 Poster: A snowHead
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Shame about the heatwave last week, ok now though, much cooler, conditions still holding up reasonably well at lunchtime... (photo July 2nd)
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sun 10-07-05 21:30; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I've just got to get over ..........
(how many times have I done that excercise ?  )
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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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Is that a flourescent one piece by any chance 
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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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snowbunny, it's actually a four-piece (the sleeves unzip as well...) 
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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, Isn't there a website showcasing suits like that, I'm certain I have seen the address somewhere, still, can't miss you in a whiteout 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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PG, nice style (Hannah I presume?) Inner leg position helps illustrate a recent thread here on snowHeads!
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rob, it's one of the lads in her group actually, but yes, see what you mean...
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PG, I thought it was you pictured 
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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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| PG wrote: |
| I've actually got the club training jacket/trousers on order, but I've been banned from wearing them while actually skiing cos I'll show the Les Arcs racers up. |
LOL!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Forgot to mention, it's another dual national, half-French half-Scottish '91 boy, great little skier.
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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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PG, so did you risk a bit of skiing or is the arm still hampering your lifestyle??
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kuwait_ian, When PG, said that the sleeves came off, I am glad he was precise, rather than saying "The arms come off"- then I would have been worried
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You know it makes sense.
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snowbunny,
kuwait_ian, I'm allowed to slide around to get from A to B, but extreme carving is still out I'm afraid...
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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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PG, It is taking longer for you to recover than I imagined, as you still plated up?
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Poster: A snowHead
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snowbunny, yes, will be for a year at least - and even then removal is optional.
Back to the subject of the glacier - conditions pretty awful this morning, barely any overnight frost even at 3500m... Club trainer told the kids today that he would be surprised if they could carry on training through to the planned July 20th, unless overnight temperatures dropped.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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PG, Too late - spotted it! I was interested to see how Tignes was compared to here. Have posted our latest.
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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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Hannah was up there this morning. Lots of lovely dry powder, around 50cms fell yesterday afternoon and evening. It's been quite cool, even down at Bourg, this past week.
Strange for a Sunday, there was hardly anyone there - no queues at all. Perfect conditions. One team from the UK had set a GS course in about 2 feet of powder, went up and down all morning - what a waste, skiing gates on the perfect day for free skiing and having fun....
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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, 50cm . . . now I'm really cheesed off.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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PG, sounds wonderful. Spent my afternoon doing battle with my lawn in very warm temperatures. I know what I'd rather have been doing...
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| rob@rar.org.uk wrote: |
| PG, sounds wonderful. Spent my afternoon doing battle with my lawn in very warm temperatures. I know what I'd rather have been doing... |
Does wonders for the compost heap
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David Goldsmith, recycling the grass cuttings suddenly becomes very easy...
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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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PG, re sun 10th, we set up a dual GS for our last day. A boring single GS is soooo "old skool"...
How are the conditions since we left?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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paulhothersall, so you weren't the guilty party then! Conditions ok up to Monday 18th (the Club Children 1's & 2's last day on snow for the summer), but rivers of meltwater running off all over, crevasses opening up, usual thing... 
Perfectly skiable until midday though.
Swopping the snow for grass next week! Over in Sauze (near Barcelonnette). Week of training, followed by French Championships...
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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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PG, I was very surprised at the sheer amount of crevasses all over the rosolin. Seemed a lot better last year, or maybe it was just a lucky time to be there during last summer.
Have they sorted out the Champeney (sp?) lift yet?
Stuck in UK until mid november, when another 2 weeks in Tignes.
Have fun on the grass
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Just been reading this article in today's Telegraph. Makes it sound wonderful, as if conditions couldn't be better!
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| Sheltering from the showers of a typical English summer's day, it comes as a surprise to learn that a foot of snow has just been dumped in the Alps and the skiing is apparently awesome - powder heaven. |
It's been raining today in fact - with a snowline around 2800m ... so I'm sorely tempted to drive up to Tignes tomorrow first thing....
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You know it makes sense.
