 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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If I am free-skiing, I particularly enjoy setting a destination some way off, working out the route and skiing to it. I enjoy the journey and the various sights that you pass on the way. I may well make detours if it looks interesting. I therefore prefer the larger resorts, particularly those with several interlinked ridges/valleys. Personally I can imagine that I would get quite bored skiing the same slope many times in the same day, but then we're all different.
If I'm having lessons for part or all of the day it really doesn't matter on the size of the resort.
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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 don't worry about the numbers of km. I just aim to have a smile at the end of each run.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
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just to chip in. Not that I think it's easy to get bored skiing but I know I find that I like to have a bit of variety. That way on any given day's set of conditions I can choose what sort of terrain I'm going to get. Small stations often lack that variety, IMHO.
I've spent a lot of time in the PDS and I like the scale. I also have mates there which helps.
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GrahamN,
So it is really down to the less people competing for the facilities and piste area that make the skiing enjoyable.
Why we single out the large resorts and only go there in peak season as though someone is pointing a gun at our heads? Can we go at off peak periods and enjoy the big facilities just like the quiet smaller resorts?
Big resorts outside France are not always crowdy and if they are the number of skiers can be smaller than the French at off peak times.
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| David Murdoch wrote: |
| I find that I like to have a bit of variety. That way on any given day's set of conditions I can choose what sort of terrain I'm going to get. Small stations often lack that variety, IMHO. |
That's my opinion also. I like to have a range of stuff available: steep/bumpy pistes, fast/open pistes, high altitude open bowls, tree-lined runs, gentle off-piste through the trees, a range of aspects so that I can follow/avoid the sun, sheltered skiing when the weather/visibility is bad, long runs, a race piste with GS gates, etc, etc. The actual amount of piste mileage is a secondary concern, although if all my primary criteria are met then I'd probably go with a resort that offers more rather than less skiing.
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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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saikee, I'm only advocating not dismissing the smaller resorts as having little or no value because they're small or have limited piste length. I've never said that the big resorts are bad because they're big. Just that length or size should not be the definition of quality.
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saikee, I think you were quoting me, and the comment was about the response to this thread. It ddid and does appear that those (apart from DM) who were happier with smaller Kms were the more experienced skiers. Please don't quote me out of context.
BTW it's now nearly 250Kms (+ the second bigest off piste domain in France after Chamonix)..
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Masque wrote: |
It's a question I'll keep asking, are we sheep or are we snowheads?  |
BAA BAAA BAAAA
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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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rob@rar.org.uk, David Murdoch,
That's it exactly.
Earlier in the year at Les Arcs, quite frankly, I was bored doing piste crusing. Actually it was quite a worrying thought, that I was getting bored of skiing. ohmigod - potential disaster.
I wanted something different. Fortunately I found the Apocalypse Park, and spent a couple of happy days trying something else.
6 weeks later, we returned, and piste cruising was good for a few days. But then I wanted moguls, then trees, then steeps, (then lessons...) then hot choc., and managed to get the all within the confines of the resort.
I only 'need' 50km of pisted blues & reds. I only 'want' 2 or 3 mogul fields. I only 'have to have' a few tree lined runs, and a 'few' runs down in the trees. And I could probably be satisfied with just having one real bu%%er of a steep, that I could learn to ski 'properly'. But only a bigger resort is going to give me that opportunity, and, if the conditions are poor on North facing slopes, the option to revert to the south facers.
So I guess its not the kms per se that I crave, just the opportunity to have a range of experiences without multiple holidays.
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As I get more experienced I tend to prefer larger places.
My first trip was to a little resort called Crest Voland which only has 45km and I went back for my fourth trip. It is doubtful if I would consider such a small resort again, unless I got a bargain.
I seem to be at an exploring stage and want to try many different resorts.
This year although I only managed 2 trips I skied the following places
Passo Tonale
Ponte di Legno
Madonna di Campiglio
Zell am See
Saalbach/ Hinterglemm
Kaprun
Probably a total of over 600km possible in that lot
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You know it makes sense.
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To expand slightly on my first reply. I don't dislike large areas Serre Che is after all my favourite resort, but I do think the quality of the snow and runs on or off piste is far more important for me. The bigger areas do tend to give a greater variety of run but very often snow quality is worse because they are much busier and therefore more heavily skied which packs the piste quicker and leaves less untouched off piste. Bigger areas are often a lot pricier as well. I guess a good compromise is to visit an area with a few smaller areas so you get the benefits of variety by visiting different areas but the lower prices and quieter slopes of the smaller resorts.
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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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In good snow it doesn't matter
More important is how many beds and how many lifts
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Poster: A snowHead
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Masque, absolutely a fair point. I know of a few "little" gems, some not so tiny. Size <> Good. Actually, High <> (necessarily) Good either if it comes to it.
easiski, a couple of other things occur to me.
One, I typically ski with parties of widely differing capabilities, ambitions and objectives. We find larger areas make it easier to keep most people happy most of the time. On any given day the "group" will want to ski "off-piste varied", bumps, cruisy blues, trees, slightly tougher reds plus the "tour de duvet" all at once and and all meet for lunch.
