 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi
can someone suggest a rsort which has easy red runs. I know all runs vary but I am having a mental block and can ski all the blue runs I have come across but am being a scardy cat when it comes to going for my first red. Have skied blues at La rosiere, sainte foy, puy st vincent, st anton kaprun in different conditions (icy/nice snow/slushy/whiteout), and also managed an easy blue in killington.
all countries/resorts open for discusson
Thanks in advance
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Champoluc, in the Monte Rosa ski domain, has some easy reds, the two Ostafa pistes in particular. Neighbouring Gressoney has Moos, which may be the world's easiest black: a short steep section at the top, after which it's almost flat.
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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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Hi fizz, just got back from Les Arcs area and the Reds above Vallandry (middle of the Paradiski piste map, near the left hand terminus of the currently moribund Vanoise Express) were fantastic. OK , so the snow conditions were virtually ideal but they were wide and quiet, even though Easter weekend. Not too steep either! We had some timid second week skiers with us and they were fine with them. Happy hunting! 
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I will vouch for the reds above Vallandry. My kids (5 & 8 ) went down most of them on their second day ever skiing at Easter this year.
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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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fizz, I have 'the flag thing' too and in some places have got myself onto reds that have challenged my capacity to act like an adult! Places I've found reds that are a bit friendlier and gave my confidence a boost include Megeve/St Gervais/Combloux, - all fairly easy reds. Morillon (Stade and bottom half of Bergins, haven't been brave enough for the others but it was 3 years ago) Wengen - the Mannlichen side of the area was fairly tame - some have an alternative route to avoid a steeper section if you want to.
Alternatively and definitely the thing that has given me confidence to 'have a go' is get yourself over to LDA ( where the reds are IMO definitely not tame) and have a few hours with easiski - she'll sort you out!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Gressoney la Trinite has some lovely red runs, that are not too demanding.
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fizz, Cervinia has a lot of wide motorway type red pistes, so might well suit. You also have the option of skiing into Zermatt for some more challenging ones if required. 
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Just come back from Les Gets, most of the reds aren't too bad.
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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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another vote for Cervinia and the reds above Vallandry
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fizz, Verbier - pretty much all the pistes apart from Mont Fort are easy there - really.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Reds above Vallandry get my vote -great pitch to make fast carving turns
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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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Les Arcs
Aigle, Morey and Ours are nice easy reds above vallandry.
TBH they are not really reds. There are blues over at arc 1800/1600 and 2000 harder.
They rarely get moguls.
Plagnettes off the top of the transarc is a nice red for those wishing to safely progress on to proper reds.
Tux
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tuxpoo, the very ones...........
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You know it makes sense.
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fizz, Just back from Selva. On first day went skiing down in Ortesei! They were all at least it seemed to be red runs! Went down them all and was waiting for the steep bit to come. They did not come, should have been graded blue, but apparently they only had red paint at the time!!!!
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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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Annie, said
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Alternatively and definitely the thing that has given me confidence to 'have a go' is get yourself over to LDA ( where the reds are IMO definitely not tame) and have a few hours with easiski - she'll sort you out! |
fizz, how much good quality tuition have you had? Annie is right you know, it really is the answer. No point getting stuck on the "colour" of runs. There are reds here (in Les Saisies) which should definitely be blue. There are also reds within the area which can be pretty difficult, and very difficult in poor snow conditions. So what does that prove?
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Poster: A snowHead
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| fizz wrote: |
Hi
can someone suggest a rsort which has easy red runs. I know all runs vary but I am having a mental block and can ski all the blue runs I have come across but am being a scardy cat when it comes to going for my first red.
Thanks in advance |
Dude, simple solution. Don't look at trail map or markers. Just follow someone
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| fizz wrote: |
Hi
can someone suggest a rsort which has easy red runs. |
La Rosiere easy blacks, even easier reds 
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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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If you've skied St Anton, and been down happy valley after 2pm, I wouldn't worry about any red on the planet
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Just been to Les Gets/Morzine and the reds were plentiful and neither too easy not too hard. Most are lovely cruisy runs that allow you to really open up the throttle. Plus, most have plenty of space and weren't crowded at all. Good snow there too at the moment
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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.
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Les Arcs has some really nice red-run skiing, and Saalbach has a huge proportion of easy reds.
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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 would back up Les Gets/Morzine. There are a few bumpy ones but my daughter was coming down the reds in Les Gets by the end of last week (her first real week of skiing).
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Thanks very much for all the suggestions:
In answer to your question pam, I have just had a week with a fab instructor in Sainte foy called Brian Hogg (I will write up a review of sainte foy as it really suited our mixed group) which has improved my technique enough for me to contemplate a red, but it is very much a mental block as soon as I seen red poles red sign etc I find the quickest way back to a blue red, wonder if there is a fear of red? redaphobia?
