 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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Markoncarp, I've skied Easter for the past 9 years, so far I've found
Some ice
Lots of fresh powder
some slush
some lovely corn
and have managed to ski all day every day of the holiday, right down to 1400m to get back home to La Tania every year.
ie stop worrying and enjoy it! One thing to learn is to follow the sun, if it has frozen overnight those pistes that get early morning sun will soften up nicely, however they will be the first to get very slushy later on....
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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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Now THATS the kind of advice I was looking for! Thanks for taking the time to give it (it will be dutifully followed!)
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Markoncarp, also stay high if you can. Where are you going?
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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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Markoncarp, personally, I don't much enjoy either the very early morning icy and scratchy stuff or the sticky porridge in the afternoon. So for me, in present conditions (17 degrees at 1650m at mid day today!) 3 - 4 hours skiing is as much as I want to do. But the weather is super - nothing as nice as having a late lunch on the terrace after giving up on the snow. You need to be aware of the aspect of runs, to choose the right aspect - south facing to soften early in the morning, north-facing to stay skiable a bit later in the day.
Some people will tell you there's no such thing as unskiable snow. Well, for me there is. I'm very happy to ski the slooshy stuff, and I love the snow like granulated sugar, but when it gets so sticky you just judder to a halt skiing down quite a noticeable slope, then I really can't be bothered.
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| pam w wrote: |
| , but when it gets so sticky you just judder to a halt skiing down quite a noticeable slope, then I really can't be bothered. |
Pam, I can't say I've ever come across such snow, care to explain a little more? Were you low down, south facing slope? Artificial snow maybe????
Cheers,
Greg
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kitenski, around 1600m, south facing slope, 1 pm. (it's my way home, so not exactly a choice). I was in a schuss - full tuck, knowing I had a long flat bit to come. A run I ski very frequently. Hit one of those sticky patches and nearly planted my face. Alarming. Then further down the same run the only way I could make progress was to ski on one edge of one ski, alternately, 30 metres or so at a time, so that all my (not inconsiderable) weight was on one narrow edge. This year it's a lot worse than the same time last year - there's plenty of depth of snow but it's just so hot the texture is deteriorating very quickly.
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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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Cheers pam w, I've skied in +17 degrees a few Easters back and never experienced anything like that!! Fingers crossed the cooling trend after Easter sunday arrives....
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A couple of runs were like that at the bottom last week in Les Arcs, I was going along nicely then all of a sudden the brakes went on, as pam w says, it's quite alarming when it happens so suddenly.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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pam w, was it almost water? That slows you right down!
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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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kitenski, It's been 22c here today and over above Montchavin I managed to have one ski on ice and the other in soft slush, challenging and requiring good technique 
So as it was linchtime we headed to the Glacier and found some lovely on piste conditions. Off piste is not advised at the mo, see the La Plagne and Montalbert threads for pics of on piste avalanches.
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| Quote: |
Markoncarp, also stay high if you can. Where are you going?
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Beanie1 , Im off to Chatel for a week. Snow forecast for the weekend so hopefully these unusually high temperatures will abate and we can get something approaching ideal conditions... I can but pray!
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
Icy Mornings
Slushy afternoons
Only being able to ski for a few hours each day before it gets horrible
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One REALLY should pay more attention to slope aspect.
The east facing slopes gets the first sun. So start from the lower part of an east facing slope, move up mountain as the upper part softens. Work your way south and leave the west for the last.
North facing slopes, if they're high enough, may not thaw during the day. So there's no re-freezing overnight. Those slopes can be skied any time of the day. Though afternoon would be slightly softer than early morning.
With enough elevation difference and slope aspect, there's really no reason to limit oneself to only a few hours of skiing.
To save my legs in a week long holiday, I sometimes prefer to download at the end of the day to avoid the heavy brown gravy at the bottom of the mountain. 
Pam's technique of staying on edge is really the best solution. Just need to use that earlier and more often whenever the snow looks too "slow". No need to be on one edge. Put both skies on edge and let them carve a long lazy arc and then change to the other edge when you run out of width.
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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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WRT very sticky snow, we have some at the moment. It's when some sand from the Sahara has been left on the snow ... not pleasant, but better not to go too fast at it, then the braking effect isn't so shocking.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I had sticky snow last week which wasn't very pleasant (though only at lower levels). I did wonder whether having my skis properly waxed would have helped but I didn't get round to testing that.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| espri wrote: |
| I had sticky snow last week which wasn't very pleasant (though only at lower levels). I did wonder whether having my skis properly waxed would have helped but I didn't get round to testing that. |
I think Zardoz notwax is supposed to be particularly good in wet spring snow. It was great on the perfect pistes a month ago I'll find out next week 
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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 wrote: |
| It's when some sand from the Sahara has been left on the snow |
Never thought of that. I suppose it's obvious: it settles here sometimes and the Alps are a lot closer.
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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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RPF, It's Gods own lube of choice 
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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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| Markoncarp wrote: |
Well Im off to Chatel at the weekend for my second week of my very first year skiing.
Icy Mornings
Slushy afternoons
Only being able to ski for a few hours each day before it gets horrible
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Yes it will be like that, but you'll still have fun! I personally wouldn't choose mid-April, especially not to go to a PdeS resort, but it's better than not going at all I guess...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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red 27, sssshhh! I'm off to Avoriaz next week and I'm convincing myself that temps are going to plummet and there's going to be a huge dump just before I arrive
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With respect to Aspect (ch-ch-ch-check it aht! - ) I have just learned that Pre-la-joux has Northern slopes. This is where the kids are having their lessons all week so I hope that we will be OK with the amount of time we can ski for.
Thanks all for this. Really appreciated.
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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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Thanks for the advice all. Today is the day of the trip so I should be able to comment on my own post quite soon. Lessons booked and paid for so hopefully they shall provide some enlightenment....
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