 Poster: A snowHead
|
|
yes that storm Steve is currently battreing the canaries and madiera and then morocco on its way north east towards you
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Awesome photos Steve Angus, thanks for sharing! It's interesting to see what the instructors get up to when they have (well-earned) time off.
I hope they don't fill the lake back up before I get out there on the 17th, I think it's fascinating to see it so low! I want to see if I can spot the old village (I'd heard that myth about the church spire too, shame it's not true).
I didn't know those old tunnels existed, can anyone go through them?
Steve, will have to try and catch you in the Blue Note one afternoon.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
Great photos.
Spent last Thursday in Tignes on a day trip from Sainte Foy. It was ghastly as only a French school holiday week can be, but the snow was holding up well in springlike conditions and there was fun to be had away from the hordes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Today, Monday 4 March we had a trip up to Val d'Isere before the bad weather arrives.
We were out on the snow by 10am on the Fornet Glacier and managed to complete a whole bunch of routes by 5.30pm. It was a really good day. Take a look at the photos in the March 2013 Album on my Les Arcs Winter facebook page if you are interested in seeing what the conditions were like where we went.
http://www.facebook.com/LesArcsWinter/photos
The day included the following 9 routes in this order.
Col Pers (Le Lechoir option), Le Vallon du Cugnai, La Super super S, Le Charvet tour (Classic route), Le couloir du Lavancher, Le Vallon du Petit Signal, Le Grand Vallon, Les Vallonnets par le Signal and La Foret du Fornet Couloir.
These routes gave us a real variety of off piste areas and we found very mixed conditions including untracked powder, chalky snow, crud, a little breakable crust, windy blown snow, some icy patches and just nice soft tracked snow in many places. The pistes we crossed were all in very good condition so anyone going to Val d'Isere in the next week should have a good time.
The lift queues were not as bad as in Les Arcs or La Plagne which was a surprise and we did not have to wait more than a few minutes anywhere.
On a sunny day I would recommend a day out in Val d'Isere for anyone that enjoys off piste although trying to do so many routes in poor light would have been very difficult. It was a hard day, but also really fun! AND it was free as we had our lift tickets included in our ski passes from Les Arcs.
We plan to do another day like this after the next snow fall. Hope you enjoy looking at the photos after I have posted them later.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pleased to hear everyone is safe 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It's always the slow easy falls isn't it, fingers crossed for a speedy recovery.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Hi Steve.
Wonder if I can pick your brains. We are due to come out w/b 17 March and have seen that the X Games will be on in Tignes that week (I wondered why there seemed to be not much on in Val that week!). How long does it normally take to ski across to Val Claret from Val d'Isere - I am a cautious intermediate, so no black runs (apart from well pisted). Just trying to work out if it would be doable to collect daughter from ski school in Val and get across to Val Claret in time for her to see some of the 1.00-2.15 session - she will be blue/easier red run. We imagine we can't see any of the evening sessions as we won't be able to get back to Val.
We haven't been in the EK for around 10 years so memories are a bit hazy.
Thanks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
From Val d'Isere to Tignes is two lifts, two descents. If no significant queues I'd reckon about an hour without pushing it too hard.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
CaurnieBred, 5 minute lift ride up bellevarde, 10 minute ski to Borsat, 7 minutes up borsat, 20 minute ski into Tignes. Without stopping the average blue/red skier could halve both of those ski times and I would expect lift queues for those 2 lifts to be minimal in the middle of the day. That route uses only blue runs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Kieranm and rambotion: thank you. Sounds like a plan!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
grr just wrote whole blog and it crashed on me. Gonna be real brief re-write.
Off piste this morning was nightmare with very strong winds therefore hadrly anything open. Banane was poor snow. Saw that older aid women off The Apprentice on the BBC.
lunchtime news of the avalanche in Tignes came through. Couloir below Little Lavachet wall. 80m wide and 300m long. Guide and client from Val d'Isere (outfit not too frequented by brits) - very sad. ABD bags inflated but must have been putting skins on at the time as bags not with bodies. 8m depth of snow may have pushed them under the stream at the bottom and drowned them. 1 av dog, 10 pisteurs and PGHM all involved!
View of area where slide happened as you come from Boisses into Le Lac.
Afternoon I had my seasonnaires - they are improving very quickly and hopefully Le Face next week for them. Did some off piste chat with them as won't be long before they start thinking about all that.
