 Poster: A snowHead
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Looks like a good location, it's in a natural bowl there which means that during the autum and early winter it will naturally fill with water, teh Mannlichen tends to keep its snow once a good base is down, I wonder if the idea is to put down a good layer of man made snow early in teh season to provide a base for natural snow later on
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Its good to see more investment into the area !!
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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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Lets celebrate midsummer's day in style:
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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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Ronald, I once walked up to Kl Scheidegg (either late July or Early August) with rain in Wengen, but by the time I got to Allmend it was snow and when I reached Kl Scheidegg there was 20cm of snow on the ground, just 2 days previously it had been 30C+ on lake Brienz, 2 days after I walked up there was no sign of the snow anywhere, a good example of how rapidly weather can change in the mountains.
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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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Cool 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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The weather will take a serious turn for the worse next weekend - my parents are heading out there!
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A question for you helpful Jungfrau veterans. What would conditions "usually" be like first week (2nd-9th) in April?
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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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Ray Zorro, Hmm end of season (more or less) snow can either be excellent or almost non existant on teh lower slopes, usually enough on teh upper slopes, unless an unexpected cold snap occurs then expect to be skiing in very heavy snow no later than 3pm, avoid the wixi and racetrack runs on the Lauberhorn after 2pm as they can get really sticky, you may find that Innerwengen has no snow so it might be better to take the train down from Wengeneralp or ski Mannlichen in teh afternoon where the slopes don't get quite so sticky
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Ray Zorro, agree with David so i would suggest staying at a higher resort 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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D G Orf, thanks. Not so good then 
Chris Brookes, So what would Murren typically be like first week of April?
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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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| Ray Zorro wrote: |
D G Orf, thanks. Not so good then
Chris Brookes, So what would Murren typically be like first week of April? |
between 30cm - 60cm in the village / upper slopes 170cm +
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The few times I've been there late season, I've had better conditions than in January.
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You know it makes sense.
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Ray Zorro, actually on the whole quite good, in fact in recent years it has been excellent, as Elizabeth B, say Early Jan is often worse
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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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OK - thanks, so Murren might be OK even if Wengen is less likely to be so... Food for thought - I want to go with Oak Hall next April but due to the late Easter dates next year their choices are limited.
2-9 Lauters
9-16 Lauters and Engelberg
16-23 Lauters, Engelberg and Saas Fee
I think that the choice for me is between Lauters 2-9 or Saas Fee 16-23  Any thoughts?
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Poster: A snowHead
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I'd go for Lauterbrunnen, but then I'm not a big fan of Saas Fee.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Only been to Saas Fee once and that was years ago, can't have been that memorable as we haven't been back since,lol.
I would suggest Lauterbrunnen too
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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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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.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I am considering staying a few days in Murren and/or Wengen next season. Are there any good guides or (better) guided groups I could join to discover the off piste?
Sorry if this has been covered before but the size of this thread is daunting.
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I have seen DHO and SCGB Groups active, but not sure they do major offpiste.
As for a guide I can name Christian (Buhler?) at Wengen skischool. Very cool guy... mad good knowledge where to go for the good stuff, he can do both Wengen and Murren.
He's been the offpiste guide for the Snowheads organised bashes the last years, skied with him for guided offpiste as well as training with skischool...
Disclaimer: I do work for the same school....
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Thanks. Perhaps I'll see if there are any compatible snowheads going to be there when I go, to share Christian. I cannot find him on Google however. Can anyone confirm that name or tell me where he is based?
Do I take it from what you said that there is a reasonably high standard off piste class organised by the ski school?
I'll probably try Murren. It is a very long time since I have been to Wengen but I don't remember much (any?) challenging off piste there and at Grindelwald - however I did one day at Murren long ago and thought it looked promising (confirmed by someone on this thread a few months ago).
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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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snowball, I would think that admin probably has Christian's contact details, since as Ronald said Christian has been the off piste guide at a number of the Wengen Snowheads Bashes. Perhaps if you PM admin he can send you contact info?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Alastair Pink, thanks, will do. Ronald, thanks - SCGB if they had a gold/purple day might be OK, though they are now only supposed to do off-piste near the piste and play very safe with avalanches and steep slopes - so might not be much good. DHO I know only by name and famous early history - I don't know the extent of their off-piste guiding. I know at least as much about avalanches as most SCGB reps (I did the course myself anyway) but I don't know the mountains and don't want to ski off piste alone..
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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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snowball, genrally the DHO will do one or two days off piste skiing each week... IF CONDITIONS ALLOW, this does depend on what members of the group want to do, however if you want to do serious off piste I'd go with a local guide, Christian would be a good choice although there are others if he's not available
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D G Orf, I can't remember a day when I couldn't ski off piste, but a few with high avalanche danger where I wouldn't have done it without a guide and a few where it wasn't all that enjoyable (a day in Chamonix skiing skied-out wind-scoured rubble comes to mind).
Mind you, what members want might be quite another thing.
I agree Christian might be the best bet but it is partly a matter of economics.
(Still trying to find out Christian's other name).
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You know it makes sense.
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snowball, sepends where you plan to go off piste, several of the best off piste areas arround Wengen are very vunerable to avalanches, that said there are plenty of areas where its possible to go off piste safely it's just that they aren't as good 
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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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I'm pretty sure his last name is indeed Bühler...
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Poster: A snowHead
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Ronald, OK, in that case I don't think he is on the internet (or anyway I couldn't find him). All mention of guides seems to be on the intro of ski school sites - but they then just talk about "lessons" and cost per hour.
D G Orf, no I'd rather ski something a bit steeper (and perhaps more remote). Plenty at 30º - 40º if possible (and occasionally something more like 45º)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We call that the "Oh God" piste which is never pisted nor opened.
Prices would be normal private lesson rates. (around 75 chf per hour) -- seems they don't have a new pricelist up for '11 yet...
And he is listed on the site
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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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| Ronald wrote: |
Prices would be normal private lesson rates. (around 75 chf per hour) |
ie about CHF 450 or 500 per day? (guides normally quote per day)
But how does that vary (if at all) depending on numbers? Well, we'll see.
Thanks for the URL. I am surprised that guides are listed on the ski school site. Normally guides have their own organisation.
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Thu 1-07-10 15:44; edited 3 times in total
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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snowball, From memory normally private lesson rates cover you for 1-2 people with a supplement payable for more, with a big group you can usually negotiate a deal especially if you are not there during school holiday times when most instructors are busy
Guides have their own organisation however most local guides are also instructors which is why they show up on the ski school site, a retired friend of mine was an instructor, ski guide and montain guide with membership in several organisations (Oh and an ex world cup skier) He was also a carpenter becuase as we know you need some sort of job to cover you when skiing/guiding work isn't arround
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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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A guide I skied with once was a farmer. He milked the cows before meeting us and hurried home at the end to milk them again.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Ronald, I agree with you, when I was there they had good snow. I found quite a few great off piste areas and some good 30 - 40 degree slopes. The new chair on White lady makes everything much easier to get to on that side. The steep section in the cliffs down from the central ridge (sorry forgot the name) was also fun with some nice narrow gullies. Then there is 'First' and 'Murren' as well. Plus you can always go up the top for some real backcountry glacier stuff. So snowball, I think you will have a great time, but I do not think SCGB or DHO club rep groups do any of the sort of stuff I am talking about any more. From what I am now hearing, as you already said SCGB stay very close to the piste and do not really offer much advanced stuff. I hope to go back out again next winter, still loads more to do in all three areas. Out of interest, when are you likely to be going out, maybe we could meet up if I am around at the same time. Always good to link up with other powder hounds.
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| snowball wrote: |
| A guide I skied with once was a farmer. He milked the cows before meeting us and hurried home at the end to milk them again. |
I was taught by Hans Otto in Murren who sadly passed away a while back but he too was a local farmer and often he would milk his cows before we meet up to go skiing.
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contact the local ski school if you fancy going off piste around Murren
muerren.snowsports@tcnet.ch
I go away for a few days and this thread gets busy
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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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richardK, most certainly. However date is not chosen yet.
I have 3 weeks per year which I have already arranged and which my wife accepts that I go off skiing with my friends. However my wife (who is a non-skier) has just retired and has said she would be happy to go out with me for another week so long as I was with her for at least half the time. So probably I will get about 3 days to ski off piste I'll let you know the date when it is decided. If you are there when I am, would you be interested in sharing a guide for a day or two?
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Iam looking for a self catering apartment for 4 in Wengen or Murren for 8/9th Jan. Anybody know any?
Is it right that you cannot take a car into Wengen and you have to go by train?
Thanks
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FAQ
