Who is going skiing and where 2015?
Discussion
Just back from 4 days in PdS, staying in Chatel. Zero snow at resort level (granted it's pretty low) so we drive to Pres la Joux each morning and went up from there. Lower slopes around PlJ and the Linga area were ok early on but trashed by midday. You'll be needing your best slush technique. We stayed high above Avoriaz, and north-facing where poss, for the afternoons but even those pistes were suffering. The snow was heavy and slushy and ran really slow. Dropping down into Les Crosets, which can be a great run, was quite honestly a case of looking for anything white amongst the rock and grass to get down. Surprised they hadn't closed that, quite dangerous if you didn't know what you were doing although I guess closing it would be commercial suicide for that little hamlet.
Overall not too busy though, very few lift queues. Friends staying in Morzine headed straight up to Avoriaz every day as apparently it was significantly worse down there; didn't bother going to see for ourselves. There is a lot of cannon snow around.
It was 12 degrees UP the mountain midweek last week, and yesterday it precipitated with the freeze level being somewhere above the bottom of the Fornet chair - pssng with rain below there and only very tiny flakes above, up to the top of Col de Fornet/Lac Intrets.
It's really not going to be great in that area for Easter, the better runs will be very busy and will be slushed out completely by lunchtime. As for the end of the season, my recommendation (including to myself, as I have a provisional booking for 18 April) would probably be to bale if you're not in too deep financially. Will discuss with my fellow travellers this week.
Overall not too busy though, very few lift queues. Friends staying in Morzine headed straight up to Avoriaz every day as apparently it was significantly worse down there; didn't bother going to see for ourselves. There is a lot of cannon snow around.
It was 12 degrees UP the mountain midweek last week, and yesterday it precipitated with the freeze level being somewhere above the bottom of the Fornet chair - pssng with rain below there and only very tiny flakes above, up to the top of Col de Fornet/Lac Intrets.
It's really not going to be great in that area for Easter, the better runs will be very busy and will be slushed out completely by lunchtime. As for the end of the season, my recommendation (including to myself, as I have a provisional booking for 18 April) would probably be to bale if you're not in too deep financially. Will discuss with my fellow travellers this week.
CAPP0 said:
Just back from 4 days in PdS, staying in Chatel. Zero snow at resort level (granted it's pretty low) so we drive to Pres la Joux each morning and went up from there. Lower slopes around PlJ and the Linga area were ok early on but trashed by midday. You'll be needing your best slush technique. We stayed high above Avoriaz, and north-facing where poss, for the afternoons but even those pistes were suffering. The snow was heavy and slushy and ran really slow. Dropping down into Les Crosets, which can be a great run, was quite honestly a case of looking for anything white amongst the rock and grass to get down. Surprised they hadn't closed that, quite dangerous if you didn't know what you were doing although I guess closing it would be commercial suicide for that little hamlet.
Overall not too busy though, very few lift queues. Friends staying in Morzine headed straight up to Avoriaz every day as apparently it was significantly worse down there; didn't bother going to see for ourselves. There is a lot of cannon snow around.
It was 12 degrees UP the mountain midweek last week, and yesterday it precipitated with the freeze level being somewhere above the bottom of the Fornet chair - pssng with rain below there and only very tiny flakes above, up to the top of Col de Fornet/Lac Intrets.
It's really not going to be great in that area for Easter, the better runs will be very busy and will be slushed out completely by lunchtime. As for the end of the season, my recommendation (including to myself, as I have a provisional booking for 18 April) would probably be to bale if you're not in too deep financially. Will discuss with my fellow travellers this week.
Its changed a bit in the week since I was there then!Overall not too busy though, very few lift queues. Friends staying in Morzine headed straight up to Avoriaz every day as apparently it was significantly worse down there; didn't bother going to see for ourselves. There is a lot of cannon snow around.
It was 12 degrees UP the mountain midweek last week, and yesterday it precipitated with the freeze level being somewhere above the bottom of the Fornet chair - pssng with rain below there and only very tiny flakes above, up to the top of Col de Fornet/Lac Intrets.
It's really not going to be great in that area for Easter, the better runs will be very busy and will be slushed out completely by lunchtime. As for the end of the season, my recommendation (including to myself, as I have a provisional booking for 18 April) would probably be to bale if you're not in too deep financially. Will discuss with my fellow travellers this week.
Amateurish said:
Interesting report. We're going back to Morzine next week.
When you say dropping down to Les Crosets, do you mean The Wall? Since that is notoriously snow dependant. And quite tricky.
No, we looked at the Wall, which I have skied a fair few times, but some bugger had parked 1000 white VW Beetles on it When you say dropping down to Les Crosets, do you mean The Wall? Since that is notoriously snow dependant. And quite tricky.
so we gave that a miss, it's enough of a work-out in decent conditions!The run down into Les Crosets I was talking about is the one from the top of the Mossette, I can't recall the name, I'll see if I can find it. It's the one in this webcam pic although that doesn't show conditions up the hill that well - you can see the brown smears nearer the top, but that bottom last stretch is just slush as well. There is a black running parallel to it which looked to be in even worse condition. Oddly enough, the short piste directly opposite, to the right of this chair was in excellent condition, I did it twice back-to-back, you could just put in great big sweeping linked carves top to bottom, lovely! North-facing I guess.
