 Poster: A snowHead
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@boredsurfin, luckily the nipper has holidays right at the end of the French winter vacations in 2024 so we'll go in March instead and hopefully avoid the queues.
Thanks for the reports everyone.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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First day in La Plagne today. Had a lesson with New Generation to show us around and work on a couple of things which was great.
Hotel Araucaria is great - super friendly and nice bar and restaurant.
Very impressed with the lift system and so many easy accessible off piste options. Views are amazing from the higher lifts. Motorway skiing was the order of the day which is not really my favourite thing but you’ve got to take what you can get. We found a few mini pockets of untracked and my son skied a steep line of exclusively death cookies which will learn him for not listening to the old man.
We are with ESF tomorrow morning so we’ll try and find the last 3 powder turns in La Plagne as it looks like it’s going to get very warm.
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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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Re it being so busy - we have tended to ski in January to avoid the crowds but last season it seemed really busy even then .
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@boulevardier, I think last season was very busy because a lot of the local resorts were shut or had poor snow, driving the motivated locals up into the big areas.
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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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Plus smaller nearby resorts like Granier have closed, I hope Notre Dame du Pre doesn't follow suit.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Ah - very interesting points. I won't abandon all hope then for January !
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We were there last January too. Wasn’t there some sort of university student gathering that not only added to the numbers but added to the on slope intimidation from out of control too fast retards as well? Might be worth checking if it’s on again this year.
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Interesting differences between experience of Guernseyfreerider and boredsurfin.
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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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Going over to Les Arcs, I always feel there are more lifts that side of the Vanoise.
But it seems I am wrong.
The figures from Yuge more or less match the figures from other sites: 76 for La Plagne, 55 for Les Arcs.
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For comparison. We’ve just spent Christmas week in les arcs and it has been just about the quietest Christmas week I can recall and we have spent Christmas in les arcs almost every one of the last 20 years. Barely a lift queue all week. Judging by the number of people unloading their cars yesterday evening (Friday) new year week could be very busy.
Has it been the same in la plagne?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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For comparison. We’ve just spent Christmas week in les arcs and it has been just about the quietest Christmas week I can recall and we have spent Christmas in les arcs almost every one of the last 20 years. Barely a lift queue all week. Judging by the number of people unloading their cars yesterday evening (Friday) new year week could be very busy.
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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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Well, Guernseyfreerider, you cerrtainly had a power-packed day.
Don't think even in my fittest youth I would have managed all that - these days one of those runs is enough.
Glad you had a good time - Giuillaume is clearly a gem.
As for your Christmas week in Les Arcs, johnE: not quite what we experienced here.
The week previous was bliss. The week just past not so much.
But today was lovely. As Saturday's should be.
Not so sure about next week. Cars have been pouring in to 1800 today.
We drive out tomorrow.
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You know it makes sense.
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Lovely Saturday today even lovely soft powder near piste above Plagne Centre - how is that possible!
looking at the car parks this evening its going to be silly busy this coming week, our Grandchildren are on their way having had a 5 hour! delay on EZ jet!
JonPim We will have to catch up in March...?
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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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| Buzz_82 wrote: |
From January 17th to 25th, my girlfriend and I will be heading to La Plagne with an international group of about 20 people. We'll be staying in various apartments in the La Plagne Villages area. During the day, we’ll split into smaller groups based on skill level, and later reconvene to eat, grab drinks, and share stories.
Most of the people in our group are beginners or intermediate skiers. I, however, am a more experienced skier who enjoys challenging black slopes and off-piste runs. If you happen to be in the area during that time and are as passionate about skiing as I am, feel free to send me a message. Would love to connect with someone who enjoys pushing the limits on the slopes!
Kind regards! |
At the moment, we have in our group:
A lady (English-speaking) who would like to join and is looking for a female roommate to share an apartment with.
A Dutch and English speaking gentleman who is also looking for a roommate (m/f) to book an apartment together.
Are you interested in joining one of them? Or would you like more information? Send me a message! Our group is a fun mix of ski levels, and we also have 3 snowboarders: 2 beginners and 1 advanced.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Wow what a day! so busy my neighbour, a local ski instructor says its February busy in Montalbert with 97% occupancy - it certainly was out on the pistes, but our busy week plan ( ski between 12.20 and 2.30) worked a treat.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@boredsurfin,yup!
