 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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  it was a lovely day, and cold this morning at around freezing first thing so I went up to ski. The first thing that happened was that the Puy Salie Nord broke down and we had to wait for ages for it to start. Then it stopped just before I got the top of the first steeper bit. Eventually I decided to walk up to the Puy Salie Sud get on (they move it up the hill a bit when it gets too nasty low down). So when I finally got to start skiing my back was aching and my legs were tired from walking up.  Anyway, there wasn't much in the way of powder, but there were some little stashes of fresh which was very wind crusty, but not too deep, so could be skied with care. Delicacy required on the skis not to sink in and get stuck, but fun. I skied every run but the Lauze was closed. The pistes were getting little bumps but it was winter snow all the way.  There were loads of peeps up, I suppose from Grenoble. They must have seen the snow on the peaks and just jumped in their cars, consequently it was a lot busier than I expected, considering it was Saturday.  Good though!
I took a couple of pics on the way up in the Jandri Express, one showing snow on the Rachas and then one of the Toura area at 2,600m. the snowline was down to about 2,400m
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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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I also took photos from the top of Dome Sud looking down that run and then from the same point looking over towards Alpe d'Huez.
Later I took this pic of the elderly ski ballet couple who come up 2 or 3 times a year and practise. they're actually not getting any better, but they're quite old. I just missed them with both of them doing their thing in harmony.
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I finished up with a coffee on the terrace, and just look at the difference compared to the photo I took the other day (top of the last page I think). Quite incredible. The sad thing is that I had a very nice family skiing last week, when the weather was rather dodgy, and the snow at the worst it's been all summer - they went home early today. Such a shame!
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easiski,
How many cms of fresh snow on the glacier?
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Wow that is amazing, i would have never thought that you'd get decent snowfall in august. Does that mean you can ski down the signal and get the chair up?
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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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easiski, Great pics and the snow looks so soft and squeaky, feel sorry for the family who've just gone home. Told the folks at work last night about the 8" of fresh, they found it hard to believe, snowing in Summer !! When does the glacier close, end of Aug ? and then reopen ? 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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elderly couple who come up 2 or 3 times a year and practise. they're actually not getting any better, but they're quite old.
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I know the feeling! Great reports and pics, easiski. We were walking in the Hauteluce Valley yesterday - quite stunning, with a dusting of snow on the Aiguille Croche (top of Les Contamines skiing) and the woods full of raspberries. The raspberries survived the day better than the snow, which had all melted in the sun by the time the raspberries were being turned into jam.
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pam w, OMG! what a waste of raspberries - so much nicer on your muesli or with cream! (my fave fruit).
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You know it makes sense.
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easiski, we had far too many to eat fresh!
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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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Awesome pics/reports - thanks for making me feel jealous
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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easiski,
what about a cup of coffee, as we agreed earlier? 
where can I find u? I ride each day, so may be we can meet in the cafe on the top?
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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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yeremey, I will be up tomorrow with a lesson, otherwise we could have a coffee in the town. I won't go up again without clients unless there's powder!! You can pick up my little yellow fliers in the tourist office which have my mobile number on, or else it's on every page of my website. You probably won't read this until it's too late tomorrow though. 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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it's been a lovely day today so far, and I'm about to have a nice break on the balcony. It's much warmer than it has been for the last few days. Still a fairly chilly night though, but the temp at dawn (see first pretty pic with the moon at 06.40 this morning) was above freezing! 
I took the normal view of the glacier at around 09.30 and then a view looking down to the bottom of the Signal chair (since it was mentioned yesterday) with the Roche Mantel chair in the top left corner as I left the glacier at about 14.45.
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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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on the way down I took 2 views of the same work which seems to involve making the steepest blue run in the world into a least a red, if not actually a blue! Up until last season it's been a nasty little black slope on the blue escape run from the Fee. In the first pic you can see the shape of the Fee, and of course the walls to the right and left are 2 of the nice off piste areas here.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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easiski, loving the pictures and reports. Only 102 days till I arrive. 