Just had dinner with Scott and Becky at theirs - thanks guys yummy.
Sorry for the abridged re-write version there - sure missed a few things but rather annoyed it crashed the first time!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
Great pictures and all in one day, wow what a day
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Quick conditions update for those coming out tomorrow. Sat in Couloir,Val Claret watching the rugby while it snows.gently outside. It's been a warm week but the 10cm of snow we have had today should freshen everything up nicely . Lots of building work on for the X Games, but you can still access all the posted and lifts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
LIFE IS LIKE A BOX OF CHOCOLATES.... but this time I got the choc that no one really wants!
Sorry for the posting the day after. Clare had friends arrive last night for the weekend and I just ran out of time last night.
Yea great photos snowcrazy - some classics in there!
So the weather was a real stinker yesterday... it did not know whether to rain or snow at what altitude and also the cloud went from thick to impossibly thick. At 7am it looked like there was a slim possibility that the heli pick up may go ahead.... but by the time the lifts opened we all knew there was no chance..... it was a thick fog. Once again things have conspired against me and a heli trip has had to be cancellend.... ahh well there is always a next time.
We had a go at the Familial which was nice enough but vis was awful. I decided to do something different with an adult group like this and did the Vallee Perdue - at least we could see in there and the snow was pretty good all round. It was definitely snowing all over by now (and would continue as sort of slushy snow rain lower down - lets say below about 2000m and snow above that - give or take).
Next up I decided to head to Tignes where we found (if im being honest) awful snow in Les Campanules but BRILLIANT snow lookers left as you look up the Lanches lift coming down from the top - we did not do Telegraph but we did pretty much the whole rest of that face; Tignes came up trumps on this occasion being a couple hundred metres higher.
In the afternoon I headed out with a Scott and Mike for some instructor training between us.... we chatted about some long term theory.... put it into practice and also talked about off piste routes and matching client expectation with reality, also real ability level with perceived ability level - all very productive stuff.
The girls arrived in the early evening so we all headed out to Blue Note - its their 7th birthday so Matt and Lou were doing special punch and treats for all their regulars which was very nice. I headed to bed relatively early ready for transfer day today.
It should be reasonably busy both ways today but there is no fresh snow on the roads so it should be fairly painless all round - fingers crossed. I am picking Clares father and step mother up from Bourg train station this evening - with them and the girls around it will be a lot of entertaining to be done over the next few days!
About the best vis of the day up top!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
A long but easy transfer day
So the road getting to Geneva yesterday was absolutely fine all the way until the last mile - quite literally. We made really good time but just as we were approaching the airport a massive traffic jam appeared. After sitting in the jam (seeing many people, running late for flights decide to walk down the hard shoulder) it became apparent that the reason for the jam was that there was an event (im guessing) at the events centre next door to the airport. The jam was being caused by people queuing to get to that.... that in turn meant the slip road to the airport was snarled up. We did not see any ambulances or anything come by so don't think it was an accident. Why they decide to hold an event on a busy Saturday transfer day is anyone's guess but there you go. Getting into the actual airport and the parking there was relatively easy but being sat in the traffic jam you certainly saw a lot of interesting European queuing - or lack of.... people cutting the hard shoulder, driving over the grass, road rage.... you name it!. There had been fog most of the way so there was some delays at the airport which was relatively quiet.
A quick cup of tea and I hit the road back again... once again the road was pretty quick although they were starting to do the traffic control on the N90 with the lights outside Moutier but I was early enough for it only to cost me about 2 mins in delay! So 3 hours there and 2.5hours back to Bourg.
The afternoon was spent cleaning the car (VERY thoroughly inside and outside as it was filthy), doing a food shop at Super U, having a McDonalds, buying some new poles etc etc etc. I decided that it was not worth driving all the way back up to Val for a couple of hours, only to go back down for 7pm when I was due to meet Clares father and step mother off the Eurostar. Anyway I collected them just fine, despite a rather nosey Police Municipale asking questions about why I was there.
Anyway a quick drive up, pop into La Toviere Hotel where Stevie leaves his skis and ABS pack inbetween stays and then the three of us went out for dinner whilst Clare was out for dinner with her girlie friends. We had a lovely meal at the Bistrot des Cimes - as always a yummy dinner; but the dauphonoise potatoes were AMAZING - probably the best I have ever had. Anyway by the time I got in from that I was ready for bed - I was shattered.
