 Poster: A snowHead
|
I'll kick this off having been up the hill today for the season's opening day.
The reason for including "area" in the title is that if staying in Briancon, or in the many villages along the valley, and you have transport, then there are many options available, from snowshoeing the multitude of trails in the various surrounding valleys as well as along Serre Chevalier through to World Class Cross Country skiing as well as very accessible ski-touring through to more extreme ski-mountaineering.
Close to Serre Che are other ski-areas, the most notable obviously being La Grave and then the lesser well-known, but great ski stations of the Queyras, as well as Montgenevere and Claviere, only 25mins away.
So that's the tourist office spiel done 
We arrived yesterday in the valley after staying yet again in the historic and picturesque Arc en Barrois in a superb uber dog friendly hotel that is frequented, especially this time of year, serious (wealthy) hunters, and their dogs, which makes for an amusing evening in the bar, with everyone hoping to contain their seriously trained dogs
Think that's around the 8th time staying there and it's well worth the extra 10km or so off the autoroute.
Normally we would have arrived beginning / middle of November but fortunately the lack of snow tied in well with finishing off various projects in the UK so FOMO was not too much of an issue.
The forecast for today was also not too good and my OH passed on going up as she's not firing on all cylinders; nothing to do with a good early evening session in the 1420 and that had all the signs of being a good night later on as the band was setting up.
I decided to go up from Aravet and was surprised that parking was not too bad*, plus I wanted to check out later the Grotte which is up and running again with Julian (1420) one of the partners.
Going up in the Gondola one could see how sparse the snow-cover is, that said I've seen far worse, as well as far better this time of year.
From Aravet I worked my way over to Serre Ratier and was surprised at how good conditions were, both the snow which was chalky in grip and the sunshine, plus pistes were not too busy, though many a teen blasting around. Circa 11:30 Les Combes was very busy and as ever &Joy prioirtiy was worth every €.
I made my way over to Monetier and rehydrated over there and coming back the weather closed in very quickly and the top of Vallons was close to a white-out, and I was glad to get down.
They've done great work on getting the pistes skiable and in many areas the width is reduced to 60% of the normal width and was a little bare in a few places, but I'm being critical.
Ten-day outlook is not good and with that, I can't see the cross-country opening here in Serre Che, however, the XC pistes over in Nevache are open evidently as someone I know on Strava was clocking up kms over there today so might well investigate that next week.
Last run of the day I took the Marteau down and then CDB which was in good condition all the way down though right at the end I had to make my way over the sparsely covered terraces back to Aravet to check out the Grotte.
The small lounge area in the old Grotte is now a small bar / restaurant doing pizzas at not too bad a price, and happy hour 17:00 - 18:00 and the main Grotte evidently opens at 17:00.
Pointless and Club Med open next weekend after the massive Club Med refurb, and I don't know yet whether they'll be charging for parking there as the area looks much reduced.
Should add that there's probably 5cm of fresh up top, but the wind kicked in at one point down here so would have been crazy at altitude.
That's all for now.
* Free parking, and I had to walk all of 100m if that, just to put parking here into perspective, and it was circa 10:15 too
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Sweet memories, that photo of "La grotte du Yeti". Must have been at least 25 years when I first went there, fresh off the uni.
They have been closed, and now re-open?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Hi,
For me it was end of my uni time, mid nineties.
Back then the owners (or renters) of la Grotte were a Dutch ski holiday company focused on uni students. I was then acquainted to the 2 owners.
They would drives busses full of uni students from Maastricht to various resorts in the French Alps. I believe they were the first dutch operator going to Risoul.
Fond memories, still strongly recommend Serre-Che based on that holiday.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
@Onnem, well today we were there again, couple of coffees and a big slice of freshly cooked pizza, I think was €7.50, and today I bumped into Clive who was the first Brit owner and he was getting very nostalgic and was explaining to me about when the Dutch were running it, and how Clive managed it for them and then had a clause in the contract that should they ever sell he would have first option, and the rest is history as it were 
And Clive and his band (Harper Bros) are playing there this Friday at Happy Hour Apres, so we'll make the effort, but I suspect that there will not be too many there as the resort is very quiet this week, as the season really gets underway next weekend.
