 Poster: A snowHead
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What an incredible day on Friday in Val/Tignes; remarkably few queues considering it was a bluebird powder day and we skiied soft, cold, deep snow, on piste and off the slides, all day. One of those once in a lifetime days which set us up nicely for a bit of a nightmare journey home!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@swoafs, certainly was. And sorry to say yesterday was even better. The pack had settled, lift lines gone, and we completely cooked ourselves on 4 runs of fresh lines, opening two couloirs in the process, which is rare round these parts 2 days after fresh snow.
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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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@Fionelo, @bobski62, @rjs, @Judwin, Thank you for all the advice and info. I at least feel better having passed on the advice. He is currently (late Sunday night) practising putting on snow chains on a spare tyre in the warmth of a Garage; at least it is better than doing it on the side of the mountain in poor conditions for the first time. Hotel options are also being
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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I just wish phones had cameras when I saw an acrobatic tigski emerging from his vehicle - that’s quite enough detail!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Absolute mayhem Tignes side today - Grattalu, which is my usual go-to for laps, was a wind-beaten mogul field, anything between there and the eye was a melee of people and the first bit of Anemone back down to Le Lac was horrendous and got progressively worse until about 1530 when we called it a day. I did venture briefly up to the top of Toviere, but thought better of it - the wind wasn’t very nice and people seem to forget that the top of a lift isn’t the best place to have a gathering. The first bit of Henri was nice, until the top of Bollin which was consistently ram-packed.
MrsF had a lunchtime private lesson, so I did a few laps of Double M on my brief tour of Tignes. Ankle deep at the top, but cruisable further down underneath the lift line.
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Interesting, my Son who is there, has been sending me clips of beautiful sun kissed powder (freshies) lines!
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@scottishandy, It really started blowing around lunchtime - I managed to get out around 1000, so I caught what was left of anything that wasn’t untracked under lifts.
Anything that wasn’t sheltered from the South / South West just got hammered, and it was just massive soft bumps, with scraped off patches in between or just completely blown off.
If I didn’t have to be in Le Lac to pick up MrsF, I’d have honestly stayed on Double M for most of the day; it was way too much fun playing around in really big, soft moguls on 108 waist skis.
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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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@Fionelo, that’s why we park in Rosset. We just unload and then dump the car. It’s too much of a headache in the BR garage… 
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Pretty much every Scottish uni in Tignes this week.  apologies
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Well they appear to be having lots of fun and the apres will be bouncing!
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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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| GeorgeVII wrote: |
| @Specialman, There's a Lidl on the right hand side as you come into Bourg. Usual cheaper for daily essentials. I think most people (including me) will recommend Super U nr Intermarche. Fuel station there as well. In colder weather I usually plan on a fuel stop at LeClerc in Aime for winterised diesel. Also handy for Decathlon. (located just alongside the dual carriageway) |
Great advice, always happy to a root around a European LIDL but always feel like I'm at home in a Super U or intermarche, especially the big ones - find me in the beer aisle LOL May also have to have a look at Decathlon, I can bet we'll have forgotten some form of outdoor clothing (or the eldest will lose his jacket, like he did at Manchester).
In a hybrid so petrol for me - didn't know there was such a thing as 'winterised diesel' - every day I a school day!
| GeorgeVII wrote: |
We've had late season trips over the years and I don't recall not being able to ski down Brev'. But it's been a proper slushfest at times.
Personal choice as always, but I wouldn't opt to stay in the lower villages. Much more going on in Lac, and you're probably going to want to be skiing at higher elevations for the best conditions. Don't discount the fact that you can also get plenty of fresh snow in April. |
The accommodation options in 1800 seems to be a bit more 'homely' (i.e. posher) and I guess the gondola is only a short hop up so it's not hard to get around - or it's worth getting the bus up to 2100m - but in Le Lac/VC it's definitely more in the mix, albeit in those older, smaller apartments. As always, it will be the other half who deems which accommodation option we choose (I'd go for the cheapest and spend the difference on beer) LOL
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@boabski, plenty of Edinburghians on the lifts yesterday
Weather was diabolical this morning. MrsF did an hour of her private lesson and decided enough was enough. We had an agreement to meet in ValD this afternoon, but only one of us held up our end of the bargain! Apparently the comfort and warmth of a bath was too good to pass up.