Also, even within large areas I'm often happy yoyoing a given lift if whatever it's serving is in particularly choice nick.
Also, also, smaller resorts are great to go and explore but I think their allure fades once you've spent a few weeks there. It's all very well is you have the advantage of getting up at home of a Saturday and driving 45 mins to whatever local hill takes your fancy, but when you want one size at least tries to fit all then I can see the appeal of the bigger areas.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Wouldn't vertical drop be a better measure of a resort for an experienced skier?
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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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| David Murdoch wrote: |
| I'm often happy yoyoing a given lift if whatever it's serving is in particularly choice nick. |
Me too, especially if it's chucking it down with snow.
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Kramer,
Why? Endurance?
A good 1000m is enough to keep me happy.
In Passo Tonale it is possible to do a continuious drop of 1800m from the top of the glacier to Pontedilegno, but it's pretty crap
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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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Lots of choice above and below the tree-line?
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Kramer,
Not unless you can do it in one hit.. eg, GM has 2000m plus but it would mean using the 4 oclock run and thats a bit of a chore.
But if you did the run from the Col du Lyksamm down to Stafal, around 2500m you might not need too much else.
Thats why you aim for 1 run per day.
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johnboy, because I would say that generally the larger the drop the more choice of routes.
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Where is GM?
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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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johnboy, Crest Voland only has 35km. I have skied here for five weeks this season and I'm not a beginner.
When I was here in January, I drove to Val Thorens for a day to meet some friends. I spent all day trying to avoid rocks and was glad to get back to perfect snow the following day.
I came back this month as I wanted somewhere quieter to warm up than Meribel.
rob@rar.org.uk, Do you get access to a race piste with GS gates in Les Arcs ? Smaller places can be easier to get permission to set courses.
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rjs,
How did you manage to spend 5 weeks there? On holiday?
But the Link to Les Saisis will add a good few km. I heard it is linked to another village as well ??
I must say it is a lovely wee resort and was where I learned to ski in 1992 and i took my wife there to learn in 2001
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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johnboy, I think JT means the Grands Montets (Argentiere). It is possible there to avoid the 4 o'clock run by going down through the trees, but that's getting a bit extreme for me - although I do eye up those runs each time I go up the chairlift, so maybe next year ... or the next  . JT, surely Lyskamm to Stafal is just a quick half-day for a man of your kaliyber!
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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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| rjs wrote: |
| rob@rar.org.uk, Do you get access to a race piste with GS gates in Les Arcs ? Smaller places can be easier to get permission to set courses. |
No, I wish... Once a week the Fleche is run, so you can pay a few Euros to enter that, and the gates are occasionally left up for a few hours after the timed runs are finished so you can have a bit of a play. But there isn't a permanent race piste available to the public.
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JT,
Holly macherel!
| Quote: |
| Thats why you aim for 1 run per day. |
The piste run you guys are talking refers to off-piste run. No wonder all the confusion on less is better!
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
Wouldn't vertical drop be a better measure of a resort for an experienced skier?
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Couple of things I would like to see listed but never seem to be are: Directions the slopes face, bit difficult to be precise about it but most ski guide books seem vague about it.
Average annual snowfall, never to be found in Europe or at least I can't find it.
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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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| T Bar wrote: |
| Average annual snowfall, never to be found in Europe or at least I can't find it. |
Isn't that on the Ski Club GB website?
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Kramer wrote: |
| Wouldn't vertical drop be a better measure of a resort for an experienced skier? |
Not really, how far it is from where you are and if it's got any sort snow is really all that matters 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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rob@rar.org.uk,
| Quote: |
Isn't that on the Ski Club GB website?
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Dont think so, they are depths and subject to fiddling.
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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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| ise wrote: |
| Kramer wrote: |
| Wouldn't vertical drop be a better measure of a resort for an experienced skier? |
Not really, how far it is from where you are and if it's got any sort of snow is really all that matters |
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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ise, quoting yourself?
They're all pretty far from me, and thus I have to accept the snow as it is when I get there. 
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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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| T Bar wrote: |
Couple of things I would like to see listed but never seem to be are: Directions the slopes face, bit difficult to be precise about it but most ski guide books seem vague about it.
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My Where to Ski and Snowboard usually seems to be fairly precise about it - in the section under snow reliability? aj xx
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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GrahamN,
I wish.... the route itself was ok on the map...but the conditions we got...from ice blown up top to knee high cement at the bottom, pretty well wiped me out...!!! It was only fun for the experience....even the bridges were hollow...!!!
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ajhainey,
Don't tell everyone
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I am generally a bit fan of huge vertical, but as JT's post suggests, it's very rare that you find a run of 2000m+ vertical all in good condition. OTOH, this is the realm of what I call mountain skiing - the pleasure isn't all (or at all!) down to the sensation of floating through fresh powder. It's also down to the aesthetic of the line, the feeling of travelling through a wild environment and the sense of achievement after fighting through tight trees, rocks, footpaths and nasty snow for the last few hundred vertical metres!
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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'd love to do something like thatkkev,
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FAQ
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