Been quite a good day’s skiing today. The pistes were in good condition, the crowds non existent, no lift queues of any sort and the sun was shining. It was great to be skiing some pistes that are normally a mobile slalom course with no one on them at all. Wonderful.
As we thought we wouldn’t get caught up in lift queues we went over to la plagne. The first time in two years in fact. So the piste of the day is not in les arcs but la plagne: Combe from the Bellecote, a wide easy gradient red run with excellent snow and few people. The restaurant or rather snack bar was the pierementa in belle plagne. I wasn’t hungry so only had a plate of chips for 4 euros my wife had fish and chips for 12. The quality was excellent. I’d recommend it.
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?
A few cm of snow fell overnight here in 1600. At the moment it is very overcast and snowing very lightly. The wind has picked up a bit. I’ve seen very few skiers heading out.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Absolutely brutal today in 1950/2000, snow is basically horizontal, visibility is next to zero.
Just back from a few quick laps around the Vallandry trees. Not so nice above the tree line, but once in to the trees the pistes had 10+cm of creamy hero snow on top of yesterday’s bashing. Very nice few laps before it started getting busy.
Now back in the apartment and it’s snowing heavily. Temperatures will drop a lot this afternoon, and the forecast for the amount of snow tomorrow seems to have been upgraded. Happy days!
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Intermittent drizzle/light snow here in 1600. We’ll have an early lunch and head out sticking pretty close to home doing arolles , Mont Blanc, cachette etc but may have a look at rouelles later. I think the “Hero runs” @rob@rar actually refers to him as the hero going out in this.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Sun 22-12-24 12:32; edited 1 time in total
After all it is free
After all it is free
Any one fancy meeting up for a drink this week?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Well that idea has failed, all the lifts in 1600 have now closed. I cannot be bothered to get the bus to 1800.
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
In the 20 plus years I've been coming here it is the first time I've known the lifts close in 1600, (with the exceptions of summer thunder storms.)
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
It's getting worse. The wind here is insane, I can't even tell if it's snowing or just blowing the snow off the ground, or both.
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.
Good training for Scottish skiing
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
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
Just arrived home after a very good week. First five miles down from 1950 yesterday morning were driving on snow, but winter tyres did their job. Have a great time, everyone who's out there for Christmas week.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Just arrived at Club Med panorama. Powers out, are we the only ones
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@frankm, We have power in 1600
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Sorry if I’ve missed this but if I bought la plagne paradiski tickets will these cover the funicular from bourg to les arcs 1600?
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
40cm of fresh snow reported at Arc 2000, and up to 60cm at altitude so far in this storm. But it's been quite windy, so that will affect the snowpack. It's forecast to snow for much of today, so I guess snow depth will continue to build.
I skied for a couple of hours first thing yesterday, heading straight to Vallandry to find some visibility on their tree-lined pistes. The top of the Vagere chairlift was 'interesting' with pretty much no visibility at all, and snow drifts randomly developing across the piste, so I was much happier when I skied across to Vallandry. There, the first two or three laps around the Derby chair were lovely, with creamy fresh snow on top of the piste. Once it started to cut up I headed back home to spend the rest of the day with Jane, who had arrived the previous evening on the first SnowTrain of the season. As the wind picked up lift closures began, with the 2000 bowl essentially shut down, same for Arc 1600, unusually. Arc 1800 kept the first stage of the TransArc operating all day, allowing access to Vallandry, which as is typical of days like this, stayed more or less fully operational. I can't count the days when the tree-lined runs in Vallandry have provided lovely skiing on storm days when the rest of the resort is entirely shut down.
It was nice to head out for a bit of a walk later in the day, including the free vin chaud that was being given out in the village by Radio Les Arcs. The view from my balcony looked like this for some of the day
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?
OMG! Best snow I’ve skied here for a long time. Snow everywhere. On piste, off the side, falling out of the sky, face shots. Bliss. Derby slow opening so Vallandry gondola called in to play. Light fluffy snow to Vallandry and below.
@Oleski, i think you will need to take the navette around yo 1600 or has 2000 opened up?
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@johnE, couple of lifts are open - marmottes, pre st esprit, but yeah to get to 1600 we will need a navette
After all it is free
After all it is free
Coffee and pastry time as I’ve been skiing non-stop. That’s about the best piste skiing I’ve had in Les Arcs, mainly because there’s 40cm of fresh snow on much of the terrain. Face shots on-piste! Never had that before, outside of Japan. Pistes are now cutting cut-up, so time to dip off the sides as there’s fresh tracks to be made through the trees.
The spirit soars!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Which way does the Rhonaz piste go? From Combriocere down to Villaroger, or does it split from Lys and goes down to Combriocere? Not obvious from the map.
I am trying to work out whether we can get back to 1950 from Villaroger given that Dorset is closed
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
The bottom bit is on the road near the Comberciere lift so you can indeed take this route assuming Pre St Esprit is running.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@Oleski, From Plan Violet just keep taking the left turns which is Rhonaz and you will arrive at the Pre st Espirit. Cross the road and take the eponimous lift or wait for the navette
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.
@johnE, thanks. We ended up just doing laps on the pre st esprit. Nice snow, but not the best visibility.
