Incoming! Seriously Cold Blast Mon/Tue/Wed

Very impressive weather charts and unprecedented GFS wigglies showing the temperature plunge…

It’s 10 days since we first warned of this weather phenomenon to maybe happen. For once, the weather followed the predictions to the letter.

Local detailed forecast is now predicting minimum temperatures of -7 to -10 degrees at 1000m, -19 to -23 degrees at 2000m and -25 degrees at 3000m on Tuesday.

So maybe the -19°C record low of the latania.co.uk weather station at resort level 1400m will be beaten.

At altitude those temperatures are potentially dangerous and skin needs to be covered up. Licking chairlift safety bars is NOT recommended.

Hot Chocolate & Vin Chaud sales will go through the roof this week! Stop regularly and often (as always)…

But hey, some fresh snow about too so the skiing will be amazing – no such thing as bad weather – just inadequate clothing.

Meanwhile the UK is starting to panic…

New Grangettes 10 Seater Gondola on display

An example of the new Grangettes gondola cabin that will be used on the replacement gondola from Courchevel Village 1550 to 1850.

The gondola cabin is a new model from the manufacturer POMA called “EVO”.

It is a 10 seater cabin with an interior height of 2.10 m that allows you to stand up and has indoor and outdoor lighting for nighttime operation.

The departure station will allow you to board directly into the cabins without going through a ramp or a staircase (same as Ariondaz).

Work will begin on April 23 for commissioning in early December 2018.

Major integration work is expected at the level of the Croisette with a small deviation of the road in order to be able to build the top station.

New pylons will be dropped in by a Super Cougar helicopter during September.

A mid-station to receive passengers from a new gondola down towards Aquamotion is also planned.

An example of the new cabin is on display near the Verdons base station.

Traffic Info for this Weekend 24/25 Feb 2018

(Auto-translated, original below)

[TRAFFIC INFO]
Traffic forecast for the weekend of 24 and 25 February:

In the direction of arrivals at stations:
On the RN 90 in Tarentaise, Saturday is expected about 33,000 vehicles between Albertville and Moûtiers.

This traffic could cause slowdowns requiring the activation of regulation at Aigueblanche from mid-morning. On the VRU of Chambéry, the traffic should be dense at the end of the morning.

For the day of Sunday, the traffic of the accesses to the stations is estimated at 18 000 vehicles.

In the sense of the returns of stations:
On the RN 90 in Tarentaise, Saturday is expected about 28 000 vehicles between Moûtiers and Albertville.

This traffic could lead to slowdowns between Bourg-Saint-Maurice and Moûtiers in the morning with regulation measures at the entrance of the Siaix tunnel.

On the VRU Chambéry, it is likely that slowdowns are set up between the Ravoire and access to the A43 motorway towards Lyon in the late morning and early afternoon.

For Sunday, traffic is estimated at 19,000 vehicles.

[INFO TRAFIC]
Prévision de trafic pour le week-end du 24 et 25 février :

Dans le sens des arrivées en stations :
Sur la RN 90 en Tarentaise, il est prévu samedi environ 33 000 véhicules entre Albertville et Moûtiers.

Ce trafic pourrait provoquer des ralentissements nécessitant l’activation de la régulation au niveau d’Aigueblanche dès le milieu de matinée. Sur la VRU de Chambéry, la circulation devrait être dense dès la fin de matinée.

Pour la journée de dimanche, le trafic des accès aux stations est estimé à 18 000 véhicules.

Dans le sens des retours de stations :
Sur la RN 90 en Tarentaise, il est prévu samedi environ 28 000 véhicules entre Moûtiers et
Albertville. Cette circulation pourrait entraîner des ralentissements entre Bourg-Saint-Maurice et Moûtiers dans la matinée avec des mesures de régulation à l’entrée du tunnel du Siaix.
Sur la VRU de Chambéry, il est probable que des ralentissements se mettent en place entre la Ravoire et l’accès à l’autoroute A43 en direction de Lyon en fin de matinée et jusqu’au début de l’après-midi.

Pour la journée de dimanche, le trafic est estimé à 19 000 véhicules.

Crit’Air (Air Quality Sticker) coming to Annecy

The Crit’Air is an Air Quality Certificate in the form of a sticker that is a mandatory requirement for all vehicles (including non-French registered cars and motorcycles) to drive in certain areas of cities across France. It certifies the vehicle’s environmental class based on pollutant emissions and was originally introduced in Paris in January 2017 with Lyon and Grenoble following.

