 Poster: A snowHead
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| RobW wrote: |
| If you want somewhere which is *really* isolated (in terms of being a long long way from any other ski resort), then Tiffendale is hard to beat: http://www.tiffindell.co.za/ |
This must be a winner here! I hadn't realised you could ski in South Africa. And it must be one of the most exclusive resorts too, with accommodation for only 116 visitors. Is there only the one lift?
Here's another link, with a video clip. http://www.encounter.co.za/article/223.html.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| bertie bassett wrote: |
There's a shed load of places in france/austria where there's a tow and a couple of runs. For example - I'm going to go here for an 1/2 day this season
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Did you go?
One day I will,..... but I have also said that about La Ros 
The link has changed http://graniersavoie.free.fr/
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Thu 11-06-09 12:27; 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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Samerberg Sue, Very true. Mrs RH learnt to ski on a tiny hill and did well in a previous life skiing!
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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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Angle Fire and also Red River, both in New Mexico, US. Great little areas and only locals.
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Knowledge, like beauty, is probably in the eye of the beholder. Back in January I hadn't mentioned the areas near me that Samerberg Sue just listed because I thought they were all "quite" well-known. But that probably is only to folk living in the area.
Another interesting area which I forgot to mention last time is the Hochfelln, just off the Munich-Salzburg autobahn. There isn't a great deal of skiing there but the one main run is steep and interesting. I tried to have a day there this winter but then found that the cable-car only runs Fri, Sat and Sun and missed out.
There is also quite pleasant skiing in Ruhpolding on the Unternberg. As far as I know, the runs on the other Ruhpolding mountain, the Rauschberg, aren't prepared any more, and the lifts up the top aren't in operation. The descent via the Rossgasse was always said to be one of the steepest in Germany, mentioned along with the Dammkar at Mittenwald. However, I never managed to try it.
There is also good skiing around Berchtesgaden/Königsee, I believe, but I've only been there in the summer.
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It has been a few years since I was there but here a few " resorts" I skied in another century.
Hahnenklee, Braunlage, Zellerfeld all in the Harz Mountains in Germany, wonderfull Cake and Jaegermeister after skiing and gluhwein flowing all day, aaaaaaaaah.
Also in Bavaria, Unterjoch, and Oberjoch, they are not relations, and I think if any one knows this monster resort I will be most shocked, unless you live there or was in the American Forces. Blomber near Bad tolz which is the smallest "ski area" I ever went to at about 4 miles of piste. That might be pushing the concept of a resort but all the locals called it the ski resort so therefore it must be one. One last German resort was Neukirchen close to the Czech republic, there were a few in Czech but I could never pronounce there names and I never took my camera for fear of loosing to the border guards, who in the dark days when I went might take advantage of nasty western tourists.
I think some one mentioned Troodos in Cyprus which I managed to ski down the main road from Mt Olympus into Troodos Village about 7 or 8 miles I think, no touring set up, I was on Fischer RC4 sl wearing Raichle Flexon boots and a Elho flourescent suit, Nice!
1 last one I've just remebered was just a mountain near Garmisch-Partenirichen called Vank in German but spelt with a W because thats how they say their W'S, it wasn't vank, I really enjoyed it but it kept a gaggle of British and American squaddies amused for days.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Sadly no longer operating for skiing.
Germany is full of tiny ski hills. the Harz (north-central Germany) and Erzgebirge (northern edge of Czech border region) mountains have loads of one ot two lift hills. The Wurmberg in Braunlage is the largest in Harz, the Fichtelberg in Oberwiesenthal the largest in the Erzgebirge. Neither of these really offer much downhill skiing but have great cross country. They also get absolutely rammed at the weekend (being the only places for a day's skiing for a lot of very large population centers), so up here at least they don't seem all that "unknown".
Oberstdorf is certainly not "unknown" given that it hosts the Four Hills ski jumping every year and regularly hosts the ski flying World Championships.
Two Bavarian areas on my list to visit: Wendelstein in Bayerischzell and the Laber in Oberammergau.
