 Poster: A snowHead
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There is a tunnel run in Val too I believe. But apparently it is closed now. I have just done a bit more research and one report says you can get there via the Glacier Express chair and a short section of the Leissieres run. Even if it is closed I am intreagued to go and have a look next month.
Cheers
Smag
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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smagsmith, Off the glaceir express chair to the drag just a little bit down the run and on the right looking down the mountain. Then you have to take the drag up, ski down the piste a little and cross back over the drag to the entrance of the tunnel.
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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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| finestgreen wrote: |
| So, if you were wanting to do your very first black in and around Tignes, which would you pick? |
Sache if the snow is good down to Le Brevieres. Or Leisse if there's good snow up high.
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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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T Bar, thanks. I think I have found it now on Google earth
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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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Will it be open next Sunday?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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having been there for a season it most definitely depends on the day! slushy and bumpy are easy, and so is sheet ice, but when you combine the two (quite a normal thing) it does become slightly challenging!
charve is more difficult but very short as said then pistuers if you want a real 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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45.418726,7.020037
I meant here
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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That looks like 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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I did Leisse today  Great choice for a first black.
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Yay! Nice one finestgreen! Try Descent and Trolles next, if you found Leisse OK.
I wussed right out in December. After starting this topic, the only 'new' black I did was Rhone Alps! I was skiing really well back in March last year. Last month, not so much.
Still, I shall hopefully return this March, retrieve my skiing mojo and try again.
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You know it makes sense.
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Piccadilly, what dates in March are you there?
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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'm planning on being there 17th-24th. I've booked the week off, just need to find some money!
(ps, I don't ski with a mojo, I meant figuratively speaking)
Last edited by Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name: on Wed 23-01-13 1:24; edited 1 time in total
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Poster: A snowHead
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| finestgreen wrote: |
| I did Leisse today Great choice for a first black. |
Was it at all pisted on the steep bit? I went down it in early December and was a little disconcerted to find the steep section had been left naturide.
Fully agree with suggestions of skiing Trolles. Personally I found the narrow bit before the steep bit the most difficult part. I did see write a few people descend the final bit on their backs though.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| sugarmoma666 wrote: |
| finestgreen wrote: |
| I did Leisse today Great choice for a first black. |
Was it at all pisted on the steep bit? I went down it in early December and was a little disconcerted to find the steep section had been left naturide.
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It was all fluffy lumps of soft snow when I did it. I'll upload some video when I get back!
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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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| Quote: |
On the gondola on the way back up we saw someone take a massive fall; he'd lost his skis and went hurtling down the slope for what looked like hundreds of metres, then he went out of view. Hope he was ok!
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that what always worries me about that kind of slope, often skied towards the end of the day, in poor conditions, by people who should know better and aren't really up to it. Either being smashed into by someone hurtling down the slope, or falling myself and taking out some poor innocent. Horrific, either way.
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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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^ agreed. La Face is such a long, sustained steep pitch that if you fall, it's a very long way down and potentially very dangerous indeed.
I'm amazed at the people who try it without being anywhere near capable.
It's not a slope I'd want to attempt in icy conditions. It was a bit boilerplate in places in December and I wasn't too comfortable, and I've been skiing for 25 years!
A guy in our group fell on Descente last year, and we estimated that he didn't stop sliding for about a minute. He ended up MILES down and with a nasty ice burn on his back. Luckily it was empty at the time. (Everyone else saw the ice and went down the red!)
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| pam w wrote: |
that what always worries me about that kind of slope, often skied towards the end of the day, in poor conditions, by people who should know better and aren't really up to it. Either being smashed into by someone hurtling down the slope, or falling myself and taking out some poor innocent. Horrific, either way. |
I have to say if you are worrying about it, the chances are that you are giving it more thought than 90% of the people on Trolles. We skied it most days to get home last week, and the sheer number of people who simply shouldn't have been anywhere close was startling. One particular individual skidded onto their backside in the middle of the narrow section, and just lay there. Someone came down to them, and they moved a bit, then they got up and were fine. The queue of people waiting for them to clear the area by that stage was 20-odd people.
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| Piccadilly wrote: |
^ agreed. La Face is such a long, sustained steep pitch that if you fall, it's a very long way down and potentially very dangerous indeed.
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Disagree. It is a wide, open piste with very little in the way. Even if you slid for 100m there is nothing to hit. And you wouldn't have trouble arresting a stop on most of the piste, worst case someone might have to chuck your skis and poles down to you.
I would rather do the Face than Santons - the narrow section of icy nastiness on Santons is worse than the steepest bit of Face even when icy - just ride it out, even if you scrape down it sideways it isn't bad.
I don't really get the Face reputation. I think half of it is because it is very visible under the Olympique, so lots of people see it when they are fairly new to skiing, and the shelves above each steep section give people a good chance to stand a peer down the slope. I see it as one of the easier blacks in EK, particularly when conditions are good.
