 Poster: A snowHead
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Sounds amazing! Hope it lasts until half term! 
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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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Thanks for the updates all, I arrive in Samoens next Thursday having made a booking in August for a resort I’ve never been to, sounds like we’ve hit the jackpot. Your reports have somewhat enhanced the build up.
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Another thanks for the updates. Sounds like you are having a great week so far! We arrive on Saturday so hoping for a good week
Is the closed Kedeuze gondola back open? is it causing issues? we are staying in Flaine but keen to explore as much of the area as possible.
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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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Kedeuze is still closed. They are hoping to re-open on Saturday, but no guarantees.
It's causing problems if you are staying (ie starting the day) in Les Carroz, as you need to bus up to Les Molliets. If you are skiing in, it's not an issue provided you don't drop try to ski Timalets or the bottom of Combe. Very clear signage on the pistes, so would be incredibly difficult to do it accidentally. And the bonus is that the slopes in Carroz seem to be very quiet as everyone who has bussed up disappears elsewhere.
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Bit of a long shot here. Most folk seem more interested in the pistes.
Flaine is relatively unfamiliar to me and outside of our normal network for information.
Thinking of a visit from Chamonix on Friday to Desert de Plate off piste area, and in particular the Colonney-Veran or Chapeau Gaspard north face ski tours.
Any information on current conditions most gratefully received.
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@HammondR, sorry, I'm not an off piste person, so can't help.
However, there is a bit more lift news in that now the main telecabine from Morillon village up to the ski area at Les Esserts has broken down and is closed, with buses between the village and Les Esserts. No more info at the moment, but I'll update if/when I hear anything.
The difference between this one and the Carroz one is that in Carroz you can take the bus up to Molliets in the morning and ski back to Les Carroz at the end of the day, except for beginners. At Morillon you don't have that option, as Doina piste is closed, so you can't ski back to Morillon, so have to bus both up and down, or use the Samoens or Vercland lifts and bus it from there.
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| HammondR wrote: |
Bit of a long shot here. Most folk seem more interested in the pistes.
Flaine is relatively unfamiliar to me and outside of our normal network for information.
Thinking of a visit from Chamonix on Friday to Desert de Plate off piste area, and in particular the Colonney-Veran or Chapeau Gaspard north face ski tours.
Any information on current conditions most gratefully received. |
Not an off-piste expert - but the thing to bear in mind about the Flaine bowl is that it's mostly a type of chalk based rock that erodes easily leaving rocky channels and crevasses. And it takes a while early in the season for all these to get filled in safely. So you need to get info on the snow conditions.
There's a guide here...
https://pistehors.com/backcountry/wiki/Haute-Savoie/Flaine-Off-Piste
An idea of what these cracks etc look like...
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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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For those with Flaine knowledge: Dormio Resort Les Portes du Grand Massif - looks a nice spot, maybe a bit quiet, but nice accomodation and not far from the main Flaine forum area.
At the end of March (Easter) is it likely to have ski access to the main area, via that run that goes to Gerats chair and behind the tower blocks?
Always hear about Flaine being brilliant end of season because it's north facing - how does the rest of the area fare? Do places like Morrillon, Samoens, Les Carroz become off limits due to the snow line? Hard to tells due to the historic webcams only having 2025 data.
looks a decent ski area but by that time of year is the skiable greatly reduced?
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Morillon telecabine now re-opened, so I guess it was nothing major.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Samoens ski area starts at 1600m and is also north-facing so will still be skiing well at the end of March.
Morillon and Carroz villages are around 1100m ish so don't fare so well once you get into April but even in the last couple of relatively low-snow years you could still access both base areas towards the end of March and all the links between the villages were open. I believe Morillon closes April 6th this year.
Undoubtably, Flaine and Samoens will have the best conditions later in the season.
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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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Kedeuze gondola working again! Started up again this afternoon. We enjoyed lapping the runs down to it a few times.
Pistes still all generally in really good nick. First thing in Les Carroz they were pretty icy, but up the Tete De Saix the snow was nice, and down in Samoëns too. Everything skiing really well as the day went on. Sad to be leaving tomorrow, but people coming this week should have a great time too!
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| Specialman wrote: |
For those with Flaine knowledge: Dormio Resort Les Portes du Grand Massif - looks a nice spot, maybe a bit quiet, but nice accomodation and not far from the main Flaine forum area.
