 Poster: A snowHead
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Am I the only person that feels sad at the loss of Where to Ski and Snowboard?
In the early days, waiting eagerly for the new addition, reading and dreaming about new places to visit and to ski, new lines to create.
I loved the reviews (didn't always agree). Used to plan the next trip around the book. Found wonderful places that the tour operators don't market.
It can be difficult to find reviews to trust (other than Snowheads of course  ) on the Internet.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Oh well, times change. I guess it will all be online now. My copy is from 2010, I'd better ask Santa for an up to date copy while it still exists!
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Where to Ski and Snowboard is changing. After 21 years and 20 editions, the editors and publishers, Dave and Chris, have decided on a radical change of direction. There is no new edition of WTSS this year. Next year we plan to publish something completely different – watch this space.
We continue to sell the 2016 edition in bookshops, through this website and through online booksellers. For people without a recent edition, it will still make a perfectly sensible purchase – particularly in combination with our website, where we will be publishing continuously updated headline resort news that complements the more detailed information in the book. |
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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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Much preferred the original good skiing guides in the 1980s and 1990s. Still look at them each year.
Far more detailed, much better maps and no advertising. Guess we get used to dumbing down 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Bennyboy1, not sure it's right to say it's no more, surely more accurate to say not being updated this year but will be next year (probably)
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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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@marcellus, not sure if they will update next year. The email felt like the end of the line with nothing comprehensive 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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According to Planetski today that is it.
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Did they actually update it much anyway?
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Redundant in the internet age.
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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'm with Benny Boy. With the Good Skiing Guide one was always aware of the "hand that paid" in the text.
WTSS has the Simon Calder "the man who pays his own way" feel, but that too has been lost in more recent editions. The loss of the office manager to breast cancer (I forget her name) seem to trigger its final decline.
So yes, we now await on online presence that is as comprehensive and independent.
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Haven't bought a copy in years as use Snowheads now but there is something nice and tangible about print media.
@Peter S, I also prefer the proper maps of the old Good Ski Guides, it gives a real idea of area scale that piste maps just don't portray or are used to create false illusions.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Agree with most of what's been written above.
Even in the internet age there is still a market for print, but I think a more focussed approach is the way forward.
'Where to Ski Snowboard in France' for example
That would afford more space for better trail maps, more village maps and how to get there sections, etc
My 2p worth.
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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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Why be sad.
Isnt that what snowheads is for? Over 10000 relativly unbiased people to provide a knowledge bank of the best places to ski/board?! 
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honeyBuny; you are of course right. Times change we have to move on. But for a central resource it was great. Finding high quality information that is not written by the resort, reporter getting a free gig or troll is tough in the Internet.
They say they will do small one off reports available to download for the cost of a pint.
I found great resorts like Alagna, through browsing the book. Would I find it in a targeted download I wonder.
Anyway enough of my reminiscing 
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You know it makes sense.
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I think the WtSS book still offered value and often referred to it. It had a good run for 20 years!
Agree with views that the mountain area maps in early editions were better and kept an old copy for them. Is there anywhere online similar maps can be viewed free I wonder?
Other sources, notably snowHeads and, for example, Tripadvisor stay more up to date and give far more detailed information.
Interested to see what the 'something completely different' publication will be for 2017 from the WtSS authors.
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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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can't see the point these days...
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Poster: A snowHead
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@intermediate, I agree totally about just browsing the book and finding resorts you never thought of. Having consistency of review was also very good. To be honest I find the reviews in places such as Tripadvisor a waste of time and almost impossible to find. I shall hang onto all my back copies of WTSS for a very long time.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Personally I found the reviews didn't correspond well to my experiences. IME.
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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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I heard that "the guidebook is taking a break this year and will be back in a new format next season, this year the team is focussing its efforts on the website".
I interpreted that as in a revised layout of the book for next season, personally I've always found it a useful reference guide for questions like "how many miles of piste are the in the PdS and what % of that does Chatel make up?"
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
a useful reference guide for questions like "how many miles of piste are the in the PdS and what % of that does Chatel make up?"
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Ski Trivial Pursuit?
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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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| marcellus wrote: |
I heard that "the guidebook is taking a break this year and will be back in a new format next season, this year the team is focussing its efforts on the website".
