Ski season 2016/2017

olaola

cormee wrote: »

Although, for the last three years, or so, I usually don't bring any bag at all with me, unless I'm taking the GoPro (and all the crap that goes with it). I realised one day that when I brought a backpack I filled it with rubbish that I never used - chemical hand warmers, spare batteries, and the likes. All I really need is water, so I carry one of the smaller bottles in my pocket, and if it looks like I'm going to empty it, I fill it with snow. Happy days. :cool:

I bring goggles, fleece and a few things, so worth it for me & you really don't notice this on your back at all!

DoraDelite

Just back from my annual two weeks in Chamonix. I can report that snow conditions were awful off-piste, there was a lot less of a base than the last two years at this stage. It did snow last Wed/Thursday but it only added a few cms to hid a few rocks! On-piste (what was open) was okay as it was cold enough to get the snow cannons running.

One big change (for those familiar with the Apres ski) is that Chambre Neuf has had some kind of a hipster makeover. Gone are the mooses heads and old dark wood and in are the bare lightbulbs and bright wine bar style bar. The same band are still playing but I don't know if the change will be too much as the season progresses. Also they have switched to plastic glasses and decided to charge a €2 euro deposit for each glass and jug for some reason (yeah we really want to steal plastic Stella Artois glasses?!)...bit of a rant!

Considering going somewhere else next year as I don't think I can face another poor season start in Chamonix. Might save going there until end of Feb/early March.

Anyway, Saalbach at the end of this month should deliver

Rew

DoraDelite wrote: »

Anyway, Saalbach at the end of this month should deliver

Friend is just back said it was awful till the dump on Wednesday then it was awesome. From the pics of that day it was powder heaven.

DoraDelite

Rew wrote: »

Friend is just back said it was awful till the dump on Wednesday then it was awesome. From the pics of that day it was powder heaven.

Yep, and there looks to be metres of the stuff landing later this week

cormee

DoraDelite wrote: »

One big change (for those familiar with the Apres ski) is that Chambre Neuf has had some kind of a hipster makeover. Gone are the mooses heads and old dark wood and in are the bare lightbulbs and bright wine bar style bar. The same band are still playing but I don't know if the change will be too much as the season progresses. Also they have switched to plastic glasses and decided to charge a €2 euro deposit for each glass and jug for some reason (yeah we really want to steal plastic Stella Artois glasses?!)...bit of a rant!

Can't stand that dump, so this is good news to me. There isn't/wasn't a single thing I didn't hate about it. Elevation, just across the road, is far nicer, although that has had a makeover recently too.

d2ww

Cormee/DoraDeLite,
I am thinking of going over to Chamonix at the end of Feb and if the weather plays ball, doing the Vallee Blanche with Evo2. They do a half day off piste clinic beforehand up on the the Grand Montets which I wanted to do as well.
I a little anxious about the runs off the top, are they like normal pisted black slopes, or are they on a whole different level? Also, are there off piste areas there that are blue/red in terms of slope? Or is it all the kind of stuff you would see on a Redbull video?
Thanks, d2ww

DoraDelite

My experience of Grand Montets off-piste is not Redbull stuff! I find it all doable but conditions can vary, the very top is difficult in icy conditions and while I was there they actually closed it to skiers for a couple of days due to conditions being so bad. In saying that, if you are going at the end of February I don't think that's going to be an issue.

Most of the off piste slope (angles if that's the right word) are black/red in degrees but you could have narrow spots, traverses etc included, again this depends on conditions. If you have done off-piste before I would imagine you could handle all of it. I actually find it enjoyable up there as there's so many routes to take.

That's my experience anyway, Cormee may have more to add.

DoraDelite

cormee wrote: »

Can't stand that dump, so this is good news to me. There isn't/wasn't a single thing I didn't hate about it. Elevation, just across the road, is far nicer, although that has had a makeover recently too.

I actually spent a bit of time in Moo beside Elevation and I found that to be a lovely spot.

cormee

d2ww wrote: »

Cormee/DoraDeLite,
I am thinking of going over to Chamonix at the end of Feb and if the weather plays ball, doing the Vallee Blanche with Evo2. They do a half day off piste clinic beforehand up on the the Grand Montets which I wanted to do as well.
I a little anxious about the runs off the top, are they like normal pisted black slopes, or are they on a whole different level? Also, are there off piste areas there that are blue/red in terms of slope? Or is it all the kind of stuff you would see on a Redbull video?
Thanks, d2ww

It depends on how comfortable you on blacks, to be honest. Would you be comfortable coming to the top of a black slope and just skiing/boarding over, without a second thought, or would you be more cautious, stand there looking down for a while, and eventually go down slowly and carefully? If it's the former you'll be grand, there is nothing exceptionally difficult, if it's the latter you'll find it challenging but not impossible.

