The view from............ Val d'Isere and the Espace Killy

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

bar shaker - that sounds like an awesome day... please try and see if you can post some of the footage here - would be great to see.

Close calls

After the wind was howling at 171kmh last night at the glacier there was a lot of snow moving around but I dont think a huge amount of new snow actually fell. Thankfully the wind speed dropped to virtually nothing by the time we started the day.... well below about 3000m anyway. At altitude it was still screaming I think.

With the kids on the bus I headed into town and there was a lot of avalanche clearance work to do. The pisteurs were able to get the Olympic side sorted first up but I had to wait a while for the Solaise to open as they were obviously trying to get things like the Datcha working before they allowed anyone up. Anyway we finally got going and I had a young 5 year old from NZ and his aunt and we had a nice morning and with the slightly later start we worked through the morning without stopping really. He had new gloves as his hands had gotten very cold yesterday so he was better with the cold today thankfully.

It was a lovely morning and the weather got better and better. I have seen the videos of colleagues and their groups having awesome pow pow turns and it was definitely a day to reign in the egos but nevertheless there were a fair few people caught out today and some people buried in slides but thankfully nothing serious seems to have been reported! It was not too cold either - just a perfect bluebird day!

I took lunch at the Sun Bar and whilst there received a message from my pm lesson that he would not be coming. The booking is the same booking as I have done a few times before... the Brazilians. Unfortunately it appears that the wife had decided at the last min not to come on the trip so the 7 yr old daughter was the substitute but unfortunately it seems she has acted as a princess a little bit by the sounds of things and refused to go skiing today... just being Dad and daughter it meant Dad had no choice other than to cancel his lesson which was a real shame for him. Whenever I was skiing with them (he was her translator) he would always be looking around and seeing where he would have been able to ski if he had not had to stay with her so he must be really frustrated. Anyway a little sad for them both really.

So you might ask why I didnt carry on skiing my colleagues / for myself this afternoon in all that powder... instead I went home. Well the honest truth is that a) I am still feeling a little run down so took the opportunity to rest in two hand b) I have a TON of admin to get done at home and other things - remember I am also still dealing with my mothers estate and c) I am working pretty much every day back to back at the moment with virtually no down time and I need to pace myself - dont forget it is a very long season and we are only about 1/4 the way through it. I also have plenty of opportunities a season to ski powder and have a whole week off piste coming up in about 10 days time anyway so it'll happen!

So I really enjoyed the rest this pm and with Clare collecting Ben from Judo not until 6 and then a friend bringing Olivia home at 1900 it was a very long relaxing pm getting through my admin list - plenty more to do this evening.

I didnt mention this at the time as it might be quite obvious who I was talking about but I guess now is the time....

... does make me wander when a kid comes to a lesson - just the one.... has the MOST expensive POC helmet you can possibly imagine.... and then the worst pair of gloves I have ever seen. And despite obviously needing a LOT more lessons to actually be able to ski semi well the parents basically said that he would not be having any more lessons at all on the family holiday..... my point is that sometimes I am gobsmacked about what people prioritise and spend their money on for themselves / their kids.... really a £300 POC helmet but rubbish glove and no lessons.... I just assume they'll be happy for him to see if he can work it out for himself and not kill himself on the way there. DOH!

************************ FINALLY an advert************************

In a few weeks time - provisionally and I do emphasise provisionally, I am running a Bonneval heli day trip. Its pencilled for Monday 27th February. It will be (assuming all 4 slots on the chopper are taken) about €350 all in per person for the full day trip. Drop me a direct message if you would like more info.

****************************************************************

Tomorrow I am back with the young boy and the auntie before changing into my boarding gear for the pm and teaching a beginner... so another big day tomorrow coming up. Thursday is the same am and seasonnaires group starting in the afternoon then Friday am same kid / auntie before food shopping in the valley.... the weekend I haven't thought that far ahead yet - haha!