I interpreted that as in a revised layout of the book for next season, personally I've always found it a useful reference guide for questions like "how many miles of piste are the in the PdS and what % of that does Chatel make up?" |
That is what they said to those of us on their mailing list. However they have since been quoted by Planet ski as saying that they will not be continuing with the book in its current form, but will be doing different electronic guides (can't remember the exact details). I have submitted reviews for the past few years and been one of the 100 who received a free copy of the book as a result. I was enjoying building up a collection but running out of bookcase space 
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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 'Good skiing guide' of the 80's/90's was the bizz.
I loved those 'top down' lift maps with the terrain contours and the arrows denoting piste direction etc.
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@jellylegs, I know some piste maps that could do with those sorts of features.....
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| under a new name wrote: |
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a useful reference guide for questions like "how many miles of piste are the in the PdS and what % of that does Chatel make up?"
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Ski Trivial Pursuit? |
alas no daily questions from clients along with; is it cold, will i need chains, how will the snow be etc etc etc!
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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 generally get a copy as a table present at Christmas, looks like it'll be socks again this year.
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I'm sad to hear this! I can see why the publishers would feel it's becoming redundant (am sure most people use the internet as their first port of call to find out information on a specific resort, and I'm no exception), but I still love browsing my copy. I like the style in which it's written, and it sometimes feels easier/more pleasant to flick through a book while curled up on the sofa than trawl the internet if you're just enjoying reading aimlessly about different places. Think I'll treat myself to the 2016 book...but will nonetheless look forward to whatever extra online stuff they bring out next year.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The internet isn't necessarily a good source of unbiased information as some of the debates on this site will prove.
I did like the detail in the earlier books and they are quite a good heritage resource now. The maps and descriptions of say the sella ronda from 1986 make interesting reading!
With regard to comparing ski areas I suppose google maps do a reasonable job though the scales are zoom able so not as easily comparable as TGSG circa 1990.
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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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With regard to comparing ski areas I suppose google maps do a reasonable job though the scales are zoom able so not as easily comparable as TGSG circa 1990.
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Google maps do not show all the lifts and only some pistes. It is probably as uptodate as TGSG circa 1990s
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I got a free copy once (years ago) for taking them to task for criticising ski instructors in one resort as being "old". I pointed out that one of my best private lessons ever was with a moderately "old" old Scottish instructor, in Les Gets, who was absolutely terrific and told me that the secret of skiing was to stand on my feet! 
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You know it makes sense.
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| Mountain Haddock wrote: |
I'm with Benny Boy. With the Good Skiing Guide one was always aware of the "hand that paid" in the text.
WTSS has the Simon Calder "the man who pays his own way" feel, but that too has been lost in more recent editions. The loss of the office manager to breast cancer (I forget her name) seem to trigger its final decline.
So yes, we now await on online presence that is as comprehensive and independent. |
The original good skiing guide was essentially the predecessor to WTSS, Chris Gill being one of the editors, there was no 'hand that paid' involved and was delightfully independent .
As a review of ski resorts it has in my view never been surpassed, Experienced skiers may argue with one or two of the verdicts but it was internally very consistent. A few people are a bit dismissive about its utility to expert skiers ut in the introduction they make it clear that they would hesitate to suggest where expert skiers should go as experts will also be expert at picking the best resorts but state where they would go for advance skiing.
It was first published just after I learned to ski and was the single most useful resource I found for comparing ski resorts and find many of its recommendations still resonate.
As far as a' Hand that paid' is concerned it did get somewhat more commercial and much less useful when it's editors were changed and went into partnership with the SCGB. But The big commercial advertorial publication was the similarly named Good Ski Guide.
Sorry that WTSS is no longer published but I haven't bought it for a while now.
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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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The loss of the office manager to breast cancer (I forget her name)
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Wendy
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Poster: A snowHead
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The idea of a annually updated guide book IN PRINT is definitely out of date and ready to be put to bed.
I had bought a copy something like 10+ years back. I still refer to it from time to time, making mental (or even penciled) notes on which resort has changed considerably. Many of the macro information remain the same for many years. So it still makes a good starting point to narrow down the focus, supplemented by more up-to-date information online.
In this day and age, I don't see much value in annual update of prices for a lot of things that actually fluctuate hourly!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Two years ago MA and I had one of our best ever hols as a result of browsing WTSS and seeing an area recommended.
I'm sure we'd never have discovered the virtually unknown (in the UK) resorts of Bregenzerwald without the dedicated section of the book.
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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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Two years ago MA and I had one of our best ever hols as a result of browsing WTSS and seeing an area recommended.
I'm sure we'd never have discovered the virtually unknown (in the UK) resorts of Bregenzerwald without the dedicated section of the book.
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FAQ
