 Poster: A snowHead
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Well, here is my take on St Moritz.
Two words sum up the town, luxury goods. It is basically the size of broadmead Bristol but every shop is a designer exclusive number. I checked out the shop next to the hotel and they were selling gold and diamond encased mobile phones for between £6k and £30k. What type of people have so little to worry about that spend £30k on a handset. They must make very important calls. I wonder, if you did a stock take in every shop in town, what the cumulative retail asking price (as opposed to real value) of all the watches, bling, furs, diamons, designer handbags etc etc would be? Probably higher than the GDP of a small African state.
The ski area itself was quite small but excellent, perfect for a weekend. We covered the perimeter in less than a day and filled in all the runs quite quickly. The grading of the runs was not consistent with what we have experienced elsewhere. The blacks were not genuine blacks and 1 felt more like a blue. The grooming was excellent and it was nice to get some fast skiing in without having to worry about the impact on my knee. Grooming was much better than Skiwelt where I felt their game had slipped from previous years when I was there earlier this year.
The hotel, was surprisingly good value for a hotel near the funicular (Boris Becker was on the train and had the cheek to try and delay it while he and his mates finished their cigars)and had a great wellness centre with roof terrace bar and juccuzi whith a surperb mountain view.
Overall, worth it for a short break. The Ski area had enough variety for 3 days and at that altitude the snow is always going to be reliable. Any longer and the place is a bore.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Agree on all counts..
I've done a very pleasant weekend's skiing there (from Celerina) and there is a bewildering amount of money in the resort, evident mostly in the cars, fur coats and shops.
The non-skiers in our party went to White Turf and thoroughly enjoyed it: http://www.whiteturf.ch/index_en.htm
I guess either Boris is an exception or we were lucky but, despite it being very obvious that we were just peasants amonst the uberrich, we were never made to feel like anything other than fellow skiers.
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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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rumdiary,
Did you ski all the St Moritz 3 unlinked areas?
I feel the black runs have been made easier for clients carrying £30 mobile phones. In any case I didn't think the Swiss are into skiing for the hard and dangerous stuff.
The black runs of St Moritz have served at least two winter Olympic so that were how difficult it was then.
Aspen may sell fur coats too and has its own airport. Cortina Ampezzo may have similar expensive properties but St Moritz does appear pretty upmarket with the domination of the expensive hotels. It is in a setting superior to other upmarket resorts even its skiing isn't top notch. However as the place isn't crowded, clean and well look after it remains a nice place to ski.
Didn't see large and expensive hotels in Cortina which has a lot of run down timber cow sheds. Aspen may be rich but there are a lot of poor folks in the town too. For skiing some of the chairlifts have no footrest. The apartments next to its main gondolas are no different to the high rise council flats in UK. Austria's Ischgl, St Anton and Lech are relatively small and do not have a customer base for the luxurious goods. St Moritz by comparison is better than most of them in my view as it got a massive lake frozen in winter to add to its charm. The place is snowsure too.
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rumdiary, my impression of the skiing is quite different from yours.
I was there during the week leading up to Easter weekend. Some new snow had fallen. So the piste was busy! Not super busy, mind you. But enough I need to alter my path frequently to avoid 'slow moving obstacles'! I even had a near miss in the process of avoiding another near miss. 
There were some quite good skiers on the piste (and between pistes). I was in good company during the hour long journey on the ski route off Legalb(?), though mostly by my passing slower groups too busy taking photo of the scenary.
"The ski area itself was quite small", which one of the several (un-linked) mountains did you skied? I'm assuming the one accessed directly from St Moritz Dorf?
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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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| abc wrote: |
I even had a near miss in the process of avoiding another near miss.
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Time for a few more lessons?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Yes, I did the funicular at St Moritz Dorf. And skied back to near there. It was enough for a day or two.
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| rumdiary wrote: |
| Yes, I did the funicular at St Moritz Dorf. And skied back to near there. It was enough for a day or two. |
The main ski areas in St.Moritz are Corviglia/Piz Nair (reachable on the funicular from St.Moritz), the glacier on Corvatsch and the area of Furtschellas, which are connected, albeit not very well, and then the two ski areas on Bernina; Diavolezza and Piz Lagalb. All in all, more than enough to keep a guy happy for a week!
Looks like you missed some bits!
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The main skiing area of St Moritz is Corviglia directly above the town but a slightly smaller area called Corvatsch is available at the opposite side of the lake. I was told one can ski from one to another via a ski route but I never tried it myself.
The Diavolezza comprises of two sides of the valley too with one side called Lagalb. The ski route of Diavolezza down the glacier is quite famous apparently and sold as a major feature of St Moritz.
I found all expensive resorts are small. Zermatt isn't much an area without Cervinia on the Italian side. Cortina is only one of the 12 areas of Dolomites but has at least 3 separate areas. Aspen is made up by 4 unlinked areas too with even smaller skiing terrians in Aspen Mountain and Aspen Highland. Most visitors know Aspen possibly through its biggest area Snowmass. Lech is a small part of Arlberg and accessible by bus or car from St Anton. I suppose if a resort is large and has a large number of visitors then it would not be exclusive and expensive.
