 Poster: A snowHead
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Often wished to be "snowed in" come the end of the hoilday but have never met anyone who has. Has anyone experienced this and if you did what happened? How long would a resort be snowed in and what happens to the guests in resort?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Oh yes! Sunday night at the end of a weekend in Meribel... and it dumped. Awoke to find almost a metre of powder outside the door so decided it was just tooooo risky to even walk down the road to look for the car - I could ski down but what if I couldn't get back?
In order only to avert a tragedy, I did the following (cut-out-and-keep plan follows):
1) Phoned da boss "sorry boss... crackle, crackle ...yeah, it's snowed bad, terrible... too risky to go out... probly be here 2 days at least... crackle, crackle, beep ...what? sorry, can't hear you... brrrr"
2) Phoned Easyjet and changed the flight home...
3) Phoned da boss "...sorry boss, can't get out, can't get a flight back 'til Wednesday... terrible, yes, crackle, brrr"
4) Check mate has sofa - yep.
Ok, what am I gonna do for three days? With all this snow. Better look for the car! Hmm, only safe option is to go on skis. Would be silly to go down the road when there's a perfectly good chairlift over there...
...so, after searching the entire mountain for my car, for three days, I finally found it *just* in time to dig it out and make the flight back on the Wednesday... 
Chris B, don't worry about it! Worse things can happen on a ski holiday and you'll get out eventually.
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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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Many years ago when I was young we got snowed in in Lech. The road was blocked. So long ago I can't remember much about it, except I was really, really pleased and (I think) missed a day of school.
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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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On my first trip in Whistler last year, I wasnt snowed in but was stuck...... there was a fatal accidnr ton the sea to sky highway resulting in the road being closed for about 8 hours..... damn i was so disappointed 
ad
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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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Two years ago over New Year we were snowed in on the Saturday, felt like at least 1m of snow. We were due to leave Val Thorens to pick up the Eurostar that evening but nothing came up or went down the valley. As the Eurostar only ran once a week we were indebted to the Hotel for allowing us to grab a room and more importantly to the Erma Low rep, Tim who spent all night working out and booking a fiendish set of trains, connections and transfers to get myself, wife and 2 children back. The journey the following day was not unlike the Steve Martin film trains planes and automobiles but was so much better than hanging around an airport!!. Ironically when we finally reached Paris it was to find that 3mm of snow in Kent has completely destroyed the Eurostar timetable and we eventually got to Waterloo at c2am.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Yes I have; it was a few years ago in Courchevel. It had snowed all week, almost continuously (to illustrate how much snow had fallen this photo was taken in the car park in 1550). I had driven out and was due to leave after breakfast on Saturday morning but apparently there was some kind of avalanche or landslide which had blocked the road out of Courchevel, meaning that nothing could enter or exit the resort for 24 hours. As it was transfer day many people had already left for their early morning journey to the airport, then the road became blocked so none of the incoming guests were able to reach the resort. For those of us stuck in Courchevel finding a bed for the night was pretty easy as many places were almost entirely empty as their incoming guests were stuck on coaches in Moutier, Albertville, Chambery, etc.
Although being stuck in a resort because of too much snow sounds like a dream come true, in reality it's completely frustrating. The avalanche risk was so high that virtually no lifts or pistes were open, so all we had do do was dig our car out of the snow (for the umpteenth time) and listen to the avalanche warnings being broadcast on Radio Courchevel.
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Yes (ish). On a visit to Austia, Kirchberg I think, we were shuttled back to Salzburg Airport to find that we faced a huge delay.
Leeds/Bradford Airport had a dump of snow that had frozed solid overnight and they were using compressed air to shift the ice off the runway. A Swissair pilot had complained that it was a fuss about nothing, walked out to have a personal inspection, slipped and broke his arm.
Many hours later the runway was cleared and our plane set off for Saltzburg. By the time it reached us the winds had picked up a little, so it circled for 90 mins waiting for a lull. As the airport closes at 10.30pm IIRC the pilot decided to have a go anyway. A few minutes later there was a bloody great roar as the aircraft shot over the airport buildings at full power. Apparently it experienced fairly harsh shear at a few hundred feet that pointed it at the buildings, so it aborted.
The pilot was a fairly democratic soul, who asked the passengers if they'd prefer to divert to Linz or have another go. They weren't keen at all, so they cleared off and were bussed to resort from there. The travel company worked very quickly to find beds and an evening meal for all the passengers in Saltzburg for the night (although some pratts were complaining about the meal that the Hotel put on for 220 odd at less than an hours notice) and we had a very nice couple of hours in the City the next morning.
On thing I've just remembered, a few fellow passangers vented their spleen at the tour reps at the airport at a range of a few inches. I had a real go at one fellow who was bellowing into the face of rep. Why can't people just accept things that can't be changed or that are out of anyones control 
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unfortunately no, my luck is such that i either get snowed in on the way to the resort, or coming home. the first time i ever went up a mountain the coach driver was being an idiot (very common here) and didnt put on chains, so we get to a very icey spot about 2km from the resort, and just slide backwards for a bit until we grind to a halt. then the idiot gene being very strong, all the guys get off the coach and attempt to push. i felt i HAD to get off the coach and help, because i couldnt be the only male still sitting onboard. so i stayed well away from any wheel arches or the rear end and watched as 20 guys slid backwards in terror being slowly pushed by a huge coach.
when we finally got stationary again there were cars coming up behind us, who paused thinking we were about to start again - and as a result, themselves got stuck. so i spent 30 minutes or so pushing cars around the coach and throwing gravel under their tyres to get them started on their way. eventually the driver got snow chains on and enough of the ice had melted that we could make some headway. a rather stressful experience all round.
and of course, coming home a few years, all the roads get snowed in apart from one, so its a 4 hour descent to the highway instead of 45 minutes.
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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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martyngb, Will also vouch for Tim, the Erna Low rep in VT - bloody nice bloke.
Didn't get snowed in but got caught in VT last season when there was a bad storm on transfer day. Nothing went up or down the mountain until about 2 in the afternoon and the resort was in chaos all day (the power cut the night before didn't help either). Unfortunately, the lifts were closed for 2 days too. The worst bit was that the storm was bad enough to completely freeze the engine in our motor home (yes, it was suitably prepared). Then followed over a week stuck in Les Menuires while waiting for a new part to arrive (the garage snapped the cam belt when trying to free the engine) whilst the police regularly tried to move us on. The fun bit was that the police didn't have anything big enough to tow away the motor home and so had to rely on the garage. As the garage had put us there, they were in no mood to help the police. It made quite a change to be able to just shrug the shoulders at the police 
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Im totally paranoid about this! Im flying from Geneva back to London on the 20th - have to get home that day as im flying to Dublin the next day! Better not get snowed in!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Never been stuck in resort, unfortunately got snowed into schipol airport for 18 hours enroute to Austria. Never again (I hope) 
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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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Some friends are currently in Val d'Isere, looks like they may gat snowed in. Funnily enough, I think they have been there 3 times now and been snowed in each time. They are very unfortunate as they always go the week there is either no snow, and it all falls on the way to the aiport, or the lifts are closed for most of the week.
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It seems like we need to have advance knowledge about their bookings so we can avoid  !
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You know it makes sense.
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Lorraine Agass, that's why we always go the week after they do!!!
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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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The 2 metres of snow that fell this year whilst we were in La Plagne didn't stop anything but the 2 inches that fell in UK stopped the whole country. 
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