 Poster: A snowHead
|
|
Skied Val D all day. What a day. Slopes above Solaise and Fornet in great condition . Face was v firm at 945am and a bit naughty. The glacier over in Fornet was lovely snow. A 50km day so my kids snow tracks says. Need a beer. Marmot has good live music on this week including Lunettes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
The windows have just shaken as the pisteurs are triggering potential avalanche sites! They also did this last night as I was on my way to Drôle D'Endroit for a meal. It's a great place: the decor is industrial with garage ephemera as a nod to the buildings former use. The friendly staff are all dressed in overalls! There is a large terrace outside as well and drinks are well priced, a acfe au lait is €3.2 and a pint of any of the Mont Blanc variants is @7. The food is brasserie style, good portions and lots of variety to choose from. I had a chicken kebab (in a wrap) with fries and then choccy moose for €32. It is open from 0730 to 2200h. The only things to note are you cannot book, so when it's busy arrive by 1845 and the only criticism is the price of the wine - there are no bottles under €39. But for a burger and beer - highly recommended.
The pistes are softening more quickly now, we did a whizz down to La Daille and then down Face which was soft and bumpy by 9.50. We had a wander round Bellvarde and then back to La D by the lower part of Orange for a coffee at Rosies. Even Trolles was chopped up by 1230. Knocked off to do some end of season stuff.
Tomorrow will be a repeat of today weatherwise. Friday will be similar with a milky sky - not too thick to spoil the enjoyment but maybe a breeze to cool things down. Saturday will be a bit cooler with cloud building a bit through the day and more cloud after dark. There is some doubt over the timing of the precipitation on Sunday - it may start in the early hours or it may wait till after lunch but as its now well into spring the rain snow line will start at around 2300m, dropping later. Next weel looks quite a lot cooler with April showers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
| Quote: |
| I was on my way to Drôle D'Endroit for a meal. It's a great place: the decor is industrial with garage ephemera as a nod to the buildings former use. The friendly staff are all dressed in overalls! |
Sounds interesting (& very unusual) @chocksaway! Where is it?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
@mountainaddict, Next door to Loop Bar … we went last night and enjoyed it.
Saw Queens of Snow Stage at Loop as pre dinner entertainment… awesome.
Been here all week and it’s great … skiing with 2 sons who are good skiers but not keen on Offpisteskiing so sticking largely to pistes. Hard to do more than 60km a day as soft snow, traffic and queues limit progress.
Need to plan slopes to hit them at the best time re aspect and altitude… we have got better at it each day.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
Thanks @PBJ. Sounds like you're managing to have a good time 
Re. queues & traffic: Is it French (& UK?) school hols? (It's still UK school hols where we are, so assuming that may be a factor...)
We'll be in Tignes for a few days in 2 weeks' time - so hoping it might be quieter then.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
I think its both nationalities easter hols. Its manageable though.
Any snowheads want to meet for a beer ? Today or tomorrow?
Try out the 7euro mont blanc ???
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@PBJ, I can do tonight at 6 - pm sent
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Last night I realise why I was quite tired - I had skied 12 days on the trot. So I forced myself to have a day off and do some end of season stuff in the apartment, visited my stylist, and initiated the collection of stuff for this year's tax return! So I could do with a beer!
Another hot day with more big slides looking out of the window. Tomorrow will seem cooler as the full glare of the sun will be stopped by a veil of high cloud from a weather system thats not going to reach us. There will also be a breeze, but it will still be unseasonably warm. Saturday looks pretty similar. Cloud will build through the night as a cold front approaches from the north west in the early hours of Sunday, but light precipitation won't start until mid afternoon at best guess as the front seems to be stalling a bit. Initially it will be raining to about 2100m -the rain snow line will then fall during the night as temperatures drop as the front reaches us. Monday looks quite wet in the villages but a decent snowfall at height.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Perfect see you there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thanks all for your updates, especially Chocks. We are out tomorrow staying in Les Boisses for one week. Not been to Tignes for 25 years so my knowledge of the area is rather lacking. If it's not too much of an ask, could anyone give me a brief summary of the sectors across the EK to ski as the day progresses in order to have the best chance of catching decent snow? Ideally a piste name in each sector so that I can try and plan our days accordingly. We will be skiing mainly blues and reds. Any help would be much appreciated.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
Big Avalalanche on Familiale this afternoon. I saw it from the lift and called it in at pisteurs hut at top of Tommeuses.
2 people in wrong place … think they both missed the slide … pisteurs think so too but dog search etc underway
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Fri 10-04-26 16:33; edited 2 times in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Fri 10-04-26 16:31; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@PBJ, Eeeek! Great to catch up last night.
@lemoncake, Next week is going to be cooler so things will change. But as a starter for 10 - here's a first day so you can then get your head around the aspects you are chasing through the day (well morning to early afternoon at this time of year. Apols if I am teaching Granny to etc but the Grand Motte is in the south which is a handy way to orientate yourself for easterly facing, then south then west facing slopes.
