 Poster: A snowHead
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So what. There is snow making.
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There is, which is good. However the conditions required for snowmaking have not existed for much of the season, given that cannons tend to be on lower slopes and it has been fairly warm (since that perishing cold start in December).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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my own experience was that when i was in courmayeur (yes i know italy before the snob squad pipe up) in jan the snow was great. had a good dump on first two days then sunny thereafter..
however was aware that many were coming across from chamonix because it had rained rather than snowed on the other side of mont blanc/monte bianco
however it does give the tree huggers something to shout about
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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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snowprincess, good luck finding lift served terrain like Chamonix outside Europe
agree that if i want powder, there are plenty of places which offer better
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I'm with zzz on the off-piste.
Well, I would be. If I could keep up.
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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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No it hasn't been tat bad, however the worst i've seen in the 11 or so years i've been here. Business was exceptional through until Feb, quiet then for a month or so, busier than ever now.
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I did two trips this year.
1st was to St. Anton mid December. Decided very last minute to go and had a great 3 days of skiing.
2nd trip was a week to Mayrhofen mid/end January: the only week with decent snowfall in the whole of January and February. Also had a great time, including playing off-piste!
I was planning on a third trip to St. Anton mid April, but since the snow quality is average at best, we probably have a nice city trip to Barcelona, Rome or Madrid instead.
I had a great skiing winter, althought I would have wanted to go another week. And I admit: I was very very lucky with the snowfall in Mayrhofen.
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I seem to recall Whistler had a bit of a nightmare last season.....and they had to ship snow in to some places for some of the Olympic events so nowhere's immune?
If you book early you take a risk but have a holiday to look forward to! It'll make us all appreciate a good season so much more if, fingers crossed, we get one next season.
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Chris Angus, whistler was warm at the bottom of the mountain which caused problems with some of the races but there was no lack of snow. cypress mountain was where they had to ship snow in
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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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Arno, my bad sorry. Trying to remember off the top of my head.
Come to Dubai.....it snows every day at Ski Dubai.....  I'm thinking of a season pass this summer when it gets too unbearable outside! I'll post a snow report!
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It certainly hasn't been that bad of a season to recover from an ACL replacement...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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No, if you had to recover from something nasty this was the season to do it. JulesB was recovering from his broken neck in 2009 and that was really frustrating hearing about the wonderful conditions.
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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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| horizon wrote: |
| It certainly hasn't been that bad of a season to recover from an ACL replacement... |
Every cloud eh ? 
Hope the recovery is going well horizon.
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Monium,
I think maybe you've been lucky with your choice of weeks, or perhaps we ski in different parts of the Northern French Alps. As I look out of my window, through the rain, at the lovely green pastures all about it doesn't look so great to me (for skiing).
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You know it makes sense.
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I'm actually genuinely curious as to why keen off-piste skiers would choose to come to Europe for a ski holiday, particularly one booked in advance
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Terrain, vertical, size of area...
Also historical snow records show less difference than you might think, I remember (can't remember where from now though) reading that Stuben averages something like 13 metres of snowfall a year.
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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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More of a worry now will be the lack of precipitation and the over use of lake water etc for snowmaking leading to a drought this summer and poor river flows.
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Poster: A snowHead
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clarky999, This year according to SCGB Stuben/St. Anton has had 329cm snowfall, with a 210cm base at the top reportedly.
Your mention of an average 1300cm snowfall sounds great, but was wondering if you've missed out a decimal point? 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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This is my fourth week in Tignes this season. 1 week over New Year, 2 weeks from mid Jan and this week.
All have been great and this morning's powder was a real bonus as we would have settled for just good pistes on this trip.
For the warmists, the problem in some resorts is that it has been dry, not warm.
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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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I find this thread a bit weird. The Alpes Maritime resorts and Limone have had an amazing season .... and it is still going on, with snow again today. It's not only the amount but the regular snowfall that has made it great. I've not been skiing that long but has to be the best season for 7 years. Davidof tried to explain to me once how this local stuff happens, I dont recall the detail but amazing year.
Also stayed in the 3V for a week ( about 3 weeks ago) .... great conditions, but then it did snow the Saturday we arrived.
