 Poster: A snowHead
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We were due on the 7:36, turned up around 5:30 and was offered the 6:30, started to queue up a few minutes after the call but ended up getting one that left around 7:20ish. Once into France drive to Annecy was painless, nice quiet roads, slightly busy as we got near Geneva but it was rush hour so give expected. Sooo many English XC90s on the road, certainly the car of choice. I should have borrowed my brothers  . More room too
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Ha. Read this and looked up to see an XC90 ahead of me in the queue for passport control at Dover.
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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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I have an xc60 and I visit the pumps very regularly suspect the 90 is even worse diesel or not. They are great family transport but thirsty there are better engines out there for the range conscious. Nice bit of consumer advice on a ski page!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@James77, It's not the engine, it's the big slab of vehicle it's propelling! If you want better Volvo mpg get something like a V60 diesel. I drove to the Alps many times in a V70 Tdi with roof box, 4 up. 130kph and well over 40 mpg. Plenty of space.
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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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Stats from Arras to Châtel today on Merc diesel e220 estate. 4 hours motorway with limiter set at 140kph and 3 hours mixed cross-country 80kph, 40 mins busy CH motorway and mountain Rd to Châtel.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Made it to Lyon Est (about 23:30) after a few delays at passports in Dieppe, coupled with ‘Uncle Google’ sending us past the A86 tunnel and into St Cloud area of Paris. I’ll fave to assume that all routes out of Paris were jammed, as ours was steady a with a little ‘accordion’ from time to time.
The first 50km south of Paris though made me feel like I was in a war zone, it was that chaotic. Thankfully, no issues, but I’ve got some cracking dash cam footage 
The A6 in the end was ok, and in keeping with the stats above, brimmed the Kuga in Newhaven, replenished (on fumes) at E. Leclerc (Beynost / Lyon Est / Next to digs). I’ll be genuine and say I ‘might’ have nudged it to 130+ , but I was just keeping up with traffic . Not many Brits on the A6 tonight, for sure.
Will fill up on ‘mountain’ diesel tomorrow in BsM, before a hopefully blue sky day in Sainte-Foy. Nite all.
CF (and ‘not-so’ MiniCF taking up 75% of the HotelF1 bed )
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Some of you lot are getting soft , no overnighters queuing outside the Skishop and Bakery in Sainte Foy this morning !
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En route, just arrived in Calais, on the way to Italy.
New car this year for the trip as wife finally made me get a giant 4x4 after avoiding it for ages. Audi Q7, the one with the diesel V8.
No roof box, so so far is doing around 38mpg. When we used a borrowed Cayenne diesel last year with roof box we were doing about 30, so this is quite an improvement, if still woeful by general standards.
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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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For those heading south, the Troyes A26/A5 junction had about 5 miles of stationary traffic at about 11am this morning and another 4 mile queue north of Troyes. Travelling north on this day when normally part of the half term traffic, it makes you realise just how many British cars make the trip each year for half term.
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| RTB wrote: |
| For those heading south, the Troyes A26/A5 junction had about 5 miles of stationary traffic at about 11am this morning and another 4 mile queue north of Troyes. Travelling north on this day when normally part of the half term traffic, it makes you realise just how many British cars make the trip each year for half term. |
Belgian and Dutch too? When we’ve done this, lots of their cars too.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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 left Brussels this morning planning to be in the chalet by 6pm… by the time we got to Luxembourg my friends reminded me it’s a Sun-Sun booking … oh well, we’ll find a room in Thonon-les-Bains or something!
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| horizon wrote: |
| We left Brussels this morning planning to be in the chalet by 6pm… by the time we got to Luxembourg my friends reminded me it’s a Sun-Sun booking … oh well, we’ll find a room in Thonon-les-Bains or something! |
you could have stopped off in Lux and eaten some good food.
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You know it makes sense.
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The main road through Albertville was blocked by strikers, causing quite a jam. However since the deployment of the CRS (riot squad) the road is now clear!
As the old French saying goes: if you are in a place where the CRS are deployed you are in the wrong place!
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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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| Harry Flashman wrote: |
En route, just arrived in Calais, on the way to Italy.
New car this year for the trip as wife finally made me get a giant 4x4 after avoiding it for ages. Audi Q7, the one with the diesel V8.
No roof box, so so far is doing around 38mpg. When we used a borrowed Cayenne diesel last year with roof box we were doing about 30, so this is quite an improvement, if still woeful by general standards. |
I love the irony in this post
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Poster: A snowHead
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Listen, I wanted to try and go for an EV and chance it (our other car is a Leaf) but in the event went for something with a fun engine! Wife didn't wish to fall foul of the range thing.
I am a recovering petrolhead, after all.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Stuck in traffic on A43 after Chambery. Drive down has been easy but now standstill even after peage
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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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The N85 out of Grenoble up to Vizille towards AdH L2A etc is grim. We left Lyon at 0930 this morning, still looking like 2hrs to AdH 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@AndrewBailey, must be bit Infront of us. Obscenely slow traffic just south of albertville at mo.
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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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@AndrewBailey, @noodlehat, You are the traffic!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@caughtanedge, ha! Like I was saying to my partner, who are all these morons driving up the busiest road on the busiest weekend of the year!
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@noodlehat, I speak as a smug non-half-termer (first time in many years) - returned last weekend, easy journeys both ways!
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@caughtanedge. Indeed. But my journey is necessary!