Boisse Bubble about 9.30
Aiguille Rouge Chair
Couple of laps of Rhododendron
Down into Lac via Bluets
Up Palafour
Down Lys
Up Merles
Lap grattalu Piste on Grattalu Chair to your hearts content.
Eventually down Carline
Lanches and Vanoise Chair - take Grand Motte cable car for sightseeing and red run if no queue.
Then return to Val Claret - maybe try Genepy first then one of the reds if the queues to get back up are not too busy.
That should give you an idea.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
Absolutely fantastic. Thanks so much Chocksaway!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
Well we had a milky sky this morning which started as skimmed and developed into semi-skimmed, we never really got to full fat as we had shadows all day. Still very warm - even without direct sun the pictures from @PBJ, show you should really be back on piste by lunchtime.
Well, Chez Chocks now looks like Widow Twanky's laundry - it was the last day on skis before cleaning tomorrow and departing on Sunday. A group of us went down to Brev first thing - you know that the snow is hard when your Apple Watch is bitching at you for being in a noisy environment - and the watch is under a padded sleeve! From there one of the group had never down Face de Bellvarde - so we worked our way to there. Yes it was Friday and yes the 'heroes' were out, so I opted for a deserted Joseray. At this stage it was 1015 and Face was covered in soft bumps. A quick whiz up Solaise and down L. I then popped into Rosies to say cheerio and then down Trolles and home to celebrate another season with all limbs intact. Just one bruised thumb this season.
Tomorrow will have similar temps to today, but the cloud will be more broken. Sunday will start with an overcast sky and precipitation will start mid to late morning or even early afternoon. Timings are trick as the cold front that is coming from the NW stalls and turns into a warm front as it regresses slightly. The snowline will be around 23/2400 m. Monday is likely to have snow/rain all day - mostly light but the snowline should drop a couple of hundred metres. Tuesday will start similarly but the precipitation will stop at some stage - but I don't know when. The rest of the week looks nice on current forecasts - quite a bit of new snow at height to play on.
For the travellers tomorrow we have 22k vehicles heading up and 24k going home so maybe a short holdup at peak times if everybody arrives or leaves at the same time. For those flying - the UK looks to be covered with showers so it could well be bumpy if you catch one - especially later. Over here, no problems but there may be a heavy shower or two late afternoon as the weather system looks quite active, especially at Lyon.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
Had a fabulous week piloting my daughter in a sit ski in tignes. If any snowheads saw us my daughter was in pink and giggling all the way down. Think I now ski slushy bumps better with a sitski than I do skiing on my own.
On a sad note saw a major avalanche off to the right of the Toumousse chair. Piste patrol were undergoing a search and I overheard a British guy saying that he saw a skier and a boarder when the avalanche triggered. It was a huge slab down to the rock so not looking good. Shook my son up as he has skied that face in the past though he would be properly equipped. Fingers crossed
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Glad to see Steve’s post on other thread suggesting no one caught in the avalanche.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
| peterpan wrote: |
@timlongs
@chocksaway
Thank you all for the recommendations. I'll give these companies a ring to see if any of them still do transfers so late in the season and see which one is a at a better price range ... I'll let you guys know of the outcome. |
I ended up using Ben's Bus as I have accomodated their runs on a Saturday. Most of the provided services only had Private Transfers that were driving the price a bit up. Snow Drone was only service that I found that was providing Shared Transfers (+ with the code from the forum it was a good deal).
I sadly had to postpone my trip to next week, but hopefully I'll still catch some of the amazing slopes you guys have been having.
Also very good to know that no one got caught in the recent avalanche...
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
@chocksaway, thanks as ever for your superb updates throughout the season, I always read this thread even though I'm not headed for Tignes as I know I'll get a pithy and accurate summary of snow conditions rather then hype. Although ironically I suspect I will be heading out to Tignes for one last hurrah in the coming weeks without your updates to guide me!
Thanks again and safe journey home
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
@chocksaway, safe travels back to God's Own 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Cheers folks - just one last forecast as I needed to see what I am facing in the morning - a dry car pack and rain for part of the journey.
Nice and sunny this morning - handy for drying stuff. It has clouded over progressively this afternoon and its now overcast. The cold front is still heading our way and then its going to put its breaks on - if it doesn't timings may change. Tomorrow morning will be overcast - get out and make the most of it as precipitation will start around 1300-1400 (although the Swiss think its going to be dry). The rain snowline will be around 23-2400m so soggy return to the villages when it starts. Monday will be overcast all day and light showers throughout, the rain snowline will drop a couple of hundred metres. The snow should stop before lift opening on Tuesday (though confidence in the forecasts is not high) leaving a nice day with a few fluffy clouds. Beyond that its all a bit uncertain but mostly sunny periods with a few April showers.
