Forgot my camera, so you’re going to have to imagine a gleaming white surface (can you see it?), onto which brilliant sunshine is streaming (let yourself go with the fall line). The sound of scrapping snowboards and skis is always there, but not intrusive, the wind is more obvious now you’re skiing through the open bowls above Chantermerle and Villeneuve. Yes you are skiing in lovely Serre Chevalier and it is fantastic.
This is the wind that seems to be bringing in a change, so maybe we’re in for some more snow. There is ample powder along the edges of the pistes for a dip into and the pistes are all in great nick.
Got a couple hours to tootle around this morning, it’s lovely, but I can’t help feel I’m not worthy. There were a couple of queues on Sunday – if you think 2 minutes is queueing – but today it’s straight on to any lift. Spied Gavin of Eureka Ski School, they’ve changed costume, he was red and black and the two students he had certainly looked to be enjoying themselves. He pretended not to hear me though.
There is slight evidence of families skiing, but still very quiet, which suits my eratic style of suddenly turing across the piste.
I suppose this is the reason I wear orange, that and it suits my sunny disposition.
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Really? I thought id just park up for a bit to unload the shopping.
Well it had to happen. We had alovely top up of the snow on Friday, with around 20-30cm. This must have put people off arrivng as Saturday was pretty quiet. Sunday was a different matter. We did 2 runs and gave up. It wasnt too busy but the jeans and blades were out, and after nearly getting taken out by an ESF snowboard instructor we called it a day. The pistes were lovely, however, nice and soft although later they were getting a bit bumpy.
Today is enfantastic, be careful of those ski school snakes taking up the whole width of the runs. Boo.
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I took this photo of icicles on my roof yesterday, thinking they looked pretty, but today I’m well miffed to find that either the weight of that big motherlicker or the general effect of ice dribbling down my drainpipe has caused the plastic drainpipes to split all over the place. So they are all gonna need replacing before the monsoon season in May, bugger.
Weirdly enough I was having a little play with ‘Google Suggest’ to see what to call this post and you wouldn’t believe how much people write about the icicles on their roof.
So I guess it’ll be the galvanized type next time.
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Bottom's up it's UN IPCC chief Rajendra Kumar Pachauri
If you’ve been following the “climategate” story – and why wouldn’t you? It only impacts your life and the desire to impose a global carbon tax by a totalitarian minded cabal, so of course you care.
Anyway much of the fear (propaganda) spread about evil mankind’s deleterious effect on the climate has come from the United Nations panel on climate change (IPCC), chaired by Dr Rajendra Pachauri, whose background and PhD are in industrial engineering – so not too relevant to what he’s lecturing us on now.
It was Pachauri’s report that claimed Himalayan galciers would be gone by 2035, something that has since been sourced to some bloke claiming this on the radio (this is absolutely true I kid you not). The glacial melt claim has receeded, but Pachauri has refused to stand up and admit he was wrong.
By the way if you’re into guilt by association the IPCC and Al Gore shared the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2007. Can you smell bullshit? Or is that inconvenient?
Anyway the good doctor is also a very sexy doctor and has just released a steamy novel – containing protagonist Sanjay, a very obvious version of himself as a sex-guru disguised as an older Indian accademic reminscing about his conquests in the author’s native country.
Return to Almora (which are a load of caves outside Mumbai btw) contains passges so hot they’ll burn the cheeks of the proper:
“She removed her gown, slipped off her nightie and slid under the quilt on his bed… Sanjay put his arms around her and kissed her, first with quick caresses and then the kisses becoming longer and more passionate.
“May slipped his clothes off one by one, removing her lips from his for no more than a second or two.
“Afterwards she held him close. ‘Sandy, I’ve learned something for the first time today. You are absolutely superb after meditation. Why don’t we make love every time immediately after you have meditated?’.”
Meditate on that, I’m off for a cold bath.
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A shot of L'Aya in Monetier that isn't as artistic as I thought when taking it
As a relative newcomer to the snow I’m not certain I have the vocabulary to describe today’s conditions. There was a fall of at least a foot – isn’t empirical more human? – or 35cm. It fell and fell until maybe 8pm last night, meaning the guys could really groom it overnight for today.
The snow was heavy and wet meaning it skis a bit like clotted cream, locals would call this a bit sticky and something that doesn’t slide. I felt I was a bit heavy for this as it seemed it would be just perfect to catch an edge on.
In truth I’d like it to settle down a bit, but I reckon if you know what you’re doing, or are lighter in the toes, it was excellent. I think I’m referring to the perfect pistes for snowborders, a broader stroke would be beneficial.
