 Poster: A snowHead
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alansk / endoman / bar shaker - Its what we call 'Crocodile Alley' as instructors for some unknown reason! Its fun - yes... like a mini natural half pipe. Safe - yes in terms of avalanche type things yes... Easy - yea pretty but the last bit down to the Mont Blanc chair often gets bumpy and a little steeper. But apart from that what everyone else talks about above is correct.
compostcorner - hmmm that is a question I've never been asked before... its very much 50:50 but I prefer coming from Fornet to Solaise as the views are better in my opinion and you often have any wind behind you which makes it nicer! Good both ways!
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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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| Steve Angus wrote: |
| Which piste is that? |
I'd guess Arcelle, with the Manchet chair on the left.
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| moosepig wrote: |
| Steve Angus wrote: |
| Which piste is that? |
I'd guess Arcelle, with the Manchet chair on the left. |
Yea of course - gave it away in my text!
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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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It's also one of my favourite runs on Solaise when it's in good condition. Sadly when we normally visit in March it's often a ghastly ice rink lower down... of course you don't find that out until you're committed 
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Is the 'skier days' figure down due to having to close the lifts in the recent snowstorms?
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| moosepig wrote: |
| It's also one of my favourite runs on Solaise when it's in good condition. Sadly when we normally visit in March it's often a ghastly ice rink lower down... of course you don't find that out until you're committed |
Made that mistake last year. Forgot you should never do Arcelle before lunch in March!! Icy corduroy all the way down. Gorgeous run when it isn't, I love to ski it non-stop top to bottom.
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Great photos @Steve Angus!
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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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moosepig[b] / [b]HoneyBunny - yea you gotta get your timing right... usually mid morning / late morning is best in the Spring time (April)... earlier in the Spring then lunchtime onwards
Kenzie - good question? Probably yes. Ironically when we have a 'good' snow Winter in the Alps places like Val are often down as there are more options but the opposite is true when the season is a bad one - everyone flocks to where it is likely to be the best - here!
bar shaker - thank you!
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Scratchy
The snow is certainly starting to get more scratchy out there and we really could do with a top up... whilst lots of the pistes are in excellent condition it doesn't take long until you get down to the underlying hard pack piste!!!! With the school holidays on the way I worry that there will be some nasty injuries and collisions so please be careful!
Anyway I fitted in my periscope first thing in the morning:
https://www.pscp.tv/w/1mnxeXLkQmLJX
...then it was time to teach...
It was a lovely young couple from the west country.... it must be something in the air this week but they too were a little hungover. Anyway we decided to head towards the Fornet glacier and on the way did some work on the blue runs. As they had not had any lessons before in the 7 weeks or so of skiing there were a few things to tweak but as one of them was a professional gymnast the changes were quick and enthusiasm goes a long way when you are trying to get better! Anyway it turned into a really good morning I thought all in all... and there were smiles all round by the end of the session... more tomorrow folks!
At lunchtime I was getting a little warmth back into my feet back in the office - it is still a little chilly out there!
The afternoon was spent with my seasonnaires once again and we worked all afternoon on moguls... there were a funny few falls but I was impressed with the application the girls made and the boys toned down their 'muscle' approach to blast and recover style of skiing. Some good fun and great learning was made I think! Oh and thanks for the flap jacks Fran!!!!!
After skiing it was a busy schedule as I had to go to Killy Sport to try and get Bruno there to try and return my Snowpulse canister for a refill - alas he wasnt there at the time - darn it!
Then I had a couple of phone calls I needed to make before finally heading to see Doc Al... need to get a medical for something done! Phew... and just when I thought it was over I had to do the filming for our weekly TDC Snow Report video.... so it was nearly 6.30 before I got in....
Kids ready for bed, dinner and you guessed it I'm here once again!
The only other thing to report is that the traffic forecast for this weekend is out - a record number for the weekend as a whole is forecast.... 38000 vehicles on Saturday (ouch if you are on the road!) and 20000 on Sunday... it will be mighty busy out there.... leave real early to get up the hill or very late and you should miss the worst of it.
TTFN
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Steve Angus, those vehicle numbers are insane! What area does that cover? There's no way 38000 vehicles are arriving in Val in a day, surely...
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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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@moosepig I think that will be the numbers heading up the Tarentaise valley?
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@Steve Angus, Nice to see you the other day. Thanks for all your regular updates, much appreciated!!
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You know it makes sense.
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moosepig / nemesys - yes that is coming up the valley from Albertville so all the resort including Val / Tignes / the Three Valleys, La Rosier etc etc etc.... gosh if it was just Val we would have a VERY big problem!
jonkgray78 - indeed - hope the course has gone well! Thanks and good luck!
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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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@Steve Angus, Thanks, I managed to pass, so thats good 
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Poster: A snowHead
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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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@bar shaker, @endoman, @Steve Angus, thanks for the info on "Crocodile Alley", will give it a go! I wonder if there are any other little "fun features" that are not on the piste map? (already know about Vallee Perdu )
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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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Lock him up in the Bastille! We don't want him back...............
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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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Maersk - ?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Drug dealer
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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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@Steve Angus,
Can we tap into your knowledge please ?
Had a great afternoon skiing around Solaise/Fornet but hit a minor problem on the Pim Pam magic carpet. We kept slipping back very slightly!
It was cold and since I service all our skis I’m thinking that it was too cold for the universal wax that I generally use. I could have used other wax if I know the conditions.
