 Poster: A snowHead
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| Perty wrote: |
France seems to favour descending markers that make it easy to tell how far to the end of the run but I prefer the Austrian run-number system.
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What is the Austrian system?
The descending markers were helpful when skiing a run you have never skied before (which was most of my runs at EK). You see the first marker and immediately get a sense of the length of the run. It was also nice in whiteouts to know when you were close to the end - time to slow down as it is likely there are more people ahead. It was also real nice during my attempt to set a personal best for vertical feet skied without stopping.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| pam w wrote: |
I've found that saying "bonjour" means they will hold the chair and just let it go at the right moment to scoop you up with minimum pain. But if they slowed the chair for everybody the queue would get a lot longer. They do slow them for people who look particularly doddery.
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Another thing about the fixed grip chairs - most of the time the lift attendant stayed in the shack. This never happens in the US - they always help you load.
When they were outside I always said "bonjour", they didn't hold the chair.
A couple of the lifts had signs that said something like "Warning - chairlift moves at high speed during loading" so I just assumed I would not get assistance.
Maybe I need to be more doddery? (had to Google that one)
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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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| Perty wrote: |
One thing you haven't mentioned, but I notice more than anything re US vs Europe, is how you Yanks like to chat on the chairlift with your fellow traveller. Even allowing for there being no language barrier, that is far more infrequent over this side of the pond!
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I was aware of this ahead of time so I was quiet (I try my best not to be a "typical American"). I did ride single often, but when there were other people on the lift no one said a thing.
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PERTY-One thing you haven't mentioned, but I notice more than anything re US vs Europe, is how you Yanks like to chat on the chairlift with your fellow traveller. Even allowing for there being no language barrier, that is far more infrequent over this side of the pond! (we really are miserable so and so's sometimes). However, I am always up for a chat with an American who has taken the trouble to come this far so we can share our experiences.
I'm English and will always chat to anybody. Not fussy. Great to talk to strangers. So not afraid of traveling up on a lift with others, unlike those who phaff about!
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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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Things are slipping in the US too...
I've gotten hit many times skiing in the US. The liftie were multi-tasking doing something else (shoveling snow onto the loading area, for example). So I would get hit the first time using that chair. But when I come back down to lap the same chair, I know what to expect.
Once I expect the chair to come at me fast, I would put my hand out behind me to slow it down just a bit.
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[quote="abc"]
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| pam w wrote: |
| @blueroom, on those fixed chairs which come round and sock you in the back of the leg the key skill is to stand further forward than the others getting on at the same time. |
That technique doesn't work if there's no lift queue and no one else standing next to you! |
If no-one there to take the impact for you, I just get a hand behind me to cushion it before it wacks into the back of the legs. Maybe only works on really slow chairs
Odd that many resorts don't have the singles, doubles triple etc. queues. They have these in NZ (where the queues arent too bad to begin with) and they work well. Helped by the liftie in charge of the queue who calls out who should come forward so keeps it moving and fair to all parts of the queue, perhaps the pick axe handle they waive at you helps too.
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All this talk of breakfast is making me hungry!
I must admit I was in dire need of a coffee and something to eat a couple of weeks ago at 7:30am in Val Thorens.
I was pretty dissapointed .. the best I could do was a coffee and a very sorry stale waffle 
I think that Val Thorens just does not wake up early in the morning.
But I will let them off as the French have the best bread on the planet.
Bread is something that just does not happen in the US as far as I can tell.
I think someone could make a lot of dough if they opened a boulangerie in a US city.
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| blueroom wrote: |
| Perty wrote: |
France seems to favour descending markers that make it easy to tell how far to the end of the run but I prefer the Austrian run-number system.
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What is the Austrian system?
The descending markers were helpful when skiing a run you have never skied before (which was most of my runs at EK). You see the first marker and immediately get a sense of the length of the run. It was also nice in whiteouts to know when you were close to the end - time to slow down as it is likely there are more people ahead. It was also real nice during my attempt to set a personal best for vertical feet skied without stopping. |
In Austria pistes generally don't have names on the piste markers (even if the run does have a name, for example The Streif), they just have a number. The number on the piste marker doesn't change for the whole run as it denotes the actual piste you are on.
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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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| DrLawn wrote: |
| I think someone could make a lot of dough if they opened a boulangerie in a US city. |
Very funny
Andy
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a half baked joke
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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If you want to ski powder (or at least untracked snow) long after the last snowfall - ski with a guide or find a local to ski with (and go to a resort less known for its off piste). There is usually stuff around if you know where to go, and you'll ski places far from any piste. Especially if you are prepared to walk for half an hour or an hour you will often make the first tracks.
