 Poster: A snowHead
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Oops just realised I basically repeated what Ban said
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We’re based in Flaine. In last week we’ve skied entire GM. Vercland on Sunday was very icy. Needed some snow cannons. Piste to Morillion village seemed fine because of cannons, but some ice at 1100 level. Les Carroz quite slushy down low on Sunday, and imagine worse since.
So if snow quality is key criterion, I’d say Flaine the best bet.
Need some fresh pow though!!!
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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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Is there anyone skiing in Flaine who might be able to update on conditions over the coming days? We’re due to take our kids for their first trip on 2nd April, but I have until this Friday to cancel everything if needed. No idea whether there will be enough snow by April as it seems warm (and some Saharan sand?!).
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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In Flaine this week. North facing slopes in Flaine bowl holding up well despite high temperatures and plenty of snow on nursery slopes.
Lower slopes in Grand Massif, and anything facing South get very slushy in the afternoon. If it doesn't get warmer you should be fine.
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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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I'll be there next week so will report on conditions. Does look quite warm on Flaine météo at present but 8 feet of snow high up and 3.5 feet lower down is ok. Morillon must be suffering though. We'll ski Cascades if still open and report on potential water skiing in Sixt.
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Did Cascades today. One section where you had to take skis off and walk, and then the hairpins section was pretty unpleasant. May not last until next week.
Although it's been warm today, the sun was very hazy and this might have spared the pistes a bit. The bashers did a great job last night after rain the night before and most of the Flaine bowl was in reasonable state this afternoon.
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Did Cascades today. One section where you had to take skis off and walk, and then the hairpins section was pretty unpleasant. May not last until next week.
Although it's been warm today, the sun was very hazy and this might have spared the pistes a bit. The bashers did a great job last night after rain the night before and most of the Flaine bowl was in reasonable state this afternoon.
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@Brian Sun, seems like Easter has come a bit early 
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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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@Zorrac, thanks, pictures are great! Hope the pistes are that empty for us (!) - haven't been to Flaine for 10 years but I know it well. 235cm up top still, I'm sure there'll be something for you at Easter. Cooling slightly next week. I realise it will be freeze/thaw conditions.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Zorrac, thank for the pictures. Out a week Saturday so glad it still looks good. Mind you anything is better than it was in Sauze a couple of weeks ago!
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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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Hi,
I'm heading to Grand Massif on Sunday for a week for the first time with friends, staying at Samoens Les Saix. I'm looking for suggestions on the must see/do pistes/areas, we're all competent skiers. From the past few posts it looks like we should over to Flaine for the best snow? All recommendations greatly appreciated.
Thanks 
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Today's report. Spring piste conditions today. Hard 1st thing then softened up and slushy in places. Weather forecast said it would be cloudy but Flaine was above clouds so mostly sunny. Still plenty of snow and looks like it's going a bit cooler next week so the bashers should be able to get the pistes skiable.
@jim_bob, we haven't skied at Samoens this week but it should be OK high up. If coming over to Flaine then do it as early as possible as the main link run Tourmaline is South-facing and gets very churned up. See my comments about Cascades above which is considered a run to do. All high runs in Flaine bowl are in reasonable condition except the blacks.
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You know it makes sense.
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Five days in Les Carroz this week - Monday 14th-Friday 18th.
Pistes Ok early doors (before 11am), but the south facing ones get really chopped up by lunchtime, and almost everywhere is very spring like by last orders. Friday was also fog-bound in the lower resorts - we made 3 attempts to find Morillion, and failed on every attempt  . It really was skiing from one piste marker pole to the next, and making sure you stayed the correct side of them.
Temperatures varied from 9C at kickoff to a high of 16C at lunchtime. If it doesn't cool down soon the lower villages aren't going to be open much longer this season IMO.
Highlight of the week was seeing Fiona Bruce in the ski-hire shop. Lovely lady.
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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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Cascades shut today and I would suspect that it will be for the rest of the season. Slopes in Flaine today were classic spring conditions as @Judwin, says. Although we were above the fog on Friday
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Judwin, I saw Fiona Bruce at the checkout in Waitrose, Swiss Cottage, a few years back. She was organising the queue and seemed quite bossy!
However, now I know she goes to Les Carroz, I will think a bit better of her…
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Our first day in Flaine. Full sun this morning so skied in Flaine bowl - Crystal, Serpentine, bit of Faust. Mephisto, Lapiaz, Jade (latter quite scraped). Bowed my head passing Le Blanchot in memory of the 5 year old girl who was killed earlier in the season. Snow holding up quite well higher up but spring conditions - you have to work a bit harder. Grey skies after late lunch so took Grand Van chair then down Dolomie which was hard work. Up to Tete de Saix back down Silice/ Dolomie then back to Flaine via Tourmaline which was also hard work. Light difficult and getting achey (haven't skied for some time) so finished at 4.00pm.
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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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| Freestyle wrote: |
@Judwin, re your foggy day, I only discovered a few years ago that (in France) the downhill right hand piste markers are always orange tipped so that on white out days, you know that if you stay on the left of them, you will know you are on piste. (On the losing Morillon experience, we’ve quite often lost people who’ve accidentally ended up in Morillon at the end of the day by not taking the sharp right turn into Samoens on Dahu! One nearly missed his flight because of it!)  |
Yes, know about the orange tops, but we were mainly on red pistes, and telling orange from red in such poor viz was a challenge until you were quite close to the poles. I got it wrong once in Alpe D'Huez and that scared the poo-poo out of me.
Our first attempt to find Morillion was up Les Molliets, down L'Arette, and then Sairon. However, somehow we ended up on Les Chars and Paccote, and thence to Coulouvrier from which there is no escape except up.