A freshly cleaned car in the Super U car park in Bourg with Les Arcs and La Plagne in the background on a rather grey afternoon
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| Quote: |
it became apparent that the reason for the jam was that there was an event (im guessing) at the events centre next door to the airport.
|
Steve, that will be the Geneva Motor Show - finishes next Sunday. I got caught up with all the builders vans last week.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Tired
Its gonna be a short one this evening - im shattered!
Out with the mother in law this morning - she is a nice little skier - just lacks a little confidence and fitness. Anyway it was lovely weather this morning (clouded over a little in the afternoon). We skied all the way up to the Fornet glacier (it was lovely up there) - a couple of coffees and then a family lunch at the Cascades restaurant.
Headed back after lunch and caught up on a few jobs.... watched the rugby and footy and have just come back from our French lesson.
Clare has had a fun weekend with her girlfriends (they are off home tomorrow) and it was nice to see a couple of friendly faces this evening - thanks for the British sliced white bread, sausages and Cadburys Dairy Milk - yummy!
The tint was because of the window tint in the Fornet Vallon lift.... the sky was not really that colour.
Looks like I have an afternoon off tomorrow - not sure how I will spend the time.
Weather-wise this week - lots of mixed weather this week... but looks like it will get cold by the end of the week.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
High performance and a contrasting morning and afternoon
The weather was generally quite nice today although first and last thing it was rather cloudy and we even had a few snowflakes this evening.
I met my morning lesson down in La Daille.... a girlie group of friends from Bristol... all with differing needs but generally split into two camps.... tentative on greens and the other two solid on blues. Anyway I opted to work on greens (the easiest of greens) giving the stronger skiers technique to work on through hard drills whereas the tentative skiers were able to build their confidence up. It was a pleasant morning and they all came on. Being female you dont get nearly as much 'run colour' madness where testosterone and hardness of run is all that matters!
In the afternoon I had a fellow SH and another instructor from Hemel Snow Centre whom I have taught much over the years. We worked on carving and in particular influencing the arc length and we had some good progress across the board.... tomorrow it will be moguls!
I went for a quick drink with them after skiing and then Clare and I have just been around to our chalet (where Clares father is staying if you remember) for a drink and a lovely meal en famille.
It has stopped snowing out there now but they are forecasting snow on and off over the next few days but not in any great quantities as such.... we shall see.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
woops that last photo link went wrong - trying again:
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
Thanks Steve I'm fine, well apart from my knees. What a bashing they took in the moguls this afternoon. Totally agree about that intersection, the guy that fractured my shoulder wanted to get onto tommeuse cut across comming from above didn't know he was there until he hit me. Pretty much like the guy this afternoon.
Great couple of days Steve, thanks from myself and Dave. Plenty to practice over the next few days.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Just thinking wonder if that guy had his go pro cam running when I opened up with the offensive language. How embarrassing, I was so angry to those that don't know I had my shoulder fractured this exact same way 8 weeks ago its ruined my season. Hope it doesn't go viral and if does appear on YouTube Massive apology for the language. Sorry guys just saw red after last time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yea we skied there yesterday too and I said to hubby it's like wacky races here ,why don't the pisters do something about it . You just can't rely on folk looking out for each other now as so often they are filming their mates !
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
Chris ski H, Hopefully it was the same guy who was arrested in Val yesterday for hiding a camera in the toilets of one of the bars 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
COLDER.... but after a day like today I dont care
Well it was pretty grotty out there this morning and it really felt like the middle of Winter as it was COLD - with wind chill about -15 > -20. Anyway I had the Dave and Alec show this morning - a great couple of guys early in their skiing lives but some changes were made so by the end (despite fitness issues) they were making their way down Blue runs quite nicely.
There was still no sign of the sun by lunchtime and the snow and wind and poor vis was all hanging around.... I was starting to think that I would need to change plans for the afternoon with the heli. Anyway I decided that Mickeys Ears would be just too dangerous with the wind loading it will have received but the Familial (after cutting in high) was SPLENDID - the pistes had some 10-15cm (in most places this morning) but Familial had perhaps 20cm.... perfect. We got about 30-40 pow turns in - AMAZING - its mid March.
