 Poster: A snowHead
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Does anyone know when the French Autoroute closures are likely to end? I believe it's Farmers demonstrating - again (the paysants are revolting)?
Google Maps is showing many Autoroutes closed today.
Quite painful if you are driving to the Alps in the near future.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Or driving back, like we are tomorrow! 
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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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@Sfellows, I’m trying work out if they continue tomorrow and Sunday some say they won’t others say they will you won’t know it till midmorning .
I’ve joined a Tarentaise roads Facebook group and it is very chaotic with loads of posts asking what certain roads are like trying to make sense of it as I’m driving down Sunday . but it seems the main targets have been the tolls .
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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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Yikes - just looked at the map and it looks horrendous. Really hope everyone can go/get home without too much of a diversion
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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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We just received an email from our transfer company warning/advising to expect delays tomorrow. We are flying into Grenoble. The email is generic and I can’t find any specific info to say our route to LDA will be affected.
I’m not going to worry too much about it as nothing we can do anyway.
On Sunday we’ll be skiing so happy days
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They only block motorways afaik - and sometimes merely open the tollbooth gates... win! Just saying.
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I'm currently sitting here with good friends who are a small Tour OP and tomorrow is one of their very busy weeks and they are expecting carnage and nothing they can do about it all!
We were saying it's on a par with Snowmagadon except this is Farmergeddon!
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Its not just the autoroutes, on the N roads from Geneva, one transfer driver came upon a pile of carrots in the road today. Most of the reports I have seen suggest that there is a bit of a truce this weekend with stuff planned for Monday. But it only takes one strategically placed load of manure to cause smelly carnage.
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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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Yellow jackets have now announced that they will be blocking routes to the ski stations
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Yellow jackets have now announced that they will be blocking routes to the ski stations
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Well you would, wouldn't you, if you wanted to have maximum impact? Miserable for anyone travelling.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Latest
TRAFFIC INFO (valid until around 11h) ⤵️
Due to the social movement, traffic is cut in both directions on the A43, at the level of the Chignin toll, on the Albertville-Grenoble-Chambéry axes.
 Sens Chambéry - Grenoble, A 43 mandatory exit n°20 (Saint-Baldoph, Challes-les-Eaux), diversion by Médipôle then Challes-es-Eaux and Montmélian (RD 5 and RD 9 and RD 1006)
Direction Grenoble - Chambéry, A 41 South mandatory exit n°22 (Pontcharra) and entrance towards Chambéry prohibited, detour by Chapareillan then Porte-de-Savoie and Challes-les-Eaux (RD 1090 and RD 1006)
Direction Albertville - Chambéry, A 43 mandatory exit n°21 (Chignin) and entrance towards Chambéry prohibited, detour by Francin and Challes-les-Eaux (RD 1006)
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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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Currently the Ilse d'Abeau out of Lyon is blocked and Chambery Chigni  n. Can route around on the back roads.
The back road from Amberieu is blocked.
Coming from the UK it is possible to drive to the Alps with no blocks via Reims, A39, Bourg en Bresse then Annecy, Albertville.
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@Rob Mackley, not yellow jackets, farmers
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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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I was driving back from Zermatt on Wednesday. I had made really good time until about an hour and a half before the Tunnel. The farmers had all the motorway approaches blocked. The route I had to take was a nightmare. Thank goodness for Google maps - my car sat nav was in tears. I was also fortunate that it was still light. I would not have wanted to be weaving through those north west France country roads in the dark.
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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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When we were caught in it Thursday we resorted to coming off at the closure and navigating the 'yellow roads' back to the next autoroute junction, 'on spec'. It worked several times and gave us a period of empty northbound road at 130.
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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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Was in Austria last week. Smooth as silk. Going to Tignes on 1st March. Might not be going back to France after that if these protests continue.
Austria's gain. Frances's loss.
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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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Jams don't look too bad on google maps.
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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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Left Arc 1800 at 9am this morning, cotton the D1212 heading for Annecy, doing about 1km per hour. South bound is flowing fine. It’s going to be a long day.
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Slow going to LYS from La Plagne although we left early. Two big diversions. The second one alone country roads. Didnt fancy the chances of large coaches getting through too easily.
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We left Les Menuires by taxi at 8am to go to Moûtiers (train is easy) and the driver was tellling us it’s going to be a mare. He was trying to get all his transfers to go early in case. I suspect flights will be missed.
At least if you are in your own car you have some control
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| Sfellows wrote: |
Was in Austria last week. Smooth as silk. Going to Tignes on 1st March. Might not be going back to France after that if these protests continue.
Austria's gain. Frances's loss. |
We are the same - normally go to Austria but decided to go to Val Cenis France for half term for kids 1st ski holiday - needless to say we are worried that this will be an issue in 2 weeks time. Lets hope not otherwise it will be Austria every time going forward. Cant even change plans for this trip as kids ski school, lift passes, for all of us, accomadation etc all booked and paid for!
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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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| Rob Mackley wrote: |
@davidof, Yes I realise that , I joined one of the traffic Facebook sites for transfers and taxis yesterday and last night there was a news post saying that the yellow jackets had decided to join the party with a call to block the routes to the ski stations quite apart from the farmers .
