 Poster: A snowHead
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...are short-listed in this fun little article by Arnie Wilson for The Guardian. Arnie selects scenic pistes from Switzerland, France, Austria, Italy and the States. Click here.
Any other nominations for runs where you can, as Konrad Bartelski suggests, "stop and smell the roses"?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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That long black from the top of the Aiguille Rouge in les Arcs?
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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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As far as easy runs go there are 2 runs in the 3V which I think are superb.
The blue down to La Tania (forget what it's called) is hard to beat. A nice long blue through the trees. No narrow or difficult bits. Usually not that many people on it.
The other one is the blue called Mont de la Chambre which goes from the top of Mont de la Chambre (funnily enough) down to Le Menuires. About 1500m of vertical, with not much in the way of difficult or narrow bits (I can only remember one short narrow stretch). Fantastic views if you want to stop and take them in.
Never tried Jerusalem when I was there, sounds like I might have missed out there.
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I enjoyed going down the long blue through the trees down at the back of Le Tour with my kids, from Tete de Balme to Les Esserts on the Switzerland side.
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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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Above La Plagne, there's a very long blue called Les Inversins which starts on top of Roche de Mio and has a couple of steeper but quite wide sections as it goes down the 'back' of the mountain for the first half of the run. A good mountain restaurant near the junction where the red drops off down the 'front face' and Les Inversins goes to the right (can't remember the name - sorry) with terrific views from it's terrace. Mont Blanc and Les Arcs over behind the restaurant. A huge panorama in front. Then there's a tunnel through the hill and where it pops out there are super views over towards the 3V. Almost everyone stops here for a photo-op. Wide open, motorway blue then most of the way down towards Bellecote, with a possibility of using Les Laines into the top of Belle Plagne. And near the end a good mountain restaurant, L'Arpette, with a nice terrace and wicked Rhum au Chocolate. That's a better smell than roses. A near perfect run for the committed blues cruiser.
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Mon 8-11-04 9:27; edited 1 time in total
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Lager, Jerusalem is a great run, it's red (although not to testing) though.
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I concur with up4it, Jerusalem is fantastic for those big GS carves !
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Among the larger resorts in the eastern USA -
Greens:
At Sunday River, Lollapalloza is the standard in this category. There are a couple of turns at the very top with a nice view that many people rather enjoy, but which perturbs the occasional soul with fear of heights (there is fencing, so no one has ever gone over the edge, but it still worries some people). Dream Maker isn't at the top of the mtn, but is nevertheless a very nice, relatively empty (and wide) green at SR.
At Killington, Great Eastern is probably the standard recommendation for people who want to "stop and smell the flowers" from the top. I would caution, however, that on weekends, I would stay away from it as it can be very crowded with skiers going a wide variety of speeds.
Blues:
Mt. Snow - Most of the mountain is a light blue cruiser's delight (at least IMHO).
Sunday River - American Express and Risky Business are the classic, wide blue trails that, IMHO are essentially the definition of cruising in the eastern USA.
Killington - Cruise Control and Header (right under the chair on Rams Head) are wonderful, easy blues. Lower Needle's Eye is equally wide, but more in the middle-blue range.
HTH,
Tom / PM
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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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Anything in Le Fornet sector of Val d'Isere.
The Dave Murray down hill in Whistler.
Can't remember the name, but it's the long blue that you ski down in St Anton to get to the bus to Lech and Zurs, seems to go on forever, really good fun,
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The runs in Courchevel 1650 from the top of the Pyramides down to the village (via the Belle Air if you want).
The run in Tignes on the glacier from the Grande Motte.
The runs from the Mte d'Arbois down to le Bettex at St Gervais.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I think that the run in Tignes down from the Grande Motte can get quite tricky when it's busy.
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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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From the Igloo restaurant (highly recommended) down to Morillon in the Grand Massif area, over the hill from Les Carroz. Sweeping blues to be taken at full tilt hard on the edges, or meandered down enjoying the views.
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Martin Nicholas, I was thinking about suggesting this one myself. Absolute classic easy run. I'd like to stay in Morillon as this would be a fantastic last run home. One time I was there the views were surreal; there was no snow on the opposite (south) face of the valley so all you could see was green whilst I was skiing - very strange!
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You know it makes sense.
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When it has been skied into a piste THE classic scenic run is the Valee Blanche at Chamonix. Just one short, slightly tricky "red" section, but mostly blue or green. (But you still need a guide because there are usually a few small hidden crevasses, even where it has become pisted, and also to negotiate the scary walk down the ridge at the start (you feel so much safer roped together).
Any intermediate should be able to ski the Valee Blanche, it's the best possible introduction to far off-piste skiing.
