 Poster: A snowHead
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This is a new venture in Les Saisies. Once a week a handful of visitors are invited to join the pisteurs opening up the pistes in the morning then join them for a coffee before the day's skiing begins.
Sounds interesting, doesn't it? I've just phoned the "service des pistes" and signed up for Wednesday morning. You never know, one of them might remember carting me off with a fractured pelvis in January. La pauvre vieille anglaise. 
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Wed 27-03-13 15:52; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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pam w, sounds good.
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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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Cool - look forward to the TR. It's a nice PR thing that a few resorts seem to be trying.
Back skiing and now chucking dynamite - obviously the pelvis has healed well 
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pam w, I'd love to do that. Let us know how it goes.
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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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A lot of american resorts used to (perhaps still do?) have a programme where you helped out the ski-patrol and lifties for a couple of hours first thing, and were sent away mid-morning with a free day-pass  . I spent a great few weeks at Copper Mountain in the 80's schlepping fencing around, digging out button lifts, foot-packing runs too steep for the groomer etc. whilst looking for a proper job. What a fantastic way to keep the price of passes down and strengthen the understanding between the resort and it's guests. Wish EU was so forward thinking...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Very good idea.
There's nothing to beat being up the hill at 8am ... but preferably being able to free-ski in the magic hour before the ski school and masses get going. Free liftpasses are always an interesting idea!
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pam w, sounds really good - so pleased that you are up and out again. And the early start wouldn't worry us - I can't understand people who faff about and don't get out first thing - and you will be 'before first thing' - even better.
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shep, I don't get the impression that I'm having to put in much in the way of labour myself - and one of the conditions of participation is that you have a full lift pass! I have a season pass, so that's not a problem.
The other thing I'm pondering is a lesson on how to drive a piste basher. But that costs €90. The "morning with the pisteurs" is free.
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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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Sounds dodgy to me - all that responsibility and no qualification 
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all that responsibility and no qualification
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the people in charge will have all relevant qualifications; I'm just a customer. Or punter, if you prefer.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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pam w, La Plagne do something similar and include breakfast in a mountain hut watching the sunrise, one can almost smell the Gauloises
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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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Boredsurfing, have you done it?
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pam w, I think martinm was referring to the US version I described. And if it doesn't happen any more I'm sure that's the reason why - elf'n'safety, insurance etc. 
The Saisies Version sounds very interesting, obviously targeted at a different market. Don't forget to take your own milk!
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You know it makes sense.
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pam w, nope, far too early for me when I'm on holiday
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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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Boredsurfing, some really good experiences involve getting up a bit earlier than usual.
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Poster: A snowHead
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love this idea and can't wait to hear how you get on.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Sly dig at the ESF/Ski guides that's all
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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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pam w, Sounds interesting, please post a report of the experience - I'd like to hear how you get on - it sounds a great idea and one I'd love to participate in one day once I can ski well enough.
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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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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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dsoutar, the Zermatt pistenbully outing looks fun but expensive - 150 CHF!
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Fresh tracks is effectively a stuff your face contest followed by one groomer run before the great unwashed get there - can be worth it to bag early spot in the Peak line if you know it's going to open but every ski bum who has scrounged a voucher usually has the same idea.
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Fresh tracks is awesome. We managed to scrounge loads of vouchers via lovely Canadian people and it was mostly as you describe except once when it was a powder day
That sounds great Pam, please do report back!
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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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They do this in the Grand Massif - I think they charge 15 euros for the privilege, mind. I was planning to do it in January, before cunningly breaking my shoulder first day out
Ah well, maybe this week!
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| Quote: |
a stuff your face contest
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can you opt out of breakfast and just go and ski?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| pam w wrote: |
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a stuff your face contest
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can you opt out of breakfast and just go and ski? |
No cos everything's roped off til a certain time.
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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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oh, well its not such a good idea as I thought, then!
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Had an interesting time with "Robin", pisteur-sécouriste, this morning. It was a stunningly beautiful morning, with clear blue skies - the only one this week, so that was a good start.