I made 'the' call to SAF and low and behold we were on for the pick up... I cut the boot pack in up towards the ridge and then we had the honour of making first tracks down to the Chevril lake... it was a little more chunky and crusty lower down but generally the snow was amazing.
After a quick briefing etc we were set for the pick up. It always gets the adrenalin running having the chopper come right up to your nose to land.... anyway it all went well and the guys were buzzing after we were dropped off. Pretty damn cool. Bringing the chopper in means I cannot take photos etc but the guys are going to send me some so hopefully I may have a couple to post tomorrow.
We popped up for a quick Cairn to finish with - and the snow was totally amazing - a good 30cm in places. WHAT A FINISH TO THE DAY.... hopefully more of the same tomorrow but the weather should be better.
So Clare and I are out for dinner with Dave and Chris ski H - to celebrate Daves 50th birthday - should be fun but could be messy!
Yes and as chocksaway mentions above there was a puzzling arrest in town yesterday. A male (unknown nationality) of 35 years old was caught after placing a camera in the toilet of a bar (not sure which one) in town - to get some naughty pictures - hmmmm thats NOT Val d'Isere style!
Happy seasonnaire campers!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Oh boy, cannot wait! Next week is going to be awesome!
Steve, I hope I can catch up with you at some point next week, it would be great to finally say hi!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
Piccadilly - you never know - would be nice to say hi.
Sorry crazy day yesterday
Gonna be very brief as rushed this am.
Not sure why camera got a strange pictue like this but looks quite funky of Annecy!
So getting to GVA was easy enough.... GVA car show was not causing too many problems which was good (and it finishes today - hurrah).
The incoming flight was delayed which was annoying. The journey back was a nightmare as just caught it all wrong and getting held up. The police are using a new tactic now - they are forcing all NON-local cars ONTO the N90 to join the jams as opposed to stopping people leaving the motorway when it gets busy!
Anyway I finally made it back to town after food shopping (as we were very late) in Moutiers last night and narrowly missing a stupid policeman that was not wearing ANYthing reflective in the bad weather and dark light.
Anyway I made it back VERY late last night and was asleep within about 10 mins. Today is another busy day teaching so hopefully my blog this evening will be more interesting.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| Quote: |
Today is another busy day teaching so hopefully my blog this evening will be more interesting.
|
the bits about management meetings, transfer trips, etc aren't boring - all part of the life out there. Endless pictures of bottomless powder and face shots would get boring!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
pam w - thanks - you are right it is part of life out here.
One of the most mixed days of my teaching career ever...
Today was one of those days that had everything in it - but mainly because of one thing.
The day was overcast to start with and conditions were deteriorating all the time. By action time it was snowing quite heavily. I met my morning lesson - a delightful mother and her two kids (teens) from the east coast of the US - their first time skiing in Europe. I was briefed with improving their off piste technique so we did some work on the Bellevarde where I thought the conditions would be better but it became apparent that I would need the trees of Laisenant / Fornet to get definition of any sort so we headed that way. The morning was going well until one of those moments I shall not forget for a long time....
... we were making our way down the Aiglon piste which is the new piste that comes off the right as you get off the Laisenant Express chairlift... it is a red run. The vis was pretty awful. Anyway I came across a man, who turned out to be French, face down in the snow, blood everywhere with a couple of nice young English lads in their early 20's who were just about to administer first aid. It was HOWLING a gale / blizzard up there but the Brit was just taking his jacket off to get the person warm. Being the first 'official' sort of person on the scene it is my duty to do something. A French person had zoomed off to get help but I knew from there that it could take a good 10 mins to get anywhere near a lift to get help... I had the pisteurs number in my phone and this person needed help QUICKLY.
The young Brit was trying to clear the airways as I called the pisteurs.... the person was out totally cold. My clients were given the job of trying to protect the scene of the accident.... the person had slipped over a sort of drop away on part of the piste in the flat light and down onto a little plateau where we were (difficult to explain here). There was the possibility that other people could crash into us there. So my clients were warning other skiers / boarders away.
The only motion / sound from the person was the occasional gargling sound.
Within a few mins the first pisteur arrived and we helped build a picture of mechanism of injury and immediately it was decided to get the victim immobilised by holding his head whilst trying to keep his airway open. The worry was exposure so we next created a barrier around the victim against the wind. More pisteurs turned up and more and more ski-doos and medical equipment. There was a lot of worry around.
