 Poster: A snowHead
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Browsing snowheads and looking at trail maps made me wonder: what resorts have the most continuous lift served vertical drop?
The rules:
No intermediate lift rides or uphill walks.
Bottom elevation above 1000m.
No gnarly (guide recommended) off-piste terrain.
The list (bottom / top / vertical)
1. Zermatt 1620 / 3899 / 2269
2. Les 2 Alpes 1283 / 3501 / 2218 (ty swskier)
3. Alpe d'Huez 1125 / 3330 / 2205 (ty Layne)
4. Davos - Klosters 810 / 2844 / 2034 (ty T Bar)
5. Les Arcs 1200 / 3226 / 2026
Engelberg 1003 / 3020 / 2017 Disqualified not continuous!
6. Solden 1363 / 3250 / 1887 (ty phil w)
7. Laax 1100 / 2996 / 1896
8. La Plagne 1207 / 3058 / 1851
9. Marmolada 1446 / 3269 / 1823
10. Bormio 1200 / 3017 / 1817
11. Belalp 1322 / 3118 / 1796
12. Saas Fee 1780 / 3526 / 1746
Hintertux Glacier 1500 / 3244 / 1744 DQ not continuous (ty Whitegoldsbrother)
Honorable Mention
Schilthorn - Murren 817 / 2929 / 2112
Yes, the bottom is less that 1000m, but it deserves a mention because:
James Bond and Piz Gloria
The Inferno. What a bunch of crazies! There are several good YouTube videos of this race.
I like big cable cars and they are getting 3 new ones!
Stechelberg – Murren world’s steepest cable car
Murren – Birg 100 person Funifor
Birg – Schilthorn 100 person Funifor
These are gnarly off-piste and were disqualified:
Chamonix 1035 / 3843 / 2807
Courmayeur 1370 / 3466 / 2096
La Grave 1470 / 3534 / 2064
Monterosa 1212 / 3275 / 2063
Indren lift is off-piste only
I have only skied one of these (Marmolada) so I am sure there are errors. I made several guesses about the location of runs, what did I get wrong? Did I miss any runs that should be on the list?
Sources
Skiresortinfo dot info
Openskimap dot org
Skimap dot org
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Tue 15-10-24 20:07; edited 2 times in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Davos /Klosters is pretty close top of Weissfluhgipfel is 2844M and you can ski down to anywhere in the Klosters valley between Klosters at 1124 and Kublis at 810m though only the former has a lift rather than the bus or train.
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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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Sadly the Gobba di Rollin at Zermatt May no longer be accessible. A more likely vertical then would be 3810m to 1620. A still impressive 2190m or 7,185’ in old money. I think the run down is almost 10 miles. A good test is to ski it without stopping 
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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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@blueroom, Engelberg doesn't have a continuous run on piste for that vertical.
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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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Anything in Les2Alpes that meets the criteria?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| rjs wrote: |
| @blueroom, Engelberg doesn't have a continuous run on piste for that vertical. |
They tricked me with the Trubsee-Hopper lift! You have to zoom way in to see it is actually two lifts.
Thank you!
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@blueroom, The Trubsee-Hopper is one chairlift that you can ride in both directions.
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The 1,000m elevation threshold perhaps needs adjusting - at the very least it should take into account that snow usually lies to lower elevations in the eastern Alps, especially on piste.
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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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| T Bar wrote: |
| Davos /Klosters is pretty close top of Weissfluhgipfel is 2844M and you can ski down to anywhere in the Klosters valley between Klosters at 1124 and Kublis at 810m though only the former has a lift rather than the bus or train. |
I missed that! 810 / 2844 / 2034 gets on the list if the lower elevation gets adjusted as suggested. How often is the run to Kublis skiable?
Thank you!
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@blueroom,
I haven't been often enough to know but I have skied it.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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K2, Pakistan, is (by far) the world's biggest offpiste nonstop vertical.
Can be done without oxygen.
* Top = 8611m
* Bottom = 5100m
* Vertical = 3511m
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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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| blueroom wrote: |
Browsing snowheads and looking at trail maps made me wonder: what resorts have the most continuous lift served vertical drop?
The rules:
No intermediate lift rides or uphill walks.