We "opened" some pistes, which meant cruising down them, not fast, making sure the grooming was OK, that all the piste markers were in place and setting up the nets to slow people down before junctions. We also "opened" the boarder cross though his drill ran out of power before he had positioned the final gate.
then coffee and cake in their "poste" very convivial. When he was explaining everything just to me I could follow fine, but once they were all chatting away over coffee and cake I understood at best 25% of their chat!
It's an impressive, and reassuring, set-up. They are all "diplomé" as pisteur-sécouriste and Robin is also qualified as an "artificier" which means he gets to chuck dynamite around, though not very often in Saisies and sadly no dynamite was needed this morning!
He has worked for 8 years and lives in Les Saisies. He said most of the pisteurs, lift operators and piste bashers live locally, many in Les Saisies itself, and there are very few "saisonnaires" - the opposite, apparently, of the situation in the big stations. For some years he spent the summers manning one of the mountain refuges in the Belledonne but now works for a demolition company (the explosives expertise comes in useful) in the summer. One of the other pisteurs I met is a "guide de haute montagne" in the summer.
The team on our sector of the resort was 6 (half women) and a team leader (also a woman). They have to be a strong team, work closely together and trust each other, for the difficult rescues, and know the terrain well. He pointed out where people took off on a deceptively simply-looking bit of off-piste then found themselves "coincé" above very high and rocky cliffs, calling for help.
I saw the various bits of equipment, including the special sledge for off-piste rescues, defibillator, oxygen, etc etc all looking very well organised and well cared-for. They were a great crowd, evidently take a lot of pride in their professionalism.
All in all, was well worth getting up early for, and a nice glimpse into the working life of the resort.
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You know it makes sense.
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pam w, excellent! sounds that a fab morning
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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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pam w, that sounds really really nice. Would love to do something like that. Quite a few years back when I was 13-ish we stayed in the apartment of a manager of an area of lifts in La Clusaz. He and his wife were lovely and we were staying over Christmas, on Christmas day he invited us up to his place to share the family xmas meal. As a kid I was fascinated by piste bashers and ski lifts (still am a bit  ) and I spent many hours quizzing him through my poor mother as a translator, it was so interesting and really nice of him to share the meal and all the experiences and info with us.
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Poster: A snowHead
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crazy_skier_jules, that's the kind of holiday experience you never forget!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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great update, thanks 
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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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That sounds fascinating pam w! Thanks
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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pam w, Sounds amazing.
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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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pam w, definitely! At that point in time all I ever wanted to do in life was be a piste basher driver (school careers service had no idea what to do with me) and I remember being over the moon when the lift area manager told me they did have a lady driver in the fleet - basher drivers of course being mostly male. I have grown up and chosen a slightly more sensible career choice now but I still want to drive the things one day. Also every aspect of resort life and the workings and technicals of ski lifts will always fascinate me, and I can still be found staring out of the window watching piste bashers wistfully at night.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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it was really good. I was automatically glancing up the piste before setting off from the stops, then remembering that absolutely nobody (except maybe another pisteur who would be more than capable of avoiding me) would be coming down!
Very good PR for the resort, I think, though there seemed only to be one other person - a French man - taking advantage of it. he was asking during the coffee and cake break about getting a ride in a piste basher. They told him they could sort it out - and they would speak to the man in charge on his behalf if he went to the office at 4 pm. Was tempted to try to join in but I have a busy few days with visitors arriving, going to Gva airport etc, and besides - I might not fully have understood the conversation and might have caused mighty confusion! Maybe that's one for next winter.
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Shame about the dynamite - notwithstanding sounds like a lot of fun. Did you do enough research into cake preferences to know what to bake if you fancy some early up favours one day?
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fatbob, they had one of those half yard long cheap supermarket cakes. Robin cut it into slices with an Opinel he carried in his pocket, probably solely for that purpose. Though possibly it also comes in handy for emergency tracheotomies.
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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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Did they have milk?? 
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FAQ
I'll have to see if they do anything similar round our way next season 