 Poster: A snowHead
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I can ski, but my head holds me back, I panic easily, and suddenly all short turns go to pot after 10 years revert to panic plough which just serves to knacker my legs and give me cramp!
We went to sheet ice St Gervais last year and Leysin early this month (when the ridiculous snow hit) I can ski blues, and if I didn't know they were red could ski those too but my mind won't let me
We're looking to go this time with friends at the end of March and looking for suggestions for resorts with some nice blue runs, but will satisfy 2 competent snowboarders & another skier of intermediate standard.
One friend will be coming from Klosters, so needs to be a sensible/accessible connection. Thinking Austria or Italy?
Suggestions appreciated from nervous nellie here!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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My suggestion would be Courchevel 1850. Has easy skiing, great ski schools and access to the endless 3V terrain for the more adventurous.
(Not sure about the connection though - Wengen would be much closer to Klosters).
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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 feel your pain saphhome - you sound exactly like me. Is it possible to get some dry slope or indoor ski lessons in before you go? It’s helped me enormously with my confidence. I’ve been to Ellmau and Obertauern which some people find easy but personally I found a lot of the skiing very difficult. Hope you find a great resort.
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| bambionskiis wrote: |
| I feel your pain saphhome - you sound exactly like me. Is it possible to get some dry slope or indoor ski lessons in before you go? It’s helped me enormously with my confidence. I’ve been to Ellmau and Obertauern which some people find easy but personally I found a lot of the skiing very difficult. Hope you find a great resort. |
I have skied in both...and imo both would be suitable for the OP, though Ellmau gives access to a much bigger area, for the others in the group.
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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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My wife is exactly the same. She is actually quite a competent skier but her head prevents her from believing so. We heading to Val Thorens this year on the basis that there are plenty greens and blues around the resort as well as a larger flat section in resort. I wish there was an obvious solution!
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My wife is also exactly the same. She starts off at the beginning of the week looking pretty good but after a couple of falls her nerve goes and she doesn't want to do it anymore. So now she won't go skiing at all. I made an error Christmas 2017 by taking her to Are in Sweden thinking it would be gentile hills. It was hills but very steep for her to get back to the hotel which put her off.
I somehow need to persuade her to go again but to a fab resort with just cruisy blues. To get her back on it.
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How about St Moritz? Not in Austria or Italy obvs, and can be a bit expensive, and I cant´t say about connection to Klosters, but has loads of really lovely, half empty, gentle long cruising blues and very easy reds.
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A bit of a shame, this. People who can ski well enough but think they can't. 
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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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Thank you for the suggestions, friend is suggesting we join her in Klosters... apart from needing a mortgage I don't thi k it's on the friendly list.
Few I'd considered were La Thuile (piste map seems very confusing) Mayhrofen or Zell am See/Zell am Ziller
I ski almost weekly indoors and can even negotiate an artificial mogul field and while it's not pretty, I can do it, it's so frustrating.
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@Saphhome, @FrequentFaller, I would suggest either the Espace Diament area or Valmorel, they all have easy cruisy blues and easy blues back into resort, trust me! Espace Diament probably has more options for other skiers in the group.
@bambionskiis, I totally agree with you here, I was looking for cruisy blues when I went to Ellmau and was disappointed.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Saphhome, not sure the resort you are looking for actually exists. There are a few places which can be categorised as "not suitable for nervous intermediates" eg La Grave, Andermatt, maybe St Anton. For the rest there will be the usual selection of pistes some steeper some less steep. The piste map may show a collection of blue, red and black squiggly lines but that really does not tell you very much. Yes a blue piste is likely to be overall less steep than a black piste but the critical piece of information is not there, what is the state of the snow? What are the weather conditions? Skiing in a white out is no fun for anyone.
An "easy" blue piste can easily be icy and badly scraped, especially if it is a home run at the end of the day, making it a real challenge especially when filled with floundering skiers whereas in good conditions a black can be very straight forward, helping build up confidence. Most resorts, whatever the actual terrain, will ensure the piste maps shows a good selection of pistes
Perhaps the best option would be to find a supportive tutor (if you are heading to Val d'Isere checkout Steve Angus, he posts on the VD thread most days), someone who can help build up your confidence, take away the worry about what might lie around the corner. It wont be cheap but given you seem to want to ski maybe this is a way to learn to enjoy doing so?
A couple of possible places easy to get to from Klosters, Montafon, a collection of traditional villages in western Austria and Serfaus / Fiss, not so well known in UK but a fair sized ski area with a good variety of skiing, the ski school has an excellent reputation. For both of these easy to get the train from Klosters, either to Bludenz for Montafon or Landeck for Serfaus and taxi transfer from there or an easy drive.