What a number plate!!!!! Parked in the disabled parking at the Rond pont today!

Even blasting in the little hollows next to the snow park

They were pretty quick to clear the Face this morning thats for sure.... had to use lots of hand charges though.

Turned into an amazingly beautiful day though

See the wind whipping of the top of the Motte - so there was still wind at altitude although nothing below about 2700m this morning.

You'll need to Register first of course.

@Steve Angus,

Thanks steve.

One of my skiing mates named Allan is definitely up for the Bonneval trip. We now need 2 more for a full helicopter.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Would love to join you on the Bonneval trip but already booked to do some course work with ICE starting that day. Will keep an eye open for any future opportunities.

After all it is free

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Not Allan Hawkins is it?

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

@Steve Angus,

I suspect we are talking about the same person. How did he contact you?

I've been skiing with Allan for years but I don't know what his surname is. I now have his phone number so I'll check.

snow reports

@Steve Angus,

I have sent you a pm. It appears we may have 2 Allans on board and now only 1 heli seat available.

Have a great day.

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Your comment about the POC helmet made me laugh. Money is well spent on kit for kids in keeping them warm (and safe) first. Decent gloves and socks a priority but lessons and would say private ones definitely worth the expense.

I really don’t understand why people spend thousands to get to a ski resort then make do with learning or not. That is after all why you are there in the first place! Not the first time I’ve heard a story like that.

A snowHead

@big_ben,

Here is Steve's video from 2015.

http://youtube.com/v/1gkwC3FRNq0

I don't think you need any words to describe it.

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Its dumping again

big_ben - I think the video speaks for itself - its a pretty cool day trip out thats for sure! Come and do it sometime!
welshflyer - Will reply to your message
therock - indeed. I can go on with stories like this. I shall restrain myself! Grumpy old man syndrome! Haha

The day started nicely with a cuddle in bed with Ben which is always a nice way to start the day. I did sleep well last night so feel better today but I think one more really decent nights sleep should do it.

With Clare off again and the kids not needing to go anywhere in particular it was just me that needed sorting out so it was a pretty chilled start to the day which was nice. Clare ended up having a good ski with the kids which sounds like it was a fun morning for them.

I had to get my snowboarding stuff to Snowberry ready for this pms lesson and on days like today it always take quite a bit of planning and logistics! Anyway after that was done I headed to the meet point and the weather was pretty nice. So we headed up the Olympic (the queue was a little longer than planned as they were a few mins late but hey ho that happens).

Anyway we headed straight for Grand Pre (via Collett having walked down the steps at the top of the Olympic) and got some really good laps in. After a hot choc at the new place at bottom Grand Pre we fitted in another lap before we needed to be back at the bottom of the Olympic for 1155 as they had to get the guest taxi back to the chalet so they were there when the other kids (who were skiing with my colleague Kieran) got back from their lesson. All worked out well timings wise.

I quickly changed gear in Snowberry then grabbed the sandwich out my pack before heading back to the meet point - all go this morning!

Whilst I remember and thinking about Snowberry I am told that Jock got out of hospital today after his stroke which is great news - hope he continues to get better!

Anyway my pm lesson was actually with a guy I taught skiing to the other day. So a fit young sporty guy in his early 20's. The clouds were rolling in but being 1-1 we whizzed through the content for learning to snowboard from the start of the process and he did REALLY well. By the end he was happily linking turns on the magic carpet - a real natural - nice to see and makes teaching easy - haha!

One thing that was interesting was the weather growing and growing.... we had had the early Mt Blanc weather warning system firing well today and certainly by the end of the afternoon it was REALLY REALLY socked in and this evening the snow is coming down very thick and very fast. Snowboarding was hot work this afternoon (as its not that cold out there) and I took my jacket off to teach boarding and by the end of the pm my jacket was well and truly buried under a decent layer of snow - oh yea big fat flakes!

So a really good afternoon in particular on the mountain.

