 Poster: A snowHead
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See if this works, comments please
Resort: Grimentz
Country: Switzerland
Domain: Val d'Anniviers
Author: T Bar
Date: end Feb 2005
Our holiday: Skiing with Mrs T Bar both enthusiastic and reasonably experienced though definately non expert skiers
Website :
Basics : The Val d'Anniviers is in the Valais area of Switzerland it is francophonic. The valley lies above the town of Sierre opposite to Crans Montana whose slopes are visible from some of the Val d'A.
The valley is steep sided running approximately North-South from Sierre. There are a number of villages in the valley several of which have lift served skiing. The lift pass covers all areas in the valley plus a day at either Crans Montana or Leukerbad (difficult to reach by public transport from Val d'A).
At the Northern end of the valley lies Vercorin whose pistes look to face North and East with a reasonable amount of tree lined skiing. However it was not eaily reached by public transport from where we were staying and we did not ski here.
Slightly further upon the other side of the valley facing West is the linked area shared by the villages of Chandolin and St Luc.
Further up the valley on the opposite side facing east are the areas of Grimentz and at the top Zinal. The lift systems are separate though it is possible to ski from the Zinal area to Grimentz down a black run followed by a gentle path. There is also a free but infrequent though well timetabled shuttle bus beween them. To get between Grimentz/ Zinal and St Luc/ Chandolin by public transport takes approx one hour by post bus
We stayed in Grimentz flying to Geneva and getting the train to Sierre and post bus onwards total land journey ~3hrs; the connections are obvious.
Lift system,The terrain,The snow,Off-piste :
Grimentz: A stand up gondola from one end of the village(1570m) accesses the midpoint at Bendolla 2130m, from here lifts fan out above the tree line with two high speed chairs and the rest mainly drags. The area faces mainly East and south East and goes up to a height of 2900m The skiing has a moderately steep overall gradient with most runs being accurately marked red or black. I am too much of a chicken to give a personal account of what looked a good snow park 
There is an excellent sheltered black run from the top of the area back to the resort mostly straightforward though with a steeper section near the bottom.
There is a limited amount of snowmaking though the main runs to the resort are covered.
Zinal: Slightly further up the valley from Grimentz the area also looks East. A cable car (apparently occasionally queue prone) takes you from the valley 1670m to the midpoint at 2440m. The runs are mainly served by drags with a couple of chair lifts, as in Grimentz reds and blacks predominate. A freeride area at the south end of the skiing was closed during our visit I assume because of thin snow cover (The avalanche risk was low during our stay) Once again there is a fine sheltered lone black run taking you from the top either back to a bus in the valley floor or to Grimentz in its own bowl.
St Luc / Chandolin:
Facing west the areas connect well and are predominately easier than on the other side of the valley most of the runs being blue or red. Access is either by Funicular from St Luc or by two chairs from the road north of Chandolin all other lifts are drags. This combined area interlinks well and is larger than either of the others. The highlight for me was a very beautiful red from the top of the lift system 3000m going well away form any of the other runs; with beautiful views all the way to an isolated Gite a short free bus ride back to St Luc. There is some steeper north facing skiing from a ridge separating St Luc’s area from Chandolin, including some serious looking couloirs (Not to be touched by me)
Whilst we were their all areas shared quiet slopes, little and usually no queuing and spectacular views of the high mountains
The snow surface was good with low temperatures during our stay. The depths were however thin and an instructor informed us that the offpiste base was to thin in most places to be enjoyed, we did not attempt any off piste. (Mrs T Bar is not a fan of anything other than good spring snow) I have however heard that there is excellent off piste to be had particularly between the resorts for which I would think a guide would be most useful for all except the experienced.
The resort : We stayed in Grimentz whose narrow streets and old buildings held considerable charm, there is modern development taking place above the village however this is largely in character. There is a small swimming pool though little else for the non skier. The shopping is typical of a village rather than a resort. Night life is limited and the resort is for locals most skiers were Swiss or French with a few Dutch and Germans we heard one other English voice and saw one English registered car all week.