Visibility was excellent this afternoon, which at least gave you a chance of seeing whatever mogul field you were about to descend into. I spent most of the afternoon doing laps on Grattalu then ventured up to the eye of the needle to make my mark on whatever was left untracked. Off the hill by 1500 for a nap and a beverage (or 3) and a burger in Le Moose.
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You know it makes sense.
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I have arrived! It’s a blizzard out there but I need to sleep. Normal service resumes demain!
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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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Quite an eventful journey yesterday, firstly the peage doofer battery decided to go flat - so it was back to acrobatics and yoga to get through the barrier. But it took 90 secs to replace at the bureau in Isle D'Abeau Service station - very efficient. As it was snowing I decided to do the big shop rather than going down to day (friends arrive in an hour!). Supermarket sweep round Lidl! But I did pop into to see Tim at Sapaudia and got some tinnnies. Also had to stop to get some new chains for the new wagon. On the way up there was a BMW in the wall of the gorge above 1800. I also spotted a Brit coming down from Tignes (where the road was wet - unlike lower down - and they had worn the snow sock so it was flapping like a piece of washing on a windy day. I suspect they had a tricky descent as lower down it was snow with ice underneath. So I was pleased to make it unscathed but a bit miffed to find our lift was 'hors service' and I had to lug all the bags up 4 flights. A restorative chicken Massaman was taken at Kodo, washed down with a pint of Lost in the Woods. It stopped snowing about 8pm, I fell asleep shortly afterwards!
I could have done with a lie in, but the pisteurs had other ideas - blasting to make it safe on an Avi risk 4 day. So more chalet boy prep and a walk round the village to pick up lift pass etc etc. It has snowed all day, but only lightly, luckily its not too windy.
As for the weather: The snow should stop overnight, but the odd light shower can't be ruled out all day. It will be about zero in the village, at altitude it will be cold. A few clouds will wander about. From Sunday its 3 days of Dame Vera: it will be cold overnight, but warm in the sun at resort level, warming up a bit more on Tuesday. I'll not comment on off piste until I have asked around. I need a few days on piste to get my legs back.
For the travellers, tomorrow will still be cold in the UK and nearly all the airports are giving a 30 or 40% chance of fog - so its a lottery really (this morning manchester was supposed to be in thick fog - its was glorious). So depending where it forms depends on how disruptive it will be as everything on the 'chessboard' slows down. We are expecting 25k cars coming up tomorrow in the Tarentaise and 22k descending. So on its own the traffic wouldnt cause any bother. But its currently snowing all the way to Moutiers and the fraffic is slow. So chains or winter tyres will be required in the morning. Expect some classic buffoonery and delays on the way down. IIRC last Sat was OK so there will be people trying to buy chains - hopefully the Police will be stopping them.
Good to be back!
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Poster: A snowHead
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Snow on piste was wonderful today. Deep and smooth at least to start. Very tempted to go off-piste, but the visibility was lousy and when you could see there was quite a lot of natural and blasted activity.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Ski lots, visibility was alright this morning until about 1200. You could pretty much see the top of Tovière but then the bangs started and we headed indoors for a spot of lunch. I’m not sure if they sorted out the giant slab just before the top of Palafour, but it looked like it was about to go at any point.
This afternoon was diabolical. I skied Anemone once, decided that it was probably best left alone and came back for a nap and to get an early edge and wax for my Mindbenders.
We also spent an hour and a half in the medical centre due to MrsF not agreeing with the altitude… I don’t think spending the next 2 hours in Le Moose was the rehydration the doctor had in mind, but oh well!
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Fri 10-01-25 19:19; edited 1 time in total
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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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Quick question - where has Steve Angus gone form Instagram? miss his posts....
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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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@Fionelo, ah, we don’t do lunch. Just ski until we are knackered and come back for high tea.
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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, watching the melee at the bottom of Rue de la Poste this afternoon was the best free entertainment I’ve had for a long time!
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@Ski lots, “lunch” was an overstatement - it considered of whatever was left of a baguette with a slice of ham and some mayonnaise thrown on followed by “I’m going back out”.
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Well the new Marais lift was open today. Quite comfy despite the freezing fog on the way up - are the seats a little bigger?