I got all my gear home and that in itself is a faff but hey ho. The kids were finishing the day off with a good chill out with a movie and then the hairdresser came around to tidy up Bens mop - boy his hair grows fast thats for sure. So she took it right down short so that should do him now until early Summer.

Now the kids in bed I can crack on with the evenings to do list. One of the big jobs this evening is to look at the appliance store down in Bourg, Darty..... why, well our oven decided to blow up at breakfast time this evening so need to source a new one when I head down the valley on Friday afternoon doing the food shop!

Tomorrow I have the same team in the am and then in the pm I start the seasonnaires series of lessons for this season.... and so it begins once again! Haha!

TTFN

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@Skiwi222,

They are probably still closed because they are stiil too dangerous. They would open them if they were safe.

The runs you have named are well known as the "most dangerous" in Val d'isere after new or heavy snowfalls. I don't know how much skiing you have done but I can see your frustration in your posting.

I arrive in resort this coming weekend but I've been monitoring the snowfalls, the wind and ambient temperatures there in Val d'isere from the start of the season. I know that there is still a significant risk of avalanche. If you see avalanche warnings above 2 out of 5 there is still a signifant risk.

Over the last week. in Val d'isere/Tignes there have been a number of small avalanches luckily there have been no fatalities.

There are lots of other ski slopes to enjoy.

You'll need to Register first of course.

@welshflyer,

Oh no, certainly no frustration. I was just curious if it's because of lack of snow or avalanche danger.

In the second case there is a certain risk that they won't open for the rest of the season: when there are "fishmaule" (don't know the English word) it's virtually impossible for the ski patrol to secure the slopes because these are very hard to trigger by blasting.

And since I'm heading out to Val at the end of this month it would be a pity if Sache, Santons or Col de Ves in particular would still be closed Very Happy

Anyway, let's wait and see what happens in the next couple of days.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@Skiwi222,

Earlier in the season the runs were closed due to the lack of snow. Some runs would have been ice with lots of exposed rocks.

They will be closed now because of the new accumulations of snow having increased the risk of avalanche onto those runs.

The conditions can change very quickly and it is only when you arrive in Val d'isere that you will find out where it is safe to ski.

If you can't ski all of the runs this time, you'll have to come back, there are a lot of ski runs in Tignes-Val d'isere. Little Angel

After all it is free

@Skiwi222,
There's a third reason why runs may be closed. When there are snowfalls coming thick & fast (like the current conditions) the lift cos will concentrate on opening runs close to the villages, runs that link areas, popular runs. More out of the way runs, eg Col de Ves, Cugnai, are a lower priority.

At one time the Col de Ves never opened until half-term. In more recent seasons its opening has been more erratic. Last season it opened earlier. It was actually turning one day this week, so clearly gearing up. Snow was also being made at the top of Santons today, so that suggests there is some lack of snow there.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

It’s a combination of avalanche risk, the amount of snow still needed to fill the runs in and make them viable, the pisteurs having time to prepare and open which takes time and then still working on other areas that need attention e.g Arcelle etc. it’ll happen soon I should think (some of them anyway)

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

It has started

I woke up feeling better (but im once again totally shattered this evening so as I continue to battle with this bug ill take another early night thats for sure) and it was obvious that the fresh snow that was falling last night did not last long last night as there was not too much out there on the pavements etc.

For some reason it was a big rush this morning - I think we were just behind schedule right from the offset although I (for some reason) woke far too early today. Anyway I got to the meeting point and the sun was out - it was going to be a good day.

Same morning lesson and my plans were thrown out the window a little as it was announced that they were all having lunch at Gigi's up the Solaise so that meant I had to plan my lesson in my head up the Solaise side rather than my preferred Bellevarde side for the content I had in my mind. As it turned out his was not to be an issue at all. For the first hour we lapped Madeleine and it was surprisingly quiet up there - where were everyone.... well actually I think I know as the Olympic was quite busy this morning. With a hot choc break at Datcha and a descent of Plan Millet it was a good session. I invented some new games to his liking and the Auntie is coming on really well too.