I've been a tad under the weather and have not bothered going up the hill as yesterday was a little grim and a tad busy evidently plus due to the winds a few lifts out of the few that are open were closed, and today my general feeling of shabbiness was self-inflicted 
That said come the afternoon decided to get the legs and lungs more acclimatised and took Ullr for a run (2.5km up then down) the Granon which was a good excuse to take a photo of the pistes opposite above Chantermerle.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Great photo, dog of the week
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
We awoke to 2-3 cm on the terrace and webcams at altitude showed a mixed bag of conditions from a full on white-out through to brighter patches, and looking at the precipitation radar you could see that there were a series of showers tracking through, which was the forecast.
A friend and I had tentatively arranged to ski tour up at the Lautaret, if it was sunn,y but we bailed on that once we saw the conditions.
So I opted for first lifts from Pointillas as it was the first day, and it was running late which allowed me to ask the police municipal guy in the car park when would the payment machines be working which unfortunately have now appeared, though it was to be expected 
Going up in the lift was snowing on and off and that was theme for the morning, with very localised accumulations of snow; I actually thought the best coverage was around 2,000m as atop Vallons there was not so much fresh to be had.
For the first 90mins was nice and quiet and had some good turns in 10cm max on the piste and a bit more to the side, so no complaints. Then being a Saturday, many groups of local kids were out and quickly trashed most of the available snow so one had to look further afield but was a bit of a lottery with the light at times, which at times was what we refer to as Japanese Sunshine, in that there is nigh on a sun in the sky but its still snowing.
Once back down had a look around the new commerce at Pointillas and the new restaurant there, (was not open) the "Off Piste" looks to be quite a luxurious gaff run by the same team (Melquiond famille I believe) as Sno and Le White at Serre Ratier, so maybe not the best place to stop for a coffee*
A good few hours I was checking the ten day forecast and was well surprised to see big accumulations.
But then an hour ago KenX posted the same and the snow has all but nigh on disappeared
The only glimmer of hope is that Snow Forecast is still showing good accumulations.
So watch this space.
Also, I nearly ended up in Hospital going for some airtime on a hidden sheet of ice (under 3cm of fresh) while doing that dangerous sport of walking the dogs, and doing the classic of hands in pockets which might have helped as I didn't have time to stretch my arm out to break the fall / wrist 
*coffee prices can be €5.50 in the likes of Aravet 2000 and maybe the new Off Piste whilst at Mats (next to Pointless), Chalet du Lac €2.50, Heidi's Cafe €2.50
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
Decided on some cross-country skiing to stretch the legs and lungs, and yesterday went down to Parc des Colombiers, Chantemerle, where they have a small course open which is just under 1km, and getting their early it was in pristine condition with only two others out.
It was still well below freezing and hence one massive snow canon was still blowing snow out across the piste which made skating through it up a slight bosse quite challenging. Ended up doing 10km and was quite tired afterwards and in terms of speed was much faster than I now could run a 10km in.
Yesterday I was nagging to my neighbour who is a XC instructor about maybe having the technique lesson which we never got around to last season, and she apologised as she told me that she was out for the season with a serious back issue and an operation early January
She did say that conditions in Nevache in the upper vallée de la Claré were good with a few pistes open so decided on going up there early, and was not surprised to see the temp on that van showing -8 as it's always way colder up there.
There were actually quite a few cars going up and once at the parking (30mins from SC) there were quite a few Club vans and numerous club skiers getting ready. Did think it might be busy but the green that was open up to Nevache was in excellent condition with either a straight return back or a slightly more challenging blue, but it was so cold!
I think many of the club (racing) skiers had opted for the reds and gradually more skiers appeared, and it's a great thing about the French in that on the whole they're not early birds, so as I called it a day along with the clubs the parking was getting full with it being the only XC area open.
