 brian
brian
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brian
brian
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| Agenterre wrote: |
I thought Grimentz was reddy/black , if so a bit stretching at the moment.
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There's quite a bit of blue as well. As a whole the valley has quite a bit of easy skiing, just make sure you download on the lift at Grimentz and Zinal 
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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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Agenterre, I forgot to put Chile - but would have to knock another from the list - 10 isn't enough for me, but then I probably have longer than you 
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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 must first do:
1. St Moritz -- the world's best allround ski resort. Unique atmosphere.
2. Chamonix -- the world's best and steepest offpiste.
3. La Grave -- the world's second best and steepest offpiste.
4. Zermatt -- the world's most perfectly-formed mountain.
5. Courchevel 1850 -- the world's most extensive onpiste.
Once done, you should also go to:
1. Verbier -- endless accessible offpiste.
2. Lech -- endless accessible offpiste.
3. Val d'Isere -- endless accessible offpiste.
4. Cortina -- unique Dolomite scenery.
5. Whistler -- the best riding in North America.
6. Aspen -- the best allround station in North America.
7. Termas de Chillan (Chile) -- the most beautiful resort in South America.
8. Niseko (Japan) -- the best allround resort in Asia.
9. Troodos (Cyprus) -- top novelty value.
Yes, I have been to all of them. The best atmosphere is without doubt found in Switzerland. The best slopes are in France. The best lifts and customer service are in North America.
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Whitegold, what about ones you haven't done?
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brian,
pick your time there.... as it is so bummed out. Now that would be a place to hire a guide and get out off the beaten track. Not that 'inbounds' as it were, isn't a whole heap of fun...!!!
But then you could say that about Verbier..maybe we should pay parlor a visit PDQ
We might just have an annual tour here..!!! 
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Whitegold, given that Agenterre said he was happy skiing blues and reds at the moment, your advice could be slightly beyond his reach. Being mostly a piste skier (I can struggle down blacks/itineraires) it might be helpful to mention which of the places on your splendid list - alas, I've not been to them all - I've also enjoyed and why:
1. Chamonix - I love the town, which is a proper town, not a plastic resort and the skiing in the whole area. Les Grand Montets (I could only do the less gnarly bits, obviously) amongst the most spectacular runs, scenically, that I've ever seen.
2. Zermatt - indeed the most perfectly formed mountain, lovely village, unrivalled mountain top food.
3. Three Valleys - lots of good piste skiing available, not just in Courchevel, and some of it very beautiful indeed. I particularly love Mont Vallon (not far from Meribel) and the views coming down towards the 'fourth valley' from Cime de Carron (above Val Thorens.)
4. Verbier - just went back for the first time in decades and loved it. Again lots of piste skiing, beautiful views, very good food, friendly locals, couldn't fault it really. The village is huge and sprawly (and full of Sloanies) but not unattractive.
5.Lech - very chocolate box, expensive, slick, but great skiing (again, in the whole area, St Anton, etc etc.)
6. Val d'Isere/Tignes - really didn't enjoy the piste skiing much, and hated both villages. Also, so much of the skiing seemed to be in a lunar landscape. I know it's a skier's Mecca, but wouldn't go back myself.
7. Dolomites - not sure where the best place for an intermediate skier is to stay, but Cortina is certainly lovely if you've the money to spend there (guess St Moritz must be similar.) I stayed - years ago - in Canazei, I think. The Dolomites are drop-dead beautiful. Huge area of piste skiing and saikee recently mentioned that links between pistes are better than they used to be.
8. Whistler - yes, again good pistes, but I hated the town and the rain: I've been twice and it rained cats and dogs at resort level both times. Best not to get drunk in the evening, difficult to find one's way home, because all the buildings look identical.
9.Aspen - very nice town (with a particularly good bookshop!) and loads of stuff in the area as a whole, with good bus connections between resorts. I missed proper jagged peaks (though lovely trees made up for that in part.) I understand from stoatsbrother that Jackson Hole does have jagged peaks, despite also being in the Rockies.
