 Poster: A snowHead
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It's reported that Bernie Ecclestone and a couple of others have paid $3.8m for the Glacier 3000 ski area (between Les Diablerets and Gstaad).
It went bust about a year ago. He now aims to double the number of visitors, which sounds challenging to me. In summer the skiiing is boring unless you want to use the snowpark. In winter it can be perishingly cold and the more interesting runs below the glacier are often closed.
Although I haven't seen it in print, I heard a rumour that future plans include rebranding it as Gstaad 3000.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Like it, got a ring to it and might make good sense. When something isn't working best rebrand it and try again. The Villars / Diablerets locals might have a probem with it though.
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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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Where are they?!
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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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Where are they?!
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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 very uninspiring, not too much variety ( just a few runs of no great measure ) and often very cold ( north facing? ) ski area - I skied there in 2003 and was not too impressed. Les Diablerets and Villars much beeter and do not involve a bus ride as Glacier 3000 does from Les Dib.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Glacier 3000 is at the top of the Col de Pillon - the road connecting Les Diablerets and Gstaad. It's 10 minutes by bus from the middle of Les Diablerets, probably more like 20 minutes from Gstaad. It's not linked to any other ski area. I gather there were ambitions for it to become a mini version of the Jungfraujoch - i.e. somewhere that attracts the tourists just for the views and the opportunity to walk on the glacier, with the merit of being closer to the big population centres along Lake Geneva. They also try to promote other activities such as a Via Ferrata and dog sled driving (both somewhat minority interests!).
The views are pretty amazing, and it has a good restaurant at the top, but it hasn't got the heritage of the Eiger/Jungfrau, etc.. I went in March three years ago, when everything was open (a relative rarity) but the place was almost totally deserted. They've spent millions on a modern two stage cable car that at least partly duplicates an OK lift system that was there before, and and on the ultra modern design restaurant. The run off the back of the glacier (the Combe d'Audon) is really attractive - very long, isolated, with cliffs on both sides but it's often closed (it still hasn't opened this year). And there is really only one other decent run besides this - it was all right for one day's skiing, but no more.
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We're still waiting for some detail to the plans. So far, cost aside, the new lift is a waste of time. In bad weather it can't run and that includes fairly moderate winds. I noticed in one of the weeks before Xmas they managed to run 3 days out of 7.
There's a guy who blogs here and goes a bit http://ripzalot.blogspot.com/ I go from time to time but I've not been for ages but there's the odd photo in my blog.
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The place is pretty decent over summer and in October/November when the snowpark is up and running, but if you're not into that sort of stuff, it is fairly limited. Over the winter months, its very cold, and unless the Combe d'Audon is open, its not really worth the trip and the price of the pass. Problem with Combe d'Audon is that it is a massive rock field, and during winters like this one with no snow even in altitude during Autumn, it doesn't get a large enough base until later on in the season. However, once that base is built, it will easily ride through into early May, and with a guide during a powder day, it has to be one of the sickest places to ride - powder runs with 1500m vertical, and no hiking required!
There was talk of equipping the Combe d'Audon with snow-cannons, but then they went bankrupt - maybe Bernie will end up carrying that out. The new lifts pretty much ensure that queues are kept to a minimum, but they seem to have been too ambitious. The restaurant itself cost masive amounts of money, and although the area was always making money, they were crippled by the debt repayment.
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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 skied on this glacier in 2002.
It is very dull apart from one very long red that runs for about 6 km down the mountain. However, even about 1.5km of that was flat and it got boring when doing it for the 8th time.
I wasn't disappointed to see it closed and won't be going back if it reopens.
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Boring's a bit unfair, there's some wild terrain at Glacier 3000 for those that look for it.
one
two
three
etc etc
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Yes, when it's good there it's excellent. Plenty of messing about in powder below the top refuge, and off the side of the Combe d'Audon. Freeride weekend on first weekend of April will be good, it was last year as there is a massive off piste run below the main cable car, over 1km vertical.
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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 private ski resort 20 mins from Gstaad for the price of a chalet, split between three mates, result.
Who needs punters.
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Wow, 10 year old thread is resurrected!
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You know it makes sense.
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@telford_mike, jeeez I didn't spot that 
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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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So what happened in the intervening 10 years. Did Bernie develop it?
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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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Bernie still hangs out there with his new sheila, at his $30m chalet. Was there over Xmas.
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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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Indeed I didn't see that it was a ten year old thread as I was just googling the Combe d'Audon to find out it's length, and saw this thread. I love that run, I bet it's good there today! No I'm not Bernie! And it hasn't changed in 10 years neither.
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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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Is that an ise post that hasn't been deleted ?
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