 Poster: A snowHead
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Anyone been out yet? I'm getting a bit confused. The guys in Les2Alpes are saying things are great over there. I've just picked up the following from the La Grave chat room
"I skied La Grave Wednesday 26Jan. The snow cover is very poor. Check the webcam at Gare2400, the rocks middle/foreground tell the tale. Rocks everywhere. Vallons de Chancel, best (maybe only) route down the extreme left. Vallons de la Meije lower down extremely narrow exit to P1. Some people in Banana Couloir, but looked like all powder gone. There were tracks to the Terrace Couloir but the traverse looked very thin. Pan de Rideau was just rock and ice.
We still had a good day, some powder could be found, and despite the second stage lift breaking down, but scraping stones and rocks on our skis and boards took the edge off things (literally)"
I'm in La Grave on 24 Feb, which I know is still three weeks away, but I'm anxious having already had to bail out of Verbier in December and had my skis rebuilt after a week in Crans Montana in January, if La G looks iffy I need to get my plan B sorted soon. I certainly don't fancy snow free triffides!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Fiend just got back from Serre Chevalier, which is fairly close - I remember driving through La Grave on the way last time - and the snow conditions there were "awful"
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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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nbt, they were fine when I was in Serre Che last week.
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Although they are very close serre Che and La Grave often have totally different snow conditions as La Grave benefits more from westerlies and Serre Che from south & south westerlies approx. Deux Alpes is a much better comparison.
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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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Steve Sparks, that figures - the southern French Alps are very average at the moment (see separate thread in Piste http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=5335 )...
Very few blacks open in Serre Che today, just 4 out of 15, and 27 of 43 reds. So I imagine off piste, away from the artificial snowmaking, it's not great.
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Steve Sparks, I cancelled my proposed trip to La Grave tomorrow because the conditions are not good at the moment.
News from a friend who lives there is that the glacier T bars are not open (and consequently neither is the liaison) due to crevasses. Therefore we would have had to drive round which means we have to pay a day pass (€32). Below the mid station (2,400m) it's aparently extremely poor with walking necessary to the bottom and very dodgy conditions in the woods to P1. This means that it's only worth ski-ing the upper slopes which are apparently pretty much OK, but no better than conditions here.
3 weeks is plenty of time, so don't panic yet - anyway if you're there you've got to pay the liftpass anyway. I just felt that asking clients to pay for my time, the day pass and a share of the taxi was a bit much if it wasn't too good.
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Steve Sparks, Going there next week ! I'll let you know...
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Charlotte, thanks ever so much. I would miss the T bar being open - it's a long hike to get to St Christophe without it! I can imagine what the run in to P1 must be like, I've already done enough grass and rock skiing this winter!
I think I'll wait on doing anything until Ski gets back and see what he(?) says, the mid term weather forecast should be pretty good by then.
Ski, have a great time, let's hope you get some fresh and look forward to hearing from you on your return.
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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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Steve Sparks, Sounds sensible to me - do lots of snowdances in the meantime.
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Steve Sparks, Will do. Doing the snow dances, and getting very exited......4 days to go........We like La Grave ! 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Don't we all, if we can ski??? I'd like to live there but it's too far to drive to work every day.
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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, 
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easiski, I bet your commute would still be less than my daily one and I don't get the option of going over the glacier if I feel like it! 
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You know it makes sense.
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Steve Sparks, Maybe, but think of the problems if it snow heavily, wear and tear on car, problems with meeting clients who've just arrived at 20.00 ..... Also supervising ski hire (right length and so on) ..... In addition, in summer I'd have the extra half an hour commute to the glacier, all that would mean 1 hour 10 mins each way - and a tiring job - just not practical - maybe I'll retire there - now that sounds like an idea.
PS: property prices in La Grave are much higher than in LDA! 
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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, Leaving tomorrow - what;s it like ? 
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Poster: A snowHead
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ski, I've been watching the snow forecast thread and it looks like you should get some snow while you're out there. Due to start tomorrow and (?) go through into early next week. Depths look difficult to predict though. Sounds like you might end up in LDA or AlpeD for a bit if there's a lot and La Grave can't open.
Are you in skier's Lodge?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Steve Sparks, yep - you ?
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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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No, last year I used Didi in Snow legends (the Rossignol test centre opposite the lift) and stayed in a hotel just up the road. All worked very well and thought the deal was great @ 75 euro per day including, guiding, skis and arva kit.
