 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all,
Can I draw on your experience to help me with the following? I'm arranging a trip for me and three friends:
1. Me - middle intermediate. Skied for 10 years but pretty lazy. Likes cruising.
2. My partner - second weeker. Can parallel turn but very nervous
3. Friend 1 - has skied once before, but has a dodgy knee and plans to take it easy
4. Friend 2 - very keen novice
The resort should have
Some tree - lined runs
Spectacular scenery (I foolishly raised the bar with a trip to Saas Fee)
Pretty village/town with lots to do for Friend 1
Not-terrible snow record as we're going on in mid-late March
Mid range price wise. I suppose we could splurge a bit but I'd like to avoid the fur crowd!
Acceptable public transport (inc. access from Zurich)
Maybe some cleared hiking paths?
We've settled on Switzerland as a country. Here are the front runners, with my concerns in brackets:
Adelboden (no concerns whatsoever - definately the front runner)
Lenk (snow at village level?)
Grindelwald (is it cutesy enough?)
Lauterbrunnen (is it a bit soulless for our friend with the knee?)
Bettmeralp - Aletsch
Grimentz (lack of decent public transport?)
Arosa (how attractive is the resort?)
Scuol
Savognin
Zermatt (I'm guessing this would be completely inappropriate - I just really want to go there!)
I'm mainly worried about steep pistes for the nervous skiers.
Your opinions on these would be gratefully received! Ditto for any other resort suggestions.
Many thanks
Liam
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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lrx28, have a look at the alphabetically indexed reports in the Resorts section. I haven't been to most of the places you mention but would agree that Zermatt would not be great for your companions. Would also suggest Wengen rather than Grindelwald, it's cutesier, more central for the whole ski area (you'll want to sample Murren as well as Grindelwald, I should think) and has no cars. I went to Arosa years ago, it was very attractive and rather geriatric: as a cruiser, I think you'd ski it out in a couple of days, though. I would definitely add Davos/Klosters to your list, lots and lots of cruisy (edit: including tree-lined) runs and it's a beautiful area. Good luck with your search.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Fri 3-10-08 13:07; edited 1 time in total
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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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Liam
I can't comment on the others - but I am sure that you are right that Zermatt (which I love for the scale of the skiing in wild scenery) is not the best option for this particular group in terms of skiing.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Bah! Nevermind - I'll drag them to Zermatt in a couple of years. Hurtle - I've actually considered Klosters, as it seems surprisingly reasonable value. I'm a bit worried that it'll be full of braying sloanes. How is it in reality?
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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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lrx28,
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full of braying sloanes
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yes, there are some, but nothing as loud or ill-behaved as I have witnessed elsewhere in Switzerland, including Verbier (seemed dire last time I was there) Zermatt and the Jungfrau region. There seemed to be more Swiss people around than anything else.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hmmm... that's interesting... Thanks for the tip!
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Wengen.
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^^^ wot she said 
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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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Yes, I see you point (s) about Wengen. On investigation accommodation looks a bit pricey. Is it quite special? If so I could consider a splurge. I was considering Lauterbrunnen for money saving but it sounds a bit dull.
Thanks again all
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Lauterbrunnen isn't big on the social scene, but there are a few nice budget hotels there, and one pub. Wengen has much more in the village, although it is more spread out. The train between the 2 takes 15 mins, so it is possible to stay in Lauterbrunnen and still spend the evening in Wengen, but don't miss the last train down!!
Wengen is more expensive, but also more convenient for the slopes. I've stayed (in the summer) in the Hirschen, which is one of the cheaper, but very pleasant hotels.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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That's fine - one pub is all I need! Does Lauterbrunnen have much atmosphere? I've always imagined it to be a bit of a dormitory town!
Thanks, Liam
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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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lrx28, the pub is pretty okay, stayed there lots (I used their superbudget hotel quite a bit, low-budget is my norm, and the 15 mins by train ain't that bad)
Otherwise the story of Lauterbrunnen is easy: some 5 nice places to eat (assuming Silberhorn-Lauterbrunnen is open to outside public, never tried, looks expensive  ). 1 Pub. 1 Weekly evening go-carts on ice at the sportscentre.
Schutzen, Oberland and Jungfrau hotels are the places i visit fairly frequently for dinner, all are friendly, serve decent food and have decent prices (especially compared to Holland)
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You know it makes sense.
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lrx28, If you stay in Lauterbrunnen make sure you are within easy walking distance of the station as it is a spread out village and you could be catching a bus to the station. I would agree with other posters that Wengen would be the place to stay, well worth the extra few pounds.
