 Poster: A snowHead
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| All in wrote: |
| adriangrogan wrote: |
| Anyone out in Montgenevre at the moment? We're heading out on Saturday. I imagine conditions are good following the dump last Sunday? |
Heading out to Monty on Saturday as well! It's looking pretty good right now! |
Yes hopefully we have timed it well! Have a blast.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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How's the snow there at the moment? We're heading out in 2 weeks and have started snow watching.
Cheers, D
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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?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Brilliant thanks! Really psyced now!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Arrived Sunday, now on our 2nd bluebird day in a row, snow conditions superb on piste. Spring skiing 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Getting warmer... snow thinning.
The locals will be coming up from Turin from tomorrow; expect it to be too hot and very busy through to the start of next week... when rain is forecast 
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That's a shame, is it just the lower runs that are thinning? How long does it stay busy with the local Italians?
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Around 330km of trails remain open.
Plenty to go at.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Tossing up between Montgenevre and Serre Chevalier for early Jan... is one side considered better than the other in terms of reliable snow fall ?
Good accomodation seems to be easier to find at Montgenevre...
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Montgenevre is higher and bigger.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Spent last week in Montgenever. Had a really good week.
Arrived Saturday to light snow in the afternoon and into Sunday morning. Plenty of snow following the heavy snowfalls of the couple of weeks before our arrival. We got really lucky with our timing.
Sun came out Monday and stayed for the rest of the week. I'm sure temperatures were into double figures as the week went on.
By Friday the South facing slopes were starting to suffer. Very soft early in the day and some rocks poking through.
Still, in overall terms, conditions were very good. But they're going to suffer if there isn't some cold weather on the horizon.
The new Rocher De l'Aigle gondola is a great addition.
Shout out to ESI Apeak ski school. Kids made great progress over the week. Adults also had a couple of excellent private lessons.
That's our second year in Montgenevre. I imagine we'll do a third and maybe look for something different at that stage.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Just spent a week staying in Sauze d'Oulx, and I'm sorry to say that I won't be rushing back. On 3 of our 6 skiing days the lift out to the rest of the area was closed due to high winds, and it didn't even seem very windy.
There is a section of the piste map on the far right which, according to our chalet staff, hasn't been open for several years, and they don't plan on re-opening it. So why keep it on the piste map?
On our last day so many lifts were either closed due to wind, or unuseable because they were being monopolized by the weekend race clubs, that we stopped skiing at lunchtime because there were realistically only about 3 runs we could ski.
When you look at the piste map for Vialattea it looks quite extensive, but only if you can get out of Sauze. Also, although Claviere and Montgenevre are technically linked to the Sauze/ Sansicario/Sestrierre area, it took us 2 hours to get from Sauze to Montgenevre, including a solid 45 minutes of lift riding in the middle, and we were not skiing slowly.
Disappointing...
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First time for us in the Vialattea staying on Borgatta, just outside Sestriere. Got back on Sunday. I would concur with much of what Karin has said, especially with regard to the closure of the links, which due to the archaic lift system seems to happen all too often, even when the winds didn't seem particularly strong. For much of the day on Saturday there were only a couple of lifts open in Sestriere /Borgatta, with very limited skiing available due to ski racing piste closures. During weekdays a number of lifts and pistes are closed which when paying full price for a lift pass is rather frustrating. Some of the lifts are horrendously slow and in need of an upgrade. The upsides were quiet pistes (except for the weekends when the punters from Turin come to play) and reasonably priced food and coffee on the mountain.
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You know it makes sense.