I'd also return to the Jungfrau region for beauty, and mountain top food (and, if it's relevant, this is a great region for non-skiers and skiers to go on holiday together - almost all the mountain top restaurants are accessible to non-skiers and the trains are just brilliant for sight-seeing.) The prettiest village is Murren, but Wengen also nice and more convenient. I wouldn't stay in Grindelwald, because it's big and has cars. And top of my own wish list at the moment is Salt Lake City - I'd like to improve off piste skills and am tempted by the alleged champagne powder, not to mention the fact that it is a huge area within easy reach of an airport.
Hope this is helpful.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| brian wrote: |
Oh, and I've never heard of Blencathra 
Maybe we should be planning for a St Anton trip sometime ? |
OK so its not strictly a ski resort (yet!) but has some fantastic aspects to it, easy road access and a local ski town with ski & snowboard shop (Ikid you not - George Fisher , The Sick & the Wrong)
And there aren't many ski resorts Coleridge wrote poems about. (Maybe Zermatt - he must have visted the Alps on a grand tour)
http://www.blencathra.org/blencathra_gallery.htm
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David Murdoch, Ah ha... I see about lift opening. The National Parks and Forests in Canada and US can be a bit strict about when resorts should be open or closed. In general the rule seems to be if it is likely the bears will be awake, the resort will probably be shut. But it doesn't always work out this way!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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stoatsbrother, yep, we came across bear tracks. Most nervous look I have ever seen on a guides face (which may be a good thing...)
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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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| Whitegold wrote: |
Once done, you should also go to:
1. Verbier -- endless accessible offpiste.
2. Lech -- endless accessible offpiste.
3. Val d'Isere -- endless accessible offpiste.
4. Cortina -- unique Dolomite scenery.
5. Whistler -- the best riding in North America.
6. Aspen -- the best allround station in North America.
7. Termas de Chillan (Chile) -- the most beautiful resort in South America.
8. Niseko (Japan) -- the best allround resort in Asia.
9. Troodos (Cyprus) -- top novelty value.
Yes, I have been to all of them. The best atmosphere is without doubt found in Switzerland. The best slopes are in France. The best lifts and customer service are in North America. |
Being from N. America and have skied Europe, I'd say Whistler is over-rated. The snow is on and off (or should I say rain is on and off?). For anyone who has skied true powder, the kind you find in Utah day in and day out, Whistler just doesn't cut it. And the scenary is nothing special. It's the biggest of N. America. But that's not that special when line up against the rest of Europe. The base village, while charming and unique for N. America, again is just an imitation of Austria.
Take, for example, Lake Tahoe, is much differnt and FAR better. Same snow as Whistler -- HEAVY, both in quantity and in consistancy. Fantastic scenary that's totally unique in the skiing world! Not as extensive skiing in one SINGLE resort, but there're so many more of them cluster all together you can easily spend a whole MONTH without repeating a single line!
Whistler is for Euopeans who want snow sure Europe in N. America. Losers. (to use the man's own word)
The REAL jewel of N. American skiing, of course, is in the Rockies: Banff, Big Sky, Jackson Hole, Vail, Alta/Snowbird, Taos etc.
(Aspen is in the Rockies. But of all the resorts in the Rockies, it's one of the most boring mountain scenary, together with Vail, that is. Though the pretty base village made up for it, I suppose, for those who care.)
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brian
brian
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fatbob, ok, you're on your own for that one then (I was assuming it was going to be some backwoods Canadian effort, not your piddling English "mountains". {dismissive smiley} )
... and the ski town would be ... Keswick ?
Last edited by brian on Tue 31-07-07 16:26; edited 1 time in total
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brian
brian
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abc, having visited Whistler in the summer I agree about the scenery. Fun to see the bears though.
So Utah snow is all it's cracked up to be then ?
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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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That I haven't been to (and limiting to one per country)
St Anton
Zermatt
Snowbasin
La Grave
Kicking Horse
Cortina
Mt Hutt
Portillo
Cairngorm
Thredbo
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Poster: A snowHead
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Wear The Fox Hat, I think I'd drop Thredbo for somewhere in Hokkaido. Better skiing, and better cultural spread, considering there's already an Australasian resort in your list. (I have been to both - but only in the summer to Thredbo!)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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In no particular order-
Scotland (anywhere)
Jackson Hole
Aspen
Portillo (actually anywhere in South America, or better still a combo)
Hokkaido
Alaska (with helicopter I'm afraid)
La Grave
Wengen
St Moritz
Verbier
are all bubbling under on my "to do" list.
