 Poster: A snowHead
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Well it isn't. Yes, I know it's absolutely terrible in some places. But not in all. And not in others. For once height seems to be a strong beneficial factor.
Could we please have a little return to a bit of sanity?
Yes, it's milder than usual. But then, if it was always this mild, it would be usual.
It's not the end of European skiing.
Nor the end of the world (because that happened in 2000 and you are all now a figment of my imagination).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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David Murdoch, seconded.
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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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laundryman, what, you're a figment of my imagination? Stop talking back...
"It's not talking to yourself that's the first sign of madness, it's dismembering and eating random strangers that gives the game away"
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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David Murdoch, 
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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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Do you think I should start a poll?
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David Murdoch, well said! i had one of the best days riding yesterday even if it was slushy it was great!
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Helen Beaumont, dare to dive...
Hoppo, yes, although you might not like my suggested question...
snowangel., and if it had been sunny we'd have had a great day up Le Tour on Sunday. No matter how good the snow is, skiing in fog makes me sick. Physically.
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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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David Murdoch, This year is a carbon copy of the year when La Tour Avalanched, beware ye all!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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SMALLZOOKEEPER, Is it OK if we're in a "white" zone?
Avast ye landlubber!!
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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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Dare I suggest 1 too many genepy's here??? 
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David Murdoch, I remember it well, i threw up on the piste!
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You know it makes sense.
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stevew, How dare you? cheeky git, and from Bradford too...
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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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Skiing in fog makes me feel queasy as well. I thought it was only me. I do get motion sickness easily.
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Poster: A snowHead
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topjack, nope, total disorientation totally brings up my lunch. Not ideal...
I hate it when you think you've stopped and you haven't, or the other way around...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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But seriously,
I just felt it was time for a thread that brought a little balance into a lot of the dog's wee wee that's being talked about the snow. In many cases it's not as bad as the press, some snow heads, etc. might lead you to believe.
We had someone cancelling their holiday on another thread. I'm sorry, but if I had to pay a 90% cancellation fee, I'd go and enjoy the mountain whatever.
I do appreciate that there are many stations in dire straits. It's not usual. And I really, really feel a lot of sympathy for anyone who's booked to go anywhere where they're maybe not going to get skiing next week.
But please, can we maybe stop screaming total doom and gloom when it is simply untrue. There are many parts of Europe where the piste skiing is at least is good, if not very good (even if not vintage).
This is particularly aimed at those who either should know better - or who don't know at all...
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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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David Murdoch,
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We had someone cancelling their holiday on another thread. I'm sorry, but if I had to pay a 90% cancellation fee, I'd go and enjoy the mountain whatever.
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Unless its a different thread from the one I saw I think there was a small rebooking fee to a snowsure resort from a resort with little or no snow, something I would willingly pay for. 
PS I agree with your sentiments though, it looks a bit worse than average but certainly not a washout everywhere.
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T Bar, You're right, I own up  - it was a small switch fee that was actually talked about and I too would have done the same in the same position. But there have been several posts about cancelling...
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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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Tonight's forecast on TF1...
Snow on Friday above 2100m
(not going to tell you the rest of the forecast)
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Wed 10-01-07 22:21; edited 1 time in total
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Well with snow currently at 2/28 cms at Kitzbuhel and a week of high temps forecast and dep due on 20 Jan, I'd switch for another resort if I could. Only consolation is this hols was a cheap one and we will get some skiing in somewhere I'm sure. Even if we have to hire a car and travel! Although then we'll have additional expenses of lift passes.....
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cathy, if it's any consolation there is snow predicted for Friday, so maybe not all is lost. It has been incredibly warm here the last couple of days. 16C here in Munich today I think that is coming to an end now though. I hope!
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I don't understand why anyone would cancel their holiday - if it's paid for and you can't get your money back, time off work is booked??? Of course you should go - crazy not to. It could easily snow while you're there, and it might be better than you think! 