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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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A few points.
We were skiing in Soelden a couple of years ago and noticed that the piste names were not on the piste markers. Personally I remember names easier than numbers, but the real difficulty came when my nephew had an accident. It was in thickish fog and we didn’t really know how far down the piste we were (or really what piste we were on. The rescue people had to cruise down the whole piste before they found us. In France it would have been easy to report our position as on the OK piste below gate 8.
Regarding chair lifts – in Les Arcs where I usually ski the lift attendant slows the chair down about 70% of the time. The rest of the time I just reach behind and decelerate the chair myself. It got a bit embarrassing earlier this year when I damaged my shoulder and was skiing with one arm in a sling in my jacket. Some lift attendants would even slow the lift down to let me get on!
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@blueroom, I returned yesterday from a fantastic late season week in EK. A few observations on your entertaining post:
EK - a great choice for first trip. Where did you stay?
Breakfast - the French much more into lunch than breakfast. For a bargain and filling start to the day, stay in a British run chalet. Make sure you order porridge, helps keep your weight forward.
The on/off piste thing - Europeans go well off-piste, especially in EK and fresh powder we had recently.
Lifts. EK has best lift system in Europe IMO. Don't expect the same everywhere. Surface lifts good in windy conditions, when others closed. Also keep physiotherapists in lucrative business. Side by side drag lifts means you can race other person to top, more fun. Not sure about these covered magic carpets. Slow, keep stopping, hot inside, tricky to get off.
French lifties slowing lift down? Maybe for kids. You'll be expecting them to hand tissues out next!
Trail markers. Yes, I found these very handy one day last week. Both the countdown numbers and the orange/red tipped ones being on right hand side. Helped us avoid accidental excursion into 2m snow drift below Aiguille Percee.
Lift ticket prices. EK is towards top end of European prices but good value I think. Maybe you got late season discount? I guess the litigation threat raises prices in USA.
Rental car. Some companies are sneaky and you have to be assertive. Worth studying fine print and booking ahead, online. Gas prices - welcome to our world! Tolls - usually worth the cost v time saved IMO. On some routes to French Alps, some free National Roads can be used for part of journey at least. Don't assume buses always cheaper.
Ask SnowHeads for advice with future car rental perhaps? I paid £120 for a small hatchback (Ford Fiesta) for 6 days, unlimited mileage, last week. Or ask snowHeads on any aspect of your trip!
What about the vertical drop? For example, top of Grande Motte down to Val Claret on one long run? Glad you enjoyed your first European trip. 
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You know it makes sense.
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| intermediate wrote: |
Lift ticket prices. EK is towards top end of European prices but good value I think. Maybe you got late season discount? I guess the litigation threat raises prices in USA.
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Nah - what the market will bear and huge price discrimination against walk-ups drives ticket prices in the US. Fewer "deals" to be had in Europe without group leverage so many more people paying around the median price I suspect.
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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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| intermediate wrote: |
Where did you stay?
Maybe you got late season discount?
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I stayed at a small studio apartment over by the beginners area - just a couple minute walk to the slopes. 7 nights lodging was €450, 6 day ski pass was €138.
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top of Grande Motte down to Val Claret on one long run?
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Yep, that's the one. Ski Tracks said 4391 vertical feet.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| abc wrote: |
| Once I expect the chair to come at me fast, I would put my hand out behind me to slow it down just a bit. |
A couple of people have said that. I'd rather bash the back of my legs than risk hurting my wrist but neither is necessary if you bend ze knees to the correct extent so that you sit neatly on the chair as it arrives behind you, before it whacks your legs.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Frosty the Snowman, I agree  fairly shocking
Austria has by far the best lift systems in Europe by some distance, especially with the year on year investments the lift companies make. I could be wrong but I think it's generally accepted this is correct.
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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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| Quote: |
Austria has by far the best lift systems in Europe by some distance
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I am not convinced you can make that generalisation.
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@under a new name, hence, the slight caveat. I know its a huge generalisation, my apologies.
From my own experience of skiing in 5 European countries plus Canada I have found Austrian resorts to have on average more high speed, modern, well positioned lifts and less slow, old and poorly positioned lifts than other countries.
I have read alot of others opinions and seemingly this feeling is mirrored. I am not excluding that there may be some bad lift resorts in Austria and some resorts outside of Austria that are better than many Austrian resorts. Unless we have an indisputable league table or an accurate way of measuring variable its difficult to be completely accurate.
