 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi,
Any advice for a resort in Switzerland that has easy skiing for a very low intermediate? My wife has three weeks under her belt and not very confident. I'm looking at Davos/Klosters, Grindlewald, Saas Fee. Ideally a lot of interlinked blues with runs down into the village. I'd love to ski somewhere more challenging such as Verbier or Zermatt but i'm guessing these places would be totally unsuitable for my wife?
Thanks!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Grindelwald / Wengen for sure. And welcome to Snowheads!
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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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Flims (better end of that area than the better known Laax when it comes to blue runs)? Though that needs an easy red to get right back to the village.
Or maybe Lenzerheide? Lots of blue runs on the east side of the valley, so ideally you would want accommodation that side (though the bus links work fine).
Of the others you mention we have only been to Davos, and I don't think any of the blues connect all the way down. Not that it matters, most places have a gondola you can use for the return.
By the way, welcome to the forum.
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I love Saas Fee and my kids all learnt to ski there. But I would only recommend it for more confident skiers. It is a great resort to learn of you have high levels of confidence. But not great of nervous as many of the runs have some steeper pitches.
Zermatt is very much better in this regard.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Wed 16-02-22 19:30; edited 1 time in total
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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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Thanks for the replies and welcome! Much appreciated 
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Leysin / Les Mosses or Villars/Gryon/Les Diablerets would also do the trick, loads of cruisy blues for a 3 week skiier. Easy access from the airport via train as well. Further along the valley you'd find plenty for her to do in Crans Montana as well that would be appropriate, or across to St Luc /Chandolin.
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| j b wrote: |
Flims (better end of that area than the better known Laax when it comes to blue runs)? Though that needs an easy red to get right back to the village.
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You can Gondola back to Flims or Laax, which is often a better bet at the end of the day on tired legs for the less than confident. You can also download on the Crap Sogn Gion - Plaun 6 man chair to pick up the Flims gondola. and there is a lot of interlinked gentle blue stuff there.
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Thanks @t44tomo, I couldn't remember whether the bottom Flims lift was a gondola. I am also racking my brains for where the steep bit on the bottom red, I remember most of it as a pretty benign blue.
@Wiwaxy, I think I was wrong in refering to the east side of Lenzerheide - I was thinking of the right hand side of the piste map but it is probably west geographically. Anyway, the Scarlotta side rather than the Weisshorn side.
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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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| Wiwaxy wrote: |
Hi,
Any advice for a resort in Switzerland that has easy skiing for a very low intermediate? My wife has three weeks under her belt and not very confident. I'm looking at Davos/Klosters, Grindlewald, Saas Fee. Ideally a lot of interlinked blues with runs down into the village. I'd love to ski somewhere more challenging such as Verbier or Zermatt but i'm guessing these places would be totally unsuitable for my wife?
Thanks! |
They’re clearly not beginner resorts but if she’s willing to download at the end of the day there are nice beginner areas in Verbier and Zermatt (at altitude) which are a viable option if you do want some more challenging options.
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As a general rule of thumb I would say that most resort runs in most resorts become difficult as the day progresses depending on traffic.
I don't think either Zermatt or Verbier are great resorts for beginners but in both there are certainly areas where the skiing is fairly gentle.
An awful lot will also depend on the time of year you are going. The later in the season the more you will want to be avoiding lower and south facing slopes.
Davos has a lot of great gentle cruising but the runs back are not straightforward.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Lenzerheide for sure. It's the west side better for low intermediates, not so much the east, it's steeper over here and to get back to resort you need to do a T bar or a red from quite high up. You can zip around and also over to Arosa to keep you occupied.
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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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| BobinCH wrote: |
| Wiwaxy wrote: |
Hi,
Any advice for a resort in Switzerland that has easy skiing for a very low intermediate? My wife has three weeks under her belt and not very confident. I'm looking at Davos/Klosters, Grindlewald, Saas Fee. Ideally a lot of interlinked blues with runs down into the village. I'd love to ski somewhere more challenging such as Verbier or Zermatt but i'm guessing these places would be totally unsuitable for my wife?
Thanks! |
They’re clearly not beginner resorts but if she’s willing to download at the end of the day there are nice beginner areas in Verbier and Zermatt (at altitude) which are a viable option if you do want some more challenging options. |
My wife learned to ski in Verbier in her late 20's as her sister is an instructor there and has bar one week in St Moritz only skied there. I've been skiing since I was 3 and love the trips to Verbier but as Bobbin said it's not easy back to the resort, we tend to download as shes not a fan of the long icy runs back, either that or head town to 1936 and ski across the Le Rouge which is a fun cruise back with the added bonus of two beer stops...
If your heading to Lenzerheide and want an instructor hit up Epic and ask for Hamish, hes one of my old ski rep buddies.
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I’ve taught plenty of kids to ski here and my decidedly beginnerish English mates love it. As you say, you need to know the piste map and the way to avoid the steeper/busier spots.
Cruising in the sunshine at La Chaux with regular drinks stops at Dahu is very relaxing. And as the confidence grows it’s also possible to use the zig zag path to avoid the steep bit on the Jumbo red and enjoy the sensational views from Cabane Mont Fort. From Col de Gentiane you can download to Tortin and enjoy the long easy blue down to Siviez and take up the Chassoure bubble for the easy blue (always great snow conditions) in Lac des Vaux. And then return from Attelas on the long run back down to La Chaux. Finish off with some après at Mouton Noir and download, or take the long winding path to 1936 and then finish up on the terrace of Le Rouge.
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You know it makes sense.
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@lordf, another vote for Epic ski instructing in Lenzerheide. Can't remember the name of the instructor now (not Hamish) but got my wife skiing the best she's ever done.
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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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Champery/Les Crosets has plenty of blues, steeper alternatives for you, and long easy trips on ski over to France for a bit of variety
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Poster: A snowHead
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| j b wrote: |
Thanks @t44tomo, I couldn't remember whether the bottom Flims lift was a gondola. I am also racking my brains for where the steep bit on the bottom red, I remember most of it as a pretty benign blue.
@Wiwaxy, I think I was wrong in refering to the east side of Lenzerheide - I was thinking of the right hand side of the piste map but it is probably west geographically. Anyway, the Scarlotta side rather than the Weisshorn side. |
lower part of red 18 from Nagens down to where it joins benign Blue 10 for the run into Flims has a particular steep red twisty bit though the trees part, which can get cut-up to crap in the afternoon.
easy to avoid with Gondola or going round via Grauberg and Startgels where the red between those 2 is a bit friendlier (and there is a big gondola between those two too). Startgels to Flims is a cruisy blue
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
You can Gondola back to Flims or Laax, which is often a better bet at the end of the day on tired legs for the less than confident
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I shall never understand why so many people will ski crappy runs "down to the village", often crowded with people who probably shouldn't be there, mogulled, rather than take another lovely run up higher then relax in a lift on the way down (often enjoying the spectacle of people who made the wrong decision - La Face in Val d'Isere comes to mind).
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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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| j b wrote: |
| @lordf, another vote for Epic ski instructing in Lenzerheide. Can't remember the name of the instructor now (not Hamish) but got my wife skiing the best she's ever done. |
+2 for Epic!!
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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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@pam w, some of us like crappy mogulled runs ...
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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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Thank you so much for all the replies, greatly appreciated.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@pam w, ego
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