We've just got back from the 3 Valleys after we bailed out early when Gti Junior got a chest infection. Saw the Dr and got antibiotics and would have stayed if the snow had been any good but it's not, it's terrible. The little snow that's availiable is icy and skied out and nasty. The resort people are doing their best to preserve the snow on the trade routes. Probably only a third of the runs and lifts are open.
This board only shows the Courchevel lifts; the bright blobs are closed runs:
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Off to La Plagne in a week, fingers crossed they have a dumping soon. Might have to pack the PS3 for the kids.
Isn't this time of year a little risky?
I mean you can never guarantee perfect conditions, but even more so now?
Had my best snow in Scotland FWIW.
Was listening to a story on this last week in the radio. Something about having to use snow machines to top up some of the runs?
The angle of the story was Scotish slopes were doing much better.
1st world problems.
Got a mate been out in Tignes for the last week and a load of friends going out to St Anton on Sunday..... not looking good at all.
They've had it good for the last few years so I suppose it was on the cards.
Looking at the forecasts it looks like a cold front and snow is on its way for the end of the week.
Still won't be great, but should help the situation.
The angle of the story was Scotish slopes were doing much better.
I looked through the webcams yesterday for the Scottish ski sites as I'd like to get out Sunday, and have just returned from the Alps. I'm not sure I'd bother yet there either. I suspect doing "better" is all relative. A couple of rocky, grassy runs at Glenshee in the rain is not something I'd go on holiday for.
And then there's the wind.....
I had a great week last week btw, got some really good skiing in. Piedmont Alps.
As an aside I read a book about Fridtjof Nansen a short while back, the part of that book that comes to mind is a really slow early ski season where everyone was complaining about the absence of snow. Plus ca change.
The middle class people on crutches count will be a little lower this year then.
I'm off on Xmas day for a week. Not too worried as I'm taking the mtb with me, too! 😈
Pre-Xmas and Xmas week can be (and have recently) been awesome weeks for skiing.
Waste deep powder in 3V two years ago and uncrowded slopes.
Some ?-world responses.
Verbier was good last weekend.
You need to be prepared to travel to other resorts during early/late season. I appreciate this is a nightmare for families though.
Hope Gti junior is feeling better and glad none of you have ice related injuries!
Dumped all their precipitation for the year this summer, bastard Alps !
I've had great Christmas skiing in years gone by. However, it is a bit of a lottery, so it's always a good idea to go somewhere with good restaurants and other stuff to do!
strangely almost every post I've seen from Austria is white, and that the snow was better than expected (although "expected" was probably quite bad).
stay home if you want, but a week on bad snow is better than a week stuck at home, and the insurance won't cough up.
spose doom makes a good story.
will be heading to the slopes in just over a week. even the week I turned up in a grassy Morzine we managed a full 6 days on the snow.
@globalti - sorry to hear that, my sister and her kids are out on Meribel this week as I was looking at the webcams yesterday. I was in Sainte Foy last week and we got in 3 decent days skiing in Tignes including a little powder and one day of sunshine. The 2010, 2011 and 2012 seasons where fantastic early (ie in late Nov/early Dec) but this year certainly has been a disaster. Christmas is a risk as its expensive and you have to book early which is a bad combination for checking out the conditions.
Was listening to a story on this last week in the radio. Something about having to use snow machines to top up some of the runs?
Its been too warm for most resorts to use the snow making, in fact when its +5 and +10 even if you make it over night it just melts the next day. In Savoie there was 20cm of fresh snow one afternoon/evening - lovely - but a day later it had almost all melted.
Going to Austria in a couple of weeks....luckily we have a Kitzsteinhorn glacier nearby which is reporting good conditions despite the lack of low level snow.
Snow is also due for other local mountains on Christmas day so hoping that will help the nearby lower runs.
We are out in Saalbach at the moment. The skiing isn't great, but they have done well to get quite a few runs open - it just means we have to use the bus a bit instead of enjoying the 200km linked circus.