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I would say that there are some Austrian resorts that certainly have a better lift system than EK
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| under a new name wrote: |
| Quote: |
Austria has by far the best lift systems in Europe by some distance
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I am not convinced you can make that generalisation. |
The 3 Vs has the best lift system in the world.
Hundreds of trails and ski-in-out all interlinked seamlessly with minimal lines or poling.
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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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| Quote: |
accurate way of measuring variable its difficult to be completely accurate.
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That's certainly true. I must confess that I've never skied in Austria (you might think that in 1,300 skis days I would have) so I can't comment on that directly but your assertion seems a little surprising given the overall economics. France certainly seems to lead in terms of overall mostly-linked mileage (PdS, 3Vs) and I don't mind the occasional not super fast lift.
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@under a new name, you might be very surprised then. Austrian lift companies tend to invest heavily year after year in improving their infrastructure inc lifts, so much so, in places such as Ischgl that a chair lift without heated seats and a sun visor is relatively unusual. The Ski Circus (Saalbach-Hinterglemm-Fieberbrunn) though not as many piste km's as the 3 Valleys really does have an excellent lift system and excluding nursery lifts only has a couple of t-bars left.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@AthersT, But is it just the big name areas that do so? Also, aren't the Austrians rather soft with their heated chairs?
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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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@under a new name, from where I have been I would say that investment is widespread, I'm sure there are some small village hills with older lift systems too though.
No not soft maybe more civilised  Seriously though for me it's just smart business - As you have helped to highlight, for Austria to make itself a more attractive proposition and to compete in Europe and globally, investing in what you can change (snow-making, lift systems, mountain huts, public transport, road links) whilst keeping prices reasonable, is how you draw in more people and make it pay.
If it was all about how many piste KM's are on your piste map or being perceived as snow-sure then the French mega resorts and the Sella Ronda would be the only places we would need.
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France 38 - Austria 31
(Lift construction projects planned for Summer 2016)
((France including the popular skiing island of Corsica  ))
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You know it makes sense.
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@under a new name, source? how many ski hills/resorts are there in each country? And can you do those figures for the last 20 years?
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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@under a new name, there is a forum for everything haha!
Next season ski in Austria?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| intermediate wrote: |
For a bargain and filling start to the day, stay in a British run chalet. Make sure you order porridge, helps keep your weight forward.
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Chalet sounds good, I assume they are in other countries as well as France. How do I find them?
Not sure about porridge (not even sure what is - same as oatmeal?) How about a traditional English breakfast? Some greasy fried eggs and tomatoes and some blood sausage?
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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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@AthersT, Rule 43...that would be.
Skiing in Austria, while intellectually interesting (at the margin) involves, getting there, accommodation and lift passes. Whereas skiing in Chamonix involves a 50 minute drive...(discounting that I have to fork out for the season pass in the first place).
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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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| Quote: |
I assume they are in other countries as well as France
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they are mostly in France. A handful in Italy and Austria. And if you feel like a change, @under a new name, you can pop down to Champoluc?
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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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| blueroom wrote: |
| intermediate wrote: |
For a bargain and filling start to the day, stay in a British run chalet. Make sure you order porridge, helps keep your weight forward.
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Chalet sounds good, I assume they are in other countries as well as France. How do I find them?
Not sure about porridge (not even sure what is - same as oatmeal?) How about a traditional English breakfast? Some greasy fried eggs and tomatoes and some blood sausage? |
Hm, bargain maybe. But would you prefer your food cooked by someone young who took week long cooking courses or by a french chef ... If bargain is what you are after then self catering and supermarket and occasional resto is a better option imo
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@pam w, indeed.
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@blueroom, haha.
Also, old, remote, "crappy" lifts often serve some of the best terrain and it remains less skied 
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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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Breakfast? Ok, so the European breakfast can be ok, but it's hardly in the league of a proper Canadian breakfast. With fried stuff. Cooked to order, not your hotel re-warmed McCrap stuff (which is full of salt and sugar to make you obese).
I think the 3 valleys is hard to beat. Austria's fine, but there are drunks and strip clubs. The smoking's getting less, but you still have places which just stink of disgusting old tobacco, and they don't have the service levels of North America. And people mix coca-cola with Weissbier.
Off piste/ yeah, well that's true of the US too. Snowbird for example... go there as a tourist and wonder what it's all about. Go there with a local and it makes sense. I don't think there's a significant difference across continents on that.
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@philwig, tourist vs skiing with the patrol?
Gotcha on that...
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