 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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 If I understood that correctly he wasn't drunk and he had put his snow chains on. Could have been worse. Probably all in a day's work where he comes from.
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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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Given its about 8*C this week, he could have probably made it over to La Rosiere no problem
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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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Yet another example of someone ignoring the Piste Closed signs.
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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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Lol
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Not testing out a novel invasion route?
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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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I have to confess that, many years ago, I drove to Les Arcs from Geneva in the days before SatNav. My brother was navigating and, as I was the only one over 25 at the time, I was the sole driver.
It was quite a long drive due to very snowy conditions so when I saw the signs saying 'Les Arcs 1km' I was happy. I was rather less happy on rounding a corner to discover that the road had now become a piste ... really a piste, not just a metaphor. On carefully checking the map we discovered that our navigator had missed the 'Road only accessible in summer' marking on the map.
I was then even less happy to discover that getting to Les Arcs would now entail a massive drive all the way back down the mountain, through the Mont Blanc tunnel, and back up the other side ... a journey of at least four and more likely 5-6 hours. I seriously contemplated putting the snow chains on and seeing if we could make it over the piste and into Les Arcs ... but was dissuaded by some rather nervous passengers.
Oh, and final piece of bad fortune; we had ONE CD in the hire car and the radio didn't work. I've never, ever, in the ensuring years listened to the Fun Loving Criminals again as six hours continuous was more than enough for a lifetime.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The advantage of SatNav would not be that you went the right route, it would be that you didn't fall out with your brother.
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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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Just remembering quite a few years ago coming across a delivery driver in the car park at the bottom of the Ardent gondola - PDS - he had a delivery to the cafe at the top of the Mossettes chair lift. He had been hoping to drive there…
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Clearly, all of these situations could have been resolved with This modification.
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You know it makes sense.
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@Blackblade, I hope you had the album and not just the EP. But didn’t they sell English CDs in France back then?
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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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Just checking.....was he clicking his doors or shouting "on your right" on the way past people?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Even fairly modern satnavs can lead you that way….. Nit me I hasten to add
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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few years ago my wife was sking down the piste to Soelden and narrowly missed a van. The piste crossed the road without even a zebra crossing.
The first time I skied from La Rossiere to La Thuile I was impressed that the piste had loads of chevrons marking out sharp turns. It was only when we had gone down a bit and saw the tarmac on the piste that I twigged I was sking down the road.
I believe that during the first and second world wars there were cannons stationed at Courbaton to protect the pass.
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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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| ster wrote: |
| @Blackblade, I hope you had the album and not just the EP. But didn’t they sell English CDs in France back then? |
Yes, we did have the album. I think fortunately as I'd have gone stark staring mad with just the EP. We didn't think to buy another one though (hangs head in shame) !
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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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Is that a 'beware elephants' road sign in the photograph?
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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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| chocksaway wrote: |
| Even fairly modern satnavs can lead you that way….. Nit me I hasten to add |
Coming out of Ste Foy, onto Tignes road, destination Val Cenis, my satnav is insistent that I should route over Isere pass and keeps telling me to turn round when convenient, until we pass Moutier
The "Escargo" green piste in ValmCenis is the old pass route over to Italy. Skiing down it with all the road signage and route furniture quite a surreal experience.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
The "Escargo" green piste in ValmCenis is the old pass route over to Italy.
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I've driven over it on my motorcycle. Is there any trace of the old mountain railway over the top.
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| johnE wrote: |
| Quote: |
The "Escargo" green piste in ValmCenis is the old pass route over to Italy.
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I've driven over it on my motorcycle. Is there any trace of the old mountain railway over the top. |
Yes to the railway...if you mean predecessor to the now Frejus tunnel. You can drive up above eastern end of Modane and see elements of it, with some history display about it. Theres a funny part sinking building up there the gives really weird perspective when you photgraph as its rotated down at one corner about 20 degree.
Sounds like a good motorcycle ride in Nice weather, going over the VC pass...the whole valley being very interesting too.
Another "multi" route is Samoens to Morzine...Col du Joux Plan on Tour D France, with the climb passing top of chair in Les Gets, then descending on blue piste to Morzine finish.