As it’s Saturday it was change over day so rather empty, although I stayed under the tree line as some slight snow was coming down from about 1800m. Just saw Aaron who is working at the Grotte tonight and he informs me Saturday is known as French night, because that’s what most of the clientelle are – you live and learn.
As I write this at 5.30pm I can see blue skies and a bright Sun setting, it should be a cracker tomorrow.
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Chapel of St Andre in Monetier
Well, the challenge was taken and risen to. It is absolutely throwing it down all the way up and down the valley.
The snow started late last night, but it was somewhat effette to start with, but just got heavier and heavier and now after lunch on Friday, last day of school term, it is continuing.
My love/ hate affair with the weather bureau is entering a love stage, they say it’s going to snow and snow and snow until Wednesday and judging by the white outside the window I believe them – makes me feel a bit like a beaten wife going back to “him”, but I love him.
The snow is really fluffy, walking around is a bit like floating, so falling for another dellusion, maybe I’ll be gracefully bouncing down Montagnolle, which may or may not be splelt like that, in the next few days. As it is I’m going to wait for a gap and pelt out the door with the first hint of a let up.
If you are going up in the snow it’s probably best to stay under the tree line, best pistes to try would be a couple of red runs off Aiguiliette under the Prorel lift at the Briancon end of town, that are usually sheltered. From Serre Ratier in Chantermerle there’s blue Vaillons above and some nice greens below back to Aravet. Villeneauve gives you runs under the Pontillas and Frejus lifts. The black Tabuc in Monetier forces you to concentrate up close, which means you don’t focus on the falling stuff.
Hope that helps you choose the right path.
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I just had this message from Gareth at Snowmonkees:
Here are some last minute deals for the following:
- Apartment 201 10 person £299 6th Feb-13th Feb
- Apartment 301 12 person £349 6th Feb-13th Feb
- Chalet Celes 11 person £1150 7th Feb-14th Feb
There is part week availability for all of these as of the next 7 days. So any days in between…
For more information contact Gareth Morgan at Snowmonkees or better still, get on the phone and give him a call:
+44 (0)1457 861646
+44 (0)7872 557025.
Filed under Apartments to rent, Property by
South side of the valley through Monetier
Will it? Won’t it snow before the holidays commence?
I tell you I don’t know, but I’m sick of reading the weather forecast and it being wrong, despite the fact it consistantly says the weather will be worse that it is.
So the gauntlet is down with accuweather.com – if it doesn’t snow in the next two days I will start to trust my father in law’s knee and the woman in the post office’s seaweed, combined with how the weather is today taken as a rough indication of what it will do tomorrow. That or find a better forecaster.
I know it’s relying on others, but the predictions for the past years have usually been spot on, this year total rubbish. They do do a very good line in what the weather is doing right now, but I don’t think they deserve any kudos for that.
We don’t even particularly need a new fall, sure if you’re a powder hound you do, but the pistes are in good nick, ice is at a minimum and there are still precious few people up there. But it would just be nice to see even an inch or two arrive – as predicted.
For what it’s worth they’re alleging a week of “snow of varrying intensity” a few sun spots and temperatures from -6 to +8. So rather a broad stroke there.
There are some clouds of an ominous nature at the Briancon end of the valley, but out of my wondow it’s brilliant sunshine and a few wisps.
Tune in next time for the exciting conclusion to Forecast the Snow Falls.
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Now that Miss Serre Chevalier is over and done with (film to follow!)i can get back on the hill. Went up today on skis, for the first time this season. It was lovely. The pistes were firm, but not too icy. Its been very cold up there the last few days but today was so much warmer, so the pistes have softened up. There was noone up there as well! ah roll on Sunday. Snow is forecast for Thursday and Friday, lets hope that arrives and scares the punters away!
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Looking at Bivouac restaurant from Fanjeas
It is spectacular up there, the calm before the storm, as school holidays all around France commence with the end bell on Friday. The country is divided into three regions and their breaks are staggered, meaning a least a third of the country is avaiable to ski for the next four weeks. (The smart people wait till March and avoid the kiddies.)
It was a very quiet January, but business has been “comme ci, comme ca” as a local ski shop owner told me on a lift this morning, but everyone is expecting a real money spinner for Feb. But the snow has been great and today it’s a lot nicer than it looks after a wee bit of Sun has been on it.
I decided 10 days off was enough to have recovered from my tumble, so headed up for a wee ski this morning. My shoulder’s still stiff, but damn it I paid for a season pass and demand satisfaction. It’s funny skiing again after a crash, I felt myself crunching my toes with fear, but it all worked out and just tootled around and survived. Sorry that was a really dull story – I went skiing and came home again, but the weather was nice.
Stay tuned for more dull but accurate action on Serrechevalier.org.
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