I dropped them at GiGi's then made my way back to town for my afternoon set up after lunch under the Sun Bar. The thing about having a heavy cold etc is that you are permanently whacked - coughing and spluttering and runny noses etc all tired you right out! Its annoying more than anything.

The afternoon was the start of the seasonnaires program where we offer discounted sessions to seasonal staff and my team of 5 (one had to work which is annoying for the first session when youre trying to get everyone on the same page of the book!) new skiers turned up. 3 girls from YSE, 1 from Mountain Rooms and 1 from HIP Hideouts. The nanny from Jelly and Ice Cream was the missing one. So a mix of chefs and general chalet staff made up the team. All were new to skiing this season or nearly new to skiing this season and hopefully after a few sessions I will be able to get them all down the Face as that (it always is) is many of their targets! So we worked the green triangle options up Bellevarde working on the Fundamental Elements and settling their core tencnique into shape. You dont have long with these sessions to get a lot of info out there and as most seasonnaires are always well under-dressed you haven't got too much time to explain yourself! Anyway with the obligatory 'Trick of the day' of backwards skiing I think they all went off to work happy.

With Clare doing a massage from 6 - 8 I had only been home a short period of time before the kids were home (well Olivia anyway) and I was in charge. With the way I have been feeling it was going to be exhausting. However I think they must have a dud thermometer at school as Ben was sent home at lunchtime ill. Well Clare got the thermometer here showing his temp at only 36.1C.... So Ben was already at home and was full of steam which made it a little more tiring!

With Clare off doing the massage I was sorting the kids and feeding them. Needless to say now they are in bed I am beyond tired.

In other news the STVI are reporting (which surprised me somewhat) that even with the bounce back Val is still 12% roughly behind on lift pass revenue compared to 2018-19. However 1500 Vie Val d'Is seasonal workers association seasonal passes have been sold which is less than I would have thought and and even more incredible (to me) 'only' 700 public seasonal passes have been sold - totally amazed at that.

Moon rising or was it setting!

Lets play 'name the piste'

Right sorry folks not at all in the rhythm of the season at the moment. Ill get back up and flowing soon.

Tomorrow will be another busy one as im working in the am and then heading down the valley food shopping in the afternoon and trying to acquire an oven! EEEK.

TTFN

snow reports

Hope you feel better soon. Lots of colds in UK too. Rhone Alpes?

@Steve Angus,

Yes you're skiing down Rhone Alps which they created for the 2009 Worlds Champs Womens Downhill.

It was a great event because all of the races finished in the same area.

It was only the 2nd time they used the Face for theMens Downhill.

You know it makes sense.

Jehu thanks and yes you are correct
welshflyer - I thought people might say it was the red but I knew those that know would know its the Rhone Alpes yes! It was a good event the World Champs - remember it well! Not strictly true re the Face... it was also used for test events in the World Cup the previous Winter (2008) for Mens Downhill - I remember it well - Graham Bell doing his camera run on the Face and missing half the gates in the middle section... I also remembering being a lisseur and it being VERY difficult indeed to get ANY purchase on the boiler plate. haha

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@Steve Angus,

I was also surprised at the amount of season passes sold outwith Vie Val.

Val d’Isere (STVI) lost out on 11 Season passes from our friends and family that didn’t qualify for the reduced Vie Val pass.

A season pass purchased in Tignes for under 25’s was €599 (Thank you to the poster that flagged this back in November)
Val d’Isere €990 for a season.
For our children’s uni friends and our nieces and nephews that are visiting twice this season it made sense to buy a season pass from Tignes rather than to pay Val d’Isere for 2 separate week passes at €378 x 2.

A snowHead

@Steve Angus don't forget IKEA deliver ovens..... Happy

Quick question for those with local knowledge. We're staying in Tignes at the moment, leaving our accommodation first thing tomorrow. Contemplating driving to La Daille and skiing the VDI area without having to 'commute' over from lower Tignes on skis in the morning. It looks as if P5 parking is pretty much our only option, unless anyone knows better.....