At the end of March (Easter) is it likely to have ski access to the main area, via that run that goes to Gerats chair and behind the tower blocks?
Always hear about Flaine being brilliant end of season because it's north facing - how does the rest of the area fare? Do places like Morrillon, Samoens, Les Carroz become off limits due to the snow line? Hard to tells due to the historic webcams only having 2025 data.
looks a decent ski area but by that time of year is the skiable greatly reduced? |
Stayed at Dormio a couple of years ago - yes, it's not bad and was reasonably priced. We went in February during very poor snow conditions - we needed to walk a bit down the piste to get to the snow, but they scraped enough on for it to be skiable after a few hundred yards - though there was a second section that was dry a little way on. Bear in mind that you can't ski back to Dormio, so are reliant on the bus, which stops fairly early.
I've been to Flaine a few times, but not that late, and almost always found the snow in Flaine better than in the GM.
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You know it makes sense.
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Flaine people, any shops you're aware of that rent fruitier skis like Black Crows mirus cor etc? Not having much luck on google.
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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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| Specialman wrote: |
For those with Flaine knowledge: Dormio Resort Les Portes du Grand Massif - looks a nice spot, maybe a bit quiet, but nice accomodation and not far from the main Flaine forum area.
At the end of March (Easter) is it likely to have ski access to the main area, via that run that goes to Gerats chair and behind the tower blocks?
Always hear about Flaine being brilliant end of season because it's north facing - how does the rest of the area fare? Do places like Morrillon, Samoens, Les Carroz become off limits due to the snow line? Hard to tells due to the historic webcams only having 2025 data.
looks a decent ski area but by that time of year is the skiable greatly reduced? |
In my experience they always manage to keep that run down the back of the residences to Gerats open for at least the first week of April/first week of UK Easter holidays - even when it’s super warm - so you should be okay.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Specialman, on average, at1600m Flaine will be slushy and getting thin, not what I'd call brilliant. Below that, in other GM resorts, runs may be closed, especially in Morillon or heavy going if open.
Probably decent enough higher up in the Flaine bowl, which survives the longest. If you get lucky it might snow!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Specialman, it can be great, or awful, like everywhere else, if you can hang fire on your decision and wait to see what the weather gods deliver and where.
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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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Staying in Morillion end of Feb. Brothers first time snowboarding @ 56 (ouch), any suggestions for a good English speaking ski school to book him into?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
| Not an off-piste expert - but the thing to bear in mind about the Flaine bowl is that it's mostly a type of chalk based rock that erodes easily leaving rocky channels and crevasses. And it takes a while early in the season for all these to get filled in safely. So you need to get info on the snow conditions. |
There are warnings and photos round the ski area at Flaine that illustrate the potential dangers 
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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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| Quote: |
| Always hear about Flaine being brilliant end of season because it's north facing - how does the rest of the area fare? Do places like Morrillon, Samoens, Les Carroz become off limits due to the snow line? |
The pics below were at the end of March 2025. Still fun to be had on slushy runs above Morillon etc, which they'd done well to maintain and keep open.
Not everyone's cup of tea, but we enjoyed it - quite nice when it was pisted, early doors.
The main Flaine bowl, and the upper runs outside it, were generally excellent, though soft snow on south-facing runs.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@damanpunk, black side ski shop / rental in forum seemed to have most black crows models in. Around €35 per day and good selection to buy. Most brands available somewhere.
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| james.martin7400000000 wrote: |
| Staying in Morillion end of Feb. Brothers first time snowboarding @ 56 (ouch), any suggestions for a good English speaking ski school to book him into? |
Zigzag are based in Samoens (easy to get to from Morillon - we use the Vercland gondola, accessible by ski bus or car,with lots of parking) and have a lot of English speaking instructors but ESF Morillon has a lot too. Despite the reputation that ESF has, we’ve always found them to be good for both adult and child lessons.
I booked a lesson with Zigzag the other day and paid €140 for a two hour lunchtime lesson, which I thought was very good value!
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We were in Samoens a few weeks ago and used ZigZag too for ski lessons for a first timer. Also had a lunch lesson on 2 days for around £120 and £140. We did get them to run a lesson in Morillon, but the learner area and magic carpet was closed, so we had to bus over Samoens to run the lesson instead.