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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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I don't understand why anyone would cancel their holiday - if it's paid for and you can't get your money back, time off work is booked??? Of course you should go - crazy not to
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It depends on your leave situation, maybe. If peeps have only four weeks paid leave a year then the leave time becomes the scarce commodity. With a ski holiday, half the expenditure, at least, is during the week - passes, ski hire, meals, etc. If the snow prospects are really dire I think going back to work and saving the scarce leave provision for another holiday is perfectly rational. My nephew who works in the States only gets 2 weeks paid leave a year - there'd be no question for him! We are here for much of the season (sauf les vacances scolaire, bien sur!) so can afford to be relaxed. But we had a super day skiing yesterday, in warm sun, finding plenty of good snow on the less sun beaten aspects. With no precipitation forecast, and clear nights helping bring the temperatures down, there will still be some reasonable skiing here for some days yet. But that warm wind struck horror - you could almost hear the snow being sucked up off the pistes. We can do without any more of that.
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pam w, you're right. For the vast majority of full time employees (like me), holiday allowance is a very scarce resource, and more valuable than money. And the final cost of a holiday is usually double the booking cost, as you say lift passes, ski hire, beer/food money all add up. I'd save the time and money and cancel if necessary 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| pam w wrote: |
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I don't understand why anyone would cancel their holiday - if it's paid for and you can't get your money back, time off work is booked??? Of course you should go - crazy not to
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It depends on your leave situation, maybe. If peeps have only four weeks paid leave a year then the leave time becomes the scarce commodity. With a ski holiday, half the expenditure, at least, is during the week - passes, ski hire, meals, etc. If the snow prospects are really dire I think going back to work and saving the scarce leave provision for another holiday is perfectly rational. My nephew who works in the States only gets 2 weeks paid leave a year - there'd be no question for him! We are here for much of the season (sauf les vacances scolaire, bien sur!) so can afford to be relaxed. But we had a super day skiing yesterday, in warm sun, finding plenty of good snow on the less sun beaten aspects. With no precipitation forecast, and clear nights helping bring the temperatures down, there will still be some reasonable skiing here for some days yet. But that warm wind struck horror - you could almost hear the snow being sucked up off the pistes. We can do without any more of that. |
This was exactly our situation---as the friend I was going with this Sunday--to a lower altitude French resort,has only 10 days holiday allowance within a school term---so we have postponed our trip...and booked for March.
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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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David Murdoch, Good post
I have had 10 days great skiing in Alpe D'Huez, probably made better by all those people who didn't go & clog up the runs because they thought it would be rubbish!
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You know it makes sense.
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I'm a bit worried - going back to Selva this year at the end of Feb (fly out on 24th) - snow doesn't look good at the moment, hopefully there will be some when I go!
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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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jb1970, that's miles out - it'll be fine.
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Poster: A snowHead
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David Murdoch, I have to say it is nice to read a bit of rationality about the snow situation! We were skiing during Christmas weeks and shock horror, we had booked a low alti resort (Kitzbuhel), but you know what, we skied every day (that my husband wasn't in hospital with a fractured spine) on different pistes and didn't queue at all.
We bought a bigger area liftpass (covering Kitz, Skiwelt, and a load of other smaller areas) to give us more flexibility but otherwise, the only real noticeable effect was a bit more of the yellow piste closed tape (about 75% open when we were there), and no real off-piste, which was a shame. But it certainly didn't ruin our Christmas (fractured spine did a bit tho  ).
We also recklessly avoided all advice and took our own skis, and you know what, they have no damage to them at all.
Some people just love to have something to be miserable about.
D
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Deliaskis, Is hubby getting better?. Sounds awful
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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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Deliaskis, ugh, horrid, fractured spine, I hope he's recovering? I did mine in a very limited way a few years ago - it's far from a fun experience. I expect, that the injury notwithstanding, your holiday was just as successful as many other people skiing - at a time when global warming had decimated the sport and destroyed European skiing.
pam w, xyzpaul, I guess I should clarify my argument a little - as I don't want to appear quite so black and white as I may have. I appreciate your points too!
If you are unlucky enough to have booked to go somewhere where there is demonstrably limited or no skiing and you can cancel with an economic impact that you can live with in order to go elsewhere/elsetime, then sure, I'd (probably) do the same.