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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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snowheads agree!! It's a miracle!!
The red runs around Peisey and Vallandry in Les Arcs are easy!!!
I was there as well- also at Easter- telemarking (the only Asian Telemarker in Les Arcs)
The blacks above Vallandry are quite easy- but not all of them- and not on tele gear
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I'm with gortonator - don't bother with a piste map.
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You know it makes sense.
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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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fizz, someone has already said this I imagine, but if you have skied blues in all those resorts in all those conditions, you can ski reds, easy or not. Don't think too much about the colour of the run, trust your companion (if you can!) or instructor, and go for it. There are blues in St Anton which would be regarded as reasonably challenging reds in some resorts, and so much depends on the conditions. Happy Valley (blue) in St Anton with slush and a few thousand people is a difficult run. Kandahar (black) in St Anton with decent snow and only a light covering of people is not difficult. I was skiing a few weeks ago with a 2nd weeker, not especially gung ho or precocious, who skied a couple of blacks very neatly and in control (in Kitzbuhel, admittedly, but still), because conditions were pretty good and because I told him that if just skied as he had been doing, he'd be fine (and he believed me, oddly).
The daughter is in Le Corbier at the moment and pronounces it lacking in (on piste) challenge, so I imagine it has easy reds. Looks like quite a good area if that's what you want.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Another suggestion could be Schladming, IMO.
I went there for my third week ever of skiing (with a year between each week), and found no difficulty with any of the reds, was even getting down the blacks by the end of the week.
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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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fizz,
IHMO Les Gets/Morzine both have great motorway reds. I've been skiing with a very nervous skier in Les Gets who couldn't get beyond blues previously but was happy to most of the reds in Les Gets. I agree that more lessons will also be the key and can thorughly recommend Pete or Esther at the British Ski School in Les Gets.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I'd agree with steph, and others. Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz have nice reds.
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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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fizz, I forgot to mention that Kitzbuhel is generally an easy resort, conditions permitting. You can travel all around it on blues and easy reds, ans it has other charms.
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Val Cenis and Valloire/Valmeinier =resorts where blues are greens amd reds are blues ,cheap easy etensive skiing great for cruising with decent up to date lifts and uncrowded pistes.
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I would add scheffau to that list, mostly blues and reds in resort and most are easy on the
nerves and legs ( avoid the "home run" as the last bit 200 feet 45 degree & sharp left
just in front of the carpark in the space of a road will put you off
both of us ( me and the missus skied all over, and we have only 5 weeks on the piste)
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fizz, Something to bear in mind about colour coding is the marketing strategies of the tourist board/resort owners. If a resort has too many of one type of piste, it loses its appeal and attracts only a certain grade of skier. So to cover themselves on all fronts, and attract the largest number of guests they can, they will divide the pistes usually to offer a certain % of blues, a larger amount of intermediate red runs (as this covers the largest percentage of skiers) and a smattering of blacks for the more advanced skiers. But that grading often don’t represent the reality of the runs. Some blues are blue because they are very wide and offer maximum turning space, yet may be steeper than a red... reds can be that colour not because they are steep, but because they are narrow and require skilled turning or are prone to moguls or ice. Blacks can be blacks because they are left un-pisted due to their location...and so on.
You also have to take into account that the map needs to appear to link similar graded pistes to each other, and the lifts...no point in a blue changing to a red, before you get to the bottom, (or the next lift to another blue) as no one wanting blues only, would even start on it. Call me a pessimist... but it never ceases to amaze me how having got to the bottom of a so called blue it was in fact harder than a previous red I had done, and visa versa, but it conveneintly fitted in well with the circuit!
So conditions of the snow, width, gradient, piste maintenance, undulation and location, all affect how easy (or not) a run is to ski, take the colour coding with a large pinch of salt, ask the locals, hotel owners, previous skiers to the resort...and see things with a marketing head on, then you wont be too shocked to find the map is more of a rough guide (unless there is a clear reason for the grading) rather than a bible to be followed faithfully... not that I do that either!!
I would agree with Cervinia for a vast amount of wide, open, reds, that in other resorts would be blues, (but then there would be too many blues on the map ) but the lift system is antiquated apart from the central lifts, so lots of bangs to the back of the knees, and head, and bruised arms, and they are every exposed in cold weather, but it makes for interesting conversations in the evenings, comparing injuries 
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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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fizz, having just come back, Livigno. Plenty of wide, cruisy reds and some more challenging stuff if you fancy it.
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fizz,
Megeve..long and cruisey...
Soll and the skiwelt.
Schadming
St Luc
Sallbach
maybe Crans Montana, PDS..
Stay away from the BIG french resorts as those cruisey runs can be spolit by lots of skiers. Aviod most popular holiday times
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