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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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| bhmandminx wrote: |
I'm so glad Zermatt is on peoples list. Going in March 08 and soooo excited. More excited than Banff in Jan 08. Which is a great place - 2nd visit for us and we rarely do that.
Eastern Canada - Will note your recommendationAlastair Pink, think that's a photo I've seen that made it go on the list.
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I'm sure you'll have a great time in Zermatt. I'm sure you know you can also ski over to Cervinia on the Italian side for a day (but you'll find that the Swiss side has the best view of the Matterhorn )
I posted some video of Le Massif in Quebec in the snowMedia Zone
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abc, I agree. I do like Whistler - but the scenery is way better at Lake Louise and it rains less there. And I don't buy the best slopes being in France either.
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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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| brian wrote: |
abc, having visited Whistler in the summer I agree about the scenery. Fun to see the bears though.
So Utah snow is all it's cracked up to be then ? |
Whistler is perfectly pleasant place to visit, summer or winter. Good and extensive skiing (and mountain biking/walking) too. But of all things good about Whistler, scenary and light fluffy snow is NOT its specialty.
Yes, snow of Utah is as best as it gets on THAT continent. And the realiability and abundence of it, in that order. The Pacific coast (Tahoe/Whistler) has MORE snow, but not as LIGHT, nor as consistant (too much freeze/melt).
BTW, the snow quality is "shared" with Colorado, but the terrain is quite different. Colorado is intermediate heaven while Utah has the terrain for the die-hard "deep & steep" crowd.
So, for pure skiing, I'd say Utah (or Colorado, for intermediates) is the best for N. America. But most people take a "trip" that does more than skiing. That's when Lake Tahoe and Whistler start having significant appeal due to proximity to Vancouver and San Francisco, two of the most beautiful cities on North America.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Alastair Pink, Thanks for the video.
It is definately on the list.
Minx 
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The skiing in Whistler is world class IMV, but I never realised just how good until I started to go off piste.
I'm not so sure that I buy into the snow quality argument. I think that there may be an element of marketing spin there. Not that I can rubbish UTAH, I've never been, but I certainly haven't found the snow in Whistler to be particularly heavy, just lots of it. 
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abc, I like Whistler. It is a good destination resort for us European losers. No fingerprints required either!!
I like South Lake Tahoe for Heavenly, Sierra, Kirkwood, Squaw even. The place also has the casinos and an enjoyable cheesy,naff quality.
Banff, Lake Louise, Sunshine are fine but COLD.
Utah is OK. However, they do not have champagne powder every day of the season - even when they have remarkable snow depths.
Furthermore Salt Lake City is a boring, suburban, strip mall of a place. Drink is difficult. You cannot just go on a pub crawl, you need to be signed in to every bar. Off licences close on Sunday and do not sell bottle openers. There are a few good restaurants, but not much to see. It is a driver's town with big wide streets, so not much appeal just wandering around. You might as well stay in Midvale as downtown. I did not care for Park City either. That said, you can just fly in and you are there. No significant transfer needed. No need to hire a car.
The Mormons were like the Moonies when I was a kid - but I did make allowances for being on their manor.
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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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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Latchigo,
I agree about SLC but really enjoy Park City. My biggest problem with Utah is that the villages at Alta, Snowbird, and Solitude are very small with little going on besides the skiing. Villages at Powder Mountain, Snowbasin, and Brighton are viturally non-existent. SLC is just an unatractive urban area. Park City, IMO, is a first rate resort village but you have to drive or commute to get to the best skiing.
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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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RISkier, SLC is handy by public transport for LCC and BCC resorts - which are deemed to have the best snow.
Of those four, I preferred Alta which has a cheapish lift ticket and Brighton which often gets dismissed. SLC also has the full range of accommodation from deluxe hotels to cheap motels.