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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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But as a second option....i agree Lauterbrunnen is a good all rounder for access plus from Murren you can ski back down (snow permitting) instead of training it back down from Wengen
found a picture of Wengen taken in March 05 from Winteregg Murren -
click on 'my movie gallery' and see Lauterbrunnen from the cablecar
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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lrx28, In what sense do you mean Grimentz has a lack of decent public transport?
The place the valley will fall down..and I use the word valley as there are 2 other resorts worth going to in Zinal and St Luc/Chandolin..is if someone was to take the day off skiing. There isn't much to do unless you want to go winter walking....and if you are going to do that, I'd have thought you might ski. But anyway, the valley is very attractive and the tougher skiing tends to be down to resort which you could download to anyway. Fast and cruisey pistes and easy to meet up.
The skiing is a good as you can make it...but you can easily potter around all 3 resorts if you want and not crowded..yet. The valey is seperated by a huge gorge but buses are frequent and reliable. We always have a car but I have used the post bus many a time. The big effort is getting up from the rhone valley and once you have done that then all is ok. Zinal is our choice to stay but it is smaller and quieter which suits me fine.
But if you can't be bothered with sitting on a post bus going home for 20 mins then you will not be able to sample St Luc or Zinal which would be a crime.
My favourite place at the moment until they build more lifts and get the crowds in.....
If you are looking for apre, then there are more suitable places.
There is supposed to be a new tunnel connection to the Rhone so the Oberland and Zurich should be in range, however Geneva is 2 hrs away by car or 3 by train and bus. Train to Sierre and post bus up the hill.
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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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lrx28, If I were rating Adelboden - Lenk as the highest probability then I would also look at Saanenmoser - Gstaad as it's prettier / more spectacular than Adelboden-Lenk ( but only just around the corner!) and offers Friend 1 a lot more than e.g. the Jungfrau imo.
However mid-late March might be a problem for all 4 of the above towns if snow coverage was melting ( not last year but who knows) and then Id go higher .. so Zermatt for me.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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lrx28, if you want Dramatic Scenery, Wengen or Murren will do very nicely, snow records for both are quite good for March over the last decade or more, Grindelwald is colder than either. something to do with it being in the bowl of the mountains, it's also not as nice to stay in due to all the extra traffic, on a tight budget Lauterbrunnen would be ok so long as you don't mind the extra 15 mins journey time in the morning and teh fact that in March it is unlikely that you will be able to ski back to the village (Only from Murren side anyway). Wenegn has more tree lined routes and there are plenty of winter walking routes in the area as well, also the area is one of teh few where pretty much all of the restaurants can be reached by a short walk from public transport so different standards of skier/boarders and even walkers can all meet at one restaurant for lunch if you want to do so.
Zermatt is a fabulous location but you might want to wait till the rest of the party are more experienced before going there, it's not cheap either
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Lovely pics especially the top one  We learned in Grindelwald and went over to Murren for the day, I liked it a lot.
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| firebug wrote: |
| Lovely pics especially the top one We learned in Grindelwald and went over to Murren for the day, I liked it a lot. |
you should come back then ..they will be installing new lift next season !!
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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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Chris Brookes, Those illustrated pictures just sell the place to me. Somewhere to go in the future.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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lrx28, Klosters not on your list? Seems to fit your criteria... possibly too may of the 'fur crowd'
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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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Thanks again all for your help! The Murren pics are really tempting... I've always wanted to go there. but I'm concerned for the beginner in our group (hence Lauterbrunnen for access to Wengen).
JT - my Grimentz concern stems from what seems to be a lack of access to Vercorin (in case of bad weather) by postbus. I'm looking at www.sbb.ch. Is there a separate navette system of some sort? I don't mind postbuses, but I'd like to avoid changing more than once. How easy are the blues in Grimentz?
Cheers, Liam
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brian
brian
Guest
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lrx28, you're right, you can only connect by bus to Vercorin (without going all the way down to Sierre) on Friday. The navettes don't run between the villages, so post bus only.
They are very reliable, but fairly infrequent ... and it's a long way from Zurich.
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You know it makes sense.
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lrx28, We drove to Vercorin from Zinal and went down to Vissoie and up again. We did this looking for petrol and found that Vercorin had a gas station anyway... so that was not the way to go., for sure, and no fun. We drove back via Grimentz and that was far easier. I have looked up my post bus timestable from last year and I can't find a service from Verorin to Grimentz but I can't believe there isn't one......  .
