 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi is there anyone in resort at the moment? What are conditions like?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hi snowmam,
Just got back yesterday from a long weekend skiing. When we arrived on Thursday night it was lashing down with rain. This then turned to snow around 2000m or so which I expect improved things significantly. Weather for the weekend was pretty overcast with the exception of Friday afternoon. Unfortunately all the cloud didn't really bring much snow with it. Also, the 'big snow' which normally comes late December / early January and sets the base for the year hasn't arrived yet. Although the pistes are still good higher up, off-piste the snow-depths are no where near what you would expect for late January and you can see more rocks than you would normally, so I wouldn't venture off-piste if I was you.
Skiing is still good though on the pistes and the runs over to and around Montfrais still have excellent snow.
When are you going down? It looks like the big snow might be on it's way over the next few days so it could turn epic pretty quickly.
I'm back in the middle of Feb with the family, so should be good by then.
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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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Bjorn_again_Daehlie, Thanks for the update I was hoping a bit more would have fallen as I was getting alerts. Not going until 1st week in March so plenty of time yet for it it improve.
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Looks like they got quite a dump and with the lower temperatures it snowed all the way down to the valley. With a big dump on the way and continued lower temperatures, it should finally be set up.
March is a long way away and I heard that Northern Europe is expecting a cold February, so I'm sure it'll be good by then.
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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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I was in AdH last year and am going back in Feb (and looking forward to it) - Are any of you resort regulars able to tell me why pistes like Balcons, La Balme, Combe Charbonniere have hardly been open, if at all, this season? Balcons, I think, was closed for my entire stay (new year week) last season.
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Just got back. Wasn't able to ski down to the Valley and a lot of the long blacks were not open (probably due to rocks - as Bjorn_again_Daehlie indicated above). My skis certainly took a battering. There was 10 or so cm new snow overnight Thursday/Friday but the wind was very umm windy which made for quite patchy improvement.
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back from a week with 13 other snowheads. We all had a decent week and got plenty of ski ing in. The new snow on Thursday night will have improved things as certain slopes were getting thin and icy (especially runs to Oz). A few of us did Le Tunnel which was in good condition, and three of us did La Balme, which although closed due to a few rocks was in excellent shape when I did it on Wednesday. Hopefully for those going out soon the new snow (which went all the way down the valley) will mean the Sarenne opens soon.
For those going out soon have a great time
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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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Nick D, very sad. I skied that route for the first time last year and it seemed like choice of line is super-important. Full of little rollovers and terrain traps, although the slope in general isn't particularly steep
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Arno, I was told a while back to avoid the area after heavy snowfall. The OP is dodgy throughout the region it seems due to the inconsistent weather, including some quite high winds over the past few days. Last week people were darting between pistes on the glacier into snow which varied in depth from 4' of soft stuff to big exposed rock sections within a few feet. I guess everyone gets over-excited when it snows and occasionally fatally bad decisions are made, very very sad.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Nick D, Arno, Is this "la Chapelle" off piste route off the back of Signal de l’Homme?
Didn't consider the area to be particularly serious off piste, if there is a such a thing as non-serious off piste.
Just trying to picture where it is as I've skied over there a few times.
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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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Layne, yes, it's off the Signal de l'Homme. You ski pretty much straight away from the top chair lift (either straight over the summit of the Signal - involves a short walk - or contour around it) and end up on the road to Auris (by a Chapel) and have to walk 10-15 mins up the road to get back to Auris and into the lift system. Not particularly steep on average but lots of rolls, terrain traps etc. Also it gets a lot of sun and is on grass so a nice slippery base surface.
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Arno, cheers. I think I've looked at it but never skied it. Depressing to hear of people dying in such terrain and does kind of indicate how dodgy things are.
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You know it makes sense.