I was totally shattered after 15km which is always the way after the first of the season's sorties as it takes a while to zone in on the technique along with the lungs and legs, though I did think I might be better after being relatively running fit, and all my metrics say I don't have anything left in the tank.
There did seem to be more snow over there but that has more to do with far less hours of sunshine and most of the pistes being in the shade.
Image below shows just how close Nevache vallée de la Claré is to Serre Che, 8km as the crow flies.
And what about the forecast, well it very much depends on what model you look at, for sure it's going to be unsettled and we might well see some rain on Thursday but it's Sunday into Monday that's currently, at least what YR.no are predicting is of interest, which will probably happen as I've just arranged a physio for 09:00 on Monday
And compare that to snowforecast
Might well go up the hill tomorrow for a social ski as could well be one of the last sunshine days for a while.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
@Weathercam, Cracking images and reports as always, very much enjoy these, just a pity I’m not coming back to SC this winter after such a great trip there last March. We have use of a friend of friends apartment in Les Arcs for our lads trip this March for free so be a fool not to use it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
@Weathercam, liking the dog pics! Hopefully there will be some good snow and not too much rain the next few days. The snow cover at the top of Cucumelle is looking very patchy on the webcam! Presumably the pistes with snow-making are doing much better?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
The poor old dog doesn't look too impressed with the design concept!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Nigh on all lifts currently closed as at Friday 10:15 due to ballistic winds, which with one gust about six sparrows on our terrace were blown backwards into the bushes.
Think we must have had all of 5cm of snow but that's all been blown somewhere.
People now turning up a day earlier to avoid the weekend rush and the building next to us which has five or six AirBnB's has that many cars outside.
It's going to be case of wrapping up for a dog-walk later this morning though winds are due to ease.
Yesterday in the grim weather went into Briancon for more shopping and stopped off at the climbing/bouldering centre and it's an excellent cafe and would imagine a good restaurant and in the same building are numerous bouldering walls over two floors, and was quite busy; loved a couple of very fit looking female climbers with their new-borns in a car seats looking up at their mums scaling the wall
https://bloc27.fr/
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
I don't know how much snow fell at altitude but it looks like not much stuck, presumably due to the wind! From what I see on other threads, the northern French alps are doing much better than the south so far and people are raving about the great conditions. I know the southern alps have a reputation for less snow but is it normal to see quite such a big difference? Hopefully Serre Che will catch up a bit as the winter progresses.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
@Snowtunes, it is swings and roundabouts between us down Sarf and up North, and a few seasons ago at this time of year we did really well when the likes of Morzine were dire.
Our best chance of a good snowfall is when it comes from the South, and more of a Retour D'Est, but frustratingly sometimes we can just miss out on that and 10km further down the road they get it, but that is the vagaries of snowfall & weather patterns.
That said just heard from @KenX, who has been up the hill today and he said pistes are superb, and not busy.
As Serre Che is very French and many second home owners, this coming week will not be crazy busy as the French like to do Xmas en famille; New Year on the other hand!
I'm just back from beasting myself on the XC track down at Parc des Colombiers, it's only just over a one km circuit but a good workout if doing 10km.
Still all looking good for the new snow to arrive Sunday/Monday, which hopefully will enable the XC pistes in the valley to open up.
And we found ourselves in the new resto/bar above Pointless for their opening evening, it's called the "Off-Piste", think they're going to have their work cut out to get an evening trade there, but very nice inside, though bit pricey, two kirs, €14, glass of wine €5, pint €8.
Todays pic - skinny skis 
And a good view of the Tête du Grand Pré and more about the off-piste potential here, but it is very difficult route finding!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Thanks, @weatherman. I love the updates . I can't wait to be in Monetier for the February half-term. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it keeps snowing. Are there lockers at the bottom of the lifts in Monetier, and can they be booked?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Been snowing for 24hrs now, around 25cm here in St Chaffrey, a lot of wind though....