Coming from the top of the Grand Montets my favourite piste is Point de Vue, the view is stunning, it's really not *that* difficult, but it runs along cliffs, so a wrong turn, or losing control, could lead to instant death
One of the other blacks coming off Grand Montets, Pylonnes, is (iirc) a complete bitch, it's a mogulled black and a nightmare on a snowboard, so I end up going down it off-piste.

Coming off the Bochard lift, the Chamois is a great (black) piste it starts out very steep but gets easier, and cruisier further down. The Bochard red is also great but gets busy.

The area I have gone off-piste there tends to be between the Bochard and the Chamois, there is nothing too dangerous and definitely nothing of a Red Bull-caliber, it would be more red in terms of slope.

My favourite piste is the Pierre a Ric, red, it links the main Grand Montets ski area with the car park in Argentiere, it gets very busy in the evening when everyone is heading home, but it's great fun in the morning when no one is using it.

cormee

DoraDelite wrote: »

I actually spent a bit of time in Moo beside Elevation and I found that to be a lovely spot.

Yeah, that would be my preferred spot too, Elevation is great but tends to be the haunt of gnarled powder-hounds who arrived 20 years earlier and never left.

Homesick Alien

Heading to Avoriaz for the first time in 18 days and praying for some big dumps between now and then. Austria seems to getting all the good stuff.

If the weather plays ball can anyone recommend some nice off piste trails that don't go too far off the beaten track? I'll be on my own so nothing too risky.

garethj

Hi guys, I'm heading to Val Thorens in a few weeks. I am a beginner so hoping to get a few lessons pencilled in (as well as praying for a bit of snow between now and then!). Could anyone here be so kind as to recommend a ski instructor or ski school that they have used before or that they have heard good things about? I think I would prefer to go with private lessons if possible. Many thanks!

AnthonyCny

DoraDelite wrote: »

Just back from my annual two weeks in Chamonix. I can report that snow conditions were awful off-piste, there was a lot less of a base than the last two years at this stage. It did snow last Wed/Thursday but it only added a few cms to hid a few rocks! On-piste (what was open) was okay as it was cold enough to get the snow cannons running.

One big change (for those familiar with the Apres ski) is that Chambre Neuf has had some kind of a hipster makeover. Gone are the mooses heads and old dark wood and in are the bare lightbulbs and bright wine bar style bar. The same band are still playing but I don't know if the change will be too much as the season progresses. Also they have switched to plastic glasses and decided to charge a €2 euro deposit for each glass and jug for some reason (yeah we really want to steal plastic Stella Artois glasses?!)...bit of a rant!

Considering going somewhere else next year as I don't think I can face another poor season start in Chamonix. Might save going there until end of Feb/early March.

Anyway, Saalbach at the end of this month should deliver

Was in Chamonix last year. Chambre Neuf was d1ckhead central. Cringy stuff Had 1 drink and left.

DoraDelite

AnthonyCny wrote: »

Was in Chamonix last year. Chambre Neuf was d1ckhead central. Cringy stuff Had 1 drink and left.

Even bigger d1ckheads in it now

d2ww

Thanks for all the info, I don't see myself having a problem, I can ski blacks comfortably, and have done a few off piste days, as well as a lot of slope side stuff. But, I do tend to hit a wall above a certain level of steepness, hence the question about GM.
The guides rightly promote the idea of doing the half day clinic up in Grand Montets before doing the VB, and I would suspect it's so that they can see if you're capable of doing the VB at all. I'm hoping that they say I might be good enough to do one of the variations, which would be a bonus

cormee

d2ww wrote: »

Thanks for all the info, I don't see myself having a problem, I can ski blacks comfortably, and have done a few off piste days, as well as a lot of slope side stuff. But, I do tend to hit a wall above a certain level of steepness, hence the question about GM.
The guides rightly promote the idea of doing the half day clinic up in Grand Montets before doing the VB, and I would suspect it's so that they can see if you're capable of doing the VB at all. I'm hoping that they say I might be good enough to do one of the variations, which would be a bonus

I'd have thought ability to ski/board in powder would be more of a concern in the Valee Blanche.

d2ww

cormee wrote: »

I'd have thought ability to ski/board in powder would be more of a concern in the Valee Blanche.