Food : Typical Swiss , we ate in the hotel being half board. The Etable du Marais above Grimentz served excellent Rosti,Kaseschnitte etc.
Costs: I am not good on translations CHF Euros £ etc but it seemed reasonable.
Conclusion: If you like an exciting nightlife , English speaking skiers and a large interlinked area stay well away. I loved it and intend to go back. If you want good views, traditional villages quiet slopes and can cope with the odd T Bar it may be for you. Early in the season or for lower intermediates I would stay in St Luc. Going later in the season Zinal Grimentz would be my choice. If you are intending doing all the areas your own transport would be beneficial but be aware that the roads are steep narrow and winding; snowchains a must. If going for the off piste I would be inclined to check snow depths before booking.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Wed 9-03-05 17:22; edited 3 times in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Wed 9-03-05 15:05; edited 1 time in total
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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 not doing very well here; how do I delete the repetition 
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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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T Bar, there should be an 'X' next to the postings. Click and hey presto! an end to double posting misery.
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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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T Bar, as long as your post is the last in the thread you can delete it - just go to edit on the rhs and one of the options is delete.
However, since I'm now last in the thread all you can do is trip up a passing moderator and let them do it. Or you can edit it down to a dot or something inoffensive. TVM for an excellent report. 
Edit - I think the X only appears to the person who made the last post.
Moral - act fast to eliminate doublepostinitis.
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Wed 9-03-05 15:09; edited 1 time in total
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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T Bar, sorry, I didn't know that I was stopping you from deleting the extra post.
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I have worked out what I did wrong anyway, I pressed the wrong button and quoted myself instead of editing it, I was trying to edit out a couple of typos and ended up quoting myself. Thanks for the help.
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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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...........................
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Fri 18-08-06 13:09; edited 1 time in total
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ise, interesting. I for one would be interested in hearing more about how your purchase progresses. Zinal is the preferred location of the http://www.extremecarving.com guys.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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.................................
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Sun 20-08-06 14:55; edited 2 times in total
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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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ise, Maybe you caught their carving weekend (end of Jan). They had 120 riders this year. I have the video from last year (on edonkey - search for Zinal) and the standard is pretty high. Hopefully next year I wil be able to go as well. All the extremecaring videos are shot on the Corne and Barthelemy pistes.
Having 3 small children makes it a bit difficult to go further than an hour away at the weekends. If anybody has experience of the garderie or ski school for kids in Val d'Anniviers I would be interested to hear.
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.................................
Last edited by So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much  on Sun 20-08-06 14:52; edited 1 time in total
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You know it makes sense.
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T Bar,
Interesting post, 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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Added to the index, ta very much, T Bar,
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Poster: A snowHead
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I skied Zinal 17 years ago, really Swiss. Do they still have a huge Club Med hotel there?
Also had a couple of days out from C'Montana in Grimentz.
BTW there is a guide who lives in Grimentz called Serg Lambert, speaks perfect english and is a really nice guy, I have skied with him on several occasions.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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.................................
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Sun 20-08-06 14:51; edited 1 time in total
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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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Dypcdiver,
Funny that I skied with Serge about 10-11 years ago and heard from him that Val d'Anniviers was a good place to ski which was one of the reasons that made me try it.
ise, Enjoyed your report on St Luc from your site. did you see any of the freeride championships? Were the depths good enough to avoid bottoming out above Chandolin?
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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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.................................
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Sun 20-08-06 14:51; edited 1 time in total
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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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Hi ise, Interested to read your post on Val d'Anniviers. As you remember we are great fans of Valais, and in particular H.Nendaz, although you thought it comparable to a wet Wednesday in Bracknell.
Last summer we had a super DIY walking holiday in the Vd'A area staying at Mission - we walked Grimentz, Zinal, Val de Rechy, and St Luc and even climbed the Ilhorn. We have just returned from staying in a chalet in Haute Nendaz with excellent facilitities but being a chalet it was out of the village, but for the average British motorist this was inconvenient as the main road was snow free, but the road to the chalet was was snowy, making the swopping on and off of snow chains a pain - in fact we didn't do it but parked illegally on the main service road close by in someone's elses parking bay.