Bottom elevation above 1000m.
No gnarly (guide recommended) off-piste terrain.
The list (bottom / top / vertical)
5. La Plagne 1207 / 3042 / 1835
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Not sure about this entry.
The top point of La Plagne would be Bellecote (peak is at 3417m but the lift doesn't quite go that high) and the bottom would be Montchavin at 1250. You can ski directly via several options from the top then Derochoir, Route des Bauches (long flat, lots of poling), then down into Montchavin. So about 2100m and a bit vertical by reckoning.
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| denfinella wrote: |
| The 1,000m elevation threshold perhaps needs adjusting. |
What do you suggest?
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You know it makes sense.
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The Les Arcs one is Aiguille Rouge to Villaroger which seems accurate and I've done a couple of times.
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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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St Anton - Schindler Spitze (mid station) = 2660m to Stuben = 1408m or St Anton = 1310m (though flatish section at one point). The weisse Rausch end of season race mostly uses this route though starts from the Valluga mid station (a few metres lower than Schindler Spitze) and needs use of a drag lift (though racers walk / run / scramble up)
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Poster: A snowHead
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Alpe D'Huez you can ski from the top of Pic Blanc (3330m) down to below Vaujany (1125m) giving a vertical of 2205m.
I've done it once.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Layne wrote: |
| blueroom wrote: |
5. La Plagne 1207 / 3042 / 1835
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Not sure about this entry.
The top point of La Plagne would be Bellecote (peak is at 3417m but the lift doesn't quite go that high) |
I came up with 3042 zooming in on openskimap to the top of the Glaciers 2 gondola.
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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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@Layne, Without using the little chairlift from Lac Blanc (at the end of the Tunnel run) ?
But I think the Sarenne gives you 2000m in one run ?
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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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| Snow&skifan wrote: |
| Anything in Les2Alpes that meets the criteria? |
That's what I was thinking. Pretty sure top of the glacier to the bottom is a bit over 2000m drop.
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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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Assuming that they replace the top lift, the Grands Montets would make your list with a little over 2000m of vertical
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hintertux, you'd need two intermediate lifts if using piste only
Honorable mention:
Höhenfresser Tour at Zell am Ziller 1930m
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Top of Mont Fort (3328m) to Le Cable (821m) gives continuous lift serviced vertical drop of 2500m.
Also aiguille du midi (3842m) to Chamonix (1035m) gives drop of 2800m.
Both off piste though and rarely skiable top to 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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| blueroom wrote: |
Honorable Mention
Schilthorn - Murren 817 / 2929 / 2112
Yes, the bottom is less that 1000m, but it deserves a mention because:
James Bond and Piz Gloria
The Inferno. What a bunch of crazies! There are several good YouTube videos of this race.
I like big cable cars and they are getting 3 new ones!
Stechelberg – Murren world’s steepest cable car
Murren – Birg 100 person Funifor
Birg – Schilthorn 100 person Funifor
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I think your value of 817 m at the bottom refers to Lauterbrunnen, which when the snow conditions are good can be skied down to (and is sometimes the finish for the Inferno race). However more usually the Inferno race ends just by Winteregg railway station (elevation 1578m). Murren itself is at 1650m elevation).
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Les Arcs from the Aiguille Rouge down to Villaroger is proper a red/black from top to bottom the whole 2000m is at at a good gradient.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| T Bar wrote: |
| Davos /Klosters is pretty close top of Weissfluhgipfel is 2844M and you can ski down to anywhere in the Klosters valley between Klosters at 1124 and Kublis at 810m though only the former has a lift rather than the bus or train. |
I would say the train counts... I used to do the Kublis run reguarly when I lived in Davos and it was very easy to make the connectin back to Klosters.
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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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| Haggis_Trap wrote: |
Top of Mont Fort (3328m) to Le Cable (821m) gives continuous lift serviced vertical drop of 2500m.
Also aiguille du midi (3842m) to Chamonix (1035m) gives drop of 2800m.
Both off piste though and rarely skiable top to bottom. |
Quite a painful climb onto Col des Gentianes now as glacier has melted 
I’ve done the AdM route via Cosmique to the tunnel. Now that is a leg burner!
