 Poster: A snowHead
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I was skiing up at St Nicolas de Veroce yesterday afternoon and thought you may be interested in the snow conditions 
Visibility was very poor especially at the top of Mont Joly but snow conditions where excellent. All the snow that we have had in the past couple of weeks has made for great conditions, with waist deep powder off piste under the Mont Joly chair lift (Reported to me by a boarding friend when I got back down - and missed it!)
There is still some hard ice on the very popular steeper pistes around the 'Guoet' and down towards Plateau de la Croix, but once you get off these conditions on piste are good soft snow, with a nice layer of fluffy stuff on top!
There's a good 2 meters of snow depth at the top of the resort now which means that the skiing should stay good for some time to come, and there's still more snow forcast.
I'll keep updating if there's interest as I get out and about around the resort!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Welcome to snowHeads, telemarkZero 
If you're a telemarker then you join a very select band on snowHeads!
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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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I am indeed a telemarker! Would be great to hear from other Free Heelers 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
| snow conditions where excellent |
telemarkZero, snow condition was pretty damn impressive when I was there the first week of Feb - can only imagine they're even better now! I should think that now is a great time to go skiing all around the Mt Blanc area.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Looks great Mr T., expect a visit from the southerners soon.
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I need it to last 'til mid-April. I'm feeling hopeful!
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It's time for a quick update on conditions in St Gervais
After a week with very cold temperatures and snow nearly every day we now have blue skys, warmer temperatures and excellent piste conditions throughout the resort! We have had nearly 50cm of fresh light snow over the week and this has filled in any gaps that where starting to show around the more popular pistes. The pistes are very well covered with nice soft snow, which is helped by much less traffic!
A quick run down of the resort from my skiing last week.
St Nicolas
Most of the icy patches have now gone with the new snow giving a good covering to all pistes. Mont Joly is open and there is a great mogul field under the chairlift for those of you who like to ski the steep bumps - The snow if soft and it's great fun!
Looking across the "Goulet" piste, with the Chamonix Aiguille behind
St Gervais, Mont Arbois
This very popular area still has supperb snow conditions, even on the south facing slopes like Fenils which often get fairly bare. There's still some powder skiing to be had off piste om the gentle slopes between the trees down towards Le Bettex also. The Etudiants area is also in great shape for steep fall line skiing.
Combloux
The low lying slopes around Colbloux are in superb shape with very little traffic and lovely soft pisted slopes. This is a great area for cruising through the trees.
Mont blanc from the top of Pres Chair
La Jaillet
This area has been re-worked extensively over the summer, with a new 4 person lift Prés which helps link Combloux with Christomet and makes moving between Jaillet and Combloux much easier.
The new high speed 6 person chairlift Christomet which replaced a slow 2 person chair and a ski tow means that getting to the runs on this side of the hill is much easier now, and also gives access over to the steeps at La Giettaz. As far as I can work out the removal of the ski tow has opened up a new black run Moineau as well.
La Giettaz
This is a great addtion to the Évasion ski domain. Even though this is a very small resort it is set in a beautiful position with the Chaine de Aravis giving a superb backdrop to the skiing. There is also lots of off piste possibilities through the trees here. The piste conditions here are also in great condition, with steep reds dropping through the trees, and the black Chamois which is unpisted and full of bumps a real challenge!
The Liaison from Christomet to La Plan Tréffléannaise, a gentle blue winding through the trees is long and gentle but snowboarders will have to walk some of it! I think it's still worth it for the lovely skiing and fantastic views!
Goulet Piste at La Giettaz with the Col Des Aravis behind
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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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telemarkZero,
"helped by much less traffic"
Do you mean "helped by NO traffic" ?
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telemarkZero, thanks for that - you've really whetted my appetite (not that it needs much whetting!).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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saikee, Shhhh ! Don't tell everyone 
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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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telemarkZero, a friend of mine was helicoptered off the mountain last week after he took a wrong turn off piste. Apart from that he said the conditions were excellent.
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Wear The Fox Hat, Nasty... hope your friend is OK. Where abouts was he skiing?
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You know it makes sense.
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telemarkZero, he was skiing over to another area (not sure where), when he decided to drop down into a creek. He came along it fine, until he stopped just before a cliff - he says it was around 50m drop, so he started to climb back up the creek.
He spent about 4 hours working his way back up before he called in the helicopter. On the flight down, he realised that if he hadn't dropped in to the creek, he would have been able to make a few turns, and ski the whole way down.
He's perfectly OK, apart from the bruises his wife inflicted on him when he got home...
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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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telemarkZero, perhaps he was trying to get to Les Contamines from Mt. Joly.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Wear The Fox Hat, Scarry! Sounds like he was lucky (With the wife as well !!)
I'm intrigued to know where it was. There are certainly some big cliffs and drops around the area.
laundryman, You can definitley ski off the back of Mt Joly and either come back under to St Nicolas, or drop down towards Les Contamines. There are some ski tours that go that way also I believe coming up from Les Contamines. It's pretty tricky terrain though with big cliffs if you take the wrong line in some places. I've looked down it and decided to find someone with more local knowledge to take me there first 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Pretty amazing isn't it? Not a single soul can be seen on the pistes from the pictures and yet there were unsatisfied skiers wanting to cross from Mt. Joly (Megeve) into a different unlinked resort Les Contamines. Give these people an inch and they want a foot.
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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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telemarkZero, I've done the St Nicolas route a couple of times, or at least a route, which is pretty mild - and lots of fun. I've never had the guts to do Les Contamines in either direction though. I imagine coming back is worse than going - is that "the pretty tricky terrain" or is it fearsome in both directions? I hear rumours that Les Contamines is going to be lift linked for next season, from the top of Lanchettes on Rochebrune. However, I've heard similar rumours for years. Do you have any info?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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laundryman, I've skied from the top of Epaule chair, under Mont Joly and off piste down to St Nic which is good fun and not dificult, but never from the Top of the Mont Joly chair over the back. Which way did you come down to St Nicolas? I'd like to explore more of that area, I really like it round there.
There's a ski tour that goes from Les Contamines up to Tete de la Combaz which is graded a little harder than what I would try at the moment - you're supposed to be able to go from the Tet to Mont Joly 'on foot' apparently! I'm pretty sure that it's not possible to come back from Les Contamines to St G from the top of any of the lifts there.... but then there's always some mad people that try anything!
I've also heard many rumours about the Contamine Megeve link but heard nothing definite here. Again it looks like you can do that as a ski tour now - I quite fancied it You go from the top of Lanchettes over the back via the Col de Very and ski down to the bottom of the chairlift on the Hauteluce side. No idea how hard that is!!
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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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telemarkZero, thanks for that: I've done exactly the same as you and would also like to explore further. I believe some insane people ski into the Côte 2000 area from the top of the Aiguille Croche lift in Les Contamines. I've seen tracks but never seen it done. Rather them than me!
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