We got out a little late which was a schoolboy error hitting a bottleneck at Plagne Soleil. The gondola from Bellecote was the best option to get up the hill as everywhere else was mobbed,maybe a 10 minute wait but once you were up high it was fine.
We were all a bit leggy today so played around off the Chalet de Bellecote chair for a few laps in nice chalky snow:
https://www.instagram.com/stories/andreaustin1970/3534598902679816965?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igsh=dXdqY3FwYnlqc2k2
Seen quite a few accidents on the hill, helicopter out yesterday and they closed Dérochoir this afternoon as they were doing a pick up from there. 
I’m sure this has been repeated a million times but why don’t lifties make sure all the chairlifts are loaded, definitely enhances the customer experience and more importantly gets everyone up the hill quicker!
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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 morning yesterday. Super quiet to start with got generally busier but not as bad as it has been. Only just made it back to the Vanoise exp. As we didn’t notice the time. Looking a bit cloudier today, fingers crossed for a mini dump tonight. And some great conditions tomorrow.
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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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Oh and yes part full lifts are a pet peeve of mine! All the farting about shuffling to get on with your friend/s. Only to leave empty seats when there is a massive queue. Arghhh. (Rant over, and relax)
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thick As, from my views of Yuge this morning, quite a few lifts took some time to get going.
Plagne Centre looked pretty ghastly with Colorado and Lovatiere not opening on time.
And everyone wanting to get the max in on their last day after some fresh snow . . .
As for empty seats on lifts: I think it requires the right culture and only works by consent.
Not skied in the USA. My sole experience of no empty seats was Whistler.
The lines were often quite long but almost everyone spoke English and chatted to each other in the queue.
Often there were 2 queues coming in from opposite directions, but everyone accepted that access to the chairs would alternate from each queue.
With well used singles lines, with everyone polite and helpful, with all chairs going up full, the seemingly long lines actually moved remarkably quickly.
Surely an inherently better system, but it is not the French Way.
Hence the mad, sometimes vicious, scramble for the bus at Plagne Centre when the Colosses lift goes down.
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Yes, it took about 10 mins for the chair out of Les Coches to open and longer still for other things to get going. Saw loads of people ski down to a closed Crozats only to have along ski out or walk up. But a lively day it was. The two kids managed really well and saw some great progression. All struggling with tired legs by mid afternoon !
Car packed, off early doors tomorrow. Bon Saison, La Plagne.
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| Thick As wrote: |
| Saw loads of people ski down to a closed Crozats only to have along ski out or walk up. |
When Crozat was closed/slow to open last week there were signs at the top of Bijolin and the piste was fully closed before Salla.
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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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Yes , Salla was open, they didn’t put a net across until quite a few had skied down to crozats. Of course once a couple of people went, others followed. The restaurant down there must have been happy!
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Cracking day on the snow today, did get a bit warm but as day 1 of the holiday considering what I had in tignes 2 years ago this was a luxury!
Hardly queued at all and covered a good amount of the area.
Just trying to re-get my bearings as haven't been here since 2012!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Mental weather today. We're up in Belle Plagne and have had blizzard, rain, fresh powder, ice and slush.... And baking hot temperature. Felt like April by the time I came back in after lunch.
Headed over to Plagne Centre then eventually up Lovatiere and looped back down the other side of the mountain on Bozelet before eventually coming back up to the top of Blanchets.
The difference in the two sides of the mountain was insane. The back side was essentially an off piste run following the track down. Not what I was expecting given my ability and my legs hate me now but good fun.
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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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| paulhinch wrote: |
Mental weather today. We're up in Belle Plagne and have had blizzard, rain, fresh powder, ice and slush.... And baking hot temperature. Felt like April by the time I came back in after lunch.
Headed over to Plagne Centre then eventually up Lovatiere and looped back down the other side of the mountain on Bozelet before eventually coming back up to the top of Blanchets.
The difference in the two sides of the mountain was insane. The back side was essentially an off piste run following the track down. Not what I was expecting given my ability and my legs hate me now but good fun. |
Can echo that here! Also on Belle Plagne, weather was awful this morning, we tried heading over arpette and down the other side to see if it was better that side but not much luck.... however, around 12:30 system just blew through and back to blue sky skiing this afternoon. We went over the top and down to Verdun Sud, then up and over to Plagne 1800, then up again and down to Bellcotte and did a couple runs up and down arpette as was reasonably quiet.