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Layne, it's a bit difficult to work out exactly where the accident happened. the report says they were found near the Col de Cluy which is a bit east of the route I am thinking of. the slopes over that way look tempting but they are steeper and it looks like they end in a narrow valley which would be a serious terrain trap
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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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Arno, that may well explain things.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Heard a bit more info regards the SATA v Oz/Vaujany squabble from a very trustworthy source: Apparently it's turned very ugly, SATA are ready to completely split from O/V and have no plans to upgrade anything on that side of the mountain. They will be upgrading the old cold Lievre Blanc chair to a new high speed chair which will be extended to the top of Marmottes 2 (negates the need to use the O/V owned Pic Blanc lift to get onto the glacier). Snowmaking on the Sarenne is once more on the agenda and the L2A link will be ready for the 2018 season (that one maybe brinkmanship?)
Perhaps it's time for Oz/Vaujany to realign with St Sorlin if the environmental challenges of linking across the Col de Couard could be overcome?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Nick D, Lots of miles but not much challenging skiing over in Les Sybelles.
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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 heard the L2A link will be ready for the 2015 season by a British ski instructor, I maybe wrong 
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surfski, 2018 came from within SATA, doubt they'd get it done for next season?
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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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Nick D, yeah I think your right come to think about it, it must of been 2018 I heard then. Apparently its a good time to buy your own chalet as a future investment.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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surfski, There were some apparent bargain properties in and around Auris last season. Not sure I'd bother to make the trek from Oz, be time for a coffee and then come back again 
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Hi Nick D, hope you had a good week. Let's see how it pans out on the SATA v Oz/Vaujany front. I have a feeling that it won't come to much - this happens in the 4 valleys in Switzerland every 4-5 years (Verbier). Personally I'm not in favour of the L2A link as it'll mean much more traffic in the area - ADH (IMHO) has better skiing than L2A, so more of them will come to us than us going to them. Also the tourists who go to resorts based on numbers i.e. km of piste will put the area on the radar. You just have to look at the 3 Valleys and Paradiski.
Very sad to hear about the Danish skiiers who got caught in the avalanche. AFAIK, La Chapelle is the run over the top of Signal when you're facing L2A. Never done it myself, but often do the run off the right of Col de Cloy when there's decent snow. Seems like a very bad year for deaths so far due to the lack of a good base. Wouldn't advise anyone to go anywhere OP until the 'big' snow comes.
Missus is heading down today for a girlie weekend. Very jealous. 
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| Nick D wrote: |
| Perhaps it's time for Oz/Vaujany to realign with St Sorlin if the environmental challenges of linking across the Col de Couard could be overcome? |
that would make some incredible skiing accessible if it's done in a reasonably sympathetic manner. if they stick a piste on the back of the Etendard, not so much
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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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In recent years I have stayed in Les Coches, close to the Vanoise Express on the La Plagne side, three times. I've stayed in La Plagne both before and after the VE opened and once in Les Arcs after it opened. IMO the opening of the VE and creation of Paradiski is a roaring success. Both ski areas were very good in their own right so traffic going each way seems well balanced. The VE itself isn't a particularly long ride, the lift stations and cars are well organised, high capacity and pleasant to use. Immediately either there is some great skiing mostly below the tree line. And with another couple of lifts you open yourself up to excellent higher altitude terrain. Yes, the lift pass is quite logically more expensive but on balance for many it's worth it. Environmentally to me the impact seems quite low. What were two outposts of the previous skiing areas now see plenty of through traffic and a little boost to the villages. I am not sure I would have gone back so many times if the VE hadn't been built. I don't see there being a particularly different feel in ADH compared with Paradiski. ADH is a big resort and ski area - with lots of TO's operating there and lots of foreign customers.
Having skied ADH many times, mostly out of Oz but only one day at LDA I am trying to envisage how beneficial a link would be in comparison. The one day I did in LDA I didn't take to it and going on with discussions on here that seems to be not uncommon. Clearly many do like it though and maybe with ADH as the ying to its yang it might work well. One thing that strikes me is the VE seems to stay open even in poor whether. And indeed it's very useful for linking together two areas of tree skiing. Would the ADH/LDA link be able to that. Also if it's going into Auris, there is then the further hassle of getting on over to ADH etc. Sometimes it's hard to see how these work but they often do in practice. One would assume a lot of this as already been discussed by the lift companies and owners.
