 Poster: A snowHead
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@skier52, fantastic! Thanks for taking the time. Looks straightforward enough on the piste map.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| adriangrogan wrote: |
| @skier52, fantastic! Thanks for taking the time. Looks straightforward enough on the piste map. |
No problem, glad you appreciate the info. After our 3 week "Brexit" holiday in UK will be back in Grand Massif on Saturday for another 5 weeks.
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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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| skier52 wrote: |
| adriangrogan wrote: |
| @skier52, fantastic! Thanks for taking the time. Looks straightforward enough on the piste map. |
No problem, glad you appreciate the info. After our 3 week "Brexit" holiday in UK will be back in Grand Massif on Saturday for another 5 weeks. |
Lucky you (the 5 weeks, definitely not Brexit!)! I know where to go if I have more questions so!
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In Flaine this week. Any Snowheads able to report how the pistes are in Carroz and Morillion, following the snow?
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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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Not yet, as we've skied in Flaine the last few days,but will be able to later today. In Carroz village it rained, then snowed, then rained during the night, but now snowing steadily.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Same here. Stuck to Flaine so far but hope to head to Samoens this morning. Webcams look good. Hopefully the sun makes an appearance.
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We last skied in Carroz on Sunday, at which point it was generally slushy with good coverage. Only really noticeable bare bits were the bottom of Combe and the cart track bit of Biollaires between Morillon and Carroz, both of which are always weak points. The bottom of Esserts was really bare, but still skiable.
Today there was 10 - 15cm of new snow in most places (hard to tell as it was windy in some areas), which had done a repair job on Biollaires but not the bottom of Combe. Under the fresh snow it appeared that most pistes were icier than they were on Sunday. Overall, very skiable and suspect will be much-improved after the bullies have run tonight. And there's more to come so can only get better....
Didn't make it to Samoens today, so will be interested in any feedback on that.
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I’m currently in Samoen. Prior to the fresh snow (and I reckon it was more like 25cm at the top of Flaine) the Samoen runs were pretty good from about 10 and 1 - after the hard crust melted and before the slush. The lowest 25% of the runs turn into horrible, end of spring, sticky, soft moguls in the pm I’d imagine they will be pretty decent tomorrow morning. Best conditions have been in Flaine, and today was fantastic if you can tolerate brief periods of pretty much zero viz.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Skied over to top of Grand Crêt, which was closed, so had to change lunch plans. Has that piste been open recently?
Getting to Samoëns 1600 from top of Coulouvrier was interesting.
Total white out. Completely missed turn off for Marmottes!
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Skied to Samoens from Flaine via Portete and back up Tete des Saix. Pistes in good condition and had a lovely morning.
Anyone know if Corbalanche would open for a full day on a Saturday? Or is it just the couple of hours in the afternoon every day?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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We had a lovely morning on great snow in Flaine, but didn't like the visibility after lunch. 
Grand Crêt hasn't been open recently, apart from the very top bit that leads to Aouia.
Corbalanche is usually open all day at the weekend, but you should be able to check on the app after closing time tonight.
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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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Bluebird powder morning looping Desert Blanc followed by white outs this pm. Slushy below 1900. Plenty of fun to be had in the sunshine over the next few days. 
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Grand Cret has been an unmitigated disaster which lays squarely at the feet of the person in charge of the piste maintenance on the Samoëns side. The locals are pretty pissed off that the best piste outside of Flaine hasn’t run for the last 2yrs. Reason being, I hear you ask? Lack of water…
Yet, somehow, Morrilon can get its act together and make Doina skiable season in and season out. Adding insult to injury- Doina’s finish is quite a bit lower than Grand Cret. But you already know that Morrilon has a different person in charge of the pistes there… You cannot make this up! 
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You know it makes sense.
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@cheburator, are you saying that the pistes are managed by different teams, depending on the ski area? I didnt realise that.
I agree that it’s pretty poor that Grand Cret hasn’t been open whilst Doina has been. It really feels as though Samoens is taking out far more than it’s putting into the ski area. With the ever increasing accommodation but with no extra public transport or pistes, it is really starting to show.
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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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We skied the short bit of grand cret that leads to Aouia back in January and as we joined Aouia and looked up the Aouia piste towards Samoens 1600 it looked narrow and steep for a blue and also in the shade in the morning. We thought the top of grand cret marked red was probably easier. Just wondering what others think of the grading of the Aouia piste and what the top of it is like to ski?
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Poster: A snowHead
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On the way to Geneva after a great week in Flaine. First trip to the Grand Massif and don't think it'll be our last.
Very sorry to be leaving the overnight fresh snow behind! Snow to low enough levels as we come down the mountain. Anyone out today will have a great time.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@snowymum, we’ve never quite managed to find the start of Aouia - we always start from the top of 1600 which takes you to Grand Cret, despite the signage implying that you can get to Coulouvrier on a blue run from there, so I can’t make a direct comparison, but like you, every time we look at it, it doesn’t look like a blue.