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You know it makes sense.
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| Whitegoldsbrother wrote: |
Hintertux, you'd need two intermediate lifts if using piste only
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This, at best it's one lift, most likely it's two.
Les Deux Alpes, top of the t-bars I think is either 3400m or 3421m, from there you can ski all the way down to Mont de Lans at 1300m, giving you 2100m/2121m of vertical
Skiworld used to run an informal race with the rep/ski guide doing just that.
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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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| BobinCH wrote: |
| Haggis_Trap wrote: |
Top of Mont Fort (3328m) to Le Cable (821m) gives continuous lift serviced vertical drop of 2500m.
Also aiguille du midi (3842m) to Chamonix (1035m) gives drop of 2800m.
Both off piste though and rarely skiable top to bottom. |
Quite a painful climb onto Col des Gentianes now as glacier has melted
I’ve done the AdM route via Cosmique to the tunnel. Now that is a leg burner! |
Have you ever been able to ski down to Le Chable from the Verbier side? Would have thought there were a few too many roads/houses/trees in the way, not to mention the south-facing aspect
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Poster: A snowHead
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| blueroom wrote: |
| denfinella wrote: |
| The 1,000m elevation threshold perhaps needs adjusting. |
What do you suggest? |
Probably just anything marked as a proper piste on a piste map, regardless of altitude?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| blueroom wrote: |
... The rules: No intermediate lift rides or uphill walks.
3. Solden 1350 / 3250 / 1900 |
Aye, but you can't get from the Rettenbach to the Giggijoch base @1350m without an intermediate chair lift (D53). You theoretically could get down to Gaislachkogl @1363m. The Rettenbach Tal is a low-angled valley and the run there might have uphill sections. I've never ridden that, it's not viable at the extreme ends of the season. The toll road runs up there.
3. Sölden 1363 / 3250 / 1887
The problem with all these would I think be snow consistency over that vertical range.
Plus most folk can't even ride one small piste top to bottom without stopping multiple times anyway.
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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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It's a pity a Zermatt run (Kleine Matterhorn to Valtournenche) has a very short lift in the middle that is unavoidable. Still an extraordinary descent.
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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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@snowdave, a mate won it a couple of times 
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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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Top to bottom on piste in Kappl is 1545 vert metres in one hit (from 2730m to 1175m)
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Is it actually a piste all the way down from the Schilthorn? I remember having to take a lift part way down.
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| michebiche wrote: |
| BobinCH wrote: |
| Haggis_Trap wrote: |
Top of Mont Fort (3328m) to Le Cable (821m) gives continuous lift serviced vertical drop of 2500m.
Also aiguille du midi (3842m) to Chamonix (1035m) gives drop of 2800m.
Both off piste though and rarely skiable top to bottom. |
Quite a painful climb onto Col des Gentianes now as glacier has melted
I’ve done the AdM route via Cosmique to the tunnel. Now that is a leg burner! |
Have you ever been able to ski down to Le Chable from the Verbier side? Would have thought there were a few too many roads/houses/trees in the way, not to mention the south-facing aspect |
A couple of times but not for a few years. The top part is great but the bottom requires a longish traverse on a path to get back to Le Châble. And you really want good snow cover down to valley level which is increasingly rare.
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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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| rjs wrote: |
| @blueroom, Engelberg doesn't have a continuous run on piste for that vertical. |
It does if you just skate a bit across Truebsee. No uphill involved.
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| blueroom wrote: |
| Layne wrote: |
| blueroom wrote: |
5. La Plagne 1207 / 3042 / 1835
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Not sure about this entry.
The top point of La Plagne would be Bellecote (peak is at 3417m but the lift doesn't quite go that high) |
I came up with 3042 zooming in on openskimap to the top of the Glaciers 2 gondola. |
RM has it at 3058m. https://www.remontees-mecaniques.net/bdd/reportage-tcd10-des-glaciers-poma-ingelo-8802.html
The late TS du Glacier went up to 3175m. For a short period in time, decades ago, there have been two drags which went even higher up. Those are the ones the "La Plagne 3250m" claim stems from. Never got corrected. I wonder, if they do now.
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FAQ
