 Poster: A snowHead
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As the thread on the weather forum keeps wandering off topic, albeit still on the PdS - I suggested a separate thread for other PdS topics, such as, the best route from here to there, best restaurants, lift pass knowledge, where to stay, etc etc, so rather than just suggest, here it is ... the unofficial source of all knowledge on the Portes du Soleil domain, please post up anything, questions, gossip, whatever, experience suggests snowheads collectively have the answer to pretty much everything 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Anyone know what the current conditios in the PDS are like?
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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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summer, that Colorgol Cup looks really interesting, I've never heard of it before
The website seems to have a good sense of humour, rare in the ski race scene IME
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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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| DJL wrote: |
| Anyone know what the current conditios in the PDS are like? |
Not a clue mate. Should we make a new thread on it?
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Pretty damn good - another day of sunshine and good snow - absolutely lethal pavements in Morzine and Les Gets!!
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Hey,
Im heading out to Morzie (PdS) on the 26th for "the everest challenge" and skiing 150km for charity in 48 hours, anyone coming along.... Snow looks awesome!!
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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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J444MYY, our friends out here are doing it - they've done a few practise routes. I think they are MAD!
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How does the everest challenge work? I've done it on vertical descent (8850m in a day as recorded on my watch) but never heard of a distance based one.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| DJL wrote: |
| How does the everest challenge work? I've done it on vertical descent (8850m in a day as recorded on my watch) but never heard of a distance based one. |
Is that based on assent using the lifts?
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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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Ricklovesthepowder, You bet! No way I'm climbing that amount without cable assistance.
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The snow report thread is on the quiet side 
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
The snow report thread is on the quiet side
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Yeh, lets go back and use the snow report thread for everything PDS - who cares!
Just mention that it might snow next week.
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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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Assuming some of the PdS experts are here...
Never been, 2 kids (9 and 11, 2/3rd week skiers) in afternoon ski school up at avoriaz - how feasible is it that we could get some mileage in on the Pleney or even Les Gets side and still get over to the top of Prodains for 2pm? Is the Prodains lift quiet(ish) at lunchtime? Assuming we'd have to come down something like Piste B into Morzine, what time should we be setting off to get down, over to Prodains and up to ski school (in fact, say we'd need to get there for 1ish to allow for feeding time).
Cheers!
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Poster: A snowHead
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I'd allow 30mins to get from Morzine - top of Prodains via Super Morzine bubble.
A bit longer with kids, how much longer depends on how fast they can ski, but the piste (Serrausaix) is flat and doesnt deserve its blue rating.
The bus might be quicker if the timings of the bus were right and you caught a cablecar on time, but I would take the other route every time.
The "Petit Train" runs from the bottom of Pleney to the SM bubble, but stops for lunch 12.15-13.30
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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And another thing...
The train seemed to have lost a couple of carriages when we were in Morzine this year, down to 1 from the usual 2 or 3. Not sure why, but it means that it's packed and you need to learn where to stand to get on the damned thing 1st time.
It's only a 8min walk, which might be too long for your kids.
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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 noticed that the Les Gets train has lost a couple of carriages too. I did travel on it one day, it was the new one where you have to bring your skis/board in with you which is a royal pain if it's busy and one of your knees isn't bending as it should.
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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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Thanks doctor_eeyore, on earlier advice we're going to pole around Serrausaix/Zore/Proclou in the morning on the first day or two, but thought it'd be nice to get some mileage elsewhere for them.
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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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doctor_eeyore, Lou, Morzine is down to a shortened train but Les Gets had one long train (external skis) and one short one (internal) last week. Morzine was indeed a scrum down situation with many "foreigners" unfamiliar with the concept of a queue. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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andy from embsay, I would agree with doctor_eeyore, i would say the cable car from prodains is much quieter at lunchtimes, but from my experience this can actually make it slower, as they tend to wait for it to fill up a bit before they run it.
However, if what we hear about the "petit train" is true, it can be a scrum even when it has three carriages, so unless you and the kids are prepared to walk from Pleney to Super Morzine (practice the route one evening in street shoes) it may yet be quicker to go via Prodains. You will be able to see the train earlier in the week and check how many carriages it is operating. It is easy to find, just below and to the left of the Pleney bubble (if looking uphill). Look for the crowd and the sound of muffled oaths 
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Thu 19-01-12 11:24; edited 1 time in total
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Another option, for a bit of variety would be to get the Ligne M free bus from Morzine to Ardent and get up to Avoriaz via the Ardent bubble and either the Lindarets or Prolays chairs, but that would be longer.
On balance, I stand by my previous advice. Go via Super morzine.
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doctor_eeyore, whereabouts in the mountains of Lincolnshire are you exactly?
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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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At the moment, somewhere between a field of cabbages and one of brussels. Somewhere near Boston. It's flat, in any case.
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Thanks all. I'll have a better idea when i see how they're coping stamina-wise - it may be we have pretty gentle/short mornings so for example get up to Pleney 10ish, ski for an hour or two then wimble up to Avoriaz via a leisurely luncheon. Or they may cope well in which case we'll be skiing like demons all morning then rush up to Avoriaz with seconds to spare, bits of emergency baguette stuck to our jumpers!
So - next question - where will me and my mate be able to get to in PdS in the 3 hours the kids are at ski school? We're both reasonably competent - we'll get down most stuff on and off piste (looking progressively crapper as it gets more difficult!), looking for some fun/steep/off-piste stuff. I like the sound of the hidden valley, but wondered if that is a possibility in the time we've got, and the valley de la manche sounds like an adventure (albeit possibly quite time-consuming if you end up back down in Morzine).