We know someone who was shadowing at a ski school and she said that taking people on Aouia was horrendous. It didn’t help that it was when the Chariande Express was out of action.
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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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To find the 'official' start of Aouia, face the Club Med buildings and ski just to the left of them and follow it round. But like everyone else, I don't know why you'd bother. Narrow, icy and made more dangerous by the number of fallers that there always seem to be. In Morillon, Les Chars down to Coulouvrier had a similar reputation when both of them were opened. But Chars has had significant improvements (widening, pitch angle) since, where Aouia seems just as nasty as it was on day 1.
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| RAHS wrote: |
@cheburator, are you saying that the pistes are managed by different teams, depending on the ski area? I didnt realise that.
I agree that it’s pretty poor that Grand Cret hasn’t been open whilst Doina has been. It really feels as though Samoens is taking out far more than it’s putting into the ski area. With the ever increasing accommodation but with no extra public transport or pistes, it is really starting to show. |
Yep, the pistes are managed by a different team in each resort. In addition, Samoens took over the maintenance of the MTB tracks in the Summer from the lift operator. Yet again, it has been a total clusterfcuk. The great red/black trail winding down from Tete Des Saix to Samoens 1600 was left to deteriorate badly, to the point that it would take a lot of EURs to be reinstated, the beautiful red built under Coulouvrier has also gone, and the other reds/black/blues going down to Vercland are in desperate need of work. On the other hand, the lift operator has rebuilt the trails in Morrilon and has worked actively with the commune to open the gondola, thus creating an almost viable competitor to the Les Carroz bike park... Go figure... The impression I get is that Samoens looks at the skiing/mtb as a bonus, rather than as a core activity, hence the attitude... Which is a shame...
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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.
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Absolutely! The real shame is that you speak to any self-respecting French MTB-er and they would tell you that Samoens has some of the best natural Enduro trails in France. The general gist is - you wanna ride parks - go to the PdS. You wanna ride real trails - go to Samoens. However, even real trails have limits and when you don't look after them, they become a rocky, rooty, eroded mess, which ultimately is abandoned as people value their bodies/gear...
Back on topic - going out for one last week of hopefully spring off-piste shenanigans on the 29th March. Can't wait... Then will be back for a week of Enduro and trekking in July/August. Shame that would miss the UCI...
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Off to GVA next Wed evening for two days skiing on Thurs & Fri  Back Sat morning.
We're hiring a car and fancying skiing somewhere relatively near GVA - like Grand Massif as we haven't been there for years. Some Qs for the area experts:
Is parking free/easy at Les Carroz (which I am looking at for online ski hire, as it's cheaper than easyjet ski carriage)? Does that sound like a goer? Are runs still open to low levels? How are conditions looking overall? Any fresh snow lately?
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Yes, plenty of parking in Carroz at this time of year.
Runs in Carroz are pretty much open, although suffering a bit from the last few days of warmer weather and it's a walk the last 100 meters or so back to the telecabine on the blue run.
If it were me, I'd opt for staying in Flaine, where pretty much everything is still in great condition, especially in the morning. Get up early and you'll have the place pretty much to yourself for the first hour or so as well.
Last snow throughout the GM was last weekend, when there was lots!
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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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Thanks @sj1608 - much appreciated. I was thinking Les Carroz just to save the drive up. Where's best for parking in Flaine for ski access? (I don't know the place at all.)
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@mountainaddict, it's not that much further (we regularly drive up from Carroz, ready for a 9am start) and saves you having to 'commute' to Flaine each day on skis!
Flaine is pretty much car free. You can drive into the centres (Foret and Forum) to unload and stay for 1.5 hours for free. There are also car parks at the different levels, which are chargeable after the first half hour or so (€10 per day from memory), plus one up at the top which is free (you 'transfer' by the free ski bus).
Will you be self-catering or hotel??
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Cheers @sj1608. Your advice is appreciated.
As we arrive at GVA late on Wed and leave from there early on Sat, I've booked nights 1 and 3 (Wed and Fri) near the airport - hence the wish to ski somewhere relatively near to Geneva from Thurs morning.
We haven't decided on Grand Massif for definite - I was also considering Chamonix, especially as Grands Montets (I know the top is closed) is a bit higher with the warm weather that is forecast.
Given slope orientation and the warm forecast, will Flaine be decent enough for a couple of days?
There are loads of options for the one night (Thurs) that I still need to book - from budget in Sallanches (Ibis Budget etc) to quite reasonable to stay up in Flaine. Hotel Le Piaz, which appears to be right next to a ski lift in Flaine, looks quite appealing on a B&B basis - but is it in the middle of nowhere in terms of going out to eat?
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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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Update re. Hotel Piaz location (from Hotels.com reviews). Sounds decent (and accessible) enough.
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We stayed there in 2012 when it was very basic, someone has chucked a lot of € at it since then. Not the easiest to get anywhere else from it but if only one night it looks a very agreeable place to be in.
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You know it makes sense.