My point is if you are interested in buying and then renting out to the British market make sure you buy somewhere close to village facilities which by and large are going to have good access most of the time in winter. Archetypal Swiss Chalets up country tracks are lovely in the Summer but a different cup of tea in the winter, especially if you are an average Brit who hasn't got a 4X4 or snow tyres. Just a thought on rentability.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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.................................
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Sun 20-08-06 14:50; edited 1 time in total
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snowbunny,
We are still looking at it....although it might lose out to Andermatt....I Know, I know, not my decision...!!
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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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snowbunny,
Re-reading T-Bar's report was good, I will have to get there for a few days at least this year.
So thats plans hatching for Engelberg/Andermatt, then Val d'A and then LG...... speak in code and keep it quiet
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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Spaniard, I loved your report. Although my Spanish is not good enough to understand all of your comments, your pictures are wonderful. 
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Wed 12-03-08 14:25; edited 1 time in total
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snowbunny, will you be there soon? I shall be there Jan 7th-14th. As you say though, it is a ghastly place and I would urge all Brits to keep well away. Stick to the places you have made your own, like Meribel and Val d'Moron 
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You know it makes sense.
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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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How's this area looking at the moment, considering coming out this weekend, and it seems like a great area to try!!
regards,
greg
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Poster: A snowHead
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gregh,
Hobson's.... want to know more about the area but also want to keep it quiet. I think snowbunny said the upper resort was due to open this w/e. the 17th..!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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gregh, Shhhhh,  Grimentz ran 5 lifts with 5 runs open over the last 2 weekends, including I believe, the run down to the village. Scheduled to open fully 17th Dec, along with Zinal/St Luc/Vercorin.
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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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Anybody got a contact we can call to chat about the conditions over there ? Could do with a guide that we can call up and get some honest information .. rather than the tourist office telling us it's fantastic ... come !
Also, what's the recommended resort to stay in as there appear to be a number of linked resorts in this area ... Grimentz, Zinal, St-Luc etc .. I take it the higher up the valley the better ?
Jed
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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DAVID SNELL, Hi David
wondered whether you had bought a plot in Zinal in the end?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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williamiain,
Not sure how how often he logs on during this quite period. You could PM him or look at his profile for alternatives
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Anybody got any further updates on Grimentz/Zinal or the general area for a guide? We're back to booking a last minute trip and I would imagine it's gonna be great in this area and quiet ... but really would like a local guide to get the most out of it.
Anybody being skiing Zinal over the last couple of weeks ? Is it as promising as the rest of the northern Alps?
Option no. 2 is Austria, wondering about St Anton but very keen for somewhere quiet and I imagine St Anton is a polpular spot even atthis time of year.
Thanks
Jed
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c-ellerby,
I know someone who is flying out tomorrow so will get back to you when i hear from them
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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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| JT wrote: |
c-ellerby,
I know someone who is flying out tomorrow so will get back to you when i hear from them |
Did you get an update on the conditions? We've made our decision now to head to St Anton so Grimentz will have to wait for another year but I really fancy a trip there one day. I get the impression this year could have been a great time to give it a go. when I rang a local shop he reckoned it was still not deep enough off piste to cover the rocks so we decided to stay away.
Although, I seem to recall one of the plus things about the valley is it involved quite a lot of grass base for the off piste so the rocks are far less of a problem ... was that right?
Be nice to know how much snow is required before it's worth a visit.
Thanks
jed
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c-ellerby,
Haven't heard from them yet. Austria sounds like it has tons of snow, but then looking at the pics from L2A and SC and knowing what weather has passed over the south coast of England, I'd guess the whole of the alpes is getting storms...
I'll know more about VDa in a day or so..
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FAQ
The latest Ski Club GB e-newsletter has an advertisement for Sierre Anniviers. Grimentz will be overrun with Brits 