We may get a full day or two, as there are 8 adults in the party, so we might persuade someone to meet them after the lesson and bring them down to the chalet.
Any ideas for adventures for us?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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How far to get in 3 hours?
Well, in 5 hours I did
Ardent TC
Prolays chair
Prouclou blue
Serrausaix chair
? blue
Baron button
Zore
SM TC down
walk across Morzine
2 chairs up
Belvedere chair
blue to Les gets
Chavannes chair
Belle Mouille Red
Charniaz chair
Ambresailes Red
Grains d'Or chair
Myrtilles Black
Grains d'Or chair again
Myrtilles Black again
Ranfoilly chair
Tulipe red
Nauchets chair
Bumps under Nauchets
Nauchets again
Chevrelle Red
Des Tetes Chair
Blanchots Red
Chamossiere chair
Creux was shut so had to to the red down
Troncs chair
blue ?name
Nyon chair
Reds then blue from Nyon to
Fys chair
Piste F
Atray chair
Piste J
Piste H
petit train across Morzine
SM bubble
Zore
Serrausaix blue
Prouclou chair
Combes a foret
Blue back down to TC Ardent.
So you can get a lot done in a short period if you put your mind to it.
I think I had a coffee at some stage as well.
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Thu 19-01-12 13:00; edited 1 time in total
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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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Andy, I assume you are there at half term? And you kids are at Ski school in Avoriaz from 2pm to 5pm is that right?
If so and you are starting from Avoriaz at 2pm, you should be able to make Chatel/Plaine Dranse/Les Crosets, but watch your time getting back in the light of lift queues. There is a new lift out of Les Crosets which should lighten the queues there to return to France. Lindarets or Prolays from the bottom of Abircotine, or Brocheaux slighlty before that, bring you to the top of Avoriaz from where you can ski down to the top of Prodains, which I think is how you will have to get home - it's probably too late for you to ski back to Morzine starting at 5pm
Can't comment on the "hidden valley" or valley de la manche, i'm sure someone will.
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doctor_eeyore, ah you're not far from us, we are in Leadenham the other side of Sleaford. We are actually on a hill, quite steep by Lincolnshire standards probably only a blue run, but hey
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You know it makes sense.
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andy from embsay, hidden valley is very easy in the time you've got.
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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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andy from embsay, A couple of suggestions (assuming your ski school pick up/drop off is at the top of the Prodains cable) :
Head up Haut Forts and ski the blacks (Coupe, Arête des Intrets, Combe du Machon) and/or the snowcross. At any point you can head to the bottom of Prodains and get the cable car up.
Up haut Forts then round to the Fornet bowl for the reds/blues and snow cross. Allow enough time for the chair up to the ridge and then back to ski school meeting point.
Ski past the front of Avoriaz, up to ridge and down to the bottom of Mosettes. Then over to Swiss side and back same way or over to the Chavanette chair.
Pushing it a bit but worth a go - over to Lindarets, up Chaux Fleurie down to Plain Dranse, up Chaux des Rosees down to (and then up) Les Combes, all the way down to Linga then back up, Itineraire piste to Plain Dranse then over to Linderets and back to Avoriaz
Loads of variations on the above.
I haven't skied Vallee de la Manche but reckon it is a bit much for 3 hours.
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Poster: A snowHead
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sanman, doctor_eeyore, also trapped amongst the cabbages and brussels - on missionary work over here, you understand.... 
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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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| Quote: |
| How do you remember where you've been so accurately? |
I had a 5 hour pass and so had to know exactly what my next move was going to be
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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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doctor_eeyore, i take it you were alone? I've skied from Champoussin to the far side of Mont Chery, messed about in Morzine (Nyon) on the way home and still got back to Champoussin by 3.15 pm, about six hours. I cant remember all the runs but I remember working out on the day I had taken 23 lifts of one sort or another. But (i) i was alone, and (ii) it was mid- March so no crowds or queues anywhere.
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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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We've done Chatel to far side of Mont Chery and back in a day. Apart from the sense of acheivement it's not too much fun as you spend a lot of time on lifts or transit runs and don't really have time to hang around and enjoy whichever runs take your fancy. Its no good starting to get twitchy about missing the last lift back up from Lindarets at 14.00 when you are on the backside of Mont Chery!
If we are going for a Morzine/Les Gets day now we tend to drive to the underground car park at the bottom of the Pleney and then head over to Les Gets first to ski round there and on Mont Chery. Then head back towards Morzine and we are never too far from a lift to get us back to the car.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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DJL, I agree, especially the bit between Avoriaz and Morzine, and crossing Morzine itself, can be slow. I did it once at half term, with a mixed group of about 14, never again. We don't have the option to drive from the Swiss side really.
But in a small group who can all move it along, and off peak, we can ski to Morzine or Les Gets early enough to enjoy a good session in, say, the Ranfolly bowl and Nyon, and a bite to eat. The worst case is for us is that our last lift is Mossettes; from there, we can ski to the bottom of the red piste in Champoussin and we can walk home from there if the lifts have stopped. Not something to do with small kids though.
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Ok, Unofficially like, the first trax this morning were terrible on not new snow(6-7 cms of it).
Cheltenham Ladies was a flat line with speed dictated by the snow, awesome flyin.
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DallyPaul, terribly sorry old chap, I'm afraid I don't quite understand your banter ...
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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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I am ill. You poisoned visitors can all bog off with your germs.
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Nadenoodlee, how about the tooth?
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FAQ