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Left Europe in 1989, never to return as I chose (wisely in my opinion) to spend my money in the US of A. Especially as holidays had to be taken at peak times. So Beaver, Breck, Vail and got my money for many seasons. Their Easters were brilliant
Then.........
The lads suggested a european blitz in 2007. Never say never, so...................
It was OK that fist year nothing starling but it snowed quite heavily during the week. I had also been frred from the peak period constriants.
2009 was teriffic as was 2010. Paradiski and Three Valleys. Excellent cover of deep snow.
2011, IMHO very poor and reminded me why I decided to go across the pond in the first place. Amazing piste preserving skills on display but so were slush and rubble. (Could be a good name for an outddor chain of stores)
For the first time in as long as I can remember I have to repair bases rather than just tune and wax.
Nope, this year was very poor, in marked contrast to the last two seasons in particular.
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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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Agenterre, it's been Ok in Serre Che, not brilliant, but it has snowed at appropriate moments, like the day we arrived in January, the day the Off-piste bash arrived etc etc. And looks like it snowed yesterday too, but it was apparently very wet stuff. Warm last week, time for beers in the sunshine rather than off-piste madness, the Boy did all that the week before.
Milky Way is apparently also in quite good nick.
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[quote="snowprincess"
I'm actually genuinely curious as to why keen off-piste skiers would choose to come to Europe for a ski holiday, particularly one booked in advance. The chances of good snow are so much higher in the Western US and Japan. Even for people not into skiing powder, the pistes are so much better when it actually snows regularly.[/quote]
You have been very unlucky this season. If you'd come for the last 2 you'd have had a completely different experience. In a decent snow year the sheer volume of challenging off piste around Chamonix is unrivalled. It's where I'd go if I was doing a season.
Not skied Japan but have done Whistler, Aspen and Alta/Snowbird.
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| rockyrobin wrote: |
clarky999, This year according to SCGB Stuben/St. Anton has had 329cm snowfall, with a 210cm base at the top reportedly.
Your mention of an average 1300cm snowfall sounds great, but was wondering if you've missed out a decimal point? |
Nope. Just this has been a crap season.
Can't find the article now, I think it might have been an old Fall Line one... There doesn't seem to be much average annual snowfall data for Europe around the web, but random googlings turn up averages of 7 - 10 metres for Stuben. I worked the 08/09 season in St Anton, and I remember three occasions where we had more than one metre of snow in 2 or 3 days - and there were plenty of other snow days as well as those.
s
Someone mentioned on another thread recently that around 7 metres of snow fall on the top of Ben Nevis each year, and that this was the same as Verbier gets.
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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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Chamonix gets 7 to 9 meters per year, normally.
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Last week was fine - wall to wall sunshine, just great. This week, with loads of cloud and rain? Not so great. Looks like tomorrow might be the last decent overnight freeze, too. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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There is a reason why almost all European Alpine resorts try to hide their snowfall numbers.
Because they get nowhere near as much snow as you think.
The world's 20 snowiest ski resorts are all outside the European Alps.
Plenty of resorts in western North America and northern Japan frequently get blasted with 1000cm+ every season.
Almost no European resorts ever get that much.
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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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The 80s snow droughts have been answered in the form of extensive snow cannons and immaculate piste grooming
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To an extent that's true. But there's nothing that either cannons or grooming can do to stop the grass re-appearing after weeks of hot sun shining on a thin base. A comment on the Chamonix thread this morning says snow (Grand Montets) is "spoiled below 2300m". And it's still March! This year has, statistically, been a very poor year for snow in many (not all) parts of the Alps but that doesn't mean people haven't had great holidays. We had a couple stay with us, some years ago, who scarcely did any skiing for their first four days because they were elderly, unfit and not good skiers. They couldn't cope with the constant snowfall though they greatly enjoyed going for walks - especially the day we saw a tiny shiny thing sticking out of a big bank of snow and discovered it was a wing mirror. They'd have adored last week.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Whitegold wrote: |
Plenty of resorts in western North America and northern Japan frequently get blasted with 1000cm+ every season.