Up on first lifts this morning with @irbis, scored first tracks all the way down the Luc Alphand with 10cm of fresh on a groomed piste, then up to the Olympic trees off the Oree du Bois chair, again first tracks, this time in fluffy boot deep+ powder, did that a few times and moved along the pitch a bit at a time, no wind lower down and great viz in the trees, but we decided to go across to the Prorel to try the trees there, lift was closed, blowing a hooley at the top of the Combes lift so not surprised! In fact most of the higher lifts were shut due to wind apart from the Vallons.
Stopped for coffee and discovered one of my skis had delaminated so had to call it a day
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Due out in just over 2 weeks staying at the private aire near Frejus Lift bottom station.
Your reports are giving me hope there will be some good skiing when we are there.
Merry Christmas
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
@Wylie66, that's a nice aire, our friends stayed there in their motorhome all season for many years!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Wylie66, exactly what @KenX, said, superb place to stay!
So I missed out on the fresh yesterday as the physio I saw at 09:00 was very adamant after she'd been working on my knee to take it easy
So it was a long dog walk, and crampons on boots now as the fresh snow is so light and cold that it's very easy to go through to the sheet ice below when walking away and off the pavements etc
Then afternoon shopping in Briancon and then another visit to the Bloc 27 cafe which has to be the coolest place in the valley and very much gets my daughter's seal of approval.
Back to the physio later today, for my daughter as she has a worrying injury that might be exasperated by skiing again, and yes indeed it did twinge today when she was skiing deeper snow off to the side of the piste. My worry is that it's a Liz Franc fracture from when she was blood-wagoned off the hill back in Jan of this year, and the ligaments keep going. It's a weird one for after the initial discomfort it settles down.
Nice coffee break at her favourite cafe, Chalet de Serre Blanc, or as she calls it, Cafe at the top of the world.
Pistes were excellent though by the time we came back down Le Bez at around 13:30 there was not too much to get a grip on, and it was not that busy, though as ever glad to have &Joy, will be a different story over New Year.
And wind kicked in big time again, enough for them to shut some (Gauthier) of the lifts at altitude.
Now preparing dauphinoise potatoes for 16 for later tonight for Christmas Eve get-together at a friends.
As for the weather, have now zoomed the webcam in so if you move and zoom in on the screen you can see the Eychauda ridge and Gauthier chair, both very wind swept, and that's if for fresh snow from the looks of things for the next 10 days
Oh and arrived at Pointless at 09:00 to bite the bullet and pay one € an hour, and none of the pay machines were working, so managed to find a space just over the bridge, rather than chance it.
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads  on Tue 24-12-24 15:35; edited 2 times in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
@Weathercam, Thank you for the updates.
I tune in to your webcam everyday pining for the slopes.
Any recommendations for mountain huts for lunch, hopefully avoiding the standard fare of something and chips. We found a cracking place a couple of years ago near Chatel that did a really nice cheese and meat platter so something similar would be fabulous.
Thanks in advance
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Well Christmas has gone, which is always not as busy as feared, and now we anticipate the busy New Year hordes.
Xmas Eve was with a friend who works for Ski Connections and she says it's looking bonkers, they do have one spare instructors spot available etc
However I've been piste skiing with my daughter and it's been very good, though as ever in some places there is boilerplate to be found, the lower section of Vallons as ever, and Le Bez, usually where the base is snow cannon snow. I'm just going to do the edges of my daughters Park skis, even though I've told her to use my OHs better piste-orientated skis, but what do Dad's know
Yesterday we were very leant over and just managed to meet friends at Aravaet 2,000 for a very good lunch and numerous Hair of the Dog's.
The paraponts (instructor with the client) were putting one hell of a show, coming in really close above the restaurant terrace to shouts and whistles of encouragement.
Shame I only managed to get this one later when the sun had gone.
Today again was bizarrely calm and we were skiing untracked corduroy most of the morning and had a couple of excellent runs on the hidden pistes in Monetier, though whilst they were not groomed or had ever been pisted the chalky snow on them was great, better than a groomed piste
Then coffee in Peyra Juana and then we headed back.