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@mountainaddict, I've never heard of Hotel Plaz. Could it be Lapiaz? If so, it's very convenient during the day (half way down a very short red slope), less so at night, no idea how you'd get back to it. Have a look at Totem and Rockypop, both of which get very good reviews and are right in the centre of things, close to the main lift.
Yes, there is more than enough to keep you occupied for a couple of days. Snow depth is huge at the moment, so even if it's slushy in the afternoon, you won't have bare slopes.
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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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@mountainaddict, our daughter and SIL stayed at the Rockypop hotel for three nights a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed it. They used a transfer from GVA so weren’t parking a car, but from recollection when we used to drive over from Les Gets to stay with friends in their apartment there was not a problem parking in the centre.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
| I've never heard of Hotel Plaz. Could it be Lapiaz? |
| Quote: |
| Hotel Le Piaz, which appears to be right next to a ski lift in Flaine, looks quite appealing on a B&B basis |
I did type Piaz (not Plaz) but mistakenly put Le instead of La!
And it appears to be one word (LaPiaz!).
Looks really nice @Langer1, but now thinking it might be a bit remote (for going elsewhere) if the evening menu is not to our liking. Ta for the info on the snow @sj1608 and on Rockypop/Totem @Pamski.
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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, lapiaz is on the piste basically. I have eaten in that restaurant too. Food very nice.
It’s a little bit from the town but not that much. It might be an interesting walk back - it’s not very far though from the centre bit where the ice skating rink is.
I have stayed in La foret Pierre vacances and my OH stays in terasses d’helios every year on his boys trip
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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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Cheers all. Very helpful 
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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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@mountainaddict, have you made any decisions? A light dusting of snow in Flaine last night, and then snowed heavily at lunchtime today. Pistes incredibly quiet this week, looped normally popular pistes on our own this morning, no queues at all.
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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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| Quote: |
| @mountainaddict have you made any decisions? A light dusting of snow in Flaine last night, and then snowed heavily at lunchtime today. Pistes incredibly quiet this week, looped normally popular pistes on our own this morning, no queues at all |
That sounds great @sj1608. Ta for the update. How low did it snow?
Having just checked the normally reliable Meteoblue forecast for Flaine for our two ski days (Thurs & Fri), Grand Massif is still looking like a goer! Still exploring accommodation options and will report back once sorted/finalised tomorrow.
I see your location is Les Carroz. How are the pistes outside the main Flaine bowl? I'm assuming some of the north-facing stuff might be OK? On the webcams, I've seen strips of (skiable?) snow down to the valley
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@mountainaddict, it snowed down to the bottom of the bowl (1600ish) around lunchtime, then a mix of rain/snow down to Carroz where it rained for a while but has stopped now.
We haven't skied outside the bowl for about a week (we tend to drive up, having elderly knees!), but friends are still skiing elsewhere and I haven't heard any dire tales of skiing grass, although it's definitely slushy later in the day. Down to the valley would be optimistic, Doina in Morillon has been closed for a while now.
The best skiing is definitely mornings, as you'd expect at this time of year, and this morning everywhere that we skied in the bowl was really good.
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Thanks @sj1608
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Just back from Flaine and the snow was good higher up in the main bowl, but slushy lower down towards lunchtime. A bit of fog made some runs back to the base a bit tricky.
Down to Les Molliets wasn't much fun, very hard-packed in places and surprisingly crowded.
A great week of skiing though. First visit and it was a really enjoyable experience.
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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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Currently staying in Les Servages in Les Carroz. Pistes were rock hard corduroy this morning, softening to slushy sticky. Ok over at Flaine but getting patchy in places. A short burst of hail then rain last night. Clear day today tho warnings of a storm coming in this afternoon. Timalets showing a few muddy patches near the bottom - wet sugar consistency but skiable.
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Thanks for the update @Oblos.
We've bitten the bullet on accommodation and have just finalised all arrangements for this week's flying visit, as follows:
- Wed 26th Mar: 22.10 arrival at GVA (easyjet); collect hire car; overnight at the cheapo Hotel F1 in Ferney Voltaire (now with en-suite rooms!). £35 for the night.
- Thu 27th: Early doors drive up to Flaine for ski day 1, collecting skis (booked online) in Les Carroz en-route. A bargain £19 pp(!) for 2 days for red run category skis. A bit better than £84 easyjet return ski carriage (double ski bag).
- Thu night: We usually book an apartment for ski trips, but are treating ourselves with a half board stay at Hotel Totem, in Flaine. It looks very nice and seems to be in a good spot. Hot tub and sauna to boot. £170 for the room via Booking.com.
- Fri 28th: Ski day 2 and back to Hotel F1 at Ferney Voltaire.
- Sat 29th: 07.20 flight back home from GVA.
I looked online to book ski passes today - but the twice I tried, it said website under maintenance.
Really looking forward to the trip, as have only skied at Flaine for one day previously (years ago). In terms of conditions, we'll happily ski whatever we get. After missing the whole of winter 2023/24 due to Mrs MA's bad injury and rehab, every turn this season has been an absolute joy, irrespective of conditions
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FAQ