It is now being introduced to several more cities and departments and in total there are 28 permanent zones (ZCR) and weather-dependent zones (ZPA) now established across France including areas of Marseille, Bordeaux, Lille, Toulouse, Strasbourg, Poitiers, Montpellier, Valence and now Chambery and Annecy.

From 1st December 2017 it was introduced to Annecy on an “educational” basis to allow motorists to time to get their certificate. From “The Spring” (no specific date of enforcement we can find) the roads located in the 30 zone will become a restricted traffic zone in the event of a peak pollution alert. Only the least polluting vehicles, with a Crit’Air 0, 1, 2 or 3 sticker will be allowed to drive there.

This will be quite relevant to 3 Valleys traffic as it is usually quicker to drive through the centre of Annecy than use the ring road and hire cars from Geneva airport (or if you’re driving your own vehicle via the Autoroute Blanche for example) are unlikely to have a sticker fitted and there’s the Swiss Vignette to worry about too.

In these cases you’ll need to check if a pollution alert is active before entering that city centre area without a sticker.

A Private Transfer will have all this sorted of course and it’s one less thing to worry about!

You can order a sticker on-line from the French Government website www.certificat-air.gouv.fr at a cost of €4.18 including postage to the UK – the price goes down to €3.62 from 1st March 2018 weirdly.

Further Information and Notification of pollution alert days

There are two different types of environmental zones in order to reduce the pollutants caused by the road traffic. In these zones traffic can be permanently or temporarily restricted.

The ZCR environmental zones
The “traffic restriction zones” are permanent environmental zones that are always valid. They are most often introduced in city centres to exclude old and polluting vehicles from traffic. In French, these zones are called “zones à circulation restreinte” and abbreviated ZCR.

The ZPA air protection zones
The ZPA zones “zones de protection de l’air” are not permanent – they are activated in case of high air pollution and bad weather only. They can cover the territories of whole metropolitan areas or refer to a specific geographical zone.

Savoie Department Approves Crit ‘Air
On 2nd November 2017 an order was signed by the Prefect of the Department of Savoie introducing the Crit’Air Vignette within the department. The order contains a set of measures that can be applied in case of an air pollution peak to certain vehicle types and EURO classes. However, in case of an air pollution peak, the city or municipality within the department, in which the weather-dependent zone comes into force, has to be defined first.

Getting Caught…
We’ve no information on any UK prosecutions yet, on the spot fines or chasing up photo evidence back to the UK. The DVLA do release address details to the French authorities now but as far as we know they don’t chase speeding fines after a couple of threatening letters so it’s unlikely they would for this. Usually car hire companies pay your fine then charge your credit card plus an admin fee but some just give up your name & address to the authorities (but not your passport details, so again ignoring the letters may be ok).
Of course we would never condone this and see below…

Fines
€68 for passenger cars and all other vehicles.
€135 for trucks and buses.
If a fine is not paid within 45 days it rises to €180 and €375.
Foreign Driver: A fine of €70 or more will be imposed in accordance with EU directive 2011/82 “in order to facilitate the cross-boarder exchange of information about traffic offences”. An enforcement procedure in the home country will take place on default of payment which will be pursued until imprisonment.

Anyone been sent to prison yet for not having a sticker? Let us know!

More on our Speed Camera page.

Weather / Snow Outlook & Extreme Cold Warning

A light covering of snow last night – one the Bouc Blanc guys weren’t expecting as they left their terrace set up overnight!

No significant Atlantic weather systems on the horizon for the next week or so but a chance of some snow on Friday night / Saturday morning with precipitation bubbling up from the South East.

The main weather story is the cold temperatures however.

While staying cold and plenty of Sun through this week there’s a good chance that the cold blast from deepest Russia will lead to double figure minus temperature at resort level on Monday / Tuesday.

The GFS models showing the plunge in temperature below:

A lot has been made of the Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) and Polar Vortex collapse phenomenon but it does look like this is allowing this cold blast right through to Western Europe.

We’ve had a temperature of -14°C at resort level this season already so it will be interesting to see if that is beaten (lowest ever on the latania.co.uk weather station is -19°C in 2002).

So if you’re coming out next week maybe bring an extra layer and make sure little ones have all their skin covered up especially if you’re high up.

There’s some snow on some forecasts for the middle of next week too but a bit far out to be sure yet.

Whatever, the snow depths and general piste skiing are all excellent at the moment. Enjoy…

Detailed Daily Piste Bulletin, Off Piste Avalanche Report and Detailed 3-Day Weather Forecast

Next Week’s Tourist Office guides to all the events and activities are now on-line.