A snowHead

@Steve Angus,

I don't remember any test events on the Face in 2008. Then again I can't even remember what I had for dinner last night, there's not much hope for me. I thought they didn't use the Face because it takes so much snow and effort to prepare it.

They must have built the Rhone Alps before 2009 because they have to test them before they use them for the proper race.

The main thing is to get your oven fixed, you don't want to be living on salads.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@Steve Angus, catching up after a few days off and MrsPeakyB being in hospital for a major leg op.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

@Steve Angus, Hi Steve, been following your posts for a while. I'm maybe a bit slow here but you live out in Val/Tignes during winter season and ski instructor during that time? Are your kids just in local french school and you come back to UK in off season and they just go back to local uk school? Trying to see options of what to do with our 2 boys (6 and Cool

and how much of impact/ complications jumping them in and out of schools has? cheers.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

muppet - I bet stories like this are not the only one. I think different ski resorts are working out how to manage the new laws as well as how to balance the books in different ways. Val decided that underwriting VVD to allow seasonal workers to get passes at decent prices was a priority... other places like La Plagne are going to be ploughing money into legal fees as they are battling the government by offering discounts galore.
sj1608 - needs to be freestanding and delivering from Ikea up here costs a LOT! Yes re parking - thats your best bet
welshflyerYes Rhone Alpes has been around a fair while... re Face and the test event - ill see if I can dig some pics out - but the reason Face isnt used really is it blocks so much of the resort (and no-one really comes and watches anyway!)
PeakyB - get well sone MrsPeakyB. Indeed re common sense and the snow - yay
noodlehat - thanks - glad you have been lurking. Yes I teach (20 odd years and counting now) in the Winter here in Val. Live in La Daille. We live here year round (since kids came on the scene 9 years ago) and kids go to school here all year. There are some people who do 'seasonal schooling' but its complicated and the whole set up is complicated... not least the language barrier for starters. Perhaps drop me a pm with your phone number if you like and I will give you some details if you wanted to chat on the phone sometime potentially?

You'll need to Register first of course.

More snow

The day started in the usual way but there was once again a little more snow falling. In fact it has been a weird day between heavy snow one minute, then the clouds breaking and it being sunny the next before moving back in later.... a strange weather day but crucially more snow.

I had the same team this am and we headed Bellevarde side and battled through bad weather initially before it got better as the morning progressed. A couple of runs through the park was particularly popular with the little man.

I treated myself to lunch at Chevallot and then after a quick change it has been a manic afternoon down the valley collecting food, looking at oven options (we have a temporary plan of using the Air Fryer for now as we continue to try and find a replacement freestanding oven. I was also in Weldom trying to find a few bits and of course there is always a top up shop to be done after collecting stuff from the click and collect.

So whilst we dont have an oven this evening we have a plan of action and have worked out a couple of options - for now.

Anyway I am once again in need of an early night tonight as this lurgy is lingering on and getting really annoying. I have a half day works tomorrow am whilst Ben is in a lesson and Olivia is in ski club... personally I am going to really try and chill in the afternoon. Sunday is my first day out of boots for quite a while and my last day for a wee while.

A short one this evening but ill be back bigger and better... haha

TTFN

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@Steve Angus,
Just a personal opinion, but I thought the World Cup races on the OK/Orange were better supported than on the Face as there were many places you could stand & watch the racers flash past.

After all it is free

@Kenzie,

The best place to watch them coming down OK/Orange was sitting on the balcony of Triffolet with a nice hot choc in hand!

For the 2009 Mens Downhill down the Face I did a couple of laps on the Olympique Gondola. I watched some of the racers from above and someone in the cabin played the "Ski Sunday" theme music on their phone.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Help!!

The view from............ Val d'Isere and the Espace Killy

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