Second attempt we got lost in the fog at the top of Coulouvrier., and ended up going down Chamois. 
Third attempt we somehow ended up at Gron. No idea how we got there - must have been either Truffe or Cupoire but TBH I don't remember. 
By that time the rest of our group had lost faith in my navigational skills (hardly surprising) so we retired to the bar on the way home to Les Carroz. Morillion can wait till next time.
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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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Ps. I have no idea what those emojis are…
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Day 2.
Bluebird day. Skied RHS of Flaine bowl (looking up) in the morning - definitely the best snow. Fred not bad so lapped it a couple of times. Late lunch. Went over to Le Lac and down blue Portet to Le Molliet - not bad despite lower altitude. Up to Tete Des Saix then Marmottes and Chamois - not bad. Back to Flaine - Tourmaline cutting up quite badly. Quite a good day all in all.
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@billb, Sounds good considering so long since any snow!
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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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Yesterday (22/03) was the best day - sunny and chilly, so the pistes held well for most of the day
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Day 3 & 4 (today). Only did a half day yesterday in order to recover - these hard pistes are hard work (well for our skill level anyway). Today was glorious - very clear across to Mt Blanc from grand platiere. A band did a lunchtime gig at the Desert Blanc (DMC) top station so we had lunch there. It was great.
Skied entirely in Flaine Bowl today. Tourmaline isn't worth the effort anymore imv. Fred. Mephisto, Lutin all skiing well, even the lower Jade isn't bad - it's that north facing side of the bowl that's the best. Tried Faust and it's not too bad. The glorious sun helps - I'm a fair weather skier!
My old Head rock hoppers were struggling on the hard pistes so I hired some decent skis today - La Croix all mountain in the morning and Stockli piste skis in the afternoon. My skiing improved. which was a relief! I'd buy new ones but I'm 70 now and unlikely to ski more than one week a year. Although we've driven down, that may not happen again and aircraft ski carriage negates the saving on hire cost.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I’m there too
In Samoens
Bit hard scrapy until sun has softened it up … great from 11 to 2 and sorbet after that 
Skied all over … Flaubert bowl, les Carroz, morillon etc
Like the tree lined runs best if you time it right
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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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Morillon must be suffering, especially at 1100. Still, who knows, it could snow before Easter.
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No way morillon will be open at Easter unless good new snow.
The slush is actually great fun … way better than the scrapy morning pistes ! But there will be no snow cover at all in the lower pistes within a week.
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You know it makes sense.
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Finished our last day at 2.30pm as snow (in Flaine) was getting slushy and cut up plus we had to pack and get to Macron. Good week though with superb blue sky weather.
Temps set to drop next week with possible precipitation so higher pistes, at least, might be refreshed.
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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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@billb, thank you for the reports, have a safe journey back 
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Zorrac, thanks. Home now. Hope there's something for you at Easter
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Skied the Grand Massif yesterday. As the above guys said, Rock hard until it melts, good on the turn then soup.
I'll add that above Tete des Saix it was a different kind of hard, rock solid and scrapey with a sugary dust. Below was just regular , much more grippy frozen piste.
The other thing that was really unexpected was how busy it was. Almost half term busy, but without many kids. And why are lots of people skiing beyond their control limits in terms of speed? I've heard this was a thing this year, but not seen it in Cham, Portes/Evasion du Mont Blanc, Espace Diamant ! Resort based ski area vs Village?
No skiing to Morrillon Village, Vercland or Sixt but plent of snow on all the main links to make it till Easter
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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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Imagine Flaine was busy simply because other areas nearby would be in poor condition.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| HilbertSpace wrote: |
| Imagine Flaine was busy simply because other areas nearby would be in poor condition. |
I would have agreed with you in principle, but conditions were excellent in Les Carroz today around lunchtime and at times there was literally no-one but us on pistes. I think it helps to know the area well and pick and choose your pistes, and also the time of day. Suspect it would have been much less pleasant at 9am or 4pm!
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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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Went to Les Carroz yesterday to pay homage to where I learnt to ski, just the 34 years ago. Lovely and quiet and good conditions in the morning. Flaine has been good first thing up till today but we have been down avec un beer by 3pm as the bottom is slushy, very hard work and busy after that. Today visibility has been poor and the new snow overnight has meant very sticky pistes lower down. Very hard work on the legs.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Idris, Are not quite a few of the local smaller resorts that would normally be open closed right now? It was very quiet up Brevent yesterday morning.
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@Idris not sure about other resorts as we have mainly been in Flaine. Powder day yesterday but it was warm so the snow was tres sticky. It was colder today so the fresh snow was much better but visibility was certainly a challenge at times. We had a long lunch and we were going to call it a day and head to the spa, but it brightened up to give us a couple more hours. This pm low down the powder turned to porridge in places. It’s snowing heavily now so our last day will be another powered day. Funny old week though. Monday we were in shorts and flip flops and today it’s been snowing all day. But if you’re coming out next week it should be awesome!
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We will arrive next week so hoping for some new snow!
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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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@melbouch, how much do you think you got?
Looks (! from webcam) around 10-15 cms at 1,800 ish in Cham valley, rained on and off all day in the valley, but you do get big differences only one or two valleys cross.
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At the top of the DMC gondola in Flaine there was at least 20cms this morning but no visibility. Down the bottom I reckon it’s about 10cms although the Flaine website has it at 15. It’s very cold and there is a bit of wind making it colder and it’s still snowing heavily. I have to admit that I did one run this am and had to bail as my calves were screaming at me. We’re with a boarder who is having a blast but lots of powder and no vis is not my idea of fun. I may go out again later when the powder has been bashed down a bit.
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FAQ