Currently sat in a taxi in a traffic jam on the way to the Kaprun glacier 😆
Having fun though. Great hotel, amazing atmosphere everywhere - how better to spend Christmas than full of Austrian charm.
Hi wallop, good to hear there is a few runs open locally....will do the first day anyway then we will probably head for the glacier.
Hope the Kaprun glacier is good today - have had a look and nearly all the runs are open, so am sure it will be a good day. Let us know how you get on. Cheers.
MrSmith - Member
The middle class people on crutches count will be a little lower this year then.
What a great comment 🙄
You've never fallen off the bike?
You are amazing.
I believe some of the local Swiss resorts are opening bike parkes again according to the TV
I'm in Eastern Austria.
It's 13 degrees here.
meanwhile, [url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fat-bike-freeriding ]on another thread[/url]
Obergurgl (thanks Apple for the apt auto correct of Boer Gurgle!! ) good according to friends
Off for our first ski trip with 3 young kids in the new year. Booked Les Gets and a hire car, so there'd be other stuff on if this happened. Thinking of it as a holiday with some skiing.
There are some miserable fudgers on here. Merry Christmas all.
La Plagne looks OUVERT from 1800, which is handy because I'm staying opposite the 1800 chair lift, snow forceast on 27th and 28th and temps drop considerably -17 at 22:00 -8 during that day, forecasts can change though.
@rewski - our chalet host went up to La Pagne last week, the higher the better obviously. 1800m is going to be slush/ice on the piste and grass everywhere else, we spoke to friends in Peisey (similar height) and they where bussing people to main Les Arcs area as the links aren't open. Would suggest you get chair back down possibly at the end of the day, that will be essential if conditions don't improve.
EDIT we could see from the road that the pistes have been created down below 1800 as they face North but they where not open. I would say this means once more snow arrives and it gets colder they will be open but probably a bit dodgy for a while if you do want to ski back.
You've never fallen off the bike?
You are amazing.
fallen off plenty of times. merely an observation that there is always a jump in the number of people wearing either red trousers/body warmers and brown boots (aka the han-solo look) hobbling around on crutches at this time of year due to winter sports and gluwein.
Sunday was the first big day in Courcheval and the helicopters and pisteurs were busy all day, I expect it was mayhem in the resort clinic. The few open slopes are very crowded and the snow is icy meaning plenty of out-of-control skiers and crashes.
This year big resorts like 3 Vallées are saving the little snow they've got by preventing other resorts from bussing in skiers.
Still, at least the Alpine weather is nice and sunny and bright, unlike what we've come home to....
@ jambalaya - cheers for the lowdown. I know La Plagne quite well, third year at the same chalet. Will get 1800 chair lift up and down if needs be, links up with Golf which then links you up with everything over 2000.
The forecast in the tyrol for Christmas day and Boxing day is very cold and SNOW! Followed by temps between 0 and -10 for the following days.....looks like my arrival on the 27th is well timed! 😀
Kaprun - very windy, busy, but good pistes.
[url= http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/ruined-ski-holidays-put-smile-on-everyone-elses-faces-2014121793924 ]The Mash offers its sympathy[/url] 😆
Xmas and New Year are normally excellent weeks, we've been then every year for ages and always had great conditions. Off to Serre Chevalier on Sunday...
My god. It is so damn hot out here.
It's only December, no?
LOL at the Mash
Anyway, I'm booking my second trip. Whilst I'm doing it I shall smoke cigars wrapped in £50 notes.
I laugh in the face of stupid, pointless, allegedly sporting activities. Although from what I see out on the slopes, skiing is not an effective form of exercise for weight control.
And to be honest, at least half the people I chatted to last week could in no way be described as Middle class, Hoi Polloi fits better. Admittedly the other half definately fit the criteria, sometimes amusingly so.
We're off to Bourg saint Maurice tonight possibly for a couple of weeks. Big dump forecast for the weekend though looks shite ATM. If it's bolleaux, we'll decamp to Brittany and do some tandeming.
Plenty of options within driving distance of BSM. Val D, Val T, Tignes...