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easiski, it's fascinating - if not terribly beautiful! - to see these runs being made. Great pics, thanks.
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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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Headplant, There is grass and so on up to about 2,400 in some profusion, then getting less as you go higher. Actually the browny bits you can see in the photos are grass. Above 2,600 apart from alpine flowers which grow all the way up in crevices in the rocks there is almost no flora. It's tundra! The snow is better than normal for this time of year, but you only have to look back a page to see how it was going before last week's snowfall. We're hoping for more snow later tomorrow and snow in the late afternoon/evening. That would be tooooo we don't get blue ice (shiny stuff) in the summer - it's all grainy and grey and not too slick normally. (bigger granules)
Hurtle, That's the plan. It always seems to me (quite understandably), that most skiers don't really think about or understand what goes on to make their holiday better. With all this work happening at the moment (similar work at the top of the red part of the Thuit, I posted a pic the other day) I kinda think it's good to show it.
We get a lot of comments along the lines of 'why don't you just make a blue run down the face?' Well, of course that part is pastureland in summer and imagine the mess it would make, the huge hole that would have to be dug out of the mountain to turn a black slope into a blue run, the retaining wall that would have to be built to stop the mountain falling down .........
Swirly,
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easiski, that's SO instructive. Your average punter (me included) has very little idea of what's involved in creating pistes at all. Thanks for informing us.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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easiski, enjoying the reading and pics also. Thanks!!!!!
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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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easiski, Great to hear about the elderly couple - I think it is wonderful when you see people like that out enjoying themselves and keeping as fit as life allows them to rather than sitting around vegetating! It's the old "use it or lose it" I reckon!
I too find the pics of the development work fascinating - any chance of posting some of these as links to larger images as it's quite hard to make out the detail at a small size?
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Butterfly, If I come up for air in the DIY department I might go up to 2,600 and walk down to take photos in more close-up. As you know my camera isn't the greatest. Nice early morning today but the clouds are starting to mass behind the Ecrins so the promised weather might be on it's way.
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You know it makes sense.
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easiski, bit off topic, but plan to go to LDA week of 13th-20th and was wondering how much is usually open by then? I know it changes season on season, but average?
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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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easiski,
same work which seems to involve making the steepest blue run in the world into a least a red, if not actually a blue! Shocked Shocked Up until last season it's been a nasty little black slope on the blue escape run from the Fee.
Is the steepest blue run in the world shown on this map? Where?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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easiski, I'll take a look on the interactive map. I like hearing about places I've been to so please do keep posting.
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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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easiski, Silly me.. december.
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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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Timmaah, Well, last year the whole mountain was open except for the Pied Moutet side (that was to do with the numbers here), the year before we could ski down to the Cretes at that time. If you look back at the start of the last 2 years' snow reports you'll see the photos.
Rather disappointing today as there was a huge storm last night but no repeat of the low snow the other day. The cloud is still over the top of La Muzelle though (about 3,400m) so I can't be sure how much it might have snowed on the glacier. If it clears a bit more I'll take a piccy later.
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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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easiski, Ah ha, yup enjoyed that little trip around the Fee. Remember the restaurant did yummy apple tart, sat there in the sun last Feb, thinking one day l'll do the mogully black.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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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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easiski, 3rd & 4th week in June, 1st & 2nd week in July it is then Cheers
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FAQ
8" sounds divine, l'm so envious, can't wait to see the pics 
Once at the top of the Fee all the runs are basically black, there's a red that's pretty black and a path to get away from it .... along the path there's a bit that climbs slightly but otherwise there's this short steep section that joins the Goulet du Grand Nord ... It is really a black run - but this is LDA! 
I've just found that on the interactive winter map you can see it if you zoom into the Cretes sector and then move the map a bit to the left. The run is marked in between the words Gours and Grand Nord. Hope this helps. 