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| Boredsurfing wrote: |
| bertie bassett wrote: |
There's a shed load of places in france/austria where there's a tow and a couple of runs. For example - I'm going to go here for an 1/2 day this season
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Did you go?
One day I will,..... but I have also said that about La Ros
The link has changed http://graniersavoie.free.fr/ |
No I didn't unfortunately.. I didn't do as much travelling around as I'd anticipated, largely because I broke myself quite a bit towards the end of feb, so doing 60 minutes driving for 2 hours skiing struck me as a little pointless.
As granier is on a s. facing slope then it closes very early too - If I recollect (some friends went there) they'd turned the tow off for good well before Easter.
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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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| Scarpa wrote: |
This is a list of ski areas and resorts in Iran:
Dizin
Shemshak
Tochal
Damavand
Abali
Darbandsar
Khor Ski Resort
Khoshaku, (Urmia)
Sahand Ski Resort, (Tabriz)
Kuhrang, (Bakhtiyari)
Kakan, (Yasuj)
Tarik-darreh, (Hamadan)
Alvares, (Ardabil)
Sepidan, Kohkiluyeh
Shahmirzad Ski Resort, Semnan province
Shandiz, Khorasan province
Chelgard, (Shahr-e Kord)
Shemshak looks fantastic but I'm having a job persuading my mates to go... they like to drink their beer openly. |
Spent 10 days in Iran in Feb,Tehran and Persiopolis(SP?). Looked at the mountains every day from the hotel room and the drive in to work. It snowed a couple of times we were there and the north of Tehran ground to a halt. Had it all set to ski Tochall on my last day but I messed up my workload and didn't get the day off in the end. Still the add on trip to the relative hedonism of Dubai made up for it in the end.
The people I worked with said there was summer skiing too. Theres an interesting blog somewhere about a Kiwi diplomats wife living in Tehran and skiing in Tochal
Have been promised a return trip but don't know when..
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Afriski, Lesotho opening this weekend if enough snow...
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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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| Rocki wrote: |
| Blomber near Bad tolz which is the smallest "ski area" I ever went to at about 4 miles of piste. |
I've had a few days (and occasional nights) skiing on the Blomberg. Indeed, I did some of my first snowboarding there (and my Father sat around freezing in one very cold winter -about 1984?- while I fell around on the slope).
| Rocki wrote: |
1 last one I've just remebered was just a mountain near Garmisch-Partenirichen called Vank in German but spelt with a W because thats how they say their W'S, it wasn't vank, I really enjoyed it but it kept a gaggle of British and American squaddies amused for days.
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And I've skied on the fumble too ( that's not what I wrote - though it may accurately describe my skiing ) (sadly closed for skiing, as ami in berlin says). Probably I know a lot of these "American" ski areas in Bavaria because I did a good deal of my skiing with the US Forces when I first came to Germany, as a member of the Munich International Ski Club and the National Ski Patrol System (I did training with the NSPS on the, eh..., Vank).
And thinking back to those days reminds me of going from the AFRC Chiemsee to yet another mini-area, Gschwendt, which was just one T-bar (even smaller than Blomberg!), up the hill from Bernau in Chiemgau. Sort of like a pub with its private T-bar. I was only there once (about 25 years ago) and rather doubt that the lift still operates, although there are still signpost to skilifts in Bernau. Maybe Samerberg Sue and I'll have to explore again next winter.
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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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ami in berlin, Strangely enough I've never got round to skiing the Laber, so that's got to be on my list as well. Like you found, the Dammkar can also be absolute misery as well as being heaven! I've registered with the lift operator and get 'powder alarms' by e-mail whenever the conditions are good  I get powder alarms from the Zugspitze as well, which has turned the Zugspitze into one of my favourite ski areas anywhere!
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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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As listed in a ski mag once Pebble Creek sits in the black hole of ski areas with UT to the S and Jackson and Targhee NE and Sun Valley to the NW, haven't been back in years but a great little local ski area called the Rock by locals and it's said if you can ski here you can go ski anywhere.