If I went again, I would hire a car, for a few days, to do Powder Mountain and Snowbasin and possibly Canyons and Deer Valley. Maybe even stay a few days in Ogden to ring the changes and be nearer to Snowbasin.
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I am surprised more people havent listed resorts in South America....
(I actually reckon, from the uk, 2 weeks in south america could be done for the same price as 2 weeks in canada).
Here is 5 resorts I have been lucky enough to visit...
and would recommend for those who like it steep & deep.
1. Glencoe - Scotland : Homebase, and my favourite resort... ever !
2. La Grave - France : Worlds best lift accessed off piste
3. Cerro Bayo - Argentina : Skiing in South America is simply amazing.
4. Craigieburn - New Zealand : The club field rope tows are something else !
5. Kicking Horse - Canada : Didnt snow in the 2 weeks I spent there... but some great terrain
And 5 I would like to visit one day!
6. Engelberg - CH : Not many brits go there, but a real growing reputation
7. Gulmarg - Kashmir : Worlds highest gondola, curry powder.
8. Las Lenas - Argentina : One day will go back to south america for sure!
9. Stryn - Norway : For the summer skiing.
10. Super St Bernard - CH : I like smaller locals resorts! And this looks like a good one.
Doug
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You know it makes sense.
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Nice thread
The ones where you were saying it looked good from March last year and Feb this year must have been the ones where I was skiing literally outside my front door.
Although I am only a few miles from Pen-y-Fan (Just off the Merthyr to Ponsticill road), when the snow is that good, I can't get out from home - even with chains. My lane doesn't get plowed or gritted, because there is only my house and the church down it - and it is a steep hill.
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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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| Quote: |
I am surprised more people havent listed resorts in South America....
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Perhaps because it's too much powder?
I'm not entirely kidding. I knew someone who went and was NOT impressed. Problem being, they were intermediate cruisers and the terrain down there was best for the steep and deep crowd. Very little was groomed so they were skiing the same few runs over and over again. They were so disappointed they went walking instead. (fantastic walking, btw)
And the language barrier?
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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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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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Latchigo,
Yes, if you're relying on public transportation, SLC, especially the Sandy/Midvale areas, are much more convenient to the Cottonwoods Canyons resorts than Park City. We've always had a car in Utah. Last year we stayed in Eden which is outside Ogden and relatively proximate to both Powder Mountain and Snowbasin. My wife and I don't need much to keep us entertained. A couple of decent pubs and few good restaurants will keep us happy. There is just about nothing in Eden. Theres a saloon in a nearby village that has something of a "bad" reputation. We sought it out after skiing one day only to find it was closed. Turned out the owner would open it when he felt like it, and close it when he didn't. We went down to Ogden a couple of times. The downtown area is OK but we weren't really impressed. I'm not aware of any public transportion from Ogden to either Snowbasin or Power Mountain. I might be wrong on that. The road to Powder Mountain could be pretty treacherous in a snow storm. The completely different, we really enjoyed both Powder Mountain and Snowbasin, though Alta remains our favorite. To me the best things about UT are the usual quantity and quality of the snow, the fact that there are so many ski areas within a relatively short drive to one another, and the proximity to the SLC airport. The downside is that, at least in our opinion, Park City is far and away the best place to stay, but it's not really convenient to the best skiing that UT has to offer.
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RISkier, that's really useful to know, thanks. So, assuming you're hiring a car, where do you think the best place to stay actually is, if Park City is too inconvenient and SLC too unattractive? ("A couple of decent pubs and a few good restaurants" will suffice for me too.)
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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.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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abc, thanks. Am also hoping for RISkier's opinion.
