 Poster: A snowHead
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Been there loads of times over the last 7 years but was pleased that some really positive changes have been made this winter.
- 8 man Diable chair replacing the Red Eggs, this has really opened up that end of the resort more along with...
- new Vallons 4 red run finishing at the Diable chair, a lovely run which opens up skiing back to those who can't manage the 3 blacks or don't fancy the Demoiselles green
- quite a few new mini freestyle features (mini park, mini bump runs, new skier cross etc spread around the resort)
- new Magic Carpet on the Cretes beginner area replacing the old 2 man chair, didn't use this but not all the comments I've heard are positive
I'm sure there are others but those were the most apparent.
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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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Tom W, With absolutely everything open as it is atm, inc Pied Moutet (which is rare this late) I don't doubt that figure. Problem is that when Pied Moutet and some of the home and resort runs are closed due to lack of snow it is far less.
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Claude B, Maybe you right. It was the first resort I visited in Alpes so I did not make the best of it.
Would like to come back one day, but every time I look at the piste map, I can imagine only going up one way, everyday and ski down, one or two runs all the way down with little variety on sides.
Saying this I loved the runs on top and village setting.
I like to follow new investment in ski resorts so great what they have done.
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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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Tom W, I know what you mean but once you know your way around it's quite a rewarding resort. Last week I led a party of 2 ADH resident families (inc Snowheads) around for a day, 8 good skiers who'd been before but didn't really know their way around. We skied hard from 10 - 5 and all agreed what a good day's skiing it was and we didn't return to resort level until the end of the day.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Claude B, what's the new vallons 4 run like? I hate the green back to resort and am too rhubarb to do blacks back. Is it a tough red?
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Claude B, taht magic carpet thing is widely slated as being a complete disaster.
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Lizzard, how long does it take on the magic carpet take to get to the top of petites cretes? The old chair took a little while. I can imagine the carpet takes all day. Bet cretes chair is even busier than it used to be.
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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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dobby, no idea, never been on it. It's a lot shorter than the chair was, which is a major part of the problem - instructors find the resulting slope fairly useless, end up going further up the hill or clogging up the Cretes chair. It's completely useless for teaching boarders as there isn't enough gradient.
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dobby, The Vallons 4 isn't an easy red but nor is it a really tough one, it's pretty long though. I didn't go on the magic carpet but my daughter did larking about, it takes about 10 minutes according to her (probably an exagerration) and doesn't take you anywhere near as far up the slope as the chair did.
Lizzard, it does look quite cool though 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Doubt 10 mins is an exaggeration given how long we waited for our time wasters at Pal on a far shorter one! Think the worst thing about only one chair on the Cretes run is there is nowhere to go when it breaks... Is a pretty crucial linking chair IMO! Charlotte ended up going back to the village with the tots as they were a few peeps behind us in the queue when Cretes lift stopped working earlier this week - Evie would have been fine on the Valentin but not something you would want to dowith a group of 8/9 year olds!
Vallons red back to village is a big asset - we have really enjoyed skiing home. Not sure the Diable chair any better than the red eggs... Feels much the same!!
Kids love the various jumps, humps and Easypark that are scattered about - me too as don't stand there wincing in anticipation!0
Had a fab week in LdA this week - a couple of years on from my last visit I feel I am much more able to appreciate it as a resort. Where is the snow report post for this year?? Went to write about conditions and couldn't find thread so gave up!!
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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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katedenhaag, Nice to meet you last Friday, pleased you're having a good time. Yes the 4 man Cretes chair broke down last week too (it's very old) and caused chaos. I was on Pied Moutet, my daughter at Cretes and working out how to meet was challenging. The old 2 man wouldn't have helped that greatly though, no more really than the carpet.
Charlotte doesn't post on here anymore, her snow blog is linked from her site bit isn't working atm.
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Lol - I meant a Snowheads thread rather than C's! Charlotte's blog working for me but wasn't for one of my friends earlier - sent on as Maddie had a mention in dispatches!
Lovely to see you on Friday - nice start to our week.... Kids may have been back to play table football more than a few times during the week! M now desperate to know what level she is going to be awarded.... No idea what it will be! Kids have had a complete ball all week despite the weather (fingers crossed the wind dies down that u can hear outside by the morning!)
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You know it makes sense.
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katedenhaag, Yes they do like to know what their certificate will be don't they. My daughter got the top one 2 years ago and has still been hoping that Charlotte would perhaps "invent" a further award, and she's 17.
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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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| Claude B wrote: |
| The Vallons 4 isn't an easy red but nor is it a really tough one, it's pretty long though. |
I'd never been before Dec so didn't realise this was new but I really liked it. There was great snow and we never saw more than a handful of other people on that piste so it was just perfect for blasting down with a massive grin on my face.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I thought the red was great, so much nicer than the Valentine, which by the end of the day was so cut up and definately not a nice way to ascend on the last run of the day.
Went on the magic carpet when we had a white out, just to see what it was like. Very boring and vey slow, especially as you couldn't see out of the perspex as it was snow covered. never saw the other chair lift before but on the comments from instructors, this new addition is PANTS.
Anyone else heard the rumour that they plan to blow the mountain to create a Blue back to town..? I know its been banded about for some years, but was there in March and heard that it will be happening this summer??
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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not a nice way to ascend on the last run of the day
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You're walking up the Valentin? Freak. 
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Anyone else heard the rumour that they plan to blow the mountain to create a Blue back to town..?
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Yes. It's a load of b0llocks. It would require a huge amount of money and the cooperation of several landowners, not going to happen.
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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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Lizzard, ok got my des/as back bottom about...! Thought the blue run story was a bit too far in the clouds..
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I like how this website takes my phrase - a**e and changes it to bottom!!  Takes my phrase all out of context!
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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 further improvement to my mind would be a run above the village running from the runs at the Diable side towards the Valentin, etc. Similar to the one running the other way. I think this would encourage people to take the Diable Blacks or Vallons Red back rather than all piling down the Valentin or Demoiselles. It puts me off a little having to take a further drag from the bottom to get back to the centre of the resort (although I did manage to exploit a gap in a fence one day, it was gone the next).
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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The new magic carpet is as bad as others have said, slow slow slow and mostly ignored meaning that pretty much every run from the top of the Cretes chair is pretty congested with beginners who would have been on Petit Cretes (and probably enjoying that more) in previous years. And 'love' the way the customer survey they get you fill in at every opportunity doesn't give you the option to comment on individual lifts just the system as a whole so bet the lift company can say most people are happy with the changes!
Diable chair is good but really wouldn't have liked to have been on one of the uncovered chairs on Tuesday last week, very cold wind and the lift took ages as the lift kept stopping.
katedenhaag, Great seeing the kids reactions to their awards wasn't it? C was never bothered with what she got at other ski schools but it really seems to matter with Hot Tots, she was somewhat worried she would get the same or less as last years one silver so delighted with 3 silver and from J's reaction think he was worried he'd be beaten by the girls!
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