 Poster: A snowHead
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perhaps Run-of-the-mill, as in worlds-finest
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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David@traxvax, I wouldn't presume(sp?) anything about you ... your posts stand or fall on their own merit, I simply refer to them. Should I be embarrassed by your verbiage ... I think not .... methinks you protest too much  And just how is La Ros better than The "run-of the-mill ski-stations nearby" when it IS part of the run-of the-mill ski-stations nearby.
So when you waxed lyrical about St Foy, you were lying? Coo .. Quel Surprise!
Frosty the Snowman, &rob@rar.org.uk, yes there are a couple of bitch noir's down to the town ... but you could take the gondola or the tourist runs. When you get into the bowls it's white, wide and wonderful fun and if you wanted to just rack up the miles you could do the lot in a day or two.
I'm pointing out that our views are coloured by the information we recieve and our bullsh*t filter may be unduly influenced to disregard the "run-of the-mill ski-stations nearby" simply because we're not prepared to look at smaller resorts' David bites himself in the ass 'cos he's always promoting the benefits of the expanded La Ros ski area and undermining the fun of the compact zone that is Las Ros itself. It's a lovely place, but no better than anywhere else within 50Km and even he has much more to say about St Foy.
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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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Masque, I'm not quite clear about the point you're making: is it "we should consider all resorts, big and small, when deciding where we might like to visit" or is it "don't bother with the big ski domains because they are over-rated; only the small resorts are worthwhile"?
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rob@rar.org.uk, Nope, I'm saying don't predefine your enjoyment quotient by the size of the domain. The 'bigger is better' message seems to be the predominant one (and I used david@trax as an example). I'm using the quality is just as or more important in your choices argument.
If you've a bunch of snotminers then the quality you're looking for is different than the lean, keen powderhound with no next-of-kin ... I think that decisions need to be made on the satisfaction of need rather than the all too often voiced desire for mileage and there are many reorts that never get a mention here that will provide a superb vacation.
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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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yeah - Livigno!
huge - no
extreme -ummm I think not...
Did I just have one of the best lessons I have had in recent years - yep! 6 brilliant days of skiing - even though i had the 'flu for 2 of them!
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Masque, Some excellent points in yr last post. Would our bunch of snotminers have nee desperate to return to e.g. Chamonix? I think not
little tiger, It is absolultey about what floats your skiing boat.
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| Masque wrote: |
| rob@rar.org.uk, Nope, I'm saying don't predefine your enjoyment quotient by the size of the domain. The 'bigger is better' message seems to be the predominant one |
OK, I agree with that, although I would say that there is a far greater willingness on snowHeads to see the good points of ski domains in terms other than simple piste mileage than among the general skiing population. I think by and large we're a fairly enlightened bunch (not least because of the many great reports from resorts that most of us hadn't heard of before arriving at this forum).
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| Frosty the Snowman wrote: |
| Quote: |
Wide, smooth, deserted and unchallenging
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Are 4 words to NOT descrbe the blacks though the tees im :La Thuile |
Yep, I spent one day last year skiing La Thuille and the snow was not the best - very icy. I took one look at the pitch of one of them blacks and listened to the sounds coming from the skis of the sole 2 skiers who had just started it and decided it was a 'challenge' I didn't want that day!
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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 being unfair. They sometimes are deserted
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... for good reason given the horrible scraping sounds coming from that 'snow' on that pitch 
Edit: They were a classic example of difficult blacks in atrocious conditions that could have resulted in a 'Jonny Jones' slide as per the 'Too Steep to Groom' thred.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Frosty the Snowman wrote: |
Masque, Some excellent points in yr last post. Would our bunch of snotminers have nee desperate to return to e.g. Chamonix? I think not
little tiger, It is absolultey about what floats your skiing boat. |
yup...
I have a friend is a snowboard examiner.... another mutual friend HATES lesssons... she almost never has any.... whatever.... but she and others give me flack regularly for having lessons.... in the end he told me (and them over a few wines) that as i obviously get so much enjoyment from lessons i should continue to take them and they should wee wee off!
as he said - he has NEVER seen anyone come in day after day even in crap weather(pouring rain blowing a gale) with a grin on their face - if it does that much for me there is no way you can argue against it...
when I no longer enjoy that I'll think about a change.... but atm I get a kick from this.... and it does not do my skiing any harm either!
