 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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DAVID SNELL, I agree that Piste del'Ours is a fantastic red. It's got rollers, steeps, sweeping bends, is tree lined, and is just the right length. Shame that it's so far from Verbier. I could ski that run all day!
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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'm going to interpret the question a bit narrowly - I don't think off-piste should count. A rather boring run, with noone else around but your mates and untracked powder will beat the best piste so it doesnt make for a fair comparison. I'd say that although the Grandes Montets is one of my favourite places to ski, there aren't any really great pistes.
When I think of my favourite pistes they tend to have some common features:
Long, following a natural line of the mountain, good scenary, good snow holding characteristics (not too sunny/windy) and enough steepness to be interesting (not necessarily very steep). A few that come to mind:
Combe de Vallon - meribel
Combe de Saulire - courchevel
OK - Val D'Isere
(that big one of the Grand Mottes) - Tignes
(ditto of Cime de Carron, Combe de Carron?) - Val Thorens
all a bit obvious I'm afraid. I'd add one which is a little less travelled:
Epaule de Visselle - courchevel. It follows a spur rather than a valley and is nicely convex, gives you a sense of anticipation about what is to come.
Cheers,
J
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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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Piste G at Val d'Isere - Starts at the Folie Douce, goes down to La Daille. The reasons being that it is normally cordoned off at the start, so most people wrongly assume that it is closed (there is a very narrow entrance to it) and therefore it is usually quiet, normally unless it's being used for race training it is left unpisted for quite a while after a heavy snowfall, you go through the finish gate at the end so you feel like the Hermanator, and you end up next to the Rosee Blanche for the best Vin Chaud in Val.
Spanky's ladder is also great in Whistler.
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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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Best place to ski for me is La Grave - by any route you choose, since there aren't any marked pistes there at all.
Difficult to have a favourite piste, but probably the eye of the needle to Tignes les Brevieres (but that was 20 years ago and has probably changed by now). Otherwise there's nothing to beat ski-ing on the Lauberhorn and looking at the Eiger nordwand. The most spectacular view in the Alpes.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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easi ski - the eye of the needle to Tignes le Brevieres is de la sache, still there, still great on a good day.
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I love the Sache too.
One of my favourite runs though is from the top of the Saulires above Courcheval down to Le Praz. Starting with piste 'M' which is black, nothing particularly scary but consistently steep and usualy pretty empty. Then through the Verdons area, green, gently relaxing but rather busier. That takes U down to the built up (and very busy) area around Courcheval 1850 - as near as U will get to 'City Skiing'. It's a real buzz of people, pistes, lifts, shops and bars then U dip under the road, out the other side, over a little bridge crossing the Skindergarten and suddenly the people are gone: peacefull tree-lined runs all the way down to 1300 (preferably including the Jean Blanc). With enough snow cover, U can nip off the piste just before the end, down someone's driveway and it puts U right opposite a rather sweet little creperie.
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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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The 'white run' circuit from Lech to Zurs and back.
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Favourite run is the second one of the season. First run to get the feeling again, then the second run to just relax and start having a great time!
Doesn't matter where it is - even the local dry slope will do!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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FAQ
. I either manage it in which case it is a mixture of relief and pleasure or not in which case I end up feeling really embarraced and having to retrieve skis and things from the various places I deposit them (thankfully I have not had to climb too far to retrieve them the one time I did lose equipment on that slope. I did get to find out what it is like for ski racers to crash into the crash matting though. 
And a good, sunny, cheap resturant at the end of it 