The newer fat skis hide a lot of sins!

a148pro

cormee wrote: »

I'd have thought ability to ski/board in powder would be more of a concern in the Valee Blanche.

Yes this. Vallee blanche isn't particularly steep down the simplest route. You need a guide as you're in a high mountain area not regulated or patrolled or avalanched controlled. There are crevasses and you need a guide to avoid going into them or to get you out if you do go in. You could also conceiveably take a wrong turn, i.e., left off the arete and get yourself in all kind of trouble.

But generally speaking the vallee blanche is an easy ski if you've done any kind of off piste. Don't get intimidated by it. Get a guide and enjoy the views.

As regards steepness of off piste above GM its mostly red to black territory, but its really whatever you're having yourself. It is a very wide area, I mean acres and acres with some pistes in between. It gets very tracked out immediately so you don't feel like you're somewhere too extreme. Also most of the good stuff is in bowls so you can hopefully mitigate the slope by taking a slightly different route.

As Cormee says your capacity to ski powder, and in GM terms, probably moguls as thats what it turns into very quickly, is more important. You couldn't be in better hands that with the guides so don't worry about. I learned (how not to ski) offpiste myself in successive holidays falling on my hole off piste above GM, with no guide. Was great craic altogether!

I should say that as Cormee has pointed out the slope down from the very top lift in GM is tricky. Mate of mine hurt himself badly on it. That lift also involves long queues and an extra ski pass so my preference would be to do repeated laps of the wonderful bowls off hearse and Bouchard which generally have no queues. Make sure you check out the entry to the Poubelle route at the top of the bourchard lift, skiers left as you move along towards the piste, fenced off.

a148pro

DoraDelite wrote: »

Just back from my annual two weeks in Chamonix. I can report that snow conditions were awful off-piste,

Anyway, Saalbach at the end of this month should deliver

I was feeling sorry for you until the last line :pac:

Rew wrote: »

FYI friend of mine just back from Austria was saying that Aer Lingus have new scales at checkin that refuse to print your luggage tags if its over weight (he reckoned there was a margin of a kilo or so).

This is very good to know - is this hand luggage as I usually nip off without hold luggage these days?

cormee wrote: »

All I really need is water, so I carry one of the smaller bottles in my pocket, and if it looks like I'm going to empty it, I fill it with snow. Happy days. :cool:

Seriously? Wouldn't have thought this is a great idea Cormee, pretty sure you can't drink Irish rain water without treating it, let alone European piss snow! Have you managed to avoid illness yet?

Rew

a148pro wrote: »

This is very good to know - is this hand luggage as I usually nip off without hold luggage these days?

Checked bags, never seen hand baggage weighed, just sized.

Seriously? Wouldn't have thought this is a great idea Cormee, pretty sure you can't drink Irish rain water without treating it, let alone European piss snow! Have you managed to avoid illness yet?

Yeah its not meant to be a good idea unless in a survival situation http://www.iflscience.com/environment/snow-sponge-toxic-car-exhaust-particles/

Timmaay

cormee wrote: »

It depends on how comfortable you on blacks, to be honest. Would you be comfortable coming to the top of a black slope and just skiing/boarding over, without a second thought, or would you be more cautious, stand there looking down for a while, and eventually go down slowly and carefully? If it's the former you'll be grand, there is nothing exceptionally difficult, if it's the latter you'll find it challenging but not impossible.

Coming from the top of the Grand Montets my favourite piste is Point de Vue, the view is stunning, it's really not *that* difficult, but it runs along cliffs, so a wrong turn, or losing control, could lead to instant death
One of the other blacks coming off Grand Montets, Pylonnes, is (iirc) a complete bitch, it's a mogulled black and a nightmare on a snowboard, so I end up going down it off-piste.

Coming off the Bochard lift, the Chamois is a great (black) piste it starts out very steep but gets easier, and cruisier further down. The Bochard red is also great but gets busy.

The area I have gone off-piste there tends to be between the Bochard and the Chamois, there is nothing too dangerous and definitely nothing of a Red Bull-caliber, it would be more red in terms of slope.

My favourite piste is the Pierre a Ric, red, it links the main Grand Montets ski area with the car park in Argentiere, it gets very busy in the evening when everyone is heading home, but it's great fun in the morning when no one is using it.

