 Poster: A snowHead
|
Just spent 2 days over this past weekend in Val Cenis. Our trip on Saturday from Turin took 6 hours in snow which was bucketing down and had caused the autostrade to be closed for a section forcing us to use back roads to get to the Frejus tunnel. Amazingly, emerging on the French side, there was no evidence that even a flake of snow had fallen in the past day or 2.
Val Cenis itself is in desperate need of snow going into peak season now. Bizarrely, best conditions are from resort level to just above mid-mountain. Above mid-mountain, a lot of snow has been blow away by the wind blowing from the Italian side. Some runs on the windward side are closed with loads of ice/ground visible, but any sheltered runs tend to be coated in the powder blown across onto them. I suspect that there is not much of a base though, because despite big mounds of snow, it was well mixed with stones and twigs etc making for 'interesting' conditions.
From mid-mountain down, the best pistes are those with artificial snow making - anything a little bit steeper is starting to show tufts of grass here and there. Just enough to keep us happy for 2 days, but unless they get a good dump, I suspect more than 2 days would see one bored at the moment!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
agavin, Thanks for the update on conditions. Been looking at the web cam over the last few weeks and spotted a few bare patches appearing, bit worrying. Not due out there for at least a month, but in the mean time there is going to be a bit more traffic with the school / french holiday period.
Hopefully they will get a large dump at some point.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
srobbo, to be perfectly honest even a smallish dump of 10cm now would make some of the more patchy mid-mountain runs infinitely more enjoyable. There were some nice ones we did, but didn't repeat out of 'respect for the skis' due to too many tufts/stones sticking through. At altitude, they need some snow without the wind as it appears the problem there is that the wind has blown most of it away. I also couldn't understand why they were not pisting the runs at altitude that had all the powder blown onto them. While these were fun, the troughs between the moghuls were starting to gouge earth! Personally I would have thought they should have taken advantage of the powder on these runs to try and compact it to create a bit of a base more resistant to this being blown off too and make it last better??? Good luck - I am sure it will snow before you go. Very nice atmosphere - heard almost no other English over the 2 days we were there and very unspoiled by commercialism. Locals very friendly and helpful.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| Quote: |
Very nice atmosphere - heard almost no other English over the 2 days we were there and very unspoiled by commercialism. Locals very friendly and helpful.
|
The very reason that i keep returning, a real unspoilt gem of a resort
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
I'm there in 3 weeks so I'm hoping for some decent snow. There's a suggestion on MetCheck of decent snowfall next Weds / Thursday. Fingers crossed
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Red Leon, Keep us updated with the conditions when you visit, I will be there probably the week after.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