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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 arriving in Flaine tomorrow night by car, heading to Flaine Foret.
What is the mountain road like up to the resort? My hire car will have winter tyres. I assume the main road is cleared regularly?
Thanks.
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The main road is cleared regularly, but depending on the weather it can still be tricky. It's snowing heavily today, but due to be clearer tomorrow.
The other consideration is that all winter tyres are not created equal, as our friends have discovered in their hire car. They needed to use chains today, despite having winter tyres. If you do decide to go that route the Super U at the bottom of the mountain road stocks chains and is open until 8.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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OK, looks like the roads should be fine based on the forecast. Landing at GVA at 10pm, so a late drive up to resort.
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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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Hope the transfer is good.....but however bad it is, the fresh snow will be worth it!
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@dh900, how was the road up to Flaine? I'm driving up tomorrow (Sat) early afternoon - car has cross climate tyres plus I have chains and socks. I know the road well and have rarely needed chains.
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You know it makes sense.
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@billb, Roads were fine last night, I imagine different today after about 15cm fell. Nothing the ploughs cant clear by tomorrow though.
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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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@dh900, Thanks!
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Poster: A snowHead
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@dh900, drove up to Flaine this afternoon - road clear.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Geeking out over webcams this morning:
Can anyone tell me: if I take TK Veret button lift, can I ski down to the Gers bowl or do I have to return to Tourmaline?
Thanks for any intel.
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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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We're not off-pisters, but the 'official' route is to drop in off the Zeolite piste. Not sure if you could make it in from Veret or not, but I'm sure someone who knows will be along soon.
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| FreestyleAl wrote: |
if I take TK Veret button lift, can I ski down to the Gers bowl or do I have to return to Tourmaline?
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@FreestyleAl, It's been a while, so I checked the piste map, thinking from memory "but it's nowhere near Gers". I can see from the current map, though, which has a completely different orientation from how I remember it, that it would appear to be closer than it actually is.
The answer is no, it's nowhere near (Edit: the normal access to) Gers.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Sun 1-02-26 12:58; edited 1 time in total
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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 can’t attach a google maps image but it looks like at the top of TK VERET, you look down on the Gers valley - with the button lift behind you. I assume it must be cliffs or you’d need a guide to get down. It would be all off piste. It looks like there is a road/track below.
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@FreestyleAl, Like I said it's been a while, but I don't recall that route ever being on anyone's radar when skiing there (as a ski club rep, so often with guide or high-mountain instructor).
Yes in theory the drag takes you almost high enough to drop down, but memories of looking up from the bowl itself, and looking at various maps (e.g. https://www.geamap.com/en/france#zoom=17&lat=46.010545&lon=6.71529&layer=7&overlays=FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
https://map.geo.admin.ch/#/map?lang=en¢er=2543660.31,1096172.08&z=6&topic=ech&layers=ch.swisstopo.swisstlm3d-wanderwege;ch.astra.wanderland-sperrungen_umleitungen&bgLayer=ch.swisstopo.pixelkarte-farbe )
suggest that you'd need ropes to do so at the very least.
There's a more gentle-looking entry from the Grand Vans lift that _might_ be possible, at a push, but again I think there are near-vertical parts, with cliffs further down, which seems in keeping with my reading of the maps.
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Great map link. Thanks for sharing. That makes sense. We are always intrigued when looking at off piste tracks in different places in the GM. Makes sense re the ropes. I read a good article where Zig zag had taken a journo off piste using ropes for part of the trip but that was off the top of Flaine towards Mont Blanc.
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@FreestyleAl, Yeah, there's a known route over to Brevent, but also involves quite a lot of climbing/skinning and a lot of commitment.
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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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Superb piste conditions in Flaine today. Haven't been to other GM villages yet but I imagine they're all good. Cascades open so will give it a go (not for everyone but I like it).
@FreestyleAl, can't help you with Gers off-piste access but I am aware you have to know the area well to go off-piste as there are crevasses and other obstacles. A guide would be essential I would think.
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@billb, If the Gers lift is running and you access the bowl from the normal (only?) entry point you don't really need a guide, no hidden holes or anything nasty that you can't see, not like the area around the Lapiaz drag which is notorious for it.
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FAQ