Didn't get in any of them pistes last year during my week in chamonix, it dumped snow all week so most the resort closed or extremely poor visibility. Made it my worst ski trip so far I'll admit and I'd no interest in going back to chamonix, however from reading up afew reports like yours I actually need to do it proper justice at some stage.

cormee

a148pro wrote: »

Seriously? Wouldn't have thought this is a great idea Cormee, pretty sure you can't drink Irish rain water without treating it, let alone European piss snow! Have you managed to avoid illness yet?

"Piss snow"! What sort of resorts are you going to :eek: I'd only ever use fluffy fresh snow, and hey, Alpine snow ... I'd have thought it doesn't get much purer than that. Anyhoo, I'm still alive, so it's all good. :cool:

Timmaay wrote: »

Didn't get in any of them pistes last year during my week in chamonix, it dumped snow all week so most the resort closed or extremely poor visibility. Made it my worst ski trip so far I'll admit and I'd no interest in going back to chamonix, however from reading up afew reports like yours I actually need to do it proper justice at some stage.

If you get Chamonix in the right conditions it's great, second only (for me) to the 3V. I'd definitely recommend all (except Pylonnes) the pistes I mentioned. Le Tour is also a nice area, not as challenging as GM, but a lot of it is tree-lined. I'm not mad about Brevent, but it's handy for lunch-time arrivals to Chamonix looking for an afternoon on the slopes.

granty1987

Homesick Alien wrote: »

Heading to Avoriaz for the first time in 18 days and praying for some big dumps between now and then. Austria seems to getting all the good stuff.

If the weather plays ball can anyone recommend some nice off piste trails that don't go too far off the beaten track? I'll be on my own so nothing too risky.

Work your way over to Pré La Joux. In between the Cornebois and Les Combes lifts is a great spot called Happy Valley, it's at the top of the pre-la-joux lift in Chatel.

Get a guide and he'll show you some of the areas to go to, there are loads

granty1987

Heading back to Japan this year

Went last year and it has basically ruined every other trip that I may go on. Never seen anything like it. There was one point where it dumped 2m in a couple of days. Like, we would wake up, check the snow report and if it was less than 20cm, we would take a lie in. You can find fresh tracks all day (incl night riding until 9pm when the visibility gets better with the floodlights on)

9 days to go!

Saying all of that, I wouldn't recommend going

Scarlet42

Lads .... been lurking for a while so getting loads of info .. so thanks for that, we are heading to Chamonix at the end of Jan (28th) flying from Belfast .. there is mixed group going .. two kids (8 and 10) about 6 beginners and the rest intermediate .. we are all staying in different places -- five of us are staying near Planards as thats where the kids are going for their lessons .. my wife had a fall a few ago and won't be able to ski .. and we have a beginner with us as well.

Just wondering what is the best ski pass to get .. the unlimited on seems pretty good .. but not sure if I will get the most use out if .. we would like to get to see all the main places (like Step into the void) as well as getting plenty of skiing.

for a ski resort Chamonix looks like it is huge ... what is the bus system like? we don't want to be hiring cars.

anyone know anything about the ski school (ESF) .. it meets in a square in town and then buses the skiers out to the slopes ...but they have to make their own way home?

any other info you can give me about Chamonix? like which which ski area would be best for intermediates?

I have searched the forum on info .. but it didn't really help me

maybe I should put this in a separate thread?

Sean

DoraDelite

Scarlet42 wrote: »

Lads .... been lurking for a while so getting loads of info .. so thanks for that, we are heading to Chamonix at the end of Jan (28th) flying from Belfast .. there is mixed group going .. two kids (8 and 10) about 6 beginners and the rest intermediate .. we are all staying in different places -- five of us are staying near Planards as thats where the kids are going for their lessons .. my wife had a fall a few ago and won't be able to ski .. and we have a beginner with us as well.

Just wondering what is the best ski pass to get .. the unlimited on seems pretty good .. but not sure if I will get the most use out if .. we would like to get to see all the main places (like Step into the void) as well as getting plenty of skiing.

for a ski resort Chamonix looks like it is huge ... what is the bus system like? we don't want to be hiring cars.

anyone know anything about the ski school (ESF) .. it meets in a square in town and then buses the skiers out to the slopes ...but they have to make their own way home?

any other info you can give me about Chamonix? like which which ski area would be best for intermediates?

I have searched the forum on info .. but it didn't really help me

maybe I should put this in a separate thread?