So a few days on and we're in the 3vs now and over the past few days have skied all parts of it and the only part in my view that is worth anything at the moment in terms of the snow is Val Thorens and despite zero visibility and a wind that could blow you backwards we had a great day.
We're lewving the 3Vs in the morning and heading for Paradiski for a few nights so will update once we've got there.
We're lewving the 3Vs in the morning and heading for Paradiski for a few nights so will update once we've got there.
Mike Oxlong said:
Hello Chaps
Myself and a couple of friends are on our yearly "networking,stress relief and bonding seminar" this weekend in Chamonix. To our utmost surprise we find it just happens to be the weekend of the England France Rugby ! I am wondering if any of you knowledgeable folk could recommend a bar, restaurant that has attractive female bar staff, good beer,fine wine and friendly mix of English and French clients where we could watch this ,hopefully, televisual feast.
Many Thanks
Mike
You need to head to 'The Pub' halfway along the main drag away from the Place Balmat.Myself and a couple of friends are on our yearly "networking,stress relief and bonding seminar" this weekend in Chamonix. To our utmost surprise we find it just happens to be the weekend of the England France Rugby ! I am wondering if any of you knowledgeable folk could recommend a bar, restaurant that has attractive female bar staff, good beer,fine wine and friendly mix of English and French clients where we could watch this ,hopefully, televisual feast.
Many Thanks
Mike
Just arrived home from Sauze d'olux and had a good week. It was slushy at the bottom from around midday but the snow was good higher up. Had a very good dump on Wednesday and had a good day skiing through trees with OK vis followed by a cracking bluebird day on Thursday with knee deep powder.
Everything was frozen on the Friday but the pistes were good fun after warming up a bit. As I left this morning though, it was very warm and all the snow had melted in the resort.
We had no queues, very quiet pistes and there seemed to be a distinct lack of powder hounds which suited us perfectly. Only down side was my friend damaging ligaments in his wrist after trying to cover me in snow on one of our last runs on the Thursday.
Everything was frozen on the Friday but the pistes were good fun after warming up a bit. As I left this morning though, it was very warm and all the snow had melted in the resort.
We had no queues, very quiet pistes and there seemed to be a distinct lack of powder hounds which suited us perfectly. Only down side was my friend damaging ligaments in his wrist after trying to cover me in snow on one of our last runs on the Thursday.
CAPP0 said:
Have officially binned my April season-ender to Tignes now, looks like that's me done for the season now 
Saw you'd put that you were considering cancelling. Surely it's not that bad/can improve etc? EK has plenty to offer. If it's really warm and you haven't already I'd consider doing some touring, but the touring season is a way of in the EK.Mate who lives and instructs out there was saying it's gone wintry again and dumped.
So update on conditions from me;
- Sunday was a great morning skiing in Les Arc but you needed to stay high, during the early afternoon the weather moved in and snow started up high but rain at 1800.
- Monday awoke to snow/rain at Les Arc 1800 but this turned to rain during breakfast.
- Went round to Val d'Isere, not to ski and catch up with partners and calls were coming in to "not worth bothering" and the ski instructors were wishing they were teaching boarding, very wet and heavy and not fun at all even though there had been shed loads.
- In the afternoon moved rough to Tignes and yes looked like there was even more than in VDI (where we needed chains btw) but cloud was in and as per reports here not much was open.
- In both resorts the concerns are that the snow was very unstable and the tourists might think "cool powder man/dude".
- As we left the Tarantaise there was rain, a hell of a lot of it!
- We ended up in Les Carroz and apparently yesterday is was raining at the top of the Telecabine which is at 1800m.
Today has been dry all morning, not particularly cold and now the rain is starting to fall at 1100, we're off to Chamonix now going to Centre, Argentiere and over the Col to Vallorcine.
- Sunday was a great morning skiing in Les Arc but you needed to stay high, during the early afternoon the weather moved in and snow started up high but rain at 1800.
- Monday awoke to snow/rain at Les Arc 1800 but this turned to rain during breakfast.
- Went round to Val d'Isere, not to ski and catch up with partners and calls were coming in to "not worth bothering" and the ski instructors were wishing they were teaching boarding, very wet and heavy and not fun at all even though there had been shed loads.
- In the afternoon moved rough to Tignes and yes looked like there was even more than in VDI (where we needed chains btw) but cloud was in and as per reports here not much was open.
- In both resorts the concerns are that the snow was very unstable and the tourists might think "cool powder man/dude".
- As we left the Tarantaise there was rain, a hell of a lot of it!
- We ended up in Les Carroz and apparently yesterday is was raining at the top of the Telecabine which is at 1800m.
Today has been dry all morning, not particularly cold and now the rain is starting to fall at 1100, we're off to Chamonix now going to Centre, Argentiere and over the Col to Vallorcine.
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