 Poster: A snowHead
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Falls Creek in Australia has an innovative new scheme to give early risers a chance to get some fresh tracks in without the usual argy bargy of punters battling for the same few patches of fresh snow. For $30aus a maximum of 20 skiers and boarders will get on the snow an hour before anyone else...
What's more the package includes "a hearty breakfast at Cafe Max" and at 7.45am an escort by one of the guest services team to the Eagle Chair, which will be opened briefly to provide access to Scotts and Ruined Castle chairlifts 1hr before anyone else.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Delicious. Do Kelloggs do Snow Flakes?
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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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Tremblant do the "First Tracks" scheme too, and have done for a while.
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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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Whistler do a similar scheme as well.
It's quite funny to watch all the ski bums torn between the breakfast buffet (and possibly their only square meal of the day), and getting a good start on everyone else. It usually turns into a massive scrum with everyone desperately stuffing down sausage sandwiches at the start line.
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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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Another way to do it is to get friendly with the ski patrol, and slip your way onto that early morning gondola. Resorts where lifts open to the public at 8am are best, because at least 90 per cent of skiers don't get going until 9am. (at least in Europe. I think US skiers are more motivated to early morning turns)
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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David Goldsmith, you're right about getting on the slopes early, last winter a couple of days I got onto the mountain much earlier than normal, about an hour ahead of the rush and had several nice runs where I virtually skied straight onto the chairlifts at the end of the run because there was no one waiting, an hour later and it was packed but it was during half term holidays
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I got fresh tracks off the top of the Borsat chair in Tignes on a powder day in March this year, just by hauling myself out of bed with a stinking hangover at 7.30am in the morning, whilst all around me slept. 
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D G Orf, 1st train up to eigergletcher, ski down to wengen, and train back up to KS before anyone else is out of bed!!
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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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Elizabeth B, Not quite but not far off, in my case I got in 2 runs down to Arvengarten and a trip to Brandegg before anyone really was arround
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or just go end of season, last day of my hols mid April last year I was playing with my kids in the morning, went skiing around 2pm and skied tons of runs in 2 hours, no queues, no decisions with others, just me and empty lifts with no queues!!!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The other approach to all this is to eat/drink the bare minimum breakfast - just enough to pep up the blood sugar levels - get up to the theatre of action. Do an hour's skiing.
Then tuck in.
I think many builders follow a similar approach: get to the site, sort a few things out, go down the builder's merchant.
Then do breakfast.
Always ski with builders: brickies, chippies, sparkies etc.
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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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What about last tracks?
When I was in Soll in March I often got one of the last Gondolas to the Hove Salve. After some Hot wine and cake in the restaurant I'd head down about 5.30pm. (Still plenty of light in March)
It was fantactic, still a few others with the same idea but, it was pretty empty really. Once you worked out what runs the piste bashers did first, you got a clean smooth run to the bottom. Probably the best ski-ing I've ever had.
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$30aus sounds cheap, considering a certain Korean electrics magnate was roumered to be offering thousands Euros for the use of just 3 blue runs in Courchevel last season....
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FAQ
