 Poster: A snowHead
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I have mainly skied in Switzerland and Austria, but was very inpressed by the pisteurs in Bad Gastein last month. Having reached the bottom ( village level ) at about 4:30pm and it getting dark, I was very keen to do one more run of a particularily long run from the top station at Hohe Scharte ( Red piste HI ). I was certainly the last one on the piste on the last day. It was interesting, and it was the first time that I observed it, that the pisteurs, waited behind me to do a clear sweep of the mountain. And even when I stopped for a breather, they stopped a distance behind me. And this continued until I got to near the bottom and the apres ski bar  . After that they disappeared. It gave me a very favourable view of the professionalism of the Bad Gastein pisteurs - perhaps all resorts do this to this same high standard. As I was skiing alone on this last run on the last day it was a comforting thing to note that should one have an accident that thay sweeped the psites in the twilight hours.
What have others experiences on the " sweeping of the pistes " at the end of the day?.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Tue 21-03-06 21:46; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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They're obliged to close the pistes off in this manner and ensure the runs are clear. But they don't always do it in quite so polite a manner if you straggle a little too slowly for their liking!
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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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Easiski and I were late off the mountain in L2A in January. I was a fantastic evening with a glorious sunset on reflecting off the tops of the mountain. The pisteurs were doing there first sweep and would stop about 20 meters above each time we stopped. Each time they would get a little closer a make it obvious they wanted us to get down quickly. However they were friendly and never rude but just made it clear that the days skiing was over.
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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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A lot of my friends get a bit over paranoid about being left on the pistes at the end of the day, or being trapped at the bottom of a shut chairlift.
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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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When I've been 'swept' it's normally been fairly polite, but there has never been any doubt in my mind that I'm not going to be allowed to dawdle without some serious muttering and dark looks coming in my direction!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Yep, last week in Arabba, we were 'escorted' off the slopes 2 nights in a row.
The first evening, it was by 3 skiers with 'Polizei' on their chest who very clearly stopped behind us and said 'Down!'. The 2nd evening it was 2 men in green uniforms with an Italianisation of 'Forestry' on their overalls who stopped behind us and the few others on the slope waiting until we were down.
Pretty prompt considering we had seen the lifts stop only a few minutes earlier - assuming they had been runnign for a while to aloow the last users off even though no new users had been allowed on. It was also pretty unambiguous considering that at the start of every lift was a notice saying it was 'illegal' to use the slopes after they had closed at 17:30. In each case this sweep was being performed a few minutes after the lifts had closed at about 17:00.
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The poor guys are just wanting their dinner! I've never been treated impolitely though, although they have to sweep me and my students off farily regularly.!
We were almost left at the bottom of Mont de Lans though as we were in dense woodland when the pisteuse (f?) skied past. She swept us anyway!! 
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At whistler they even patrol the off-piste stuff:
The lifts were closing at 3:30, but my friends and I weren't getting our bus back to Vancouver until 5:30, so we built a kicker somewhat near the hike out of Flute bowl, and figured we'd hike it after the lifts closed. Anyways, we were hiking it for a little while, and then a ski patrol came up and told us to get off the mountain (politely though). We hit the kicker a few more times after he left, and then began what should have been a 20 or so minute hike to get back to the piste. Just as we started though, another ski patrol came by on a snowmobile and gave us all rides back to the piste! He was really nice, and even went fast over bumps and such so we could catch some air 
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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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| Russell wrote: |
| Easiski and I were late off the mountain in L2A in January. I was a fantastic evening with a glorious sunset on reflecting off the tops of the mountain. The pisteurs were doing there first sweep and would stop about 20 meters above each time we stopped. Each time they would get a little closer a make it obvious they wanted us to get down quickly. However they were friendly and never rude but just made it clear that the days skiing was over. |
U2 ? Looks just like my week with easiski
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Easkiski's had a lot of people with her....
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Got swept in France mainly in my early years but always politely treated.
Only once in big trouble in Saalbach in one Christmas when the darkness quickly set in. Couldn't be sure if some skiers passing us were pisteurs as we were slow skiers plus skiing in total darkness. We were pretty sure some of them were workers from the lifts. Ansolutely no help to "feel" our way down.
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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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Presumably it is only Brits, with our great love of all things French  , who call them "pisteurs" even when in Austria?