Just out of Cokeville WY is a little ski hill that upgraded to a double chair from single seater chairs about a decade ago still regret not buying one of those single seat chairs when they sold them. Definitely a unknown place, as I can't remember the name.  I think it was Pine Creek.
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Sat 20-06-09 16:15; edited 1 time in total
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Steilhang, sadly it's a bit tough (and expensive) to head down there from Berlin to heed the "Powder Alarms". My one trip to the Zugspitze was also in poor conditions, and I thought the area was absolutely useless. I'd sort of written it off considering how much bother it takes to get up there. It'll never happen, but wouldn't it be cool if they put a cable car in from the Alpspitze to the Zugspitze?
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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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I remember the Jump, and it looked like, well pretty damm scary really. Like somebody had just thought hey what shall I do this summer? I was there 86 87 88. The Zugspitze holds great memories for me apart from the assent, I managed to ski down once, and had to walk the last mile in mud and muck, fantastic and boy did I drink some beers back at the AFRC that night, well every night really. 
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Rocki, How did you do that? AFAIK there are few descents from the Zugspitze and most of them bring you down to Ehrwald. All of then are extreme and require some abseiling! It may be possible to ski down to Reintal, but that route is so avalanche prone that few people do it!
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The ski jump in Braunlage as it currently appears:
They hold regular competitions there at whatever level is just below the world cup circut (CIS Cup, I think).
There were plans to put in a gondola and cut some trails down the east side of the Wurmburg to connect with Schierke, but those have been shelved. I've heard Germans suggest that if it had not been for that whole cold war, seperated Germany thing, there would today be a large ski area spanning the Wurmburg and Brocken (highest mountain in northern Germany). Of course the border ran right between the two, and the East Germans made their side a nature reserve (more like a military reserve in reality). That status still covers Brocken, so no further development is possible. I go cross country skiing there from time to time, but never downhill.
Rocki, do you mean the Riffelriess trail, where you get off the cog-wheel train at the middle station and ski down to the Eibsee? Or do you mean throwing yourself down this:
If the latter, you have my eternal respect. Didn't the old cable car from Ehrwald make an intermediate stop?
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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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I remember walking in the Harz mountains on my own just before unification and was already aware of the Braunlage ski jump and could occasionally see it on one of the walks I did, whilst on that walk I came across another sizable ski jump the had fallen into disuse amongst the forest - don't know if that one still exists as well. However shortly after that a siren went off, at the time I thought it was some sort of nuclear attack warning, it seemed to go on for ages and I realised near the end of it that it must have been a noon day siren of some sort, but boy did it alarm me at the time!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Not exactly unknown as I've mentioned it before, but it's not on this thread - Steinach in Austria just south of Innsbruck, and Lauteret, also mentioned on here by Snowangel from time to time. 2 drags with books of tickets. I fancy Leukerbad myself too.
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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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ami in berlin, Can't remember the name of the trail, but we were on the train first, just followed the guide and walked a hell of a way.
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| easiski wrote: |
| Not exactly unknown as I've mentioned it before, but it's not on this thread - Steinach in Austria just south of Innsbruck, and Lauteret, also mentioned on here by Snowangel from time to time. 2 drags with books of tickets. I fancy Leukerbad myself too. |
The Col du Lauteret, which is part of the Pays de la Meije is shut. I don't know if it opened this winter but it lies within a nature reserve and a decision was made a few years ago to close the resort. The lifts are supposed to come out this summer if it has not already happened.
The focus in the area is now on Villar d'Arene which has had an upgrade this winter (snowmaking I think) and le Chazelet.
