flegere yesterday. Pistes reported ok but it did look very springlike!
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You know it makes sense.
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I’m out to see my daughter again Les gets on Friday for 5 days . Her day off Wednesday we are contemplating driving to chamonix , has any one got any feed back on conditions at Argentiere or La tour ? How’s the offpiste on the north faces?
Also thinking maybe valley Blanche again, is it now open ?
Thanks
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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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@mrchips, We were up there about 4 weeks ago to access the Hotel Face and the first part from the cable car was horrible. Bumps the size of cars. Decided to give it a miss from then on.
Can't imagine what it is like now.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@bigtoe, I suggest that you read the Mountain Conditions page on the Chamoniarde website for the VB and make your decision.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@bigtoe, I was there at the weekend - North facing off piste at Argentiere is still nice. Packed but chalky, takes an edge well. Very small changes in aspect give quite a big change in conditions; a slight dip can be beautiful, but the rises either side might be refrozen. Once you learn where is best there's lots of great skiing.
Left side of the triangle was lovely, as were a few lines in the Lavancher bowl. Lots of people on the skin track to the top, but it was just a chilling trip for us so I didn't bother checking it out.
I'd recommend arriving early tho' - Paris vaccances week so the car park gets full early on. No big queues on the mountain, and the new Bochard gondolas have a higher practical capacity.
Wouldn't bother with Le Tour; snow not so good and crowded - new gondola brings people up too fast for the Autannes chair to handle.
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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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| Quote: |
I'd recommend arriving early tho'
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@snowdave, yep, long queue on autoroute (at least as far as Bossons, double deep) as we left at 08h45 for Annecy ... all car parks pretty full in town when we got back at 13h10 (e.g. 10 spaces in Grepon)
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@under a new name, time to go the Zermatt option, with a big car park in Passy 
I'm dreading the rebuild of the GM, as it looks like the "new" car park will be much smaller.
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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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@snowdave, but that would conflict with M. Fournier's obvious plan* to reduce car traffic by making it impossible to use your car.
Despite being a little smaller, the new Le Tour parking seemed to be working better - with attendants actually shepherding drivers into sensible parking. That said, it's a bit embarrassing when the Flégère overflow turns out to be the green of the 10th hole of the golf course.
I'm not entirely sure quite what the rationale is. Buses (well certainly not the ones currently used) are not an adequate substitute.
* I have heard a somewhat apocryphal tale that the Prefet was invited up in the summer to admire the new (and unusable**) cycle lanes and responded with a rather forceful, "and just where the f*ck are the tourists supposed to park?"
** per some very keen cyclists I know, they are dangerously laid out and mostly occupied by runners and babies in buggies. It is not, anyway, as if Chamonix gets snow in town, ever 
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Tue 21-02-23 15:59; edited 1 time in total
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@under a new name, agreed re the cycle lanes - I tried them out and think they're a lot more dangerous than the old, reasonably wide, shared road. I'll take the back road through town rather than the cycle lanes, or just ride the main road...
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Surely at some point they’ll look at the parking mess they‘ve created and decide the best way to manage demand is to start charging for parking …
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@hold_my_biere, They already do in town. But I have heard tourists complaining that it's a bit rich to charge for parking, when that's how they got there ... not saying it's wrong but there the available options aren't great (back to the great big car park in Passy?)
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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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Trying delivering stuff to Chamonix! Especially cham sud now the parking is all gone... there are 2 delivery bays that people now just use as parking. I saw one car there the other week at 2pm with ice still on the window!
I've now taken to just parking in the middle of the road/pavement or whatever and if it pisses people off, not my problem. My clients want their beer delivering and I want to be able to get as close to the bars as possible so I'm not having to carry/wheel 40kg kegs across sheet ice.
That's another thing, do chamonix not believe in ice/clearing pavements? Cham sud was like an ice rink
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Big car park in Passy, toll the road beyond Servoz (sticker based, maybe E50/yr, so it doesn't impact the locals too badly) and invest the proceeds in 2-4x the capacity of trains and buses.
Oh, and enforce the wood burning stove "ban".
Then the valley would be a much nicer place for all concerned.
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