 Poster: A snowHead
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Anyone know when they are landing to open up more of grand montet this season? Such as herse chair and more runs off bochard? The offering is very limited especially when compared to flegere brevent which is almost fully open. Arriving Thurs for 5 days
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@mountainaddict, I think you'll find the French insurance and glacial engineering challenges are a bit trickier?
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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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| Quote: |
| I think you'll find the French insurance and glacial engineering challenges are a bit trickier? |
No doubt @under a new name. I was attempting to be facetious in the light of the never-ending (and so frustrating) Cairngorm uplift shambles... 
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@JDgoesskiing, I would expect next Saturday?
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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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It’s been remarkably quiet in here despite the snowfall, so here’s some updates.
Thursday-Friday snowed about 20cm overnight in Argentiere. Friday I went touring at le tour, where the snow was quite badly wind affected- some great turns, and some awful ones, often sequentially. This was on the front side below autannes and the gondola.
Saturday had better viz, so we splashed out on lift passes and had an amazing day lapping the tete de balme. Pretty much every conceivable off piste line back to the chair was fabulous though thin in places. The red run was officially closed but heavily skied. I didn’t bother, as the off piste was so good.
Today it’s precipitating heavily in Argentiere, swapping between rain, sleet and snow at any given minute. Probably 15cm wet snow on the ground.
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@snowdave, interesting as it's not snowing at all down by lac des Gaillands ... we have non-skiers staying so lunch programmed at Cremerie des Aiguilles 
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There's been about a metre so far in Argentiere. I arrived on Thursday, and the snow is now up to the wing mirrors on my car.
Chamonix-meteo 1, snow-forecast.com 0.
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Thanks for the updates. Is it due to continue snowing today? (Monday)
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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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@capability, Yes. Currently dumping heavily. <100m>60cm of super light powder. It's going to be amazing up on the hill tomorrow, assuming there's not been too much wind.
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@snowdave, isn't it funny, I reckon maybe only 40-50cms at our end of Chamonix, towards Gaillands.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| under a new name wrote: |
| @snowdave, isn't it funny, I reckon maybe only 40-50cms at our end of Chamonix, towards Gaillands. |
Yep- the 200m difference in altitude seems to be quite important - same between here and le tour. Our garden is waist deep - spend the afternoon making an igloo!
Having cleared the car roof at lunchtime, by 3pm it had another 20cm on it. Snowfall has almost stopped now, setting tomorrow up for some magnificence…
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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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My French chum who lives upstairs from me had to spend a lot of time digging his car out at the little Les Chosalets car park today. Winter tyres notwithstanding (though only front wheel drive) he needed snow socks to get into position to leave the car park tomorrow morning to visit parents in ze souse.
Incroyable!
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| snowdave wrote: |
| under a new name wrote: |
| @snowdave, isn't it funny, I reckon maybe only 40-50cms at our end of Chamonix, towards Gaillands. |
Yep- the 200m difference in altitude seems to be quite important - same between here and le tour. Our garden is waist deep - spend the afternoon making an igloo!
Having cleared the car roof at lunchtime, by 3pm it had another 20cm on it. Snowfall has almost stopped now, setting tomorrow up for some magnificence… |
Enjoy, enjoy, please post pics and make us all jealous/excited
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You know it makes sense.
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No pics I’m afraid but it was epic. At least knee deep, and the kind of skiing where you can control your speed by controlling the “altitude” of your ski beneath you- a bit of forward pressure, a deeper ski, and a slower speed.
Only managed 10 laps as it was pretty tiring, and still wind affected in places which was always a shock when you hit it.
Road to Le Tour was shut for an hour after we arrived, due to avalanche danger in Monroc. Col des Montets also shut, apparently for two days. Shared train/car tunnel in use.
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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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So we got out (finally) for our first ski of the season, first time in I have no idea how long that we haven't skied in December, somewhere.
Anyhoo, cover good allround, no surprise is it? Quite a few sizeable icy plaques down from Bochard, the blue skiers left from the bubble to Tabé chair was artifical death cookies, and Pièrre à Ric was pretty much bordering on ice from top to bottom.
Neither of us felt the strength to do anything terribly adventurous.
But a nice first day out!
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Poster: A snowHead
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have a brother here so mostly been forced out in poor weather, today managed a down day due zero vis so roast chicken. Been on and off snowing rain in town and probs a good dump >1,500m ... snowing as forecast now. Tomorrow looks promising!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Nice to hear when you're sitting at Frankfurt airport waiting for flight to Geneva!
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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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How are conditions fairing this week so far? Fly out a week on Thursday for a long weekend of cruising pistes with the wife for a friends 50th so not too bothered about pow but would prefer to avoid boilerplate if at all possible.