Sean

Unless you are planning on going up Aiguille de Midi for the view or one of the other activities on the pass then I wouldn't bother with the unlimited pass, the Le Pass would cover what you need.

The bus system is actually okay, I don't recall waiting around too long for a bus to one of the ski areas, they are fairly regular so you shouldn't have an issue there.

I have no idea what the ski schools do so someone else might know the answer to that. if there's no bus after just get one of the ski buses.

I would think the best ski area for intermediates would be Brevant/Flegere but you should also be able to handle Grand Montets as well. From memory Le Tour is fine as well (it's been years since I've been over in it, I think it's a good hike on the bus).

The town is great with a good vibe so enjoy that part as well!

cormee

Scarlet42 wrote: »

Lads .... been lurking for a while so getting loads of info .. so thanks for that, we are heading to Chamonix at the end of Jan (28th) flying from Belfast .. there is mixed group going .. two kids (8 and 10) about 6 beginners and the rest intermediate .. we are all staying in different places -- five of us are staying near Planards as thats where the kids are going for their lessons .. my wife had a fall a few ago and won't be able to ski .. and we have a beginner with us as well.

Just wondering what is the best ski pass to get .. the unlimited on seems pretty good .. but not sure if I will get the most use out if .. we would like to get to see all the main places (like Step into the void) as well as getting plenty of skiing.

for a ski resort Chamonix looks like it is huge ... what is the bus system like? we don't want to be hiring cars.

anyone know anything about the ski school (ESF) .. it meets in a square in town and then buses the skiers out to the slopes ...but they have to make their own way home?

any other info you can give me about Chamonix? like which which ski area would be best for intermediates?

I have searched the forum on info .. but it didn't really help me

maybe I should put this in a separate thread?

Sean

If you're sticking around Chamonix, and don't plan on travelling to Courmayeur, I'd recommend the Le Pass over the Unlimited, the only real difference between the two is the Unlimited allows you access the two blacks at the top of the Grand Montet.

Re Step Into the Void - I think the lift up to that costs €55 p/p - regardless of your lift pass. So be aware of that.

The bus system can be very frustrating, the busses get jammers, and there can be long periods, after the morning rush, when there are no busses for ages. Trips to Le Tour and Grand Montets take approx 30 mins, maybe more, you can get the express which take approx 20 mins. I've never brought kids, but getting them home, damp and cold, at the end of the day on the packed bus, could challenge their patience

I reckon Le Tour, or Les Houches would be the best area for intermediates, if you are well able for them, then head to Grand Montets.

cormee

DoraDelite wrote: »

Unless you are planning on going up Aiguille de Midi for the view or one of the other activities on the pass then I wouldn't bother with the unlimited pass, the Le Pass would cover what you need.

The bus system is actually okay, I don't recall waiting around too long for a bus to one of the ski areas, they are fairly regular so you shouldn't have an issue there.

I have no idea what the ski schools do so someone else might know the answer to that. if there's no bus after just get one of the ski buses.

I would think the best ski area for intermediates would be Brevant/Flegere but you should also be able to handle Grand Montets as well. From memory Le Tour is fine as well (it's been years since I've been over in it, I think it's a good hike on the bus).

The town is great with a good vibe so enjoy that part as well!

A lot of opposing answers we gave, not sure how much we have helped him

Does the Unlimited Pass cover Aguille de Midi?

[Edit] You're right, it does seem to cover it. Only time I ever tried to go up to it was on my last day, when my lift pass would have expired.

Scarlet42

eh .. thanks for the responses ... (i think ;-) ) really want to go up to Aguille de Midi with the kids and gang .. there is an option for the kids to get a Planards lift pass included in their ski lessons .. so we may have to pay extra for them to go up .. whats the story with the Blanch Vallee .. it sounds amazing but is it advance .. I know you need to get a guide for it.

Sean

DoraDelite

cormee wrote: »

A lot of opposing answers we gave, not sure how much we have helped him

Does the Unlimited Pass cover Aguille de Midi?

[Edit] You're right, it does seem to cover it. Only time I ever tried to go up to it was on my last day, when my lift pass would have expired.

Maybe I've been lucky with the buses! I think Le Tour takes about 45 mins? then again I haven't taken that trip in years so you'd know better!

Aiguille de Midi pass is about 40 euro a head so that basically would make the Le Pass + Aiguille de Midi the same price as the unlimited.

I still maintain Brevant/Flegere is also good for intermediates (as well as beginners) probably good place for the whole group to go towards the end of the week.

I think we have been most helpful Cormee!!