Poster: A snowHead
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To save myself time I'll just copy a news email to my friends (with a little editing)...
After a week of sunshine the weather started to warm up but close in on Friday - spent the day skiing in the trees down at La Daille (along with everyone else who had this bright idea).
Snow continued overnight and was joined by high winds on Saturday and temperatures around freezing. We decided to take a day off. Warm temperatures meant the snow was quite wet and ideal snowball material, as the Youth of France demonstrated to us at the bus stop last night. Note to selves: Don't go shopping at 5pm on a snowy transfer day at the start of the Parisian holidays :-/
Sunday - if anything the weather is worse than yesterday, temperatures have dropped (good thing) but wind stronger. Still, there's a new Ski Club Rep in town and it would be rude not to go out with him. Go to meeting point, only 4 lifts open in our sector, including 2 'free' ones that serve the nursery slopes, no links to Val d'Isere, or even the other parts of Tignes. Go up a drag lift (faster & slightly less windy than the chair alongside), 13 of us gather at the top and have difficulty staying upright in the wind. One run down with lots of regrouping stops, people falling over and generally poor skiing due to the abysmal visibility. Go back to the same drag lift but now a big queue has formed. While queuing the lift station disappears in a swirl of snow - we take this as our cue to retire for the first hot chocolate stop, which becomes the second hot chocolate (avec rhum) then home for lunch. Well at least we did one run today
Afternoon spent writing emails 'off line' then we should go and book ourselves a space in the Alpaka to watch the rugby. All these emails will probably be sent after the game.
And this post after the game as well. How did we lose??
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Monday report - some excellent skiing in between periods of bad light and insufferable temperatures. Most lifts opened by 10:30 and lots of piste side powder available. Avalanche risk 4 - very high - so no serious off piste. Bad light led to a number of amusing accidents where we hadn't seen the holes / snow drifts coming, no injuries. High winds had stripped the snow from around the top of the Borsat Express, after all this snow it's annoying to ski over rocks & hard pack. It's snowing now and predicted to carry on overnight. When the weather clears (Wednesday?) the resort will be great.
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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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EPete Horn, ENVY! ENVY! ENVY! We had a great week in Tignes, Jan 29-Feb 5 - brilliant conditions. Begrudgingly, reading your briefings while contemplating life's mysteries and contemplating incessant rain! Have a super day on Wednesday! Like your positive waves - "When the snow clears......."
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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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Three weeks and five days and counting...
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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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Forecast for today was 'sunny and cold' (I'd agree with that), tomorrow it's 'cold and sunny'. What's the subtle difference?
Piste conditions good, most lifts now open (Grande Motte & possibly Liesse still being closed). Probably some fantastic off-piste out there but with high avalanche risk (4 out of 5) I'm not going there. Some reasonable off-piste close to runs, but mostly well skied out.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Pete Horn, Col de Ves should be brilliant if it's open.
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Col de Ves is open, although I'm ashamed to say we haven't been there since last week. We had a fantastic day today in Val d'Isere skiing piste perdue, then La Face, several runs off Solaise & over in Fornet. Mostly piste due to avalanche risks.
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Pete Horn, Hope you watched your head down Vallee Perdue! I have often wondered if the translation is in fact 'The Lost Valley' or ,'The Valley of the Lost'. It's a real treat though into wonderland. Look forward to your missives tomorrow! Bon Ski!
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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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Another excellent days skiing. Apparently a change in the weather is due tomorrow. Yesterday was my third time down Piste (or Vallee) Perdue, and the first time I haven't had to take the skis off somewhere. I got through low bit by lying down and sliding through.
Did Col de Ves today, bumps not as big as last week and snow in better condition made them easier as well.
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Where is the Piste Perdue?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Pete Horn, You have a promising future as a Belly Dancer! I don't think I have ever gotten through Vallee Perdue, without a little Derriere, Mono Buttock Skiing. Sache tomorrow?
Kramer, Back of Tommeuses Chair, but NEVER ski it alone! It's not that it's dangerous, well maybe a little, but it's different and tricky - lots of surrounding rock. Negative for most heads.
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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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ise, Just wait until he tries to find it!!!
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You know it makes sense.