Going up Yret chair I could quite not believe what I was looking at, which was a massive slide which I have never seen in all the many years of skiing here, though the pylons are protected from the threat of slides.
It did become obvious why, and that was as far as I know (95% sure) they have installed a new avalanche security system with cables and pylons running along the top of the ridge, and with the recent ballistic winds and associated snow accumulations that had resulted in a massive slide when the control was carried out, I believe ?
If they blast this on a regular basis after a snow fall then it could well rule out ever skiing that again and the other lines up there?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I remember a similar slide in the same place at the end of the season in maybe 2009 or 10. I haven't been to that resto at Aravet for many years, it used to be a hideous self. Must give it another try. Just a week before we head off, arriving on 4th as the crowds go home.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
Well we're well and truly now under the influence of the New Year hordes
Up to today I've been piste skiing far more than usual, mainly because I'm skiing with one daughter and we've had some great skiing and it's not been too busy, and if a lift should have a queue then &Joy comes to the rescue as we sail past them all 
The other reason for so much piste skiing is that the ski-touring is not great, and all the well-known routes that do have snow would on the whole been skied out, and there's the little matter of very wind-swept terrain at altitude drastically reducing available terrain.
This is Gauthier and Eychauda, resembling the Scottish Highlands
All day yesterday traffic was heavy and we now have the evening bouchon outside as cars drive back towards Briancon and ensuing deadlock ensues as pedestrians use the zebra crossings and cars join the main road; it lasts from around 17:00 to 18:30 and if getting a bus into Briancon (which we did last night) best to give yourself an hour!
Today I opted for cross-country and thought would be a wise move to park up by the Stade as more trails are now open from Monetier to Le Casset but no-one told me about the major competition that was on
However, that was concentrated around the Stade and once past Monetier it was very pleasant and they've produced a lovely 1.8km boucle up near Le Casset, that it is very flat and very fast and great for the technique.
On my return I watched some of the racing and was very amusing to see the youngsters emulating their heroes as they crossed the finishing line collapsing with perceived exhaustion in very much the same way that young rugby players all started doing Chris Ashton swan dives
After XC this morning took daughter and dogs up to Lautaret for a hike and it was rammed, only just managed to find a parking space, 100 of ski tourers, loads of snow kites, one of which was trying to extricate his kite from a tree, and I had absolutely no FOMO seeing the skiers up there!
And not too much to shout about weather wise - maybe a dribble on the 3rd ?
I'm off to Turin tomorrow to get OH and other daughter and then I'll let the OH ski with my daughters for the week
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Following this thread with interest. My first trip to Serre Chevalier on 11th Jan!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
@johnboy, look us up. We're around until the 19th, it would be great to see you again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
@Hells Bells,
Whooo, that is great news, I was kinda hoping you would be about!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
Beautiful day again, so decided to give the Lautaret a go with @irbis and @Suki, skinned up the Vallon de Roche Noire around 10:30, not too many people around and the snow was surprisingly good!!!
Suki found a sheep's skull complete with teeth which she proudly carried all the way down, then dropped it for me and it rolled down a gully!
https://youtube.com/shorts/LX7C9rI76xI?feature=share
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Weathercam, what elevation is that Snowforecast capture taken at? Matches with yr.no for tonight's 5-6cm at least.....
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@leggyblonde, 2,000m that one, 1,200m is too depressing
OH "had" to go up the hill today for 14:15 and said it was horrible, boiler plate and ice and the last run down circa 16:00 was not a lot of fun.
No sign of the snow yet, and my watch now has something for 90mins, but this time rain and not snow.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
@Weathercam, So which weather report do you trust the most?
The Apple app on my phone suggests Snow about 50%likely for the next week with exception of Fri Sat Sun.
BBC sort of concurs.
Due there a week Saturday
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Wylie66, I don't trust any a long way out, it's only less than 24hrs when you can be a bit optimistic when they all start to show the same, and this season so far there have been some amazing changes in numbers from one day to the next.
One thing is for sure we never actually get more than is forecast, at best we're pleased if it's 75%.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