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Less recommended:
Pramecou, which isn't difficult at all but is tedious. I think I spent longer going uphill than downhill
Aguille Percee, which was lots of fun with soft snow but quite a bit more challenging than I was ready for.
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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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| Monium wrote: |
Disagree. It is a wide, open piste with very little in the way. Even if you slid for 100m there is nothing to hit. |
Disagree. Sometimes it's very busy and there are plenty of people to hit, with the potential for a very nasty collision indeed. Plus a lot of people have no idea how to arrest and just slide until they stop, which on La Face could be a long way.
No, it isn't the most difficult black in the world when conditions are good, but it can be very tough if you do it at the wrong time.
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The only problem with Trolles is having the dangly bits to straighline it so you can get out the dip at the bottom of the aeroski. Never quite mastered the timing on that one - either far too fast and way to scary, or facing an uphill walk, or even worse, the magic carpet. :/
As for the Face - it totally depends on conditions. Skied it in december with about 20cm of fresh powder on it, and that, along with Rhone-Alpes, were the two most beautiful runs i've ever had!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Love how SH edits "b....cks" to read as "dangley bits". Inspired. 
Also, dont see why the fuss over paquerettes. Rather enjoyed it, definitely not as difficult as Epaule du Charvet with its car sized moguls.
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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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Also I can't be the only one that thinks that the fences at the bottom of Trolles do nothing more than forcing skiiers at speed into a space 10 feet wide and tailgating each other through the fences to try not to end up walking. Why not just have it open, have fences down either side of the flat section, and a fence at the end to stop people hammering through town?
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Monium, All to do with a death 2 years ago - where a pedestrian was mown down and killed - it was suspected that the culprit was trying to break the mythical 100kph on a cheap (and inaccurate) smart phone app.
Last edited by So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much  on Wed 23-01-13 22:55; edited 1 time in total
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You know it makes sense.
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chocksaway, Blimey! What happened to the culprit?
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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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| Piccadilly wrote: |
| It's not a slope I'd want to attempt in icy conditions. It was a bit boilerplate in places in December and I wasn't too comfortable, and I've been skiing for 25 years! |
My mum has been driving for 40 years and she's rubbish at it 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Minion1980, Don't know - sorry
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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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| finestgreen wrote: |
| I did Leisse today Great choice for a first black. |
...and this is what it looked like: https://vimeo.com/58266615
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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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| finestgreen wrote: |
| finestgreen wrote: |
| I did Leisse today Great choice for a first black. |
...and this is what it looked like: https://vimeo.com/58266615 |
That does look nice. I'm afraid when we did it, the only way we could tell the steep bit in the middle was a piste was by the black poles. In fairness, it was the 2nd week of December, and they'd just had very heavy snowfall.
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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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Ok ... so there are lots of factors that dictate how difficult a run is and many of them change from day to day e.g. pisted? icey? fresh snow? light conditions etc
but imagine a hypothetical day when every black in espace killy was equally prepared, equal amount of fresh snow? equal light conditions etc so all the possible variable factors evened themselves out
which black is the steepest - shear angle
which black is the longest - an physical endurance test
which black is the narrowest
We are going back in April and I feel a black run mission coming on. So far I have only done the Face, when it was at its tamest, the sashe unpisted and trolles.
cheers
Smag
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Probably Descente on the GM Glacier if it opens again or the step pitch of Face
Probably Sache (if you include the section at the top - which for most part is blueish)
Probably Le Foret (narrow bits between trees)
There - the can of worms is now open 
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I don't remember Descente being really steep, my memory must be playing tricks on me!
I would have said the steep bit of the Face is the steepest (but then I've not done them all!). Everyone says the naturide Golf in Tignes is pretty steep, or the top of Grizzly.
Yes, Sache has to be the longest.
Piste S is pretty narrow.
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I think that this thread is about as much about who skis where and how often as it is about to how hard the runs are.
If you've skied once a year for the last 20 years, haven't had tuition for the last 20 years, are English and go to Val D'Isere regularly then I guess you ski down Face and get the willies. Bit it is very wide, pisted and actually not that steep at all.
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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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Well clearly if you're an expert who skis off cliffs and down 55-degree couloirs for a laugh, then any piste in Val d'Isere will be easy to you.
Some people on here are so condescending, it makes me laugh.
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| smagsmith wrote: |
Ok ... so there are lots of factors that dictate how difficult a run is and many of them change from day to day e.g. pisted? icey? fresh snow? light conditions etc
but imagine a hypothetical day when every black in espace killy was equally prepared, equal amount of fresh snow? equal light conditions etc so all the possible variable factors evened themselves out
which black is the steepest - shear angle
which black is the longest - an physical endurance test
which black is the narrowest
We are going back in April and I feel a black run mission coming on. So far I have only done the Face, when it was at its tamest, the sashe unpisted and trolles.
cheers
Smag |
Paquerettes is short but very steep and quite narrow with rocks in the middle you must avoid
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FAQ
Probably not the best choice as I've only done a few blacks!