Last edited by You know it makes sense. on Mon 8-11-04 11:12; edited 2 times in total
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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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| Kramer wrote: |
Anything in Le Fornet sector of Val d'Isere.
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Other than the black below the cable-car I assume, and the Signal.
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Poster: A snowHead
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When it has been skied into a piste THE classic scenic run is the Valee Blanche at Chamonix. Just one short, slightly tricky "red" section, but mostly blue or green. (But you still need a guide because there are usually a few small hidden crevasses, even where it has become pisted, and also to negotiate the scary walk down the ridge at the start (you feel so much safer roped together).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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How about the run from Plateaux Rosa to Cervinia village? kms of crusing reds/blues all the way down to Lino's bar
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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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Diarmuid, I agree - was just about to nominate the 14km red from MR to Plan Maison. Great way to start the day.
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Snowball - Signal is a red isn't it? It's still a nice cruisy one if you ask me. Hardly anyone skis on it, and it's usually pisted smooth.
As for the black below the cable car, pah, I laugh in the face of huge steep icy moguls through trees (near to a cliff)!
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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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Yes, signal is a red but the top is quite tricky. I've seen loads of people trying to control themselves on the icy moguls and failing.
Fornet is also a good place for my own obsession:off-piste. If you go off the back at the top of Signal, you have the Grand Vallon, a wonderful big area of wide-open off piste that takes quite a while to ski out after a fall. The off-piste trees (to the right as you go up the main cable-car) are also good a good place to go when there isn't much visibility. Finally for a bit of adventure you can ski from the top accross to the Col Pers, or climb up a little to the left to the Point Pers for a bit of steep. Both these lead to the very scenic gorge of the Isere river, which is sometimes not open earlier in the season, since the river needs to be covered over by snow from avalanches.
Finally you can walk a little up to the right and ski down into the Maurienne Valley and ski at Bonneval, returning to Val d'Isere by helicopter at the end of the day!.
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Le Fornet is my favourite part of Val d'Isere, not tried any of the off piste there, as I've never had a guide who would take us there, mainly because of the increased avalanche risk every time I've been to Val.
BTW there's also a marvellous restaurant half way down the red to the bottom station of the cable car, can't remember the name though.
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Lager, That blue down to La Tania is called Folyeres. It is a classic. I like Aigle at Les Arcs. It's over in the Peissey Vallandry area. Big wide swooshy red through the trees.
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| Kramer wrote: |
Le Fornet is my favourite part of Val d'Isere, not tried any of the off piste there, as I've never had a guide who would take us there, mainly because of the increased avalanche risk every time I've been to Val.
BTW there's also a marvellous restaurant half way down the red to the bottom station of the cable car, can't remember the name though. |
Persevere with the off-piste.
As for restaurants, if you keep left at the bottom into the old village there is a lovely restaurant accross the old bridge, just down from the main road.
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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'd heard about that one, tried to go to it last year, but it was closed.
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Oh dear. I hope not permanently.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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There's a blue down into St Martin de Belleville ( trois vallees ) where you can just set the skis to run and run - far from challenging - but fun nonetheless - might be called l'escargots ??
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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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snowball, Fornet is a great place: good tree skiing and a couloir in or near the White Hare?(they seem to have White Hare run in every resort!). Grand Vallons and similar wide valley itineraries such as Vallon de Cugnai, Tour de Charvet etc do seem more piste like after a dump of snow with all the punters trying to track it out!
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What's the big Blue from the top at Flaine, all the way to the village? The Serpentine? Great confidence builder with fantastic views from the top... and the views from the top of the Aiguille Rouge, Les Arcs, take some beating...
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You know it makes sense.
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Cascades in Flaine down to Sixt is a fantastic blue run long varied and scenic, except it is not that blue at the bottom where the snow gets scraped away.
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Finally you can walk a little up to the right and ski down into the Maurienne Valley and ski at Bonneval, returning to Val d'Isere by helicopter at the end of the day!.
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Did this one year staying in Val d'Isere and got food poisoning from the restaurant down in Bonneval. Beautiful area though I would love to go and ski it again sometime.
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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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| Kit Wong wrote: |
| snowball,). Grand Vallons and similar wide valley itineraries such as Vallon de Cugnai, Tour de Charvet etc do seem more piste like after a dump of snow with all the punters trying to track it out! |
I know what you mean, but Grand Vallons is a bigger area than the others, and when it is skied out you can traverse even further right, over the ridge and do the various gulleys and slopes there (is it called the Vallonet?)
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Poster: A snowHead
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Courchevel 1650 top of Col de Chanrossa all the way back down to 1650. Lovely easy finish to the day.
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FAQ