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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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Trying not to get into a scrap here, but St Foy is fantastic. It's sooo quiet with none of the hassle of the larger resorts. Of course it is limited but there is so much space to try new stuff. Fortunately the nightlife is so poor that you're guaranteed to be sober and fresh the next day assuming you don't get dragged to Val D. For me traversing villages and the like can turn into a mission, esp as a boarder and detract from the bouncy, jumpy, fun and fast stuff. <dons Billy cap> "I've paid my money to go to a resort, does it matter what I do as long as I don't p!ss people off?"
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| Masque wrote: |
| ajhainey, our sport is all about 'us against the hill' I think that you see me as limiting that ... you're very wrong |
Now I'm even more confused...but anyway I'm not against the hill - I'm WITH the hill, enjoying being up in the mountains with clean air great views and the chance to zoom around without mechanical assistance, letting the mountain do most of the work.....it's a hoiday not a competition! aj
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You know it makes sense.
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At Christmas, because we were moving into our apartment, and also had some friends who weren't such good skiers with us, I spent all my skiing time on the Monetier slopes despite Serre Chevalier's 250km. The snow was different every day, awful on occasions, and brilliant on others. I didn't get bored though.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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I'm also planning a trip to one of the other resorts in the area at Easter.
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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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easiski, I had a similar conversation with Gavin from Eurekaski at Christmas about him never getting to ski much. He was a bit exhausted with all the offpiste classes he was taking in Feb/March though.
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I learnt to ski in a resort with 3 pistes, one of which was a black so of no use to me. My holiday was thoroughly enjoyable because of the friendliness and intimacy of the resort. I returned to the same resort twice more, but I now prefer to get plenty of mileage and go exploring, but I will not sacrifice a picturesque resort for a concrete jungle because it has 100's kms of piste.
Masque, Have you found any that take your fancy, if so where?
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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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| easiski wrote: |
| Also, there was a mention that I get to ski all the time - WRONG - I hardly ever ski - I'm always working, and that is nothing like the same thing!!! |
yeah - I keep trying to explain this to people who think that they want to be instructors because they love to ski ....
it ain't skiing.... it is teaching skiing .... if you get bored now doing stuff like technical practice on easy terrain - imagine it backwards in a snowplow with someone who really does NOT get it - that you have to pick up every few yards.... now think again...
My instructors all love to teach - but I have still had sighs like "oh thank goodness I don't have to tell you how to put your skis on" and "oh thanks now I can actually ski somewhere other than xxx" - xxx being the beginner slope of resort in question or just a big cheesy grin and a "lets go I think you need a warm up" ....
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IncogSkiSno, found quite a few but you'll need to wait. In the meantime a half dozen or so in Northern Spain look very interesting for a week each and just over the border there's Cauterets etc. Andorra's turning into one big ski resort but the Pyrenees is a big set of mountains with a lot more going for it than Palma on Piste.
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I'm a bit late joining this thread, but I'll join those who stick up for the smaller resorts.
Personally, I don't enjoy skiing new runs as much as familiar ones. First, I don't feel free to really let rip until I have an idea what hazards I can expect. Second, I prefer skiing to navigating. Nothing is worse than wondering whether you've gone the wrong way being worried whether you'll make it back in time to meet your kids from ski school.
For me it takes 5-10 hacks down a run before I'm at maximum enjoyment, and I continue to want to ski it for much longer than that. That means I don't need a big ski area to keep me happy - just some empty pistes, an absence of queues and some nice big moguls. A bit of powder helps, too.
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johnboy, I'm with you.
I'm a traveller, I look around the resort and see a mountain I not done and I have to give it ago.
It's not about clocking miles its about new experience, If I come across a run I like or I totally hash up I will do it a few times.
It's the way I ski just the same as some people enjoy taking lessons every year.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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A parallel would be between those people who like to go back to the same resorts every year, and those who like to try new ones?
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Kramer, I agree. It is too simplistic to try and link skiing experience etc. with whether people like big or small resorts. Certainly more experience open up more un-psited terrain assuming the right snow conditions, safety factors etc.
You have hit the nail on the head - its a bit like any other holiday (skiing, summer or activity) I take. I have been places I have loved and would love to go back to ... but generally not at the expense of those I still want to see, go to etc.