   

La Tania What’s On Guide

Next Week – La Tania

Next Week – Courchevel

Traffic Information Forecast for this Weekend 17/18 February 2018

Auto Translated – Original Below

[TRAFFIC INFO]
Here are the traffic forecasts for the weekend of February 17 and 18, 2018.

In the direction of arrivals at stations:
– On the RN 90 in Tarentaise, Saturday is expected about 35,000 vehicles between Albertville and Moûtiers. This traffic could cause slowdowns requiring the activation of regulation at Aigueblanche from mid-morning. On the VRU Chambéry, the traffic should be dense in the course of the afternoon.
– For the day of Sunday, the traffic of the accesses to the stations is estimated at 17 000 vehicles.

In the sense of the returns of stations:
– On the RN 90 in Tarentaise, Saturday is expected about 30,000 vehicles between Moûtiers and Albertville. This traffic could lead to slowdowns between Bourg-Saint-Maurice and Moûtiers in the late morning with regulatory measures at the entrance to the Siaix tunnel.
On the VRU Chambéry, it is likely that slowdowns are set up between the Ravoire and access to the A43 motorway towards Lyon in the late morning and early afternoon.
– For Sunday, traffic is estimated at 20,000 vehicles.

http://www.savoie-route.fr/

[INFO TRAFIC]
Voici les prévisions de trafic pour le week-end du 17 et 18 février 2018.

Dans le sens des arrivées en stations :
– Sur la RN 90 en Tarentaise, il est prévu samedi environ 35 000 véhicules entre Albertville et Moûtiers. Ce trafic pourrait provoquer des ralentissements nécessitant l’activation de la régulation au niveau d’Aigueblanche dès le milieu de matinée. Sur la VRU de Chambéry, la circulation devrait être dense dans le courant de l’après-midi.
– Pour la journée de dimanche, le trafic des accès aux stations est estimé à 17 000 véhicules.

Dans le sens des retours de stations :
– Sur la RN 90 en Tarentaise, il est prévu samedi environ 30 000 véhicules entre Moûtiers et Albertville. Cette circulation pourrait entraîner des ralentissements entre Bourg-Saint-Maurice et Moûtiers en fin de matinée avec des mesures de régulation à l’entrée du tunnel du Siaix.
Sur la VRU de Chambéry, il est probable que des ralentissements se mettent en place entre la Ravoire et l’accès à l’autoroute A43 en direction de Lyon en fin de matinée et jusqu’au début de l’après-midi.
– Pour la journée de dimanche, le trafic est estimé à 20 000 véhicules.

http://www.savoie-route.fr/

The International Fireworks Festival coming to La Tania on Wednesday 7th March 2018

Festival International d’Art Pyrotechnique [FIAP 2018]

The International Fireworks Festival kicks off in Courchevel 1650 Moriond tonight (15/2/18) at 19:00 and comes to La Tania for the first time ever on Wednesday 7th March 2018. A truly spectacular event not to be missed!

FIAP 2018 Dates
15 Feb – Courchevel 1650 Moriond
22 Feb – Courchevel 1850
01 Mar – Courchevel 1550 Village
06 Mar – Le Praz
07 Mar – La Tania

Traffic Information for Weekend of 10/11 February

The big one…. On Saturday 38,000 vehicles between Albertville and Moûtiers. Could be some snow about on Sunday too – Good Luck Everyone!

Auto translated here. Original below.

[TRAFFIC INFO]
In the direction of the arrivals in station:
On the RN 90 in Tarentaise, Saturday is expected about 38,000 vehicles between Albertville and Moûtiers. This traffic could cause slowdowns requiring the activation of regulation at Aigueblanche from mid-morning until the end of the day. On the VRU Chambéry, the traffic should be dense in the course of the afternoon.
For the day of Sunday, the traffic of the accesses to the stations is estimated at 20 000 vehicles.

In the sense of the returns of stations:
On the RN 90 in Tarentaise, it is expected Saturday about 26 000 vehicles between Moûtiers and Albertville. This traffic could lead to slowdowns between Bourg-Saint-Maurice and Moûtiers in the morning with regulation measures at the entrance of the Siaix tunnel. On the VRU Chambery, it is possible that slowdowns are put in place before the access to the A43 motorway towards Lyon in the late morning and early afternoon.
For Sunday, traffic is estimated at 18,000 vehicles.

[INFO TRAFIC]
Dans le sens des arrivées en station :
Sur la RN 90 en Tarentaise, il est prévu samedi environ 38 000 véhicules entre Albertville et Moûtiers. Ce trafic pourrait provoquer des ralentissements nécessitant l’activation de la régulation au niveau d’Aigueblanche dès le milieu de matinée et ce jusqu’en fin de journée. Sur la VRU de Chambéry, la circulation devrait être dense dans le courant de l’après-midi.
Pour la journée de dimanche, le trafic des accès aux stations est estimé à 20 000 véhicules.

Dans le sens des retours de stations :
Sur la RN 90 en Tarentaise, il est prévu samedi environ 26 000 véhicules entre Moûtiers et Albertville. Cette circulation pourrait entraîner des ralentissements entre Bourg-Saint-Maurice et Moûtiers dans la matinée avec des mesures de régulation à l’entrée du tunnel du Siaix. Sur la VRU de Chambéry, il est possible que des ralentissements se mettent en place avant l’accès à l’autoroute A43 en direction de Lyon en fin de matinée et jusqu’au début de l’après-midi.
Pour la journée de dimanche, le trafic est estimé à 18 000 véhicules.

3 Valleys Charity Day T Shirt 2018 – Make sure you get yours…

The 3 Valleys Charity Day T-Shirt artwork has just been completed (front above and back below).

They’ll be available for €15 from the start of March in the usual Après Ski venues, pre-ordering is available through the 3 Valleys Charity Day Facebook Page.

Thanks to the sponsors covering the design, manufacture, printing and delivery of the Ts, 100% of revenue goes to directly our Charities.

The money raised is split between British and French Charities including Sebastian’s Action Trust and the Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer

3 Valleys Charity Day 2018 is on Wednesday 11 April in Méribel Village

The 16 year history of what was La Tania Charity Day and is now the biggest party of the season detailed here

3 Valleys Charity Day 2017

 

Another Escapade in a Day (nearly)…

Well done to Stephen Chivers, Dr Sam Mitchell and Dr Ben Lipfriend – didn’t quite make it, but you put the effort in…

Sandiway Ski Club Tour organiser, Stephen Chivers, Dr Sam Mitchell (who got a mention on Tim’s video snow report) and Dr Ben Lipfriend attempted the Escapade on 30 January 2018.

Unfortunately Col was closed so they did the Grand Fond twice to compensate (actually SC cocked up thinking he was going in to Orelle and went back in to VT to the disgust of his partners!). As they did not know the off piste route from Masse 2 to Plan De L’eau and sensibly did not try it on their own they used the 2014 route.

They completed the route, but by the time they got back to Le Praz, Foret was closed – not realising it closed so early (second school boy error of the day). Was 16:25 but closes at 16:50 from 10 February 2018.

Stephen attempted it on his own in 2014, but made two mistakes and by the time he got to Tovets it was just closed.

In 2015 with two friends they made a critical wrong turning (not his mistake this time) and failed miserably.

Still an achievement of someone who just turned 59 on Thursday, with over 60 miles skiing and having to ski down a mogul packed Combe Du Vallon with muscles completely burnt out.

SC was not planning to try and ski it this year, but the conditions were perfect so had to try – he says it’s his last attempt… But even more of Sandiway Ski Club coming next year – someone needs to show them the route!

What’s This All About?

The 3 Valleys Escapade was the lift company promotion of visiting (originally in 2006) 14 points across the Three Valleys and gaining a certificate & badge over the period of your holiday – then we had the idea of doing it in a day…

It’s probably the toughest day skiing ever for a recreational skier but lots of people have got involved over the years so we featured them in our Escapade in a Day Hall of Fame

It is looking like this is no longer being promoted by The 3 Valleys for Winter 2018 – even though the Escapade lift points are marked on the 3 Valleys FatMap for 2018 linked from the S3V and Courchevel web sites. We’ll still stick you in the Hall of Fame if you complete it though…

What started out as a late night “is it possible?” discussion became a challenge the following week – the history and our original route are here

Originally punch cards had to be stamped at each check point until electronic passes arrived – they could then be checked by the lift company. The original Escapade was 30 lifts, 13000m vertical and 70km and 2016 peaked with 34 lifts, 17000m vertical (twice the height of Everest) and around 100km total distance. It became a little less for 2017 and 2018 sees the use of Roc de Tougne fast new lift instead of the drag – still a big, big day out though with all talking (and lunch) kept to the lifts…

For an easier 3 Valleys Day Challenge try the Selfies in a Day (note that Signal machine is at the top of Biollay and the Plan des Mains unit is at the top of the chair for 2018).

PDF list of lifts here for downloading to a smart phone – note Roc de Tougne chair not the drag now.

The full size 3 Valleys Escapade in a Day image