Snow all but stopped now, no wind. Tomorrow will be glorious
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
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
I don’t think I’ve seen so much powder in Les Arcs for at least 20 years. The day started well. From the Mont Blanc piste we cut off onto what was the Deux Tetes piste. This used to be a very steep black and covered in powder it was a delight. Once back on the Mont Blanc piste I skied off to the side and fell in very deep powder. The stuff that if you push your 110 cm pole into it doesn’t reach firm ground. Ski Mojos have lots of benefits to your skiing but getting up in deep powder isn’t one of them. I was rescued by the New Jersey Ski Team.
The next run was Arolle. This was a total disaster. I skied off the piste into waist deep powder, fell and lost a ski. Even with the help of my son and a pistuer we couldn’t find it. The pistuer said come back in the summer and get it (I will). He then called up a skidoo which took me up to the Cachette lift and I took the lift down.
Fortuenately I had some other skis in our cave so I went out again for the afternoon and struggled with them.
Looking forward to tomorrow
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@johnE, sorry to hear about your falls and lost ski. It was a great day but tricky at times for sure. As mentioned on my live tr my son took a fall and hurt his wrist.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
I'll take the lost ski over the damaged wrist. Sadly I found my old Amanda skis hard work even though they are powder orientated.
I was pleased with the pistuers and they never charged me for the skidoo ride.
Is your son still in a lot of pain or is the morphine doing it's job.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
That was a magical day. The local forecast seemed accurate, so we were blessed with amazing snow overnight, and even more falling until mid-afternoon. Visibility above the tree line was very limited so like yesterday I headed to Vallandry as fast as I could, scoring fresh tracks on piste until a coffee stop at 11am, when the number of skiers getting out and about started to cut up the fresh snow. In places the snow on piste was deep enough for face shots, on the steeper sections of some of the Reds and consistently on Écureuil on my first lap of that run. By any measure I’d have counted that a decent morning of off-piste skiing, all of which took place on-piste! After the break I dipped in to the trees a bit more, enjoying plenty of deep snow. By early afternoon the falling snow began to ease and the visibility slowly started to improve, so I finished with a couple of laps of Vagere.
Once again Vallandry delivered the goods on a storm day. It really is wonderful to have that tree-lined terrain to head to when the weather gets going.
Tomorrow the forecast is for sun, blue sky and enjoying all the new snow. For those heading off-piste please be aware that the avalanche risk will be level 4, and the high winds and rain episode that took place within the last week or so has left some weaknesses in the snowpack which could easily lead to a slide. Stick to lower angle slopes, especially where there has been some skier compaction since opening day.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
And still it snows…
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?
This made me smile today, with a kid up to their thighs in fresh snow...
and over here in Montalbert all the snowmakers are on tonight!
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@johnE, son seems to be doing fine with wrist support and pain killers. Doesn't have a lot of movement with the support on, which is clearly the point!
It’s finally stopped snowing and it’s all looking very lovely out there today, with a bit of cloud but lots of blue sky.
I think it will take a bit of time for the higher lifts to get going today as the pisteurs secure the slopes above the pistes. I’d expect the Arc 2000 bowl to have limited opening for a few hours at least and the higher lifts in 1600/1800 which go up to the ridge to be delayed. If you take a look on the Arcabulle webcam you can see avalanche scars which look like the deposited debris across the pistes, and from my place in 1800 you can hear regular dull thuds of the pisteurs doing their PIDA plans since before dawn.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@rob@rar, they've been blasting away all morning up here around 1950/2000.
I always admire these people - working hard while we are snoozing in our warm beds
After all it is free
After all it is free
@johnE, Why have you no powder leashes on or ribbons on your skis if there is that much fresh snow and powder around?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@Markscotski, good question. I'm not sure where my ribbons are and I've always found them in the past
Today we had fantastic weather and snow. Only by reducing the number of people on the piste could it be any better but in Vallandry and 1600 there were not that many anyway. There were virtually no lift queues with the exception of Derby and Arpette when it stopped working for a while (they were running it backwards at one point). You could ski straight on to Grizzly for example. They still haven't opened many of the blacks, but the top half of Ecureuils was open and equipped with some soft moguls.
Piste of the day Combe. Beautful smooth piste, almost desterted, just the right steepness for a red. It was spoiled by a grotty rutty track out at the bottom. I wished they'd kept the drag lift for the return.
Lunch was omlette, chips and salad, €15 in the excellent Hotel Vanoise restaurant.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
I managed to get a couple of laps of Vagere first thing, with some lovely soft snow to make fresh tracks in, before the queues for the lifts out of 1800 got rammed. Undoubtedly due to all the upper lifts being closed so skiers couldn't disperse around the ski domain until the pisteurs had done their work to safely open more pistes. While the queues were bad I returned to my place for a late breakfast, then Jane and I headed out to cruise around the blues in the 2000 bowl. Piste conditions are perfect, plenty of soft snow off the side, the sky was a bright blue and the temperature was a bracing -10 at the start of the day. With the sun so low in the sky it really didn't feel like it warmed up much as the day went on. Once most of the upper lifts opened the crowds spread out and lift queues were generally short to non-existent for the rest of the day on the lifts we used.
An example of why the lifts had a delayed opening today. This is the west side of the Arc 2000 bowl, above the Dents du Peigne piste. It's a massive slide (I'd guess the crown wall is 2m high in places) which deposited avalanche debris across the piste. The debris then had to be bashed before they could open the lifts which accessed that run (TransArc 2, Arcabulle and Plagnette). I suspect it's just one example of the work done by the pisteurs early today.
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Poster: A snowHead