Interesting to note there were avalanches across at least 3 open pistes today, not sure of the circumstances. Corniche (not uncommon), Ancolie - full width of the piste and a lot of rubble, Myosatis - again a lot of rubble across the full width, possible to bypass off piste, but caught some folk unawares and they were scrambling across. No warnings in any of the cases.
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@Ski lots, Interesting - those lifts were closed early doors whilst there was blasting - so maybe it came down before the pistes were open but they didn't bash it - either way not good. Good to hear Marais has opened - I heard yesterday that the build was prolonged by having to excavate in permafrost which delayed the final, formal, inspection to clear it for public use.
Well, it was a mixed bag for my first day. We were at Palafour for the third chair up and the snow was a bit odd. It had been pisted but it was very hard with 2 or 3 cm of fresh on top. It may have rained a bit late last night (which MF did forecast up to about 2400m) so maybe that led to the hard crust underneath. There was a damp wind at the top which made it very chilly at times. The light improved through the morning and after morning coffee in the Aspen the sun was out as we had runs round the Palet sector and then down into La Daille where the sun was out and it felt warm. By this stage it was Croq o'clock at Roseé Blanche. Marvellous. I met 3 v experienced off piste mates who said it was tricky off piste (which I had seen with folks being thrown about) and hard work - so I don't think I missed much. I'm sure there were gullies with nice stuff but it would take some finding. After lunch the cloud reappeared and it started snowing about 2, so we knocked it on the head for the first day as last night fresh was mogulling up. Its now snowing moderately.
The weather - big changes. High pressure is going to assert itself tomorrow - but we are at the edge of it so there will be some stiff breezes at altitude which will make it very cold - because the temperature is going to plummet tonight. The sky will clear after dark and the temperatures will drop by about 8 degrees compared with this morning. Sunday will be a blue skies and sunshine day but really quite cold - an extra layer too. Northerners may wish to wish to wear a jacket, those from north of the border should consider a long sleeved t shirt  . It will be nice in the sun but in the shade it won't get anywhere close to freezing at height it will be - double figures all day. Monday the same with a breeze at altitude. Tuesday the same but 3 or 4 days warmer. Wednesday - glorious as it warms up quite a bit.
The full avalanche report has not yet been issued but, unusually, a special communique has. The risk will be 4 (not the trend suggested yesterday) due to fresh snowfalls on a persistent weak layer. A single skier could trigger an avalanche - there maybe 'powder fever' tomorrow but it will be too nice a day to die so take care.
As for the fliers tomorrow - ther is a slim chance of fog at any of the London airports and Leeds which could slow things up if it makes an appearance. Over here it could be a bit bumpy with a northerly wind - the only note of any significance is this wind will mean the approach to Chambery will be a little unusual as you descend over the lake and then do a tear drop round the town (which can be dramatic - but entirely safe) to land heading into wind.
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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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Interesting day today… really good visibility in the morning, especially Tignes side. Aiguille Percee was shut until noon while they cleared some big slabs from around that area, so that meant getting back to Le Lac was more of a cross country affair. Did laps of Grattalu to work on my hip rotation and edge control in crud.
More of the heavy fog this afternoon which blew in from down the valley. Some beautiful runs down Grand Pre with MrsF working on her weight transfer between turns, which very quickly turned into a survival situation down the last bit of Verte towards Tommeuse.
Once again, finished around 1500 for a nap and a beverage.
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Hi there travelling in march with 3 kids. Ages 7-11. All have skied a few times previously. Can anyone recommend the best ski school. Staying Tignes le lac. Thanks.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@kieran_kelliher, Ultimate Snowsports have been mentioned a few times on here; my experience with them isn't recent but they were excellent.
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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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@kieran_kelliher, we’ve never had a problem with Evolution2, albeit for private lessons - they all speak excellent English and are very friendly. The group lessons are a bit hit and miss as to the experience level across each group, but they’re handy at switching you around should you need to go up or down.
Ultimate Snowsports is another one - never had any personal experience with them, but one of the instructors is also at Stoke dry slope, so they must be pretty good!
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Another recommendation for Evo2. Their Group Lessons have a maximum class size.
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You know it makes sense.
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Hi there! First time poster so please do let me know kindly if I've posted in the wrong thread and I can move this elsewhere. I'm flying to Europe from Australia to ski for the first time in the worst part of French half term as I understand it so looking for some advice from the more experienced re timings.
