 Poster: A snowHead
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well is it?
Heading to Le Bettex/Saint Gevais for a family week on Friday but hoping to escape for something a little more exciting at some point.
J
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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chamonix.net says
Wednesday, 7 February 2007
The day has started overcast, not too cold with 15cm fresh snow at 2000m More snow due today
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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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jedster, It was today and yesterday. Wasn't there so no idea really how much. Forecast between 1,200 and 1,500 this weekend, occasionally lower.
If you have a car you may find the Vallee Blanche fun or the Grands Montets (GMs). The GMs had fine cover on Sunday but somewhat tired snow. Should be rather fine by now.
St Gervais, IIRC is a little low to benefit from the snow lower down but it should have helped all the higher runs.
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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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David Murdoch,
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but somewhat tired snow
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Lovely description 
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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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jedster, the snow's reached village level in Megève, so the area should be freshened up a bit with hopefully more to come.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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the snow's reached village level in Megève
superb news
I feel lucky!
Most of the week will be family skiing but we're going with a couple of other competent skiers - tempted by the idea of a heli trip over into Italy...
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jedster, Weather not to propitious for helo work, if the forecasts are correct.
However our on site reporter relates tales of great snow on the baby runs at Brevent (they haven't skied before) - so hopefully much much better higher up.
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jedster, yep it was snowing all day on Tuesday and most of Wednesday. Tues through the Dream Forest was wonderful, although it was a walk out along the exit track - virtually zero snow, once you got past the uphill section (but lots of ice waiting to send you a-over-t  ) until you got out onto the piste. Light extremely flat. Section off Bochard right under the lift to get into the central bowls was was very bare - we took a look but considered it unskiable. We went for another go later, trying to enter a bit lower down, but there was then about 2m vis, so thought better of it. Got the final lift up to the Grands Montets and then had a fun powder run all the way down Point-de-Vue, sometimes in drifts up to knee level. Still virtually zero vis though until got to the final view of the Argentiere icefall itself.
Yesterday morning fresh tracks most of the am with pow cresting over the knees on the top of Pylons and Combe de Rachasse - but still virtually zero contrast so definitely skiing by braille - you actually searched out previously skied areas so you could at least see some contrast. Best sections were off to the left of the piste markers on the very top section (where Pylons and Point de Vue run together) and off to the right of the piste when at the top of Pylons itself. Light improved towards the end of the day, so you could actually see what you were skiing, but the slopes were almost completely tracked out by then. Snow was not quite deep enough to get that "bottomless" feeling, and most turns (particularly once the tracks from the Herse lift joined in) grounded out on the hard base - but it's still pretty orgasmic. Did see several people on the central bowls, so there must have been a way in to there by then. Even Pierre-a-Ric was almost fun (few enough people and just right conditions to practice racing turns on - particularly exciting in touring bindings and boots)!
Prior to that snow, we had two truly fantasic days on the Vallee Blanche. Saturday at Flegere had been a bit poo-poo though - conditions pretty much like late March, except you're dodging a load more rocks and azaleas. Petits Envers was fair to good - hardish pack, but not too icy. They really don't want to take people up the Grand Envers at the moment, very hard conditions, and slides will be long. I was talking to someone in the lift yesterday who'd had a friend flown back home after smashing up his shoulder in a 300m fall - and was lucky to get out of that alive. North side of the Helbronner ridge was pretty good - got powder down the Combe Noire - but spring snow turning to slush by about 1pm on the south side of from Col de Toule to Helbronner mid-station (Murdoch, it was a glorious day - you should have lied through your teeth and come with us - your loss!). No snow below the mid station. Courmayeur appeared to be running, but I doubt the conditions are much good. Rather than a heli I would certainly recommend taking/hiring touring kit and climbing up that side (only an hour or less up to Col de Toule from the VB classic route)
Even better on the Monday. Skinned up towards the Col de Tacul for 2.5 few hours, then had about 500m of fresh powder (not completely isolated tracks though as there were about 25 other people up there that day). There was a tricky section on the way up though with quite loose snow over hardpack, so if you fancy this make sure you have haarscheisen with you - and the bottom 100m was about 35 degrees, 5cm of powder over sheet hardpack, so freshsnow onto that now will bw about avvy level 4 or 5!
Piccies to come when I can get them sorted - just to make you drool.
Have fun. Sadly I'm back in the office now  
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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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GrahamN
sounds great - looking forward to the pics
J
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A few piccies here. Sort them in ascending order of Filename to get chronological order. Sorry not a lot, but didn't have my camera to hand for a lot of the VB days, and the Grand Montets days would have looked mostly like this...
Get my drift? (Ah....effect may be a bit lost if this comes out as a blue background post! )
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Skinned up towards the Col de Tacul for 2.5 few hours, then had about 500m of fresh powder
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wow - 1/2 kilometer of snow depth - things ARE looking good 
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