 Poster: A snowHead
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pistemeister, cool video !! Although the sudden end as you were approaching the edge of the piste made me smile 
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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, Yes, that one is several years old and a copy of an analogue tape, but t is the only one I have got of the top of the Sarenne.
Sonya I could have posted another 20 minutes of it but the sarenne gets progressively flatter and easier, it seemed like a good point to cut it.
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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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Hugely disappointed in the Sarenne..... Couldn't wait to get off it...!!!
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JT, It looked nice in pistemeister's video. It hasn't been open when I've been there - gone specially on a promise too!! Hope to have a coffee and chat with Sarah@alpedhuez soon.
ps: I think the Tunnel is mostly very intimidating, because as you exit the tunnel the ground just falls away from you. It does look fairly steep, but I should imagine that the psycological effect is more alarming. 
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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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easiski,
Couldn't view the video, I'm afraid
Its long and flat as I remember so I wouldn't go up so high to do it , Much better to cut through the two unmarked valleys which can bring you out at the same place. Much more interesting for me.
I think I am am geting into ski mode now as I am planning 3 trips so far and ADH/LDA could be on our list..!!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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JT, I think it would be more jnteresting in a snow storm or a semi whiteout, the red runs down to Briancon on the Prorel are far more intimidating than the sarenne in my opinion.
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JT, If you're coming this way be sure to give me a shout and we'll have a beer. 
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easiski,
Just been looking at your PSB thread so may do that...cheers..!!
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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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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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pistemeister, doesn't look too bad although if there are normally that many people on it I guess things could be a bit awkward, narrow as well which alwaays makes people loose confidence
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mark_s, the people in the photo seem to be avoiding the mogulled descent (which I think appears to be a bank on the left). the actual steepness of the run I don't think is a major problem, but if you can imagine coming out of a Tunnel (really) and being faced with that as soon as you see daylight - often with very big bumps ............ 
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You know it makes sense.
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easiski, the bumps miught throw me a bit... 
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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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I'd be looking to drop over the side on the left of the photo..... if I read the terrain right the path banks round there anyway...
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Poster: A snowHead
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JT, they could always attempt to fly over the rock that blocks the route straight ahead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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mark_s,
Yep, how does it go..??
Coming thru, on hire skis...!!
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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GrahamN,
The phrase is a favourite that a good ski buddy of mine uses to cut through this type of thing. At first it was quite funny!
I am a bit lost about where we are, ADH or LDA....!! If its LDA I might get there on the PSB and see for myself
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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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JT, It's in ADH not LDA. (Does that mean you are more or less likely to come on the PSB?  )
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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JT, you couldn't really do much more damage than what I done to some hire skis at Serre Che. The snow was slushy/melting at low level, and out instructor took us over this narrow bit at the bottom to get back. Got back alright, and saw the base of my ski had a nice deep new lie across the bottom of it.
And if you can beat that, you can't beat what my teacher done. landed on a rock and snapped his ski clean in half
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maggi,
No, it's not a deciding factor. I fancy a few days away and most things seem in place, I am not sure what sort of skiing we might get if just the top
few lifts are open so am not sure whether 2, 3 or 4 days would work for me. I like the thought of golf and the ski test and meeting new people. I will see
if a any of my ski buddies fancy it but they must be prepared to muck in with snowheads. Normally when we go we can be very insular so I want to avoid that.
AlsoI have other things I really need to do - and spend money on- so my heart says go
skiing and my head says hold off a bit...
I will sleep on it a bit but I do really like the idea...!!
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Who lets their head do the talking these days? 
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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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D G Orf, It wasn't crowded it was the same group of 12 who feature in the sarenne video, they were doing the sensible thing and allowing each skier the space too ski (or fall without taking someone else with them) in fact the only faller was an impatient french skier who was not in the group.
JT, The snow on the left is banked up (and netted )by the pisteurs to guide you into the center of the face. There is no path, the face opens out in front of you, it is not that hard, but coming out of the tunnel where you are cocooned from the elements and the exposure of being in the mountains can be a shock to the system, definitely a run worth doing. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The entrance to the Tunnel USED to be quite scary, but now they have a track that allows you to traverse and avoid the mogul field (the start of which is basically what you can see in the photo)
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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, I wondered if this Saturday (20th) would be a good time to ski in LDA? What time do the lifts open, what are the conditions like and never having skiied on a glacier which wax do you recommend? Thanks for your help and one last question can you pick the winning lottery numbers for me this week?