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Hurtle,
I might suggest asking this on www.epicski.com as well. We've been twice and I'll try to give you my impressions. Our first trip we stayed in a condo near The Canyons just outside of Park City. Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort, and The Canyons are all in the Park City area. There is a shuttle bus that can be used to go between the areas and downtown. We found the public transportation in Park City pretty convenient. Base elevation in the PC area resorts is in the 6,800 - 7,000 ft range. We skied Deer Valley the first day and The Canyons the second day. We enjoyed both. Then we drove to Alta on the 3rd day. The drive to Alta took 45-50 minutes. The road is a freeway from Park City all the way to the mouth of Big and Little Cottonwoods Canyons. We didn't hit any signficant traffic on the days we went to Alta. There is also a bus that runs from the base of the Canyons up to the resorts and if the weather is bad you should either have 4-wheel drive or take the bus. The base at Alta is around 8,000 feet and you get much more of a high alpine feel. We thought the scenery was better, the snow was better, etc. We loved Alta and it remains our favorite of places we've skied. I should also mention that there is at least one shuttle service that takes folks from the Park City area to the Cottonwoods Canyons resorts; it included lift tickets and didn't seem wildly expensive. We didn't use it and I don't know anything about the convenience. There are nice lodges at Alta, Snowbird, and Solitude. Folks who stay up there typically have breakfest and dinner in their lodges, kind of a half-board deal. So you can have a few drinks by the fire and have a nice dinner, but there is very little else available. Park City feels like a proper ski resort village with numerous pubs and restaurants to suit almost all tastes. There are also lots of galleries and shops downtown. We really liked downtown PC. We'd go down, have a beer or two at the Wasatch Brew Pub, then walk along the streets till we found a restaurant we thought looked interesting, have dinner... Park City is kind of the sin city of Utah. I don't know of any other place in Utah that gives you the real ski resort village feel. Though only a few minutes from the skiing, SLC is down in the valley, and is, IMO, quite unattractive. It's kind of a sprawling urban/suburban area. The Sandy/Midvale area is close to the entrence of the Cottonwoods Canyons and there is public transportation from these areas to the resorts. There are lots of hotels that offer very good value packages. Last year packages were around $180 U.S / night for a room for two, breakfest of some kind, lift tickets to your choice of Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, or Solitude, and use of the bus to the resorts. That's a deal that's tough to beat. These are your standard American motel type places but they're clean, safe, and decent, albeit uninteresting. The Best Western Cottontree has been highly recommended to me but there are many choices. The downside is you're in an American Suburb with car dealerships, strip malls, and chain restaurants. Again, you can find pretty good places to eat and certainly places to have a couple of drinks, but you won't feel like you're on a ski vacation. We haven't stayed down there but have looked at it simply because it's a terrific value. I'm really not very familiar with downtown SLC but I know there are hotels that offer ski and stay packages and I've heard there are some fine restaurants downtown as well. In terms of the skiing the Park City area Resorts offer a lot and between the three resorts there are tons, and tons, and tons, of pisted intermediate terrain. Folks who are better skiers than I and who know where to go also say there's lots of good off piste terrain. But the base elevations are a little lower and they don't get as much snow as the Cottonwoods Canyons so conditions may not be quite as good as the Cottonwoods Canyons resorts. We enjoyed the PC resorts but I don't think you're skiing the best that UT has to offer if you don't go to the Cottonwoods Canyons. We were also very impressed with both Snowbasin and Powder Mountain. So, I guess the way I'd sum it up is as follows: If you want a real ski resort village, stay in Park City and plan on travelling at least a few days to The Cottonwoods Canyons. If you don't care about staying in a ski village and want to save money, stay in the Sandy/Midvale area of SLC, and if you want cozy and quiet with few distractions (or options) stay at one of the lodges at Alta or Snowbird. One other tip. We've found very good deals on condos using www.vrbo.com. Hopefully this helps. Cheers!
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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 guess the thread got hijacked into a Utah detail thread.
Nobody has mentioned that, but as I can see you could also potentially do what Tahoe bound peeps do: spliting your holiday between Park City and the Cottonwood Canyons. That way you get good apres and good skiing for half the time and GREAT skiiing the rest!
I've never bother with the "split" option because majority of my trips to SLC are weekend trips so I always stay put in one place. (might I add that's "usually" at SLC and ski the Little Cottonwood resorts -- Alta/Snowbird). For stays a week or longer, a base move half way through might give you the best of both world.
For the more apres oriented crowd though, it's better to stay at Park City and endure the drive to Cottonwood Canyon for an odd day or two. (except you may get so spoiled by Alta and wish you've stayed at SLC, or even right at Snowbird)
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abc, thanks for that too.
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FAQ
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