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Wednesday: Well I did - for what it was worth. Luckily I'd arranged to go up with one of the SMA (lift co) managers as I was preparing an article on summer skiing, artificial snowmaking on the glacier etc, or I wouldn't have got up at all. Conditions were pretty diabolical, in everything bar the snow! Already closed on Tuesday in blizzard conditions, Wednesday was a day of transition with the sun breaking through occasional, but high winds and occasional snow showers meant it was closed to the general public. At least there was powder early on, and with Champagny (and only Champagny) open now and then, I managed to do a bit of skiing for not much more than an hour in all, during the morning. Not pleasant though, and after doing the interview bit, called it a day...
Thursday: blue skies, looked perfect. Got to Val Claret at 7.30am.... (first funi at 7.15am at the moment). But - high winds again, all the lifts bar Champagny likely to be closed all day, and that would be full of teams training. Waited to nearly 8.30am, then decided to call it a day. They still weren't letting anyone up the funicular.
Tomorrow? I'll try again!
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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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Or maybe not 
Sunshine and ... strong winds forecast for the morning...
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Poster: A snowHead
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Ok, I'll take a chance and go anyway. Just so you lot can secretly snigger at the thought I'll have got up at the crack of dawn three days running, driven for three hours, and still only managed one hour on the snow! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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PG, Such dedication to the cause will surely be rewarded
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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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| paulhothersall wrote: |
PG, I was very surprised at the sheer amount of crevasses all over the rosolin. Seemed a lot better last year, or maybe it was just a lucky time to be there during last summer.
Have they sorted out the Champeney (sp?) lift yet?
Stuck in UK until mid november, when another 2 weeks in Tignes.
Have fun on the grass |
Leisse is shut, and Rosolin definitively for the remainder of the summer. Yes Champagny's working fine, even if there's not much room left to fit in many lanes. You could get across to the 3500 drag ok, and the 3500 stadium had 7 or 8 courses set. Apart from the Tignes club training this morning, there seemed to be only a few Italians and some British skiers training up there. You've got to admire the skill of these guys (and gals). Skiing a GS at 3500 flat out - and well - despite the course having no snow left whatsoever, well, you have to be a bit special.
All a bit dispiriting really, at this stage of the summer. What snow had fallen Tuesday and Wednesday morning had mostly melted or been blown away by the very strong winds we've had during the week. Still impossible to go up on the cable car because of the strenght of the winds. Didn't seem tham bad to me this morning, but clearly they're not taking any chances following last year's incident!
Looked slightly better on the Corniche stadium, and at the top of the Glacier piste... but not much 
I've found a useful glacier map, makes it really easier to see where all the pistes/stadiums named above are located on the glacier:
Summer skiing map - Grande Motte glacier
I took a lot of photos this morning. They're a bit of an eye opener, believe me! I'll link to them later when I've uploaded them...
To be honest I'd decided that was my lot for the summer when I finished skiing this morning. But when I got home an email was waiting for me from the Tignes "directeur des pistes" Jean-Louis Tuaillon, an invite to go up with him on Sunday or Monday, weather permitting, and see exactly how glacier maintenance is carried out, learn about plans for artificial snowmaking, etc etc. So maybe one last trip!
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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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PG, Sounds very interesting. Have they actually got cannons up there now? I heard they had.
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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.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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A first! Had an entire glacier to myself this morning for a couple of runs! too windy for the cable car and even the Champagny drag, so no one - not even the racers - was allowed up the funicular until 10.30, and then only sightseers.
So on the "journalist" invite I managed to get up first thing with the pisteurs, and as a passenger in a piste basher up to 3500. Nice and white this morning - not from snow, just the extra few degrees less in temperature "whitened" things nicely - it was very cold indeed, even before the wind chill.
A real education, listening to the pisteurs' stories and concerns, plus the technical info from the Piste Director in the afternoon. An eye opener that was too - no flannel from Jean-Louis Tuaillon, there was no stopping him! A fascinating perspective on the future of summer skiing and the glaciers themselves. Hope to do a series of articles based on interviews with lift operations management and piste security personnel around the Savoie over the next few months.
Watch out for diary of a pisteur, and 'our' Chemmy, too.... coming soon.....
All in all a great morning, will post a couple of photos later.....
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PG,
Sounds great, but I have tried Summer skiing -once in Zermatt - and I found it slightly depressing so wouldn't go again unless I coupled it with Golf or something.. If I were local, it might be different.
I remember seeing the Mer de Glace in summer thinking most people wouldn't ski on it if they saw it with out its snow blanket...!!
Look forward to your diaries
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FAQ
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