 Poster: A snowHead
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Do they both have crowded lift lines?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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You're going to possibly the most hyped resorts in France at peak holiday time. You are going to stand in queues.
On the other hand, CVL operates a handy system whereby single skiers can sneak in along the side and the lifties just bung you into any available space. As long as you aren't obsessed with riding every lift with your friends/family, this makes things much quicker.
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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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Like how long lines? Some people consider lines to be 5 minutes, some 20 minutes. So how long can these lines get at Val D'Isere and Corchevel?
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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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skiking4, depends on the lift, the time of day, what everyone else in resort decides to do that day etc etc as ever. Stop obsessing about it!
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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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Welcome to snowheads,
I'd echo the recommendations for Morzine/Avoria and the Portes Du Soleil.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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You'll find lots of in-bounds off piste back home in North America but sample the difference, whilst you have the opportunity, of the extent of one of the mega European ski areas.
At your age you need some resposible company, just in case take advantage of ski guiding if with a tour or SCGB, or a guide if your daddy is rich.
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No... we're not rich but I think I'm going to take group lessons in ski school some days which I absolutely hate but that was back in New York at lesser known resorts (ex. Catamount). So if I take group lessons I will be learning from better or world class intructors/skipping lines/skiing off piste right?
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skiking4, You may not get lift priority in group lessons. I can't say about those areas, but we only do lift priority for private lessons = no more than 4 students per instructor. OTOH the instructors you ski with will know where the queues are less and will probably take you there to ski rather than stand you in lines. I think it's probably hard for you to grasp the enormity of these areas you're talking about, if you've been used to small places in the states - even most USA big resorts would be considered quite modest in europe. When you book your lessons be sure to explain what you're looking for. Of course they will check you're all up to the right level on the first day, but be sure you get in the right group. If you find you're moved down a group, make the most of the tuition. Remember that europeans don't talk themselves up so much as americans, so be modest with the school! You'll have a great time. 
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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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As has been said by others - off piste in Europe is enormous and is like US backcountry in that it is not avalanche patrolled at all - except where it would threaten a piste. However you can do a big proportion of it from lifts or by only walking a short distance.
Many of the best European Black runs (at St Anton and Verbier for instance - but less so in France) have been turned into Itineraries because the US culture of litigation has come to Europe and although Itineraties are usually avalanche patrolled they are not groomed, or patrolled in any other way. This saves litigation due to the state of the piste. However it means you probably shouldn't ski them on your own.
For the off piste, private hiring of guides is very expensive unless there are 5 or 6 of you, but the solution for you is to use a company which puts you with others of the same standard to ski with a guide. Not every resort has this sort of company but Val d'Isere is one of those which has several. I would suggest Alpine Experience which is very good and has all English speaking guides (many are British or Australian etc). For very good off piste skiers I would have suggested TopSki since they tend to attract the best skiers so their top groups are higher standard. However you are more likely to find yourself skiing mostly with French people with a guide who speaks mostly French.
Val d'Isere is a great resort, especially for off piste, but doesn't have that many black pistes (European black runs are about the same as a double black diamond in resorts such as Val d'Isere, St Anton and Verbier but may sometimes be more like a single black diamond in easier resorts.
In St Anton (which is a wonderful resort with very exciting off piste ) you should try Piste to Powder - but I really only know personally the owner and top Guide, Graham Austick. He is a wonderful guide but tends to take the top group and is spending much time guiding at his new place in Norway now. I have heard good things about the company but one or two felt they were pushed too hard (but that might well suit a young, adventurous skier).
PS There is a big range of off piste at Val d'Isere, from gentle to super tough. Here is a friend of mine doing a very late-season week there.
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Sat 4-10-08 22:32; edited 3 times in total
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So if I take group lessons I will be learning from better or world class intructors
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Errrrrr .............. steer clear of the ESF, I'd say. They trot out all the geriatrics and stuff people in classes of a dozen plus during peak weeks.
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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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skiking4,
I have skied with top ski a couple of times and they are good , Alpine experience also have a very good reputation. You can queue jump with both groups, but when you are off piste most of the time yopu spend far less time on lifts anyway in my experience. You are going at peak time you will have to book the ski school very early as they are popular, like think very soon.
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Another good option in val is to hook up with the ski club of great britain. They normally have 2 reps in val. As a non member I think you can join them for a day or get a family membership for the year. The reps will take you out around val and tignes, and will most probably do some off piste stuff. The club also organise an off piste day once a week with a professional guide from topski. This would be a much cheaper way for you to experience some off piste.
Depending on your dates you could meet the famous Paul Mongon (Mongo or the ski pikie) ski rep, a true ski bum and a nice bloke.
This link gives you info on the repping stuff.
http://www.skiclub.co.uk/skiclub/resorts/resortrepinfo.asp?intContactID=44752
Val will be busy during Feb, but if you can get the first lifts by 9am you miss the rush. Lunch times are much quieter. Note the ski world championships are on in val during Feb, good if you want to cheer on bode and co but could make it busy and will shut a few runs off, so check the dates.
Good luck where ever you end up.
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You know it makes sense.
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waynos, I sincerely hope the reps are NOT taking people off piste (I thought this was sorted now), unless they're properly qualified.
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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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waynos, The World Championships finish the week before the dates that skiking4 gave.
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Poster: A snowHead
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easiski, the ski club attempts to "clarify" the rules (ie restrict the reps while saying they really aren't) has left things even more muddy. Some of the older reps are either carrying on almost as before or giving up, and the new ones are being very cautious and hardly going off piste. The rules allow them to go off piste within sight of the piste - a daft compromise. But until the first accident at Verbier a few years ago the Ski Club had guided off piste for nearly 100 years without any off-piste deaths.
However I don't think we should turn this into another discussion of that contentious issue (there are several threads for doing that).
By the way, skiking4, many ski teachers are allowed to take clients off piste but only guides can lead on glaciers and you are much more likely to go far from the pistes and get an exciting experience with a guide.
You will probably get some teaching from guides, especially if it is billed as part of what the particular group is about, but it is not their primary job.
Alpine Experience was founded as a break-away from Top Ski by some guides who didn't like the more heirarchical structure of that organisation. Alpine Experience tend to share out the best jobs (or they used to, anyway. I haven't skied with them for a while - when in Val d'I I have tended to ski with Patrick Zimmer of TopSki or go with a group of friends to ski with a favourite guide). Pietro at Alpine Experience is a really fun guy, by the way.
(In case you didn't already twig: a piste is just the European word for a trail)
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Mon 6-10-08 15:21; edited 1 time 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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PS There is a big range of off piste at Val d'Isere, from gentle to super tough. Here is a friend of mine doing a very late-season week there.
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snowball, Great TR 
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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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snowball, Well - that's what I thought, and I didn't want to open the can of worms again, but in light of the advice the poor youngster was getting I thought it best to make it clear who does what. An accident because of the rep is why we don't have them any more in LDA (ESF took exception - that's a laugh), but I've done the reps course and I've done all the BASI ones .... no contest.
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