 Poster: A snowHead
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Up at Tignes, although some is forecast for Sunday...
This photo taken from right down in Tignes le Lac late pm today, you can just make out the buildings (Panoramic etc) by the funicular station, and the cable car cables climbing to 3500...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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It's the same here, I meant to stop and take a photo. There's a load of fresh snow at around 3000m but below 2000/2500 it's grass and not really even a frost so far.
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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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PG, what happened to the picture ?
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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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Chris Brookes, it's fine for me. Perhaps the MSS server is not over the hiccups from earlier in the week?
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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 can see it now...hmmmm...need snow
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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SQL problems at server ended persist, improving but not solved yet.
Off to Tignes now, we'll see what it's like up top. Rained a bit lower down last nght so it should looke pretty white.
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| ise wrote: |
| It's the same here, I meant to stop and take a photo. There's a load of fresh snow at around 3000m but below 2000/2500 it's grass and not really even a frost so far. |
16mm of rain last night. No fresh snow below 3000 further south either what snow there was has been washed away.
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Is this unusual? I seem to recall some mid nov weekends i've been on where you couldn't ski down to v. claret with fine seasons following?
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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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| David Murdoch wrote: |
| Is this unusual? I seem to recall some mid nov weekends i've been on where you couldn't ski down to v. claret with fine seasons following? |
Not much to worry about, it is not winter yet. Very sunny and great mountain biking weather today (around 20C in Chamonix!) although the wind is getting up now. I think the mid-to-late November snow is the key first major hurdle to cross.
That said the glaciers I could see looked very icy lower down and I get the impression (looking through binoculars) that it has rained to 3,500 meters over the last few days.
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Anyone remember when the glacier actually went right up to the level of the Panoramic and funicular station? This photo taken this morning:
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And to give you an idea of the rate of retreat, two years ago the rocky outcrop in this picture was below the glacier surface, you could ski right over it even in mid-summer.
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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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And 25 years ago the rock spur in this image (centre - cablecar pylon on top), according to JL Touaillon Tignes piste services director, was entirely covered by the glacier!
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PG,
OK you made the point. There is such thing as global warming.
Now can you put the snow black?
I was told people can play around the photos with software like Photshop to give us a paradise again.
How's the arm?
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You know it makes sense.
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| PG wrote: |
| Anyone remember when the glacier actually went right up to the level of the Panoramic and funicular station? This photo taken this morning: |
That looks a bit thin  First week of November last year it was just about possible to ski from the funicular station down to the Leisse and the drag lifts on Champney.
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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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| PG wrote: |
Anyone remember when the glacier actually went right up to the level of the Panoramic and funicular station?
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I can remember skiing over all that area in August.
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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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| PG wrote: |
| according to JL Touaillon Tignes piste services director, was entirely covered by the glacier! |
While you were at it I suppose you asked JLT your question about the damage "working glaciers" with snow bashers does to them ?
David
ps I don't know the answer either way but would be interested to find out more
quick note on the weather, the wind has picked up a bit and has moved around to the S/SSW, what is known as a foehn or chinook wind. Anyone tell us what Chinook means?
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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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Chris Brookes, Green
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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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What is surprising is that it is now 11pm but the outside temperature is still 18.3C with this foehn. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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The forecast posted at Val Claret today suggested warm temperatures to continue for several days....
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Well there's a lot more of the white stuff now - although no photos I'm afraid - it hasn't stopped snowing since we arrived early this morning, and was still snowing when we left at 2pm, pretty foggy on and off as well. Going past the Panoramic on the way down we crunched through a good three or four inches of the white stuff on what were very bare boards yesterday. Couldn't see anything through the cloud and snow, so no idea what altitude the snow goes down to...
I'm going up again in the morning, forecast is for clearer weather for a few days. Will get some more photos. As for the PSB, no idea how much snow has fallen further south at 2 Alpes, any reports?
The bad news is that no more is due to fall for the next few days, and temperatures are still highish, and forecast to rise a little...
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Not exactly great news but I've heard worse.
If things stay as they are what is our skiing vertical....3600 down to 3200..?
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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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Can't imagine it being anything else unless the 4/5 inch snowfall in Tignes was very much heavier in 2 Alpes. Plenty of sunshine is forecast, with 0°C up in the high 3000's (and I mean high, around 3,800 - 3,900m) so warm ground below the glacier covered with a few inches of snow isn't likely to stay covered for too long!
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PG, If you see the Welsh Dragons children's team on the glacier tomorrow say hello to Ian Williams my 13 year old son. He is always quite shocked that his "old" father knows many people in our home town of Cowbridge and my wife and I tell him there is not much he can get up to in this area without us finding out about it! If he thought that was true on a glacier in France ............. Our final payment is due on arc 1950 apartment next week so we may see you in the valley later in the year. Enjoy the snow, Alun Williams
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| PG wrote: |
| Can't imagine it being anything else unless the 4/5 inch snowfall in Tignes was very much heavier in 2 Alpes. Plenty of sunshine is forecast, with 0°C up in the high 3000's (and I mean high, around 3,800 - 3,900m) so warm ground below the glacier covered with a few inches of snow isn't likely to stay covered for too long! |
The wind has moved around to the north east today which has brought in colder air. Looking across to the peaks opposite I would say there has been snow down to 2800 meters (Belledonne range). There has been 25mm of rain over the last 24 hrs. However Meteo France are not recording any snow below 3000 meters and as Pete says, a zero iso well above 3000m. The Ecrins may be a bit warmer than here though.
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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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Alun Williams, that's a shame - if I'd known yesterday, I could have got a sneaky photo this morning - we were in the same funicular carriage as the Welsh going up early on! Bound to see them again, I should be on the glacier each day through to Thursday before heading for the 2 Alpes (a day late, sorry Charlotte  )...
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| Quote: |
| Anyone tell us what Chinook means? |
davidof, US equivalent of the Foehn winds - "warm, dry, usually irregularly occurring katabatic winds, similar to Alpine foehn winds, that come down the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains into the plains of North America. The air has been stripped of its moisture due to precipitation, releasing heat as it rises and cools, then has been warmed by increasing density as it descends. The wind is named after the Chinook people."
From an encyclopaedia of course, my knowledge stretched to knowing that they were native Americans, no further.
Edit: I've just learnt that a katabatic wind is one that "blows down a topographical incline".
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You know it makes sense.
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