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I've skied a lot in L2A (15+ weeks) and 3 weeks in ADH too. I think the 2 could be pretty complementary tbh after all they are different. ADH perhaps does have more variety and you can "travel" far more. L2A does have far more of it's skiing at greater altitude and snow conditions are I think generally better. I've been there at times when there have been many, many visitors from ADH because conditions were so poor, early 2007 and late 2011 come to mind.
However I really can't see it happening, the cost would be enormous.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The mooted plan a while back was for a snow-cannoned piste down to Le Freney then a lift hop across to Mont De Lans rather than a monster lift straight over a la Paradiski. The snow record is pretty patchy in Auris due to its altitude and orientation and the trek across would make it not really viable time-wise for skiers staying anywhere but in ADH itself. Can't see it happening personally but its certainly possible and I've spoken to people in both resorts who are convinced its a goer. More importantly it looks to be snowing out there again!
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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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How are snow conditions in resort at the moment? Is the sarenne open yet?
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Le Freney is under 1000m isn't it. Sounds a real trek either way. By the time you get there it would be time to go home! As you say Nick D certainly possible but doubtful how useful it would be.
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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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The snow bridge is now in place and apparently the Sarenne is skiing quite nicely although I didn't go down there myself last week. I wonder if they're concerned about slides onto the run-out in the valley, there's been a couple of big ones over the past couple of seasons.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Quick update, been in ADH since weekend - decent snowfall earlier in the week and yesterday from around 12 and well into late evening. Seems much clearer this morning. Snow is fantastic and the resort not too busy this week
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Scrap that last post! Been snowing again since lunchtime and a bit breezy
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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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The conditions on piste are now as good as either of the previous two seasons. Runs down to Oz and in Auris are in good shape thanks to great snow all this week - Tuesday was a bluebird too ! Snowing again right now, roughly 10 - 15 cm every day. Le Chamois down from 2700 particularly good as is Villard unbashed La Foret run. In fact it is all in great shape, though La Fare still not open. Sarenne is skiable. We did La Chapelle run to Auris last week - before the avalanche - and amazed and distressed to hear what happened. Just goes to show. I've seen people beetling round to La Combe du Loup but now not venturing there ourselves. So off piste, still max caution, but otherwise now is definitely the time to come to ADH !
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jocrad, FranzKlammer, exactly what I wanted to hear as I'll be out Saturday 
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Not looked out of the window yet but understand today is meant to be clearer weather
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We are heading to Vaujany on the 16th Feb- very excited - we've never been before. I'm reading this report avidly so thanks everyone who has posted and please keep them coming.
The website says 5cm in the village- that doesnt sound like alot (better than none I know!). Can anyone advise what the snow is like in Vaujany village? I want to prepare the kids if theres not much as they are expecting the snowy wonderland which was Austria last year.
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nem, webcam looks snowy
http://m.webcam-hd.com/vaujany/front-de-neige
in terms of the skiing, there are only a couple of pistes that go all the way to village level - you'll be doing most of your skiing at Montfrais which is 1650m-ish and higher
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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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Nem - took the kids swimming to Vaujany yesterday, snow(ish) is in the village so they should be fine.
Snowing here in Le Bourg D'Oisans at the moment.
re the lift - it definitely seems a goer, 17 mins from Auris to get over to LDA, ready in 2018.
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Thanks guys, sounds good.
I realise we cant ski to the village - it was the look of the thing I was after- just didnt want them to be disappointed when they arrived. Arno- we have had a great time comparing the webcam to the piste map and working out where it is ( bit sad probably).
Howiet- now you are here! can you tell me if I need to buy speedos for the boys for the pool in Vaujany? They only have boardshorts. Have been wondering but thought it was a bit trivial to ask...
My daughter wants to know what time the lifts close? We are landing in Grenoble at 10am and hoping to manage a little ski in the afternoon???
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FAQ
ah well au can dream. My sister joining us from San Francisco so hoping drought continues there as she has a cabin in Tahoe and so far bragging has not been big. Haha 