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Many moons ago a friend and I got a bit lost late one afternoon in the PDS around Torgon and needed to get back to Chatel. The connecting lift we needed to get was not very well marked on the piste map ( or we were not very good at reading it more like!! ). Anyway we ended up at the bottom of a drag that was miles from Chatel, the liftie told us we were very late, asked where we were going and radioed on ahead to alert the lifts ahead we were coming. Pisteurs picked us up above Super Chatel asked if we knew the way down and left us to it.
Last edited by So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much  on Wed 22-03-06 13:33; edited 1 time in total
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You know it makes sense.
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Martin Bell, as opposed to "Skipatrouille" ??!
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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 have not skied enough Italian resorts to tell the difference and was surprised to see skiers in uniform (for skiing of course) with police markings in Dolomiti Sellaronda. Haven't seen such thing in other Italian resorts near France like Courmayeur or La Thuille. Are these skiers real policemen/policewomen or justing offical patrols? The style and behaviour would suggest that they are the real thing. Not seen anything similar in another country.
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Poster: A snowHead
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saikee, AFAIK they are the real police c/w real guns! Mostly they seem to be around the border resorts, but they are not a new feature.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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saikee, I also noticed that there seemed to quite a few 'Army' guys (As opposed to 'Polizei') doing duty. Saw them first thing in the morning getting blood stretchers out of storage at the top stations at Porta Vescova and the Marmolada etc.
Last year there was definitely a skier with 'Polizei' on his uniform at Champoluc who seemd to repeatedly cruise the main route from the top chairs down to Champoluc. Noticed him have a good shout at 2 'kids' who were clearly racing each other, and late one afternoon having a good yell at a bunch of boarders climbing up above the piste where there were a set of avalanche barriers telling them to come down.
Maybe the Italians feel that employing 'Polizei' carries a better weight to enforcing 'good behaviour'.
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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've seen RCMP at whistler, and local police in France and Italy - not in spain I think, although the town was full of Army as the King was due to arrive the day we left.
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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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nbt, just noticed what nbt stands for ... excellent license to save time not checking ones posts
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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 have to work for a living, if I spent time checking posts I'd get caught and sacked!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| saikee wrote: |
| Haven't seen such thing in other Italian resorts near France like Courmayeur or La Thuille. |
I saw some uniformed officers when skiing in La Thuile earlier this season. They looked like police or border patrols. There were also a big bunch of army guys (trying to) ski around the resort.
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Hi I'm back, 
In Soldeu it is the ski school that sweeps the slopes, they do it in rotation.
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We saw some army guys skiing in La Rosiere complete with massive backpacks it was a whit out day with very heavy snow and the did not look like experienced skiers as they spent more time in heeps on the piste. I noticed that when we went back through BSM that there was a army base and assume this was a training exercise.
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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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We make a point of being swept off at Madonna di Campiglio. We generally aim to hit the bar at the top of the final run just as the lifts close, and stay there until the piste patrol tells us we have to go (they come in for a few drinks after sweeping the top runs, so we get plenty of time). And the run down is always empty. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| nbt wrote: |
| I've seen RCMP at whistler, and local police in France and Italy - not in spain I think, although the town was full of Army as the King was due to arrive the day we left. |
Fernie had a couple of RCMP when I was there, too.
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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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We sometimes have skiing police here. They don't seem to be much use though - I think they just treat it as a paid days' skiing!
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You know it makes sense.
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Well, I suppose "Pistensicherheitsdienst" is a bit of a mouthful - bit like a Germknödel really...
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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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On my first ever holiday in Sauze we got friendly with a doctor who patrolled the area for a free pass, I think, and one of his jobs was to sweep a run. In your first week its quite a big deal to be told to hurry up down one of the red mogulled runs into the resort because it was getting dark....fell down it, we did and ended up in bits more than a couple of times....
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Poster: A snowHead
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I remember when i was quite young, we skied down from the Schilthorn to Murren. (I'm blowed if I can remember the piste though after 30 something years i should be able to  .) Anyway the area we were skiing was being closed because of avalanche danger, in fact they closed it just after we went passed. A piste patrol guy followed us all the way down, staying high up to make sure we got through ok.
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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 got swept on Ad'H, they were polite but made it clear that I should head down. Was just practicing doing little drop offs (no av' risk btw) after getting last lift of the day.
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FAQ
) I don;t think I could trust myself to ski safely down the mountain!