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@ski3, Yes, that's the railway I meant. The history is quite fascinating as it was designed as the fast route to India.
That day's ride started in Briancon, then over to Italy followed by cols Cenis and Isere, Cormet de Roseland and finished on the banks of Lac Annecy. Hauling the BSA loaded with camping gear was quite hard work.
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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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| johnE wrote: |
@ski3, Yes, that's the railway I meant. The history is quite fascinating as it was designed as the fast route to India.
That day's ride started in Briancon, then over to Italy followed by cols Cenis and Isere, Cormet de Roseland and finished on the banks of Lac Annecy. Hauling the BSA loaded with camping gear was quite hard work. |
A BSA twin ? Quite a haul over those altitude, I've not completed the circle via Col Isere...seen the road closed at Boneval, skied up the other way from Tignes, watched Steve's pictures of snow clearing in June but yet to get there in summer.
You can get a good blast of wind skiing up Col Cenis between the two country on some days, proper scalps you up by the old border post.
We travelled from Ste Foy to VC a couple of years ago, relaxed time and so had a little explore around Modane etc, like taking different routes to see what's about on a journey.
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| johnE wrote: |
I've driven over it on my motorcycle. Is there any trace of the old mountain railway over the top. |
The track was removed and used in other projects. The tunnels on the Italian side are where the tracks ran.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
The track was removed and used in other projects.
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I gather is was an unusual type of mountain railway, the Fell system, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Barraclough_Fell
@ski3, yes an A65. It carried me all over Europe, including my first trips to Spain, Yugoslavia and the Dolomites. The brakes were the biggest problem. They were terrible and I developed very strong forarms. It had a very heavy clutch as well.
Sorry about boring people. These things interest me.
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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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Not quite as ancient but I too did an alpine tour on a motorbike many years ago. I borrowed a friend’s GS850 which, for the non-motorcycling or younger audience, was incredibly heavy, had really crap brakes and handled like a drunk elephant. I was racing motorbikes at the time but I’ve never been so scared on the track as I was doing the Alpe d’Huez climb following a friend on a Moto Marini 350 (which handled rather well by the standards of the time). I managed to ground out the engine cases on several hairpins which then nearly resulted in my leaving the road. Think I used up a fair few of my nine lives that trip.
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@Blackblade, my wife's motor morini is still in the grage awaiting a rebuild. It was/is a really nice bike to ride. I'd imagine it would beat any old big jap bike of the same vintage on any bendy road.
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You know it makes sense.
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For sure. This was the age, before the advent of the Fireblade, when Japanese manufacturers put increasingly powerful and heavy engines into frames with the rigidity of cream cheese. The handling was atrocious.
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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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In the early 90s when doing my seasons, I spent a chunk of the first summer in La Plagne helping convert a restaurant into a chalet (Silver Skiers will know it - Plagne Villages!). We had an old crappy Bedford minibus with the flared wheel arches and small windscreen. An utter pile of sh!te.
Anyway, one Sunday we decided to drive over to Champagny. So we literally drove up the piste from Plagne Villages, probably over the Col de Forcle, and then down the blue run Geisha and onto the red run Les Bois. Just before entering the village of Champagny we had to go through a farm, which had a narrow road, gates at each end, stone wall on each side. When I saw narrow, I mean narrow. We moved the old Bedford towards the entrance and then stopped. It really wasnt clear if we would fit through! We were all thinking how do we explain this to head office in the UK! "Len, we've just drived up and over to Champagny but had to abandon the minibus. Sorry!"
Fortunately with great care, the old Bedford was squeezed through with literally an inch or two on each side to spare!
We do some daft things when young! 
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Poster: A snowHead
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| johnE wrote: |
| Quote: |
The "Escargo" green piste in ValmCenis is the old pass route over to Italy.
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I've driven over it on my motorcycle. Is there any trace of the old mountain railway over the top. |
A few years back had 2 blokes in a van incredulous that they couldn't get onto the road up to Mt Cenis to avoid the Frejus tunnel. He wouldn't have it that it was a piste. It was a great year for snow. Bonkers.
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FAQ