There is a long article on Pistehors about the reorganization
http://pistehors.com/news/ski/comments/0909-la-grave-trouble-in-paradise/
So if you want to ski the Lauteret, you will have to climb, like we did in November
Ski tour to the West Summit of the Combeynot from David GEORGE http://www.vimeo.com/2267138
Leukerbad? Hardly unknown. It is the Ste Foy of Switzerland. There is non-stop publicity for it on Swiss Radio and TV. "blah blah blah, come to Leukerbad's hot spa and ski at the same time, blah blah blah..." It has put me off going anywhere near the place.
I will offer Heuberg in Switzerland which I've skied once, not sure how unknown it is but I know very little about Swiss skiing.
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You know it makes sense.
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davidof, Oh - I'm gutted (I should spend more time on your site shouldn't I?) - I've always wanted to do a couple of turns at Lauteret, just never got round to it. I don't do walking up! Leukerbad may be well known in switzerland, but I doubt if many brits have heard of it - I've only been there in summer and liked the look of the terrain.
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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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| espri wrote: |
| And thinking back to those days reminds me of going from the AFRC Chiemsee to yet another mini-area, Gschwendt, which was just one T-bar (even smaller than Blomberg!), up the hill from Bernau in Chiemgau. Sort of like a pub with its private T-bar. I was only there once (about 25 years ago) and rather doubt that the lift still operates, although there are still signpost to skilifts in Bernau. Maybe Samerberg Sue and I'll have to explore again next winter. |
I couldn't restrain my patience, so I went for a walk in this area last Saturday. It is true - the T-bar is no longer there. Here are a couple of views of the piste:
The only evidence left that this was once a ski resort is the Kassa, the ticket office, now used as a hut:
Luckily, though, the pub is still there, the Gschwendtnerhof Stub'n, and I would recommend it too. The Wirtin, the landlady, explained that her parents had abandoned the ski area idea in 2001 and the T-bar had been sold on to Lithuania!
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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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I did a long weekend in Foppolo. It's near to Milan Bergamo that Easyjet flew into it. The hotel picked us up from the airport and dropped us back. I enjoyed the skiing and the food at the hotel was good. This was about 15 years ago though, but at that point has just invested in a 6/8seat chairlift to take you out from the centre.
https://www.brembanaski.com/ingleseski/foppolo.html
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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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@cc_7up, thanks for awakening this thread again. Reading through it brought back pleasant memories. I skied at Aschau several times when I lived nearby in Marquartstein and it was always a good day's skiing.
Sadly my photos from Schwendt seem to have been deleted from the snowMedia Zone. I didn't do it.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Poiana Brasov in Romania, I was there in Summer and it totally surprised me to see it was also a ski area, I don’t know why.
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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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| JimSearle wrote: |
Solda in Italy
Les Karellis in France
Obersdorf in Germany
Sillian in Austria
Big Mountain in US
Ski Smithers in Canada
Could name loads more...resorts that everyone knows about are highly overated |
Big Mountain now known as Whitefish - probably a better name as it wasn't very big when we went there (it's in Montana and we did a day trip from across the border in Ferrnie)
Also had a few days skiing in Pfunds, Austria, back in the 1970s. A couple of rope tows and some gentle nursery slopes. We then graduated to the 'proper' resort of Nauders, near the Swiss border.
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Great thread. The mention of Lautauret reminded me of a few places - none that I have skied in but places that I have passed by while cycling in the alps and onset of there is any skiing there. One is at the top of the Col de Romme near the Grand Bornand. The other is Plan Joux. Not I believe you can access some really interesting off piste routes from plan Joux so it is probably not that unknown. Other places I have seen are at the top of the col de turini between Sospel and Nice. There is a tiny little resort up there. One day I may ski at Plan Joux. Unless it accesses something interesting Romme didn’t seem to have much going for it given what else is around.
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Areches-Beaufort has quite a lot to commend it. It's by no means unknown amongst local ski tourers though.
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Does Prato Nevoso in Cuneo, Italy count? Had a very nice family holiday there - and it has some great night skiing.
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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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Santo Stefano d'Aveto in Liguria. When I went there almost 30 years ago it just had a one-person "bottle cage" lift. But apparently this has been replaced by a chair, and a second chair added as well!
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