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@bigtuboflard, reports were good yesterday as I was taking it easy in advance of a cardiac stress test in Annecy ...
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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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@under a new name, good luck with that! If its the standard Bruce Protocol (increasing gradient, increasing speed on treadmill), it's deceptively hard. Although a mate of mine once "completed" it and kept going - the cardiology team didn't know quite what to do!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks @under a new name, I’m far too sedentary now to try such a test though used to enjoy the old fashioned bleep tests back when I was young (and fit).
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@bigtuboflard, snow's holding up pretty well. Up Brev-Fleg today. Apparently not as nice as yesterday but fine.
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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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Conditions are currently very aspect and location sensitive. At Le Tour today and going up the Autannes chair much of the off piste was severely wind affected. Same on the top of the Tete de Balme.
However. From the aforementioned top of the Tete de Balme we traversed forever round past the Croix de Fer and Pointe du Van to Carraye (name on Swiss map) and skied the glades and trees towards Chatelard, finishing at the reservoir below the lift. Smooth untracked snow most of the way.
Just the same down the Posettes couloir to Vallorcene later.
Much better than anything experienced on the Grands Montets the day before.
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Good to hear. I’ll be sticking to piste skiing with the wife so will see what the sun and temps are doing and pick an aspect based on that I think.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Did you just skin back up to the Tete de Balme chair from the reservoir ?
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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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@Peter S, Yus
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@Peter S, as my old chum used to call it, upside down touring
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You know it makes sense.
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Does anybody know if the Aiguille du Midi arete is equipped yet?
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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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| hold_my_biere wrote: |
| Does anybody know if the Aiguille du Midi arete is equipped yet? |
The webcam indicates yes
https://www.montblancnaturalresort.com/fr/photo-webcam
Edit: If you look at the webcam in daylight you'll see that the Z is in place, and the arete double roped
Last edited by Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name: on Tue 21-01-25 18:43; edited 1 time in total
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Poster: A snowHead
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@hold_my_biere, there is a rope straight down. The zig zags come later. Some of my friends went down the VB last week. The arête didn’t have a crevasse on it, but was very icy and the scene described was of carnage with individuals without crampons (and with dangling useless crampons) strewn hither and thither.
If the forecast snow arrives Thursday it could be a worthwhile ski. Unless you have a specific objective from the Midi, I would take the pleasure path from the Skyway.
If you have a leisurely start don’t forget that the last lift up to Montenvers is 4:00pm
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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[quote="HammondR"]@hold_my_biere, there is a rope straight down. The zig zags come later. Some of my friends went down the VB last week. The arête didn’t have a crevasse on it, but was very icy and the scene described was of carnage with individuals without crampons (and with dangling useless crampons) strewn hither and thither.
According to the webcam (and other photos on social media) the arete is now double roped, and the Z is in place
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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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@tomredfern, as Bob Dylan said when I watched A Complete Unknown last night; “the times they are a changing”
So much happened in 3 or 4 days!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Additionally, according to today’s post on Chamoniarde, the zig zag are in preparation, but expressly not open. Including an exclamation mark.
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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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| HammondR wrote: |
| Additionally, according to today’s post on Chamoniarde, the zig zag are in preparation, but expressly not open. Including an exclamation mark. |
Yes, I get the impression that they've only just done it but at least the main arete is double handrailed and in use from what I've seen.
(and looking at the photos more closely it appears that the Z is only single roped at the moment)
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Thanks both, that’s helpful.
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First day on snow this year. Started at Flegere and then had the afternoon in Brévent. A lot busier than I was expecting, with proper queues for a few lifts. Snow conditions are pretty decent, with some pockets of soft snow to go at and pistes generally grippy though a few icy patches towards the later part of the day with traffic. Very warm though toward the end of the day, maybe 10 degrees in town with a stiff foehn blowing at times.
Was on a brand new pair of skis too, moved up from Volkl 90eights in 164 to Elan Ripstick 96 in 172. Very happy with the result, really easy to carve and get on an edge. Good day had.
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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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Up at Le Tour today. Snow felt like it was in better condition and been less through a freeze thaw cycle. No foehn today either so when the sun came out it was positively spring like. Now sat on the chalet balcony in Chamonix town centre in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, more like a late spring day than January.
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@bigtuboflard, Lovely isn't it? I took a hungover wife and brother up Le Tour as well (we've mostly been on B-F) and snow was surprisingly good. Mild but it hadn't gone off when we left at 14h00.
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FAQ
sadly yesterdays stopped at max heart rate and “feeble legs” 