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Arno,
Do you mean the entarnce into the tunnel or out of the tunnel. There is a track that allows you to avoid the mogul field to get to the start of the tunnel, but no obvious track from out of the tunnel that allows you to avoid any moguls. AFAIR from doing the run last year you emerge from the tunnel and head right as per the photo. Straight ahead was fenced off as when i was there there wasn't that much snow and you'd have had to ski accross a band of rock if you'd come straight out of the tunnel. But by heading right all you are doing is skirting along the top of the run and at some point you have to head left in the photo (ie the same direction as if you came straight out of the tunnel. When I was there it was better to do it sooner rather than later as continuing in the direction shown on the photo soon ran out! I watched an ESF party do it before me and the instructor headed left straight away and then continued to the left side of the bowl (looking down slope) out beneath the tunnel exit. I followed in that direction and it seemed relatively easy. Personally I found the steep icy mogul slope heading down to the start of the tunnel harder than the bowl on the far side of the tunnel. The exit from the tunnel was a bit nerve racking, partly through anticipation having been told how hard it is, partly cos the entry to the bowl is quite narrow and had big moguls on it. But once you've dropped 15 or 20ft the bowl starts to open out and its a nice mogul field, plenty of space and not too dificult in the conditions I skied it in.
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You know it makes sense.
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Dave Horsley, i mean as you emerged from the actual tunnel, but the start of the run called "tunnel". if you go to the bottom of the track in the photo you can double back on yourself and traverse all the way across the top of the mogul field and beyond - essentially giving a blue alternative to a fairly tricky black run. this "innovation" happened 2 or 3 years ago. there used to be a bit of a ledge (shorter and narrower than the track you can see in the photo). it was just to the right as you came out of the tunnel. the moguls started directly below this.
my favourite is to keep right on the mogul field for a couple of turns then traverse right - you get a nice steep pitch of off-piste which doesn't seem to get tracked very quickly considering where it is. need to look out for some rocky/cliffy bits at the bottom though
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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sarah@alpedhuez,
Sarah
We are looking at visiting Alpe D'Huez on 4th march for a week and are looking for accommodation. There will be 4 adults. Two of us are a couple whereas the other two aren't so ideally we would like accommodation that would sleep 4 (2 in a double or twin) and the other two separately (does that make sense). If need be we could have two twins and I'd share with my friend and my husband with his. We've looked at the Chalet Altiport with Airtours which does look very nice but are looking at the possibility of arranging our own travel and accommodation.
Can you help?
Thanks
Mrs Simon L
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Arno,
It wasn't obvious last year in February that you could go anywhere but down the run once you exited the tunnel. I was looking for a blue escape route as it had been mentioned on the piste hors site that a blue track had been bulldozed from the entrance of the tunnel, but I couldn't see any sign of it. I'm not a great fan of routes being bulldozed to make easy escapes for punters who shouldn't be there in the first place! Last year there was much less of a track than shown in the photo, and what was there was fairly moguled up. Within about 30ft you had to commit to the main slope and would have had to put in at least two or three turns in the steep narrow mogulled section before you could traverse anywhere. The friends I was skiing with had skiied tunnel about 10 years previously didn't say it had changed much from the last time they did it - though visibility was poor the previous time they did it. Next time I'm there I'll have to have a better look around.
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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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Dave Horsley, interesting. Apparently they blew huge chunks out of the mountain to put the track in! Obviously, snow could build up to cover it. I'm with you on not having escape routes for punters, although the tunnel is a bit unusual in that if a punter gets to the top of the run and doesn't fancy it, it's pretty difficult to take a different route. OTOH, as you say, there isn't a very easy way to get to the tunnel in the first place so it isn't that much of a step up from what someone has already skied to get 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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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As a general rule for every path there is a drop over the side which should be taken at every oppurtunity..You should be able to see it as a short cut...
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The pics I've seen of the tunnel look ok - it must be worse than it looks going on the chat
Hope to try it out in March...
Is it true there's a section known as the shrine?? due to the number of fatalities?
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FAQ
Unfortunately that ideal world doesn't exist and all resorts have to cater for that exact idiot! Mind you - if you see the end of the "blue" escape from the Fee here it's unbelievable. I don't know the gradient, but it would be black in most people's eyes I'm sure 