Lots of others had a much worse problem and the carpet had to be stopped many times as a bit of a domino effect took place at times.
Never had this before even in colder temperatures.
Is it a fault with the carpet ?
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@muppet, I have the same problem all the time on this carpet. It’s not your wax.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@bar shaker, me too. I hate it
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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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This happened to me one time, but only one time, in January (over the course of three weeks). On the day it happened the carpet was really busy with lots of us getting on one after the other. Could that, somehow, make a difference?
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muppet / bar shaker / holidayloverxx / Vasta - basically its the really cold temps that means that the hygroscopic (moisture) nuclei stick to whatever it can find and that includes the bottom of the skis as well as the surface of the carpet... look for the 'blackest' areas of the carpet to stand on and move your feet to the blacker bits as the snow falls off your skis onto the carpet.... sometimes in the morning one side of the carpet will be a tinge of white to it and that is hoar frost on it and the other side (underneath when the carpet stops overnight) is black... if you get a chance before getting on the carpet rub your feet vigourously back and forth on the fake matting to get rid of any snow that is sticking to the bottom of the skis - could be a tiny film that is hard to see. The other thing is that as you go up the carpet everyone leans forward - stand up tall in the middle of the skis and that will spread the 'friction' along the whole length of the skis. Failing that then do what everyone else does and put the poles behind you and push down into the matting!!! So I guess in a way it is linked to the wax people are using yes - using wax repells the moisture which makes the skis slidier! It is annoying yes! When lots of people are also on the carpet they drop bits of snow onto to it as well so the whole carper becomes slicker! I often take me skis off on the carpet which stops any sliding too!
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You know it makes sense.
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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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| Quote: |
By the time we got back to the hotel C was somewhat tired. However he needs his energy as we are going to attempt something that I have never attempted before tomorrow - an attempt to try and ski ALL the black pistes in the Espace Killy in one day - arghhhhh could be interesting!
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Sounds like a fun challenge Does this mean they've got the Grande Motte running again?
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
as a result all the wildlife was coming out to have a forage... we saw an eagle, 2 bouquetain, 2 chamois and 3 ibex... it was magic.
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Steve - what is the difference between a bouquetin and an ibex?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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What an incredible week of skiing - absolutely spoiled for weather and conditions.
Took some group lessons with one of your colleagues, @Steve Angus. Cracking few days!
Will now be reading these posts envious of the fact it may very well be another year of waiting for the next trip...
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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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They are the same beast, just speak different languages.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Wow, all the black pistes in the same day sounds like a fun challenge, especially as they are so spread out. Assuming that this excludes the non-pisted runs (you'd hardly call them pistes!) this amounts to Rhone-Alpes, Combe Martin, Epaule du Charvet, Face + Stade Olympique, Descente, Leisse, Pramecou, Trolles and Sache. Descente might remain closed which would stick a spanner in the works (it's currently showing as closed rather than "planned" on the status webpage).
If you include the non-pisted runs then add to the list Foret, Marmottons, Campanules, Evers de Campanules, Grizzly, Paquerettes, Aster, Silene, Golf, Guerlain Chicherit, Aiguille Percee, Epilobe, Oeillet, Primeveres and "Piste S". Bit of a tall order so I think we can safely assume these are excluded from the challenge
How would you do it @Steve Angus, starting and ending in Val? I would probably do Rhone-Alpes then Combe Martin. Then up the Olympique twice - once to do the Epaule and again to head to Tignes via Trolles but cut off to the right just after the wibbling ledge and head to the Paquis chair, ski over to Val Claret via Piste H (sorry, Henri) then up Lanche/Vanoise (I hate funiculars with a passion) and down Leisse. Back up and, if cable car and piste are both open open, do Descente. Then up the Col Des Ves to do Pramecou. From there go round the bowl to the Aiguille Percee and thence down Sache. Have a long rest while riding the Sache gondola and clanking up the Aiguille Rouge chair  Down into Le Lac and up the Aeroski (sorry, Toviere), up Marmottes and down Face/Stade back into Val. I reckon that even with a decent lunch and a morning break for Choky avec rhum you can knock that lot off comfortably in a day 
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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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Looks like the wind over in Tignes has put the kaibosh on this plan for today.
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I'm on the countdown now, less than a month til I'm back in Val, woo-hoo! I've realised I've skied all the pisted blacks except Pramecou. Of the naturides, I've only tried Silene and Campanules - both horrible, ha. Don't think I'll bother with the rest. Especially Piste S.
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@moosepig,
It's doable, you've just got to pick your day eg a sunny, wind free Saturday in mid-January, about a week after the last snowfall. One of the advantages of 'doing a season' means challenges such as this can be achieved.
PS The challenge does include all the black naturides - the are marked pistes, after all.
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@Kenzie, depends how you define "piste" I guess. To me that implies that some grooming takes place, even if infrequent. I think of naturides as marked off-piste routes that you can safely do without avi gear. That said, including them in the challenge does make it much more of a challenge!
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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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what would the order of these pisted blacks be in difficulty, any run that is narrow icy and mogully would be top of my list
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I'd say the runs off the Col de Ves chairlift are well worth doing. Pramecou and Guerlain Chicherit. Slow slow chair, but lovely views on ascent.
Sense of being as 'away from it all' as is possible in such a busy area as Tignes. Challenging but not what I'd call scary.
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FAQ
