 Poster: A snowHead
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A huge avalanche occurred on the taconaz glacier this morning with the powder snow reaching the motorway. No news on any damage but the valley is protected by immense civil engineering works at this point.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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 Where on the motorway? My geography of Mont Blanc glaciers is a bit vague..... had a look at my Chamonix map and it's right on the western edge of the map. Why is everywhere always on the edge of the map?
Above Les Houches?
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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, taconaz is between les Houches and Chamonix. It's a couple of miles out of LH. I have seen some photos on twitter will try and repost.
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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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There was a big avalanche in Tacconaz in 1999 the same year as the Monroc avalanche but the protective walls limited any damage.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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jbob, Is that photo of the avalanche actually happening? Is the paravalanche the big concrete bridge thing over the road, as you drive up?
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Wow, I heard that in Cham Sud. Thought I was dreaming and went back to sleep.
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No that's further down near LH. This is the tacconaz one it's enormous.
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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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jbob, do you know if the main road is open at the moment?
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Patch, from the Chamonix.net web site there is no problem with the road. The snow that reached the road looks like harmless airborne powder. The protection that was built is as good as it gets as there is real estate to the summit of MB that dumps down that gully a huge area and its always held, even in 1999 when several of the concrete walls were broken. There are several layers of protection. If you look at the photo, first it's channeled, then split by the knobs, then slowed by the waves, then it drops into enormous "swimming pools". There are even houses below it, but I wouldn't live there, but I do live very close in the winter, just below the houses on the right in the photo. I am safely tucked up in Birmingham right now.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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This Friday around midday, an avalanche is part of the Taconnaz glacier, above the hamlet of the same name, located in the Valley of Chamonix. His breath was felt on the Route Blanche, located a few hundred metres below. The casting of large snow half full the Taconnaz avalanche protection, which protects homes and the highway below. Firefighters were on hand in early afternoon to the extent of casting.
Taking into account the quantities of snow accumulated throughout the winter and the warming observed these days, the Mayor of Chamonix recommends "the greatest caution outside secure areas and take all relevant information to the competent bodies before committing."
Source du Dauphiné
Several witnesses saw an impressive avalanche trigger ago minutes above the Taconnaz glacier.
According to witnesses, it has not exceeded the avalanche protection, but was no less impressive. "I am to the Bossons, we had the 'rain' on our roof." "It was awesome, I had not seen something like that for a few years that I'm here!" reflects an inhabitant, while another confirms that the avalanche stopped upstream from the new avalanche protection, "about 400 m above, at the bottom of the avalanche corridor." "But the cloud of powder was much higher than the barrier, perhaps 100 m of height, very impressive", reflects a hotelier from les Houches. Alerted, the Chamonix PGHM is currently on site. There is no damage according to the life of the Town Hall.
The Messenger
Translated by bing, I love the "his breath was felt". No damage, that is good news, but there are large accumulations of snow around and it's getting very warm!! Go carefully.
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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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That's not bad at all for an online translation. This bit goes a bit astray though:
The casting of large snow half full the Taconnaz avalanche protection, which protects homes and the highway below. Firefighters were on hand in early afternoon to the extent of casting.
for "casting of large snow", read "the significant flow of snow", or " large river of snow".
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You know it makes sense.
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jbob, is it up above the Mercure hotel? We happened to have to drive down to Chamonix this afternoon to pick something up and I just saw your first post here before we left so kept a good look out.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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jbob, thanks. There appears to be a huge mound of land/earth that has been built up between where the avalanche came down and the hotel - I suppose this is the avalanche catcher. It would have been quite something to have been looking out of a bedroom window there when it happened, and frightening.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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jbob, very interesting pictures - I've never realised the big avalanche protection works were there. They did their job today! Scary warnings; hope people take note.
I noticed big guiding wall sort of things up on the Balcons path when I walked from the Flegere lift in the summer - I suppose those are avalanche defenses as well?
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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, all sorts of stuff is used. Walls or 'splitters' to channel/deflect flows away from 'valuable stuff,' mounds to break up, refract and slow the flow (first used below Nordkette to protect Innsbruck/Hungerburg btw), pits/moats to 'catch' the flow (often before/after a wall), etc...
Good info here: http://www.mearsandwilbur.com/structural_defenses.html
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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There's an area of experimental EU-funded anti-avalanche devices between Les Saisies and Notre Dame de bellecombe, using short wooden trestles. Not on the Chamonix scale, more local/low key/low cost.
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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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Went and had a look for myself today. Certainly not as big as previous avalanches - was it 2006/2007 when there was a huge avalanche all the way to the bottom with chunks of ice the size of cars? Anyway I took a photo too: http://chamonixweatherreport.tumblr.com
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