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Kramer,
Vallee Perdue is in La Daille area of Val d'Isere. Midway down the green Verte piste, where the Tomesseuse Chair starts, looking down the mountain, you'll notice a gully on the left that runs off down to La Daille - there is a bridge across it once you've skiied down the Verte a little way. This gully is the Vallee Perdue (Lost Valley). The easiest way in is to head straight for the gully at the bottom of the Tomesseuse lift, then just follow it's course. There are several places along it where you have to take off your skis/board and either wriggle through little cracks in the rock, or rope down 20ft rock drop offs. The end of the gully joins the top of the Red Triffolet piste.
In the summer this flows with meltwater, and gets graffitied up by the local fools. It's not very challenging, but is quite fun to do instead of going down Verte piste itself.
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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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rope down 20ft rock drop offs
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It's not very challenging
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Em, that's a matter of opinion
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Poster: A snowHead
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Right then, off to Tignes in a couple of weeks, will have to put that on my to do list. Will need to find some other victims, sorry, companions to come and do it with me.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Vallée Perdue has good cover & is quite easy at the moment. The ropes have even been removed. When I say 'quite easy' it does require lots of caution as you can't see around the corners for what's coming up.
Bernard Condon, I did Sache (the off piste route) yesterday after Col des Ves. I didn't mention it as it wasn't so enjoyable. Today was more of a cruise day, especially after the weather closed in.
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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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Pete Horn, Have fun! But wrap up well - looks like it's getting pretty cold down there!
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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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Bernard Condon, yes, still very' powdery'. Tried the snowball test at Aussois today, lunchtime, sun shining.... not a chance, very low humidity.
Back in Bourg St Maurice, about 7 deg under at the moment, forecast to stay that way for a few days of changeable weather, some snow showers, sun. Lightly snowing at the moment, rather windy.
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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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PG, Bonsoir! Hadn't realised it was that cold in Bourg - wind chill must be getting down to -25 or so further up. Thermals tomorrow then!!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Piste conditions remain good, though the wind picked up today and it looked like Trolles was being reduced to hard pack. Off-piste is variable, some powder still to be found but you'd probably need a guide to find it (we did).
Last two days have remained sunny despite forecasts of afternoon cloud and light snow for both afternoons. Temperatures remain bitterly cold -18C in the morning & only warming up a bit during the day. A change is on the way apparently.
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Pete Horn, Have you had a few days off? It's just not allowed!!!! No dispatches received since Saturday 19th! Are you getting too cosy up at The Alpaka? Make the most of it - you've got sunny days ahead it seems, but no snow!
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Your right about the Alpaka, that's where I am now
Sorry, can't keep up with daily reports because daily skiing gets in the way.
Today's fine of piste runs were the Tour de Charvet & Cugnai. No powder, fairly well skied out, but still soft enough to be enjoyable. Sunshine all day and it nearly felt warm in the afternoon. Current evening temperature a balmy -11C !
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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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Pete Horn, give Max a pat from me.
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Tony Lane, duly done.
Weather today same as yesterday, tomorrow due to get colder, ouch!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Pete Horn, Art thou a man or a mouse?
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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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A bit cloudy at first today but then the sun came out to take the edge off the -12C temperature.
I've bought new gloves, a very expensive home for a mouse I'll see if they work tomorrow.
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Pete Horn, Tomorrow is MARCH. You are supposed to be at home. It's just not fair you being there for February AND part of March. What pistes, tours, runs are flavour of the day?
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You know it makes sense.
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Still here....
Temperatures have warmed up a little bit but it clouded over late afternoon and is now snowing (1839 local time).
We've booked an off-piste guide for a bit of touring (not serious stuff, something like the Tarantaise), so we are not best pleased that the first day with poor visibility for a while is tomorrow.
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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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Saturday saw about 5cms of new snow and hazy sunshine and light snow in the morning. By lunch the light had gone and snow became more persistent. Temperatures are feeling positively balmy compared of late but are probably still about -5C. (Last night a temperature of -9C felt warm!).
Forecast for tomorrow is the same (says max -14C but they said that for today as well), which means our last day skiing here may be curtailed - I don't like skiing in flat light, but next time the sun comes out there should be plenty of good stuff around.
One thing to look out for - a thin covering of new snow over rocks. On Friday, with an ESF off-piste guide we frequently hit rocks just underneath otherwise good looking snow. OK, about 10cms new snow since then but it's easy to ski through it.
Pete signing off from Tignes.
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