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True and yet the Alps are full of Americans and when I speak to them they say "oh the snow isn't that great".
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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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There's been plenty of snow to find. Who cares if the resort runs are broken up? At most you need to ski one once a day, and they're never much fun anyway.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Not that bad - but disappointing. Not the end of the world - but maybe so if its your one week of the year, so much anticipation.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Pamski wrote: |
| Not that bad - but disappointing. Not the end of the world - but maybe so if its your one week of the year, so much anticipation. |
Au contraire.
People who only get 1 or 2 weeks a year are much more resilient about poor weather, and take a much more positive attitude with them than the residents seem to have.
If you've a run of 20 unbroken skiing weeks, you can afford to be picky, look out of the window and think "hmm, there's a wisp of cloud up there, and the snow isn't 100% perfect, I'll do the crossword instead".
Whereas a 'punter' will think "thank God above for being so privileged that I can be here", and will go out in a 70mph gale in zero vis, ski on sheet ice, and have a great time and wonder what people are on about when they say it's been a crap season.
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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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Mr Technique, there's something in that, but we've also had some posts from very disappointed people, especially those who were rained heavily upon. There's nothing quite so depressing as skiing on rubbish snow in heavy rain. Whereas skiing on rubbish snow in bright sun, followed by cold beer on terrace, is most pleasant. The really gnarly weather conditions are all very well for strong and experienced skiers (or people quite used to be out in the mountains in poor weather) but for many holiday skiers, beginners especially, bad conditions can be very off-putting. We had one woman who completely gave up after her first group lesson took place in such thick fog that they couldn't see the other end of the group. OK, she was a lightweight, but in good weather she'd probably have persisted. Though that was in a year of epic snowfall - it just wasn't right for her, on the day that mattered. I felt pretty sorry for beginner snowboarders in those weeks of rock hard boilerplate in January - you'd need to have been pretty determined, and with a high pain threshold, to persist.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Mr Technique wrote: |
| If you've a run of 20 unbroken skiing weeks, you can afford to be picky, look out of the window and think "hmm, there's a wisp of cloud up there, and the snow isn't 100% perfect, I'll do the crossword instead". |
I'm not that fussy but I haven't bothered skiing at all this week.
I would agree with the original statement though, there seemed to be plenty of happy beginners wherever I have been skiing, French TV has had plenty of reports showing them elsewhere too along with very hard working pisteurs.
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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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| davidof wrote: |
| Whitegold wrote: |
Plenty of resorts in western North America and northern Japan frequently get blasted with 1000cm+ every season.
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True and yet the Alps are full of Americans and when I speak to them they say "oh the snow isn't that great". |
The eastcoast sucks.
The westcoast is immense.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| queen bodecia wrote: |
| The 80s snow droughts have been answered in the form of extensive snow cannons and immaculate piste grooming. Happy days! |
Snowguns and groomers make the hill look whiter.
But they can't hide the slushy, icy or concrete conditions that are so common in the Alps.
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| Whitegold wrote: |
The eastcoast sucks.
The westcoast is immense. |
so they say, but then there seem to be a lot of west coast skiers over here too who tell me the conditions are "not all that" back home. One guy has told me he is going to ski the sierras this spring for the first time in a decade rather than Yurope.
I've just had Amazon offer me a job in Seattle and would love to go and live there as there seem to be some fantastic places to 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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Having skied a weekend in Utah in a dry snow year it was just like Europe, everything skied out, no dry fluffy stuff everywhere, still had fun in the bowls, but could have been in Europe, there was nowt special about Utah skiing on that particular time.
The US has bad seasons as well.
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Well I have no complaints. I've had two excellent ski trips this year for the first and probably last time (back to once a year from now on), and both times the conditions were perfectly skiable and the weather was great. I much prefer the conditions I've had this year, perfect sunshine with reasonable pistes to a cold snowy week. I've only once skied in the rain and that's probably the least pleasant condition. But it wouldn't stop me from skiing. My one week per season is precious to me.
My point is that extensive snowmaking and good piste preparation has taken away the element of doubt for the holiday piste skier. There will always be something to ski on these days and that's pretty much all we ask.
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FAQ