Enjoy life with the crazy Swedes!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Steve Sparks, Can't deal with guides who speak English !
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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've been off air for a few days, but can now say that the liaison opened on Friday, and a French friend said it was very good at the top - fab snow. She skied down to P1 and it was OK - but then she is a local, so OK might be a bit hopeful. At the moment it's snowing above about 1800m but raining below, so the lower parts could be dodgy. We should hear more from ski, soon.
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It looks like the sun's come out this morning. Please don't say that the southern alps are missing out again. It's belting down further north and east.
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raining at 2,300 meters at l'alp d'Huez yesterday, beurk. It has snowed down to around 600 meters in the Chartreuse mountains... but it is still very damp and cloudy.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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It's snowing buckets now and has been all day. I think it's snowing right down to around 900m. High wind from the South (ish), so that usually means v. good conditions on the upper slopes. If the snow continues until Wed as promised and it is as cold as they say then it should be extra good at the end of this week or next week.
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Well, the jury has sat and I'm sorry to say we're going to give La Grave a miss this season. I've just seen Mel's post from Serre Che and have been watching the web cam and forum for La Grave and it does look like the southern Alps have missed out this week. Skanky (the weather forecast thread) seems uncertain whether there's much due next week, but further north and east it looks fantastic.
We needed to sort things out tonight or tomorrow and I've got the use of a place in Verbier, where there's just much more snow. Quite a contrast I konw from sleepy La Grave with real people and an untouched mountain, to Verbier with it's "chelsea tractors" and massive lift system, but I just couldn't face the prospect of what sound like marginal conditions in La Grave, knowing that I had an empty bed in Verbier.
Will try to live La Grave style in Verbier, am fixing up a guide and hope to spend much of the time on the quiet side of Mont Fort!
Thanks for all the info and ski, hope you had a great time, would still love to hear about it.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Steve Sparks, that's a shame, hope you have a good time in Verbier.
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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, thanks for all your reports Charlotte, hoope there's a dump round the corner for you, and I'm already planning my trip to La Grave for next year.
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Steve Sparks, the dump happened - although we could always use more - don't know about Serre Che though - they get different weather from us!
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You know it makes sense.
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Steve Sparks, easiski, Just back. Although with snow falling from Grenoble to Dijon on Saturday, this may well be out of date.
Cover at LG is very thin, in the Vallons the moraines are not yet fully covered - can ski back to La Grave though. Did see lot's of tracks going down Girose across to Chancel... don't think many (any) people are skiing down to the road tho.. We spent most of the week at Alpe D'Huez.....much more snow there, still thin though. Wednesday's dump gave us knee deep pow, and then the wind gave us some deeper patches.
Steve Sparks, going to Verbier instead ? What are you like ?
easiski, Hope you cover get's better, enjoy the sunshine !
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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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ski, It's all about the pow  . Need pow, must travel.
Thanks for the report and glad you had a good time. I'll be back next tuesday with tales of the white outer belly of Verbier where the sloanes don't go.
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Poster: A snowHead
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ski, Thanks for the infoe. I'm planning to go over with clients either Thursday or Friday, so will at least feel we can get all the way down.
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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, Have a good time - I'm very jealous ! Any jobs going for grade 2s ?
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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: |
| ski, Thanks for the infoe. I'm planning to go over with clients either Thursday or Friday, so will at least feel we can get all the way down. :D |
By helicopter? I understand from someone in LaGr* that the link is still not running due to lack of snow. We had a meter in the Chartreuse over the last week, sorry we kept it all but our seasons are far too short to let you glacier resorts get the snow!
This is one year when advance booking a high altitude resort in Jan/Feb was a seriously poor idea.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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davidof, The tow was running last week......
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| easiski wrote: |
davidof, The liaison is running - someone's pulling your leg.
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That is good. I'm really pleased you managed to have a great time but all I can say after reading your report is I'm glad I'm not there.
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easiski, Sounds great ! Banane and Partout (easy ones I know) were being skied last week. No-one (last week) had done any of the Triffides......missing it already !
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ski, None of the Triffides look even remotely skiable at the moment, and unless we get at least a week of fairly sustained snow I can't see them being on the agenda this winter at all.
davidof, Even in not so good conditions La Grave is worth a ski - I'm sure you agree! Actually I really enjoy the rock dodging bits - most fun I've had in years. 
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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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FAQ