Masque, yep, some of those smaller resorts in the Pyrenees have caught my eye too. The biggest problem is that I tend to try and do everything by internet, and in many cases was unable to find any suitable independent accommodation - or even information that is in English. But that would be part of their appeal being un-developed ..!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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agavin, take a look at the little resorts around the southern French Alps too. I've skied just about all of them, and always got great pleasure out of the domains themselves, the friendliness of the locals, not forgetting the cheap prices!
A caveat though - many are at relatively low altitude, with limited snowmaking facilities, and definitely best skied in the middle of the season.
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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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| easiski wrote: |
| Is it because as you become a better skier you can change what YOU do on a run and therfore keep the same run sweet? maybe it's to do with the ability of the more experienced skier to see beyond the marked pistes? |
Precisely. I now ski mostly off-piste, so kms is less important that the available terrain provided from the top of a lift. I am rediscovering piste skiing though - but in terms of what you can do on it rather than where it takes you (for that I'd still be looking for off-piste traverses, descents....and even ascents...through interesting terrain - but definitely with no piste to deface the view).
I also personally disagree with the "first time's the best" school. The first time I'm going down sowewhere (ooh er missus), I'm taking it fairly carefully (shurely shome mishtake), and paying more attention to route-finding, watching what's around the next corner etc.. The next time down I can open up a bit and try skiing it properly, the third time I can try and correct some of the mistakes I made the second time, the fourth time I can actually start relaxing and enjoy the skiing, the fifth time I might actually do it half right......  . As a couple of examples, the last day but one I had in Chamonix, I probably skied a total of 4 different runs, but 24 "laps" in total (the vast majority on two runs, one bumpy "piste" and one virtually indistinguishable "off-piste" run). The week before last we also did one particular couloir in Gressoney three times, but I left it feeling there was unfinished business there (admittedly largely as the third time I did the majority of it head first  - clearly relaxed into it one run too early!), and the twisty-turny runout from it maybe half a dozen times, and that just got more enjoyable each time. The run back to the valley bottom was always down the same red run, but each time down it was a bit different, either as the snow changed, or you decided to use a different set of turns from the toolbox, or as you had to take a different line to avoid the "mobile obstacles" on the steeper pitches.
I guess the buzz I get from skiing is in equal measure both mastering the technical challenge and immersion in the extreme scenery of which the Alps is so full, so as St. Freddie ( ) once said "I want it all" (and "I want it now" too - but still 18 days to wait to the next fix  ).
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GrahamN, I totally agree that the more you ski a piste, the better that you get at skiing it, and that brings it's own thrills, it's just for me, that is outweighed by discovering a new piste for the first time, wondering where it's going to go, and where it's going to be tricky etc.
Funnily enough, off piste I'm totally different, and only start to enjoy a route when I've done it a few times and know where it goes. 
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You know it makes sense.
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| Kramer wrote: |
| Funnily enough, off piste I'm totally different, and only start to enjoy a route when I've done it a few times and know where it goes. |
Isn't that called the 'puckerpoint' the moment you can relax a certain muscle without fear of soiling?
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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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Masque, there's definitely an element of that...
It's something to do with getting vertigo, and also not feeling in control.
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Poster: A snowHead
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A good piste (or bits in between) are like a good film or book; you can keep going back and finding bits you missed first time. This was brought home through necessity last year in poor conditions in Serre Che - we were forced to stick to a very lmited number of runs, but each time we went down we found a new little jump or an interesting shortcut to try... We'd have been a very depressed little group indeed if we'd insisted on not skiing the same piste twice.
I've often had a very good time with limited piste available. I'd much ratehr spend time on a fun piste over & over than mindlessly cruise around looking for "new turf"... but each to their own. 
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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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Arno, I think you might be right- I am that sad myself and  I fall into both camps- either Chamonix or resorts with more than 200km piste.
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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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Masque, At least I don't lie nor do I comment on items of which I have no experience.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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David@traxvax,  be nice now.
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brian
brian
Guest
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1 run a day suits me fine..
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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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JT, with a nice restaurant half way down it, and a cosy bar at the bottom?
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JT, Have a fondness for Austria perchance?
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FAQ
) and I'm more that ever inclined to voice the opinion that too many of us are missing out on great little resorts and mountains simply because:
