 Poster: A snowHead
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STOP THE BRUTAL GROOMING!
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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've had some of the best skiing anywhere in the world at places which have tiny piste lengths like My Baker and Fernie. If you're doing it right it ain't about length!
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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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| kioksor wrote: |
| Dunny#1 wrote: |
It wouldn't be as bad if they all lied in the same way, but the fact that each of them differs makes it even more difficult. As an average-joe-british-Skier - I've always thought it to be a decent metric (and certainly one used when making a decision on where to go). Obergurgl is a good example as someone mentioned, and when you've got runs that end up merging - I'd bet they still count them as individual runs for the purposes of length.
Would be nice to have a standardised metric. |
Agreed, but don't you think they would just come up with another way of double counting that piste? Like putting markers down the middle of it to double up anway? |
Probably, which is what needs to be looked at or stopped. Either that or the metric just gets entirely removed... That'd probably be easier by the sound of it, ha.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| fixx wrote: |
| What I really love and want on-piste is really long runs, or series of pistes joined together where I can ski for ages without stopping (for a lift, or anything else like flat sections) |
Totally agree with that. Really long runs is one of the few advantages that a large resort has IMV. You have to be careful, though - in many resorts you can't ski from the highest to the lowest point without stopping, so maximum vertical statistics quoted can be misleading.
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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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I remember skiing Ser Che about twenty years ago at new year. there's quite a large ski area but the lift system was so poor that we didn't ski nearly as much as we queued.
After that, my next few trips were to North America.
The terrain not as extensive but no queues so we got a lot more skiing in.
The 3v and vt were ground breaking in their investment in lift infrastructure that allowed vast areas to be skied without too much queuing.
forget km of piste and look at uplift per hour
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@cameronphillips2000,
High speed lifts destroyed cheap 1/2 day passes.
I belive it was Vail in the late 80's early 90's they started
charging high prices for 1/2 day. They discovered that their
customers were getting to tired on the trails because of the new quick ascent lift systems & were not utilising the lifts all day.
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| Jonny Jones wrote: |
| fixx wrote: |
| What I really love and want on-piste is really long runs, or series of pistes joined together where I can ski for ages without stopping (for a lift, or anything else like flat sections) |
Totally agree with that. Really long runs is one of the few advantages that a large resort has IMV. You have to be careful, though - in many resorts you can't ski from the highest to the lowest point without stopping, so maximum vertical statistics quoted can be misleading. |
Try alpe d'huez for this, 4 runs each with 2000m of vertical, a few different lifts to get back up to the highest point, but its well worth it.
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| stanton wrote: |
| STOP THE BRUTAL GROOMING! |
I thought the Police are on top of that now? What with Saville and co.
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| where pistes are wide enough, if they {put markers down the middle} and left one side unpisted, it would actually make sense. |
That's what North American resorts do. Typically you'll have one side which they bash, the other's left to bumps, although they don't bother putting markers down the middle. There's no pretense it's more than one run or anything (who would care?).
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I like long runs too. But then I usually ride top to bottom without stopping, and I get the feeling that almost no one else does that. I guess they'd say that the views on long runs are better;-)
Run length and vertical aren't the same of course.
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The whole thing's a silly season crock though. If people believe what marketing types tell them and have a good holiday then what of it? I don't think people should lie, but I'm hardly going to be affected by them.
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I don't really buy the whole top to bottom argument:
I Very few people have the stamina
ii If you're in a group it's almost impossible to manage
iii Often on piste you want to pause to let traffic clear out a bit so you can have a fair crack at pace.
I think I did one true top to bottom last year in a group of skilled people. It was a blast but still involved a bit of slow down and get a wriggle on to stay together.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
I think I did one true top to bottom last year in a group of skilled people.
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At quiet parts of the season, changeover days, etc I sometimes ski top to bottom on the last run home in Les Contamines - its about 1200m vertical I guess. But broadly I agree - even in a small group you tend to want to get everyone back together again before the end of a run. The other thing is that if I'm skiing a long section without a break then I'm generally "skiing the slow line fast" - big, fast GS, using most of the width of the piste, carving back uphill to use gravity to control speed - you need quiet pistes for that and it does make your thighs work hard - a few 100m of vertical is probably enough.
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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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| Dave of the Marmottes wrote: |
I don't really buy the whole top to bottom argument:
I Very few people have the stamina
ii If you're in a group it's almost impossible to manage
iii Often on piste you want to pause to let traffic clear out a bit so you can have a fair crack at pace.
I think I did one true top to bottom last year in a group of skilled people. It was a blast but still involved a bit of slow down and get a wriggle on to stay together. |
All true, probably not many people that do ski top to bottom - and it is harder in a group. I'm quite happy skiing on-piste on my own though, and then love those long runs. Limited opportunities in Chamonix on-piste though – I did do loops of Le Tour top to bottom quite a few times last season, with another skier who happily matched my speed etc. Nice, stretches the legs, but not that long or exciting. Could do a fair run down through Grands Montets on piste, but I've never got a clear run without the crowds. And I’d rather be offpiste there…
Now Les Houches top to bottom, when the snow is there but the crowds aren't, that’s quite fun – one cable car (Prarion) to almost the top, then ski the whole way down, along the Kandahar as much as possible (the black-that’s-not-really-a-black) and cutting off for the final blue to the bottom. Do my legs hurt – yes (they’ll recover on the lift back up). Is it because of a really fun and exhilarating run? YES! (There are still a few flat bits though at the start)
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The longest piste I think i've skied down in one go would be from the top of the Cime Caron in Val Thorens, through the village and then down into Les Manures along boulevard Cumin, Not sure how long it is though.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
The other thing is that if I'm skiing a long section without a break then I'm generally "skiing the slow line fast" - big, fast GS, using most of the width of the piste, carving back uphill to use gravity to control speed
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Which means that two skiers, taking the same time to get down the piste, can have a very different experience. One doing little skiddy turns down a narrow section of the piste, the other as described above gets a much faster ski on the same piste, covering much bigger distances. When you watch many skiers who do just skid down part of the piste you wonder why piste length matters so much to them. As ever, it's what you do with it that matters.
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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've heard Klosters is good for long runs. I did the top to bottom at Ortesei last year. legs were dead at the end.
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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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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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Longest downhill run in the world. Except for the uphill bits. Amazing fitness though. Mad my legs burn just watching.
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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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@cameronphillips2000, that year we did the "Super Vier" which include(d) the Parsenn Derby in Davos. A fun season. I am not the skier in the vid. hebhas a significantly stronger mental attitude than me.
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FAQ