If you are flying tomorrow both sides will have very active showers so quite bumpy around them especially if a thunderstorm breaks out - which it could well do over here in the afternoon. Really quite windy in Scotland in the afternoon.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@chocksaway, thanks for all the reports this season, always a good read and essential for flight days. Have a safe journey back to Yorkshire.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@chocksaway thanks for all yr posts. Did the Sache this morning with kids and it was in v good condition. Would recommend. The red option near the end was open and saved us doing the bottom section into le brev. Had a great week avoiding lift qs and slush . Best conditions I’ve had in April for a week in ages. Grand motte and runs in val great
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Sorry I didn’t manage to meet up with fellow Snowheads this week. I did manage to get to marmot arms for live music. Sticky Rizla and Lunettes v good.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@chocksaway,
Legend - safe travels home - your living the dream and thanks for sharing it
Phillip
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
Thanks Chocks, and safe journey.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
@chocksaway, Good to meet and thanks for all your reports … love em.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@chocksaway, thank you for your forecasts particularly the one for 25th March which was pretty accurate. I think that was the day it started off sunny and ended up windy with horizontal snow and lifts shutting! As thanks to you I was on the look out for the weather front arriving we only got stuck in windy whiteout for ten minutes at the top of Grattalu and made our way back to 1800 on skis whereas others came back on buses having got stuck in Val etc! We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Tignes that week and the snow was amazing for the time of year.
Feeling envious of my daughter who is now in Tignes on her uni ski trip!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
Had a fantastic day today. The forecast was looking awful, so had primed ourselves for a potential non ski day. It was pretty cloudy but no vis problems below 2700 metres, and the sun poked through very occasionally. Lovely lunch in Val Claret. Snow was holding up pretty well, but called it a day around 2.30 as the legs were feeling it in the heavier afternoon snow. Currently shrouded in fog in Les Boisses so I think we timed it quite well. Planning to follow the itinerary that Chocks suggested tomorrow if the weather looks good.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
Thanks for all the updates throughout the season. I've been reading this thread all winter & finally heading out to Tignes on Saturday, so my season is only just starting  Will be a gentle week for us though as I've got a pulled calf and my partner has a broken thumb!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
@chocksaway, On another thread I see that the Rose Blanche has been sold for a mega bucks. When first I came to Val, back in the mists of time, the Rose was a small hut which I was told was given to the widow of a pisteur. who was killed in an avalanche, by the resort. This was so she could have a small income from selling the odd vin chaude.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
@sazza42, look forward to reading about how you’re all getting in, what snow conditions are like, what’s occurring in the ‘villages’ etc
Enjoy!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
It is definitely Spring here in Tignes - arrived yesterday to blazing sun & far warmer than at home. We've had a lovely gentle day today due to our injuries - tooling about above Bellevarde. The snow seems fine for the time of year considering how warm it is, just the usual - a bit hard in patches & a bit slushy in others. We were in Val Thorens for this week last year & conditions seem better here than they were over there then for the same week. We've seen loads of marmots already - always a highlight of skiing late!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Incredibly quiet yesterday. Came down from the Merles to VC about 16:30 and didn’t see a single person. Not much busier today despite a few kids lessons going on. A bit of rain then snow first thing. Still possible to ski to Brev although the authorities have clearly had to put in some effort.
Most folk seem to give it up as a bad job after lunch. Haven’t detected any folk on the pre-Family Jam week. It will be interesting how much orange will be around next week for the week proper
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
@ski lots i was out there two weeks ago and had a great week but you had to know how to avoid slush and chopped up slopes . First hour the slopes were v firm and then there was a 2 hrs window when most areas were lovely. Then after 12 you had to know where to go. My advice would be Grand Motte and Double M. The black from top of Toviere into Le Lac was good all day. Also the area between Tignes and Val (Borsat bowl) had good snow all pm. Val D Isre up Solasse on the Glacier lift and all around top area of Fornet was still v good all day. Basically north facing held well. There were a few times we downloaded on a bubble because it was not going to be pleasant. I wouldnt recommend the Face into Val D after 11am nor Palafour after lunch - both get too slushy and chopped up. Late skiing can be a gamble but this year in Tignes still looks great - just a bit too warm 15 Deg ?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
@Charlie333, I think we are probably singing from different song sheets. We are out until the end of the season (although the forecast for next week is currently not brilliant). There is some great spring snow about to enjoy and the slush (poor man’s powder) is to be embraced. No need to download. Pretty quiet in the afternoons and possible to find parts of runs that no one has skied so spring on piste. Don’t normally bother with the Gd Motte, bit of a faff to get there and popular. Incidentally the Tignes authorities were advising people not to ski the Troll/JH black into Le Lac first thing this morning (although it was open) as “it was like concrete”, it was fine by late morning. Tomorrow looks like it is going to be another stunning day.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