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We're off to Sestriere on Sunday for a week.. slightly worried having read recent comments, wondering if anyone else is out there at the moment and can advise on conditions? Webcam looks like there’s plenty of snow and forecast for snow most days in the coming week. Any tips or feedback for Sestriere at the moment? Thanks!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@alx.brick, Don't get me wrong. We had a very enjoyable week. Plenty of snow, but below around 1800m heavy going into the afternoon. As you say there is some snow forecast this week, so should be great for you. My gripes were more about some of the lift infrastructure. As long as the wind doesn't pick up then you should have fantastic and varied week. Best of the skiing in Sestriere valley is in the Borgata sector....Sestriere itself quite limited in terms of pistes imho. Some lovely skiing over in Sauze etc. Recommend the Igloo Bar in Sestriere for an apres beer.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@lemoncake thank you for the reassurance! We had a disappointing feb half term trip to Zell am See (poor snow conditions) so booked this trip in an effort to get some decent snow! Hoping will be good, will take a look at the piste map and figure out access to the areas you mentioned. Thanks again
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If the links are closed due to wind/adverse weather and you have a car, it’s well worth making the 30min drive up the road to Montgenevre.
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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?
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@alx.brick, I'd also recommend the Hotel Monte Triplex in Sportina (Sauze) for a fantastic pizza and excellent Latte Macchiato. Also Mavie in Sansicario, again for top notch pizza and incredible views. Just double check that it's open as it was closed on the Tuesday of our week, but open on the Friday. In Borgata, I would recommend Chalet Raggio di Sole, good food and a decent weissbier served in a proper glass!
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| Quote: |
Some of the lifts are horrendously slow and in need of an upgrade.
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One of the lifts on the 45 minute section from Sansicario to Claviere was an old 2 man chair, which, due to lack of snow, we had to ride one at a time with our skis across our laps. Something of a bottle neck - everyone getting out of a 6 man gondola download, then had to queue for an effectively 1 man slow chair!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| alx.brick wrote: |
| We're off to Sestriere on Sunday for a week.. slightly worried having read recent comments, wondering if anyone else is out there at the moment and can advise on conditions? Webcam looks like there’s plenty of snow and forecast for snow most days in the coming week. Any tips or feedback for Sestriere at the moment? Thanks! |
Sounds like timing is perfect, it will be a as good as spring skiing gets and the temps are lowering I think. take your flat light goggles / glasses though - could be tricky visibility if its snowing a lot
With respect to Karin and lemon, its a mountain environment and its snows and blows at times so you can expect some closures due to wind, and to tidy up pistes and clear avalanche risks after snow, its not just the wind, its then making it safe to ski back from. The 2 man chair from Sauze Bowl up to Fraiteve is a bit ancient and slow and it quite exposed at the top so yes more prone to wind closure than some. That said, since the change of ownership, we've noticed they don't make a big effort to open everything up, especially midweek. Certain lifts and slopes only up up at the weekend when its busier and some runs at the extremities don't seem to open much at all.
But there is still a big area even in just Sest, Sauze and Sansicario to ski. (it is a massive shlep over to MontG) possible best done by taxi over in the morning before the lifts open and then ski and download / upload your way back as the day goes on.
Sestriere is good place to stay as you can quickly (1 fast gondola) get upto top of Fraiteve for Sansicario and Sauze, or ski the two parts of Sest whereas its more of a schep getting from Sauze to anywhere else.
I personally think the best skiing is Sansicario (prob want to stay mainly above Soleil Boeuf if warm) and Motta side of Sest. but we're all different.
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@t44tomo, yes, we really liked the Sansicario area, but the combination of having a beginner in morning lessons in Sauze, and Fraiteve only being open 3 days, meant that apart from on the blast through en route to Montgenevre, we only got to ski the area once.
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Montgenevre is getting hammered and so am I!
It has not stopped for the past 2 days. It feels like late December rather than late March.
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Thought I’d update quickly - the conditions in Sestriere have been amazing! We arrived on Sunday and it didn’t stop snowing all day. Monday and Tuesday both bluebird days and superb snow to ski on.. today has been mostly sunny with some light snow. Feel very lucky as it’s been phenomenal! Off to montgenevre tomorrow for the day to see what it’s all about. Really enjoying Sestriere though, the food and wine in particular have been great. Thanks for the tip on Igloo bar, we’ve been there most days and the gnocchi was incredible.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@alx.brick, Great to hear that you are having a fantastic time! Sounds like perfect timing with the fresh snow, especially after the poor snow you had in Zell am See! Glad you've enjoyed the Igloo Bar too!
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