I'm taking the train from Bourg Saint Maurice to Paris on 1 March at 4pm and am trying to figure out how much time I should allow for an Altibus or local transdev bus down from Val D'isere to BSM as the traffic may lighten up somewhat in that later part of the day. If the normal time is say 45 minutes, should I allow 2x that, 3x that or even more? I'm thinking about a bus leaving around 2.15pm.
Similarly I'm arriving on the 22nd of Feb at Grenoble airport at 11.30 from outside the Schengen zone, does anyone have any broad guesses as to how much time it may take to pass passport control (which I hear can be quite long) and pickup luggage? I've booked a ben's bus transfer to Val D for one of their suggested times for my flight, but it's only about 1 hour of buffer which I'm now thinking could be a bit too tight.
Thanks in advance for any replies.
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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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Hi there, does anyone know of any ski storage lockers in Le Lac? Thanks
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Poster: A snowHead
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Bit of a crunch this afternoon between a French van and a French car on the road junction below the Golf car park. Looked like a case of inappropriate tyre ware in the case of the car. Road was pretty icy. Looked like neither was now drivable.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@winterstickboarder, depends where you’re staying as most apartments and hotels come with their own storage arrangements. If you’re out of luck on this front, it might be worth an ask at the Office de Tourisme by the bus station in Le Lac.
I know there are lockers at the start of the Brevieres gondola, but that’s fairly out of the way.
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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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@ozinthesnow, Welcome to snowHeads. Normally the road down the hill is clear by that time on a Saturday. so thats the bus I would opt for. The buses stop just a few metres from the platform. As for your arrival - its not Brit holiday arrival and 90% of Grenoble passengers are Brits. So there is no non Schengen queue - you are with the rest of us! If Bens Bus have recommended that time then they are happy. Ben has been doing it for years and knows what he is doing. On the day they are good at moving passengers around - to fill buses and move them back if the flight is late. Your bags will be there before you leave passport control. To get ahead it may be worth booking a seat near the front when you check in.
@winterstickboarder, Don't know of any - sorry.
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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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What a day on the slopes today! First ever day in Tignes and it did not disappoint.
Bluebird powder day if ever there was one. Only mishap was a lost avy probe on off piste above Tommuse lift station. If anyone wants to go digging....
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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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Great to hear you are back @chocksaway, we've missed your weather forecasts especially.
I've made some updates to the parking info. In summary:
- Outdoor / Indoor / Rosset now have different tariffs, outdoor being cheaper and Rosset being rather expensive
- A note to explain that if you have a reservation, on no account should you take a ticket at the barrier to gain entry
- After a very long conversation with a most reluctant Indigo member of staff, La Digue parking has been located as being down the side of Brasero in Lavachet (behind the main Lavachet bus stop). But it's for residents and seasonaires only. And it's full.
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Thanks all regarding ski lockers. I think Skimium may have some by the looks of it. We can store at our chalet but was hoping for a locker in the central area of Le Lac as we've got a toddler to traipse back and forth and I'll be switching between skiing and boarding depending on if I'm with my kid or not and don't really fancy the 30 min round trip to the chalet when I need a switch.
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Seen a report of 4 out of a group of 6 caught in an avalanche today in the Cugnal sector , 2 have sadly died and one critical 4th rescued . None had DVA on them .
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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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Absolutely fantastic visibility today; a complete contrast to earlier in the week.
I wasn’t feeling very adventurous today, and MrsF wanted me to give her some technique coaching, so most of the day was spent fairly close to Le Lac. I did however have enough time to sneak a trip down to Val D’Isère and get back again for a late lift up to Tovière followed by a quick loop around the back of Le Lac.
We almost managed an incident-free day, however it was touch and go at one point… a wildly out of control boarder almost ploughed into the back of MrsF, but just caught one of the tails of her skis. When he finally came to rest, a passing ESF instructor had a few words with him, not to mention myself. No injuries sustained on our end, but it reminded us both that it’s not what you do, rather what other people are doing.
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FAQ
Mainly male, mainly teenagers and those in their 20s...looking as though they can barely stand on skis, yet hurtling down pistes at speeds seemingly way between their abilities. It's absolutely terrifying to see 
- especially on busy runs.