Currently sitting above Belle Plagne having a beverage and will get down in due course!
Can't complain too much at the week had so far.....went over to Arc yesterday but was nice all over. Forecasts seem to suggest this is the last of the sun for this holiday but they have been all over the place so who knows what the next few days will bring!!!
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From the accuracy of the forecasts this week I reckon anything from Arctic survival to t shirt and shorts is possible.
I was tempted to go to the open air spa pool when I got back in. My legs were ruined by the deep stuff coming down from the top of Les Verdons. Wasn't quite expecting it to be that deep having spent the morning on this side.
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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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Why they are doing discounts?
I've heard bookings for March and April aren't great.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Simply that Easter is so late and the French, 70% of visitors, are piling into February- there is no spread into March because of Easter being the last week of the season
On advanced ticket sales they think February may break all previous records!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Challenging day today, snow is falling thick and fast, looks like the same tomorrow at the moment.
Looking at forecast next week could be a blinder given how much snow is coming down at the moment.
Think the transfer back to Geneva early Saturday morning could be a challenge!!
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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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| streetsahead wrote: |
Think the transfer back to Geneva early Saturday morning could be a challenge!! |
We're heading up to Dijon tomorrow night. Not sure I'm fancying that given the forecast. Hairpins down to Aime might be fun.
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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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We're staying in Les Arcs (Arc 1800) and came across to La Plagne today - our first time. Wow - what an amazing place. We kept stopping to take photos and will be back.
However, it was all going well until the run back to the Vanoise Express. We took Mont Blanc down from the top (near Salla/Replat?) and it was utterly horrid. Scratchy and slippery... I ended up flying off the piste at one point. This is obviously more a statement of my catastrophic technique (I'm getting a lesson tomorrow as something has gone badly wrong!), but I still don't think large portions of Mont Blanc were particularly pleasant today.
We noticed that pretty much everybody apart from us took the Pierres Blanches fork. Is that the better route?
Also, any info on the Esselet red Natur run and the Route des Bauches it connects to? I much prefer (soft) moguls and chopped up snow to hard pack so I'd consider that as an alternative if that's what it offers?
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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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| gendal wrote: |
Also, any info on the Esselet red Natur run and the Route des Bauches it connects to? I much prefer (soft) moguls and chopped up snow to hard pack so I'd consider that as an alternative if that's what it offers? |
Given that Friday/Saturday the freezing level (and rain) went up to 2000-ish a couple of times and it has then got colder I wouldn't expect Esselet or anything down there to be anything other than brick 'ard and not very pleasant until we get some milder temperatures to help them soften up... (particularly anything unpisted...).
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@gendal, We're arriving in La Plagne on Sat, having stayed there many times. We normally head over to Les Arcs twice in our week. Mont Blanc, Pierres Blanches and Myrtilles are pretty similar I would say, depending on conditions and time of day. Esselet can be fun but stretches of Route des Bauches are flat, or slightly uphill, so involve a lot of poling!
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Thanks @Hamlet - good to know.
@offpisteskiing - fair enough. I've not enjoyed the Peisey-Vallandry reds in the last few days either... hopefully the lesson tomorrow will remind me of whatever it is I've seemingly forgotten about how to deal with those sorts of conditions!
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@gendal, I would definitely say that Pierre Blanches is typically a lot nicer than Mont Blanc. The part of Mont Blanc that runs under the Bijolin chairlift, where there is some netting on the right side as you go down, is often very scraped / icy for whatever reason.
Given that MB is the first out of the 3 options that people go past, I always assumed that most people took MB, followed by Myrtilles and then Pierre Blanches, which explained in my head why PB often seemed very fresh and MB so scraped.
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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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@Ruswit, 100% agree with this. Though my theory was that net on Mont Blanc gets inside your head and makes people scrape/slide more and panic on the ice - I know it does for me anyway 
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Skied over Les Arcs today, great pistes down to Champagny area. We do love skiing La Plagne but boy what a mess on the return to the Vanoise, all the snow cannons are on and have made a huge mogul field on one part blue piste, it was horrendous trying to find a path through as I’m not a confident skier on bumps! I get why they are on but there were a few casualties to say the least! Still a great day though  ️
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FAQ