That said, I am sick to the back teeth of people on TV, etc. suggesting that European skiing is dead, that there's no snow, that you should give up skiing, that you'll never ski anywhere other than the US ever again, that everyone will ski in the US next year, etc. Also hearing stupid comments that low resorts are terrible, etc. etc. ...ad naus. - to the point that if you don't have the experience, understanding or knowledge to know what is truly happening at your chosen destination, you come on to a forum like this and get terrified into considering cancelling at some possible expense and inconvenience a holiday that would in fact be extremely successful. Yes, I know I have a vested interest but that is beside this particular point.
A lot of this is, to be fair, down to the mis-management of expectations - externally by resorts, TOs and the ski industry fabricating a myth of perfect snow every day (I mean, how else would they make those fabulous films?) - and internally by Joe Average being taken in by this to the point where he believes that he needs 6 inches of fresh powder every night and a blue sky forecast to have a successful holiday.
As a personal example, when I did my first season as a rep I had skied almost entirely in Scotland (only two weeks in Europe). It was season 88-89 in PDS and by all recent accounts the season was one of the worst ever. A modest fall of snow before Christmas then nothing at all for 9 (nine) weeks (although it was very cold, which kept things in some sort of shape).
I personally thought the conditions were absolutely excellent. Not as good as Scotland can be on a good day but a heck of a lot better than it is on an average day. Not only did it exceed my expectations but ...
...you know what? 100% of my guests had a thoroughly excellent skiing time.
(I was not responsible for issues with relationships, injuries, substance abuse, snow chains, etc. so I have excluded them from my satisfaction survey.)
Also, we are now easily able to tap into a whole load of data that we didn't have before. Sadly many webcams are positioned where it's easy to mount a webcam. Not where you are going to get a representative idea of the skiing conditions. Equally, snow depth figures can be massively misleading - even when accurately measured and reported. And even worse, the tabloid journalism has to be able to fill column inches and airtime minutes with real disasters like the "Death of Alpine Skiing" as there are no real problems left to be solved elsewhere in the world.
It really gets on my man breasts.
Grrrrrrr! I should have stopped typing a little earlier but I feel much better now. Thank you all for listening!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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mmm, obviosly the genepy's worn off now far more coherent (and lots and lots of sense) 
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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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David Murdoch, well put. A quote from my guestbook ...............
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| We arrived at the start of the ski season on 15th December 2006. The lifts opened on 16th December. Although other resorts were apparently struggling for snow we had plenty and were able to ski every day all day |
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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David Murdoch, very well said again!
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when I did my first season as a rep I had skied almost entirely in Scotland
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Aha! That's the answer. Nobody to be allowed to book a ski holiday in the Alps until they have served their time in the Cairngorms (where if the weather is good the lift queues are endless and if the weather is bad....). I collected my only significant ski injury in the Cairngorms, having climbed exhaustingly to have "one more run" after they shut all the lifts in a gale. I had to limp all the way to the chippie on the way back in the coach to East Kilbride, in the continuing gale and pouring rain. They'd never moan about a sunny Christmas in Chamonix again. Don't worry David Murdoch, the media have a shockingly short attention span. As soon as we get a bit of snow, they'll stop.
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We live quite near Tamworth - if anyone wants to cancel their holiday and stay here - we have a reasonable rate.
I can guarantee;
A) Snow
B) Apres ski
C) no fog
D) parking close by
E) no £15 fee for bringing your own kit
F) minutes of fun
We do not recommend the off piste, as the car park attendants get upset if you scratch the cars with your poles.
Seriously - Although I am worried about my trip on 21st Jan - I know that I would rather be in the Alps than the UK for a week!
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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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I'm not so sure. Perhaps tomorrow I will cheer up.
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pam w, that is indeed the answer. You won't complain about "poor" snow again once you've experienced the enthusiastic Glenshee "walk-to-your-skis-put-them-on-ski-on-ski-off-remove-skis-walk-to patch-of-snow" lift up the Tiger.
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