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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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For a resort that offers good cruisey blues, then as a committed fan of Kronplatz, I suggest Valmorel in France or Espace Diamant (copying polo99)
These are resorts which would suit you, but also offer something to others.
The alternative approach is to go for a resort offering skiing for others but which also offers options for you. As I say, I am a committed fan of Kronplatz. Somewhere like Kronplatz might suit. Why? Because there is enough to entertain others, especially if you add in a trip to Sella Ronda / Marmolada / Hidden Valley / etc but at the same time there are very few chair lifts / tows so most of the infrastructure is gondolas. These are your friends because you can use them to travel around and because of the shape of Kronplatz there are higher easier runs. But the main thing is you can use the gondolas to travel down as well as up. So if you don't like a run, take the gondola down
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I think this problems sums up my dear wife too.
She can ski pretty well, but her bottle goes right out the window as soon as there is a hint of a red stick or lollipop at the side of the piste. And we all know as soon as fear creeps in your legs go to jelly and you just don't want to be there and it's a dark spiral down.
Most ski holidays there is a common phrase she utters ..
"I am never ever coming skiing with you again you b@5t@rd!"
But she's coming skiing again in a couple of weeks 
Odly enough we're going to St Gervais.
The last time I remember her being skiing in her comfort zone was Zermatt and of course Cervinia on the other side.
La Thuile and Courmayer in the Aosta.
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You know it makes sense.
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| DrLawn wrote: |
I think this problems sums up my dear wife too.
She can ski pretty well, but her bottle goes right out the window as soon as there is a hint of a red stick or lollipop at the side of the piste. And we all know as soon as fear creeps in your legs go to jelly and you just don't want to be there and it's a dark spiral down.
Most ski holidays there is a common phrase she utters ..
"I am never ever coming skiing with you again you b@5t@rd!"
But she's coming skiing again in a couple of weeks
Odly enough we're going to St Gervais.
The last time I remember her being skiing in her comfort zone was Zermatt and of course Cervinia on the other side.
La Thuile and Courmayer in the Aosta. |
My nervous wife found St Gervais pretty good. There’s a very gentle blue back to resort and the blue to Megeve really brought her confidence back.
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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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It is interesting...my wife is the same as about half a dozen others in this thread...for confidence building runs we’ve found nothing better than Les Saisies. I would say there’s at least 10 easy but scenic and interesting blue runs and the ED, while not quite world-class, will keep most people busy for a week.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obertauern should fir the bill, ski in ski out, great accommodation, a lot of easy blues and reds, with a little bit of a decent challenge in a few blacks. Not too expensive, flights to Salzberg, then a short connection via very good taxi service for your Klosters friend
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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 personally didn’t find Obertauern easy. To an accomplished skier I’m sure it is. However, like the poster, I’m a nervous skier and I didn’t enjoy it. It was the first time I’d come up against random pop up mogul fields half way down runs part way through the holiday (don’t know how common that is though). Not much to do on no -ski days. Sorry to be negative.
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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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@bambionskiis, I would tend to agree with you. Maybe I have been unlucky but on both of my visits there were rock hard icy pistes (to be fair it would be unlikely to be like that at the moment), certainly not easy for a nervous skier to cope with whatever the type of piste.
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I am nervous and have found my happy place in Courchevel. 1650 last 2 years and La Tania this year. Well groomed and snow making too makes a difference. Not so keen on the Meribel slopes and chose to download from Saulires. Skied from 1650 to St Martin de B (for lunch) on blues. Lovely!
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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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Oh and brilliant ski instruction too by native English speakers - had a fab Scottish lady instructor for a few days.
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@RosieL, Was your fantastic instructor Izzy ?
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European resorts totally suck for ice.
Snow quality is hugely overrated in the Alps.
Lots of fake snow. Their snow crystals are round (like ice).
The Alps are near two big, warm, seas and they get frequent freeze-thaw cycles.
Hence, more ice.
Which scares you.
Go to western US or north Japan.
Go where the snow is softer, lighter, drier and fluffier.
Much less ice.
New Mexico has the driest snow in the world. Dried by deserts.
Try Jackson Hole or Alta.
Good luck.
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| DrLawn wrote: |
| @RosieL, Was your fantastic instructor Izzy ? |
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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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 yes, how did you guess?!
Gutted she’s fully booked for the week we’re going out this year!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@bambionskiis, @munich_irish, take your points but needless to say I have'nt experienced this in 3 visits with my wife and 3 daughters. Given Obertauern is high you are less likely to have freeze thaw getting home at the bottom. As to random mogul fields, I can only think a few piste basher drivers were off ill. This is possible anywhere, especially at a resort with a relatively high snowfall
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