I think Grimentz to St Luc will take under and hour but you will have to change at Vissoie, but we are talking about the post-bus on both occasions and not the ski-bus, We operated out of Zinal all the time and with a car so it is difficult to say.
The skiing in Grimentz is fast and cruisey and I wouldn't think any of the blues are difficult. The only stage/run that might be would be the run down to the village but you can take the gondola. The black get icy at that time.
Zinal is a huge bowl and again can be fast and fun, but the black to the village is even worse..or better, you decide..as it has nets across it to stop falls. It is pretty steep, but again, just get the CC down and that is out of the equation.
St Luc is a cruisers dream and it appears a theme of the valley, if you want to spice any of this up, there are plenty of options.
For your party the skiing will be fine, but the valley really needs a car, IMV although the bus between Grimentz and Zinal is good and takes about 20 minutes so if you spend most of your time there, you can get by with the bus.
I wouldn't bother with Vercorin myself unless everywhere else is clouded in...and having been there the once, that will do me. St Luc is defo worth going to, but depends on how much you'll bulk at the travelling.
Apre ski is very self contained and limited but we hire a chalet and cook in most of the time.
3 walks I could think of are the walk up the the Weisshorn for lunch but you can't ski to it AFAIK, but worth the effort, I am told. The walk up to the Moiry Dam - take a picinic...and you can walk up from Zinal to the end of the valley. One is our party did this, and there may be plenty more but we went skiing instead.
If you driving from Zurich, the drive through the valley beyond Andermatt is spectaular and even the train hop through the Furka pass is good. We did it on a fine driving day, might not be fun on a bad day though.
Geneva is easiest by train or car and will take 2 hrs and a bit with the car and about 2.40 by train/post bus.
Both Val D Annivers and Jungfrau sound very good choices to me.
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brian
brian
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| JT wrote: |
I have looked up my post bus timestable from last year and I can't find a service from Verorin
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There isn't one (except on Friday).
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3 walks I could think of are the walk up the the Weisshorn for lunch but you can't ski to it AFAIK, but worth the effort, I am told. The walk up to the Moiry Dam |
I assume you mean the hotel rather than the mountain (which, being 4th highest in the alps, is a bit more than a lunchtime stroll  ). Walking up to the dam is also a fairly serious proposition, a good 4 or 5 miles and 600m of ascent. It might not seem much to ski down but ...
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Poster: A snowHead
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Thanks JT. Val D'Annivers still appeals, even though we don't have a car. It sounds pleasantly authentic and I'm keen to avoid souless megaresorts or tourist traps! For me the dealbreaker could be the availability of tree lined skiing in St Luc, which may well be where we end up staying. The piste map seems a little inconclusive!
Liam
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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where's my post gone..???
oh, well. Brian's pointers are right.... sorry can't write what I was going to write all over..
Vercorin is almost all trees and St Luc has a few tree-lined runs but mostly the valley is above the tree-line which you might be grateful off in late Mar
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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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Something funny has been going on with this site today (or was it just me?).
Thanks again for the pointers all.
JT - just on the offchance - do you know anything about Arolla/Evolene? I think they're close by.
Liam
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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lrx28, Big plans to get over there last year..but we had such good local conditions we never made it...amongst other trips...
some friends went back there later and said it was ALL about touring..??? I'd love to take a look for myself.
Arolla ...?? close by but maybe not with public transport. I have a trip to make to Verbier and I reckon it will take me 2 hours to get into their lift system from Zinal
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Mon 6-10-08 16:14; edited 1 time in total
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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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There seems to be an OK post bus service (similar in efficiency to Val D'Annivers) connecting Arolla and Evolene. These resorts have interested me for a while, but no-one ever mentions them!
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| JT wrote: |
| The walk up to the Moiry Dam - take a picinic...and you can walk up from Zinal to the end of the valley. |
I don't think that's a good idea (Moiry), it's a very dangerous route and prone to avalanche all through the season, there's no winter walking or snow shoe route up there and the route is barred for that reason. You can walk out of Zinal but you'll not get to the end of the valley which is the col Durand and the route crosses three glaciers, a super ski but it does take a day or so to make the ascent. You can get to the Cab. Petit Mountet which is open from Feb' serving meals.
Anyone wanting to walk in the winter would probably be better on snow shoes and there's a number of routes in the valley, a nice high route around Zinal village and one from Mottec to Grimentz in particular. Snow