Then the mans brother arrived who was distraught (as you can imagine).... that was when we learnt the victims name and that he was French. The pisteurs were checking pulse etc etc etc non-stop... things were not looking good as he was fading and he could not be roused. What made matters worse was that we needed a doctor here and here now but a heli could not fly in these conditions to the scene of the accident. We were still huddling around as close we could to keep the man (and pisteurs now) as warm as poss as they did what they could.
FINALLY another skidoo arrived with 2 doctors (in jeans and normal ski jacket) with more gear and they went straight in.......... they did a full tracheotomy (sp?) on the slopes into his neck to help the man breath and then pumped what was ever in his throat out. There was now more blood everywhere and the man was not showing any signs of improvement - they had to get this man to hospital as soon as possible. A group effort of logging rolling and wrapping the man up and then the skidoo speed off with the doctor on the back down into town. Just before they left the doctor was calling in the emergency SAMU heli to the helipad to fly the man to intensive care down the valley somewhere (there was JUST enough vis and weather to fly lower down in altitude). He was also calling in the mans vitals to the hospital.
All this took an hour so we were all pretty cold when the man finally got off the mountain.... and all I can tell you is that there was nothing but silence amongst the remaining pisteurs the two Brit guys and us... the brother chased the skidoo (as you would do) down the mountain. The young Brit who was first on the scene may have saved his life as he had initially cleared his airway and held the mans head still.... who will ever know! All I know is that the neck brace was probably vital but I suspect he may have broken his neck either way.
So we finally made it back down.... VERY cautiously on the piste to town about 12.45 - 15 mins for a lunch break - but at least I was getting a lunch break. I saw the SAMU chopper leave and that is probably the last I shall hear about it.
GOOD LUCK, WELL DONE TO THE PISTEURS and co-helpers on the scene.
So after all that the afternoon could not be as intense... could it...... no it could not. However I had a lovely pair of 20 something year old sisters from London.... we started on the Savonnettes to dust off the cobwebs as it had been a few years since we last skied but by the end we were up on the Lac lift - it was JOLLY windy and snowy up there now!
Another thing that struck me was how many friends and family were attempting to teach their friends on the Savonnettes this pm - fine, but dangerous and it was pretty chaotic there as a result!
I have been busy clearing up a few jobs at home this evening whilst watching the snow (and wind) whip around outside... it could be quite a day tomorrow as there is about 30cm's of snow forecast overnight... I have the same American family tomorrow morning and I have promised to make up the time 'lost' today to them.
For much of the rest of this week it is snow and wind forecast.... hmm welcome to Winter AGAIN.
So 10 days ago it was me needing a pisteur for a badly twisted ankle off piste in the Cairn, last week a bad accident and I helped stop traffic at the bottom of the Mont Blanc chair as the heli came in and today in that bad weather I had more pisteur encounters. I have had enough contact for a while with them I hope! Either way, and once again I will say WHAT AN AMAZING SERVICE THE PISTEURS DO... we should all be greateful.
Fingers crossed for our french friend!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
| Quote: |
Fingers crossed for our french friend!
|
Amen to that; what a difficult experience.  Sounds like all concerned did their absolute best to help, in horrendous circumstances.
You don't want days like that too often.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well done to you as well Steve. Totally agree about the pisteurs I certainly feel a lot safer with them about.
On the lessons issue as I said to you last Wednesday in the Petit Danois, I can't understand people feeling they can either do an instructors job or worse feel they are past needing instruction 'Ted Ligerty will tomorrow morning be getting coaching/instruction after winning 3 Gold Medals' he doesn't think he knows it all!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Sent a shiver down my spine reading that Steve Angus, but well done to you, the pisteurs and the British lads. Sounds like a life was saved there, for sure and here's hoping he does recover.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
chocksaway, that doesn't sound good, does it? The piste guys are certainly reassuringly competent but that required more than skilled first aid. Good job the docs were able to do a tracheotomy or he'd probably have died on the slope. When I was involved in a road accident a couple of doctors who happened along - thankfully - did a roadside tracheotomy on a badly injured motor cyclist, using a drinking straw. He made a good recovery, but it sounds as though quite a time had elapsed after the injury to that skier; outlook must be a bit bleak. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
