 Poster: A snowHead
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| holidayloverxx wrote: |
| We make our own names up in Austria. The scary clown chair in Flachauwinkl, jukebox run in schladming (it would be useful to remember its real name/number to be able to find it). After 8 years in Flachau some of us still mix up the starjet lifts and the spacejet lifts, and every trip we say stick to the '2' lift because of poor vis....and end up on the 3 which goes to the top. Lucky we know the top well so can find our way in the whiteout but not fun. |
Yup do that too. The flappyman bubble (Colfosco) THe Vogelnest chair (Eggalm) etc
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| denfinella wrote: |
I agree that some of the names get a bit repetitive, but it's vastly preferable (in my opinion) to a boring number and / or letter in many other countries.
Think of memorable / famous pistes and you get things like Malgovert, La Face, Grand Couloir, Jerusalem, Flypaper, Marvel, Harakiri... but nobody remembers 38B or red 5. |
I agree. I find the numbers in places like Italy and AUstria harder to navigate. Find I keep having to look up the numbers.
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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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People seem to cope OK with remembering M, A and even B roads when navigating the roads. Just saying...
For me the French piste names have an element of romance about them. French being a romantic language and me being in love with the mountains.
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| Layne wrote: |
People seem to cope OK with remembering M, A and even B roads when navigating the roads. Just saying...
For me the French piste names have an element of romance about them. French being a romantic language and me being in love with the mountains. |
Agree on the romantic language point - make all the pistes named after what are basically alpine rats or pigeons sound glam.
Do people remember road numbers or just blokes of a certain vintage? Or at least only on the roads they drive frequently. I remember my dad used to love nothing better as a conversational gambit to tell hosts we were visiting the endless list of roads we had driven. Sat Nav must be doing for that in a big way. I get infuriated by the gantry signs on the motorway saying road closure at J16 without a place name as to where it is the exit for as if I have memorised all exits and can easily contextualise if it will impact me - I still couldn't tell you which exits the M3/M40/M1 are from the M25 despite driving them frequently.
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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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The numbering system in some places is baffling. Sauze with its multiple reds of the same number with the odd "bis" thrown in, but sometimes not actually mentioned on the signage.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Weirdest piste name I've come across is "La Froide" in Valmorel,
It's south facing and a complete slush fest on a warm March day
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Having skied a lot in Austria, where piste numbers are very helpful if you’re new to a resort, I find the french habit of numbering piste markers from 1 at the bottom more than a little confusing, especially as they often aren’t accompanied by a name!
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@Gordyjh, makes sense though as you know how far you are from the bottom.
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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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@Layne, as you don’t know which piste you’re on, that doesn’t help much! You know you will get to the bottom if you keep following the markers so why the countdown?
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| Gordyjh wrote: |
| @Layne, as you don’t know which piste you’re on, that doesn’t help much! You know you will get to the bottom if you keep following the markers so why the countdown? |
It's so you can tell pisteurs where you are if you have an accident. Normally the piste name is in small print on them.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Gordyjh, why do you find this confusing? They are in order, not randomly numbered and always decreasing downhill. How do you report an accident to the pistuers if they are not numbered. (now I'm trying to remember how I reported the location of my nephew's accident in soelden .i Think it was things like it was about 300m from the top, in a dip)
Every foggy morning when I set off I have to search out a pole and remind my self which side has the orange marking at the top.
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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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| Gordyjh wrote: |
| @Layne, as you don’t know which piste you’re on, that doesn’t help much! |
There is a sign with the piste name at the top or at intersections.
| Gordyjh wrote: |
| You know you will get to the bottom if you keep following the markers so why the countdown? |
It's what is called extra information. Just as when I'm on the motorway it tells me how much further to major destinations. It also serves multiple purposes. As others have mentioned it can also be used to direct rescue services.
I'll be honest though I have never really paid much attention to the numbers as I've never had to call rescue and usually know where I am and where I am going.
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Wed 27-05-20 9:38; edited 1 time in total
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| Quote: |
I'll be honest though I have never really paid much attention to the numbers as I've never had to call rescue and usually no where I am and where I am going.
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I always use the numbers, let's me know how much longer I
A. have to ignore the pain
B. have left to chase the kids down to the bottom
C. have before my next pit stop.
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You know it makes sense.
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There was and perhaps still is a blue piste called Échappatoire, it avoided a tricky black. On visiting the dictionary I smiled and read "loop-hole, way out". This is below Tignes on the way down to les Brev......
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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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@Rogerdodger, I like that 
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Rogerdodger wrote: |
| ...Échappatoire... |
Highly appropriate for someone called Rogerdodger!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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A few years ago Courchevel added a new variation literally named "Easy Way".
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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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A stunningly imaginative list that, @Claude B. 
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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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If invited to name a new French piste and smash a bottle of champagne at the top, I would go for Nivose. The name for the first winter period in the French Republican Calendar and adopted more recently for the network of snow-depth monitoring stations throughout the country. There used to be one in Saisies, but it was supprimé some years ago, sadly, as it was a great source of objective information.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@johnE, it’s confusing when you’ve been used to pistes having numbers, you set off at the top of 23 and half way down you find you’re on 12 but didn’t think you had joined a different piste! They don’t all have the name written in small print either.
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I just looked at an old piste map of Risoul. No piste names just numbers. So Austira is not alone in having some resorts only numbering their pistes. Out of curiosity what do such resorts do when a new piste is included between say 14 and 15 - does it become 14a or 14.5? Or as is more common in Les Arcs, a piste gets removed from the list do the others shuffle up?
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| Quote: |
it’s confusing when you’ve been used to pistes having numbers, you set off at the top of 23 and half way down you find you’re on 12 but didn’t think you had joined a different piste! They don’t all have the name written in small print either.
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Surely you are making this up.
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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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Considering how often it is complained about on Snowheads, piste Verte in the Espace Killy may be a candidate for 'Most misnamed/misleading' piste. 
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@Kenzie, Especially during the Criterium when it's cut in half by the race course and leaves only a steep blue or red 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I have certain names to avoid : Epaule, Etroit, Bosses, Roches, for obvious reasons I also avoid chairlifts called "Glacier"
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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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French and Italian names always sound cool to English and American speakers.
Even cr*p words, like "le bus" or "le chocolat", raise a smile.
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@johnE, why would you think that?
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You know it makes sense.
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@johnE, actually you answered your own question 15 minutes earlier, so why ask it?
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FAQ