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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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| Steilhang wrote: |
| rumdiary wrote: |
| Yes, I did the funicular at St Moritz Dorf. And skied back to near there. It was enough for a day or two. |
The main ski areas in St.Moritz are Corviglia/Piz Nair (reachable on the funicular from St.Moritz), the glacier on Corvatsch and the area of Furtschellas, which are connected, albeit not very well, and then the two ski areas on Bernina; Diavolezza and Piz Lagalb. All in all, more than enough to keep a guy happy for a week!
Looks like you missed some bits! |
We did every lift that was reachable form the Funicular that takes you up to the restaurant at Piz Nair. We couldn't have skiied any further in any direction so I am confident we did every run it is possible to do in that area.
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| Quote: |
a slightly smaller area called Corvatsch is available at the opposite side of the lake. I was told one can ski from one to another via a ski route but I never tried it myself.
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I don't believe so. It takes a (short) bus ride to get to the lift serving Corvatsch.
However, one can indeed ski FROM Corvatsch to Corviglia. (it's not a ski route but a black piste)
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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| rumdiary wrote: |
| Steilhang wrote: |
| rumdiary wrote: |
| Yes, I did the funicular at St Moritz Dorf. And skied back to near there. It was enough for a day or two. |
The main ski areas in St.Moritz are Corviglia/Piz Nair (reachable on the funicular from St.Moritz), the glacier on Corvatsch and the area of Furtschellas, which are connected, albeit not very well, and then the two ski areas on Bernina; Diavolezza and Piz Lagalb. All in all, more than enough to keep a guy happy for a week!
Looks like you missed some bits! |
We did every lift that was reachable form the Funicular that takes you up to the restaurant at Piz Nair. We couldn't have skiied any further in any direction so I am confident we did every run it is possible to do in that area. |
Not "in that area", just one lift-linked area amoungst 3 (or 4? depending how one counts).
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| rumdiary wrote: |
| Overall, worth it for a short break. The Ski area had enough variety for 3 days and at that altitude the snow is always going to be reliable. Any longer and the place is a bore. |
You need to look harder.
St Moritz has 350km of onpiste and some epic offpiste.
St Moritz has more onpiste than Zermatt, St Anton, Val d'Isere and Chamonix.
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You know it makes sense.
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your post made me lol. The main area, corviglia is small in my opinion. easy to get around so very very quickly it gets dull. The espace killy area deficates all over St Moritz. it wipes the floor with it. Chamonix isn't great for the same reason. Unconnected areas, need for buses etc. Going over to Italy was the best bit about Chamonix,
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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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| Quote: |
Going over to Italy was the best bit about Chamonix
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That explains. 
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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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| abc wrote: |
| Quote: |
Going over to Italy was the best bit about Chamonix
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That explains. |
Chamonix is one of the worst resorts I have been o for skiing. I would say much better for climbers in the summer. Italy beats it hands down.
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rumdiary,
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Chamonix is one of the worst resorts I have been o for skiing. I would say much better for climbers in the summer. Italy beats it hands down.
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Italy is a little larger than Chamonix.
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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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rumdiary, I don't think it's such a hot place for people who ski mainly on piste (like me) but it's pretty special for more skilled skiers who can take advantage of all the amazing terrain. I always feel very outgunned in Chamonix, with all those guys who leap off cliffs for breakfast. I remember skiing Brevent and Flegere with a friend who has a chalet there, and being decidely impressed with some of the action I saw around me going up the lifts - one guy just kind of appeared over a cliff, took a huge amount of air, and carried on down the (very steep) off piste we were riding over. My friend took no notice - she'd seen it all before.
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Well, depends on what you are looking for...
St Moritz (or as i call it, St More Shits wins hands down if you are looking for low class trash with massive amounts of cash (and virtually zero skiing ability) - it is simply the most awful ski resort on the planet.
The best area accessible from St More Shits is without a doubt Diavolezza.
The Town of St More Shits itself is more akin to a communist era housing development in Prague or Budapest
The people... well lets not go there!
Think Monaco on steroids on snow...
Zermatt is infinitely better skiing, but a lot of non-skiing tourists taking photos of Matterhorn lately.
Zermatt is a much nicer town than St More Shits, but no view or lake to gamble on horse racing (a good thing in my mind)
Chamonix is the best of the three for skiing, and a more pleasant town.
Aspen is a more pleasant and likable place than St More Shits, with better snow, more money and class, but otherwise comparable.
If you are interested in real ski resorts - go to Snowbird, Alta, Jackson Hole (Teton Village), and of course any CMH resort.
Happy skiing!
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What a stylish resurrection of a 14 year old thread. Not. Maybe a prelude to spam or maybe just rude garbage.
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Just my two cents illuminating people to how awful st more shits is
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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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@Larry_Fieldstream, yep, we got the message.
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I've spent a lot of time skiing in the Oberengadine over the last 20+ years. Much of it was skiing off piste and touring, but I have also spent plenty of time riding the lifts in the valley. I don't stay in St. Moritz. Usually in Pontresina or Sils Maria. To me, the area has always provided excellent conditions, reliable snow and weather, and relatively uncrowded pistes. I agree that the patchwork of non-connected bases and bus riding make it less than ideal. This also allows the less convenient parts of the valley to be less congested than most of the mega-resorts mentioned above. I sort of blank out the over-the-top opulence of St. Mortz (along with the unattractive architecture) and enjoy the charms of the outlying villages and the spectacular mountains. Love the place. And yes, I've been to the other high-end resorts some of which I love and others I hope never to see again.
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FAQ