I went to Mayrhofen in Austria 2004 at Christmas. Did not view any snow on the bus journey from the airport and the lady at the hotel said the slopes had been green until a few days before we arrived. The first few days your were boarding through patches of mud and grass, but after that there was plenty of snow.
Loving all the middle class/1st word problem comments comments and similar. I think it cost around £500 😀
@wallop. So how is the glacier? Big queues? The runs a lot better than the local ones they have open? Cheers.
It's busy at the lifts but the pistes are fine. Some lifts have no queue. It's blooming windy, there are lots of icy patches, but the sun has been shining and most things are open. There is plenty to do. We've had a great day skiing and it was well worth the trip.
Plenty of options within driving distance of BSM. Val D, Val T, Tignes...
@wallop the issue is whether they will grant you access to the resort (where will you park) and sell you a lift ticket. As posted here Trois Vallees aren't accepting visitors not staying in the resort and I have heard the same about Avoriaz - they are keeping access to those staying there. Last week we where able to ski in Tignes easily and car park was less than half full but for New year week - who knows ?
No way! I didn't realise they did that. Boooo!
[url= http://en.lesgets.com/tools/webcams.html ]Clicky click[/url] -[url= http://en.lesgets.com/tools/webcams.html ]8-)[/url]
Apparently the Pyreneese is doing well at the moment. I've spoken to a few people who have been over the past few weekends and there is plenty of snow. I've got till march for my holiday but I'm expecting it to be warm and slushy as it was last year. Can't complain though. Over the past 18 yrs of skiing last year was my first year for crap conditions, and there was still good conditions on the upper slopes to be found.
Just spent the week before Christmas in the Champoluc in the italian alps and the snow was absolutely fine. Nothing amazing but could always find a bit of ski-able off-piste and basically all the runs were open. Give it a try!
Phew!
Well worth bothering everywhere in France now if you are patient about getting up to resorts. Don't forget the chains. First X-C ski of the season this morning at only 1360m.
[Shiver]
If I get on a plane...I'm getting off somewhere hot. 😉
Just arrived in Serre Chevalier and loads of snow down in the valley, am expecting pretty much all the lifts to be open tomorrow.
Powder day in Morzine and Avoriaz today. Had about 40-50cms yesterday/ast night. Pretty decent for my first day of the season.
Bit early to tell people not to bother going Alps. Snow is unreliable pre-xmas. It could dump for a week and then everything is sorted.
Austrian Alps are bloody covered in snow now. Have fun.
The CRV owners should be alright though.
Who goes ski-ing in Dec in the French Alos? Brits?
slowoldgit - MemberDoes this change things...
Yup, from being closed due to no snow, the alps are now closed due to snow.
SNOW? In the Alps in December?
Who'd have thought it? Unbelievable.
Starting to look a bit thin now in the Alps, no snow since last WE and none forecast either!
Strange comment...
Not been skiing abroad for years but I've seen a hell of a lot worse then this outlook for early January:
http://www.skiclub.co.uk/skiclub/snowreports/snowconditions.aspx#.VKe0sdKsV8F
Based on a week in Serre Chevalier - week started at -20C at the mid station, was +10 yesterday and the lower slopes are all stripping rapidly. Given we're in the middle of the french alps, I imagine the conditions in all the nearby resorts are pretty similar. Just because the lifts are open, doesn't mean the snow is great! Plenty of stones and grass are appearing in the lower slopes with the lifts all open here. Worst conditions at this time of year I've seen for the last 6 years (we always ski NY week).
Well you're actually in the Southern French Alps (I've been there)but let's not get hung up on detail.
Besides, nothing wrong with a bit of combat skiing 😉
No doubting it's been a poor snow season so far, the dump we had a week or so was just one of what you would normally expect to be many. Fingers crossed the January storms bring more and establish a good base whip is currently lacking
Same in La Plagne/Les Arc. Started with snowmaggedon last weekend after a drought. Down to stones and shit now.
I should be going to la plagne early Feb I've not booked yet. Plenty of time yet but it's the only "posh holiday" I will be going on this year. Mrs pk13 is going to be gutted if we don't go but I'm not boarding on rocks.