I suspect it was in response to this
https://www.politico.eu/article/french-farmers-block-highway-hope-yellow-jackets-redux/
Has this happened ? |
The Yellow Jackets/Vests never really existed as a united group. It was a grassroots movement of workers that erupted in response to fuel prices (note that fuel is much more expensive today but no YJs). Several personalities tried to take the lead but were rejected by the grass roots. Even at the grass roots level the movement had many different political colours albeit predominantly left wing. The trade unions, seeing a threat to their power also tried unsuccessfully to co-opt the movement.
Rejecting leadership was both a strength but ultimately the group's downfall as there was no one to negotiate with. The government also heavily infiltrated the movement with agent provocateur and brutally repressed any threat to state power while meeting some demands on fuel prices. Covid was the death knell the movement in the end.
I'd be wary in seeing any claims about the YJ today. That doesn't mean that french people don't sympathize with the farmers, there is a rural peasant in every French person (as well as a Jean-Paul Sartre and a Jean Moulin).
The farmers are unionized with leadership and tend to be right of center politically compared to the YJs left wing politics. The farmers are property owners by and large. I'm not sure they are good allies with anarchists.
That's my view. I did speak with some YJs on the roundabouts back in the day so feel i got some insight into their politics.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
there is a rural peasant in every French person (as well as a Jean-Paul Sartre and a Jean Moulin)
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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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hope it all gets sorted out speedily, and everyone who is out there or about to go in the next couple of weeks manage to get trouble free travel.
at least if you are not relying on T/O or airport coach transfers, you may be able to navigate your way round it on country roads.
i remember getting caught up in travel disruptions on a summer holiday in 2015, when the French farmers blockaded the roads from Cherbourg on our way to southern Brittany, it was a real PITA, and took us 8hours instead of around 3 hours, after being initially stuck on the dual carriageway, then trying to get through gridlocked traffic.
we are not going until first week of April, but after the Christmas Eurotunnel strikes/weather disruptions,
i am looking to put in a contingency plan just in case of other transport strikes.
it seems like most sectors throughout the UK and Europe is suffering from strike action of some form or the other
currently i am booked on an overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Caen, but it looks like i can book a Eurotunnel crossing, that is fully refundable up to the time of the departure. so if Brittany ferries is disrupted either by a strike or bad weather, i can divert to Folkestone and make that crossing instead. 0bviously, if the ferry crossing is going ahead i will just cancel the ET booking that evening.
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@davidof, Thanks for the knowledge as per from the ground , did read a comment under the post to say all that would happen is it would end up in a fight !
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You know it makes sense.
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| Rob Mackley wrote: |
| @davidof, Thanks for the knowledge as per from the ground , did read a comment under the post to say all that would happen is it would end up in a fight ! |
Yes, probably. There have already been two deaths during the current protests when a car hit a motorway roadblock.
It is odd how these movements spring up then die. Gilets Jaunes, Bonnets Rouges... Luddites, Lollards and many more over the years.
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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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Route back yesterday
Val Thorens
At Albertville head for Annecy
Head for Bourg
Up to Dijon
Reims
Calais
Took about 30mins longer than normal
M25- blocked by a broken down lorry which delayed us by 2hrs!!!!
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Poster: A snowHead
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@jamescollings, what was Albertville to Annecy traffic like? It usually looks awful going north on a Saturday….
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Just drive between 12:00-2:00pm, you'll see no one. They'll all be in the cafes!
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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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It took us an hour from Landry ( in between les arc and La Plagne ) yesterday ...just weight of traffic ...once through Moutiers it was OK
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Journey complete , trouble between Chambrey and Lyon A43 and A48 today and A7 south of Lyon . Loads of Lorry’s parked up in the service areas waiting presumably for it to clear on the A7 . Minor detour from Bresse to Chambrey so little stress . Where will they tip up tomorrow ?
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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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Thankfully our return leg from Tignes to Calais was pretty uneventful. We set off early and only encountered some minor queues through Annecy (the autoroute south of Chambery was closed). Anecdotally, I heard many folks who set off slightly later had very long waits, diversions and some even missed flights.
Annoyingly, having been cautious and booked a late Eurotunnel, there was no option to jump on an earlier one so we had a 3 hr wait. Alas, flexiplus is too rich for me.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Rob Mackley wrote: |
| Journey complete , trouble between Chambrey and Lyon A43 and A48 today and A7 south of Lyon . Loads of Lorry’s parked up in the service areas waiting presumably for it to clear on the A7 . Minor detour from Bresse to Chambrey so little stress . Where will they tip up tomorrow ? |
I did read that lorries over 7.5 tonnes are band on french autoroutes on sundays
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Correct HGVs, with a few exemptions, are not allowed on the road between 10pm Saturday and 10pm Sunday.
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Plain sailing yesterday Chatel to Colchester. Left at 10.30, home 21.15. Tunnel v quiet, we arrived exactly 60 min early for the 2018 departure, ignored the boards, went straight round and onto the 1948.
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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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| Sfellows wrote: |
| @jamescollings, what was Albertville to Annecy traffic like? It usually looks awful going north on a Saturday…. |
I could only see the car in front... the fog was very thick!!!!!
But I could tell that a lot of people's SatNavs were directing them that way, since it was slow traffic all the way.
we left VT at 07:30, so were perhaps ahead of the rush.
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A40 roughly between Sallanches and Cluses closed today both directions because of the protests (major autoroute between Geneva and many French Alps resorts).
I was on the bus Chamonix to Geneva this morning - it added close to 1hr30 to the journey  I felt sorry for those going to the airport!
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FAQ