Made it safely to Val dI. Longest journey ever though. 8pm arrival after starting at Chalons-sur-saone at 7.30 this morning. Average speed c70kmh. 33mpg in a diesel X5
Is 5 hours from Chambery with only one stop at McDonald’s in Bourg typical???
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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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@AndrewBailey, we left chambery airport 1.30. got to le lac 6.30... think particularly bad today with the various strike and protest action going on.
On the plus chambery itself was a breeze and was through passport in 10mins and luggage within 20/30mins after that..although did have to sit on plane on tarmac for 20mins first and also delay at takeoff due to french air traffic control strike....
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| AndrewBailey wrote: |
| Is 5 hours from Chambery with only one stop at McDonald’s in Bourg typical??? |
Unfortunately yes, especially on a big day like this one.
The road, understandably, struggles with capacity into and out of Tarantaise at peak, but not much reason to build massive capacity into there for rest of year. Is what it is, and of course very worthwhile for the skiing in any of the areas. You have to try and avoid or wear it in all reality.
If you're not aware, going out and particularly until it clears Moutiers is going to be frantic too after about 8.00am. Either spend day skiing or get out early as no real point sitting there waiting in traffic. It's been like this all the time I've been skiing and visiting there, no complaint just reality of it. A big powder day really adds to it 
Hope everyone has a grand week while there.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Left Lyon airport at 18:00, just through moutiers now and heading towards Bourg. Traffic is barely moving e even at this time.
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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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@Harry Flashman, I feel your pain, drove down in the massive new Bentley and didn’t get the mpg we expected. Last year the big Audi electron just couldn’t do it.
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Lol. I deserve the ribbing, as I mistook "A6" for a car rather than an autoroute and saw all the chat about mpg and thought we were discussing fuel economy (or lack of) due to poor choice of vehicle. Should have read the whole thread but it's, you know, long and I have the attention span of a child.
On topic, I've now discovered that there's a reason half of the UK use Volvo XC90s to do this trip. They fit all your family and stuff, yet don't bankrupt you on the trip.
In my case, loaded with kit, wife, kids and my mother, my planetary carbon impact now seems akin to flying down here.
That said, Lady F is sufficiently enjoying two days stuck in the car with the MiL that I suspect she is rethinking her choice of a seven seater, and I may be able to go back to a nice estate car, next year.
There's a bloke on another site who recently did a trip in his Aston and had some trouble in the snow, due to choice of vehicle and not bothering with winter tyres. So there are offenders worse than me; just.
Safe travels, snow fiends.
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 Sun 12-02-23 0:02; edited 1 time in total
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You know it makes sense.
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| ribblevalleyblue wrote: |
| @Harry Flashman, I feel your pain, drove down in the massive new Bentley and didn’t get the mpg we expected. Last year the big Audi electron just couldn’t do it. |
How massive is this Bentley, then? Like Harry Enfield Loadsamoney massive, or just big?
In my head, it's banana yellow and you are actually some sort of sinister oligarch person.
Also, is "big Audi electron" a car, or an adult pleasure aid? What does "just couldn't do it" mean, in the context of this clarification?
If you are really a bloke called Gerald, from Crawley, with little Electron experience, I shall now be disappointed.
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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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@Harry Flashman, Bentley is just big, but Charles our chauffeur says it’s huge. Happy skiing, all the best Gerry.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Gerry, I think I saw you earlier. Your chauffeur was selling something to someone in the car park out the back of your Benters, whilst you were in the services, getting your fags.
I'd have a word.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| chocksaway wrote: |
The main road through Albertville was blocked by strikers, causing quite a jam. However since the deployment of the CRS (riot squad) the road is now clear!
As the old French saying goes: if you are in a place where the CRS are deployed you are in the wrong place! |
That would explain the blue light convoy trying to get through the jam at about 9am.
Thanks all for the tip about the early start and heading to Sainte-Foy. A perfectly civilised day out, then a short 25 mins up to Tignes.
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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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Uneventful trip for us yesterday, left Troyes about 6.15am, arrived lac annecy by about 11am for a lunch stop off
2 hours ish from there to les menuires in the afternoon
35mpg over 800 miles is a bmw 3 series for those comparing mpg 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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For the journey back at half term you really need an early or very very late start, usually traffic is slowing at Aime by 08.00. We always left at 06.30 from Montalbert (15 mins down to Aime) and drove straight through with minimum delays Quick fuel/wee stop at Tournos just off the motorway, with two competing fuel stations, and then stopped for a longer lunch than normal around Troyes.
_________________
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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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Looks like it could be fun on the way bAck, UK border force are on strike
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Woohoo! We’re on our way. Quickest ever at the tunnel. Standard ticket booked for 0850, arrived 0720, onto the train 0740, now rolling at 0750. 
(And that included getting pulled into the swab queue, mainly because I think they were bored and wanted something to do).
Albertville this eve, and up into La Tania tomorrow.
Safe travels all.
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For those coming home this weekend I have just had my best run through both passport control since Brexit in Calais this evening . 5 mins French and British no Q .Every booth was open and manned . Had a great chat with the British passport/customs control . He’d been drafted down for the weekend because of the strike with many others and he joked the public will be calling for more strikes judging on how well it was working .
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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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| @247snowman wrote: |
| no one in the UK had died in an XC90. Remarkable. |
Not really. If you drive a 3 ton tank your chances of survival are probably rather greater than the occupants of an 800kg hatchback, if that happened to be the other vehicle involved. And certainly greater than any pedestrian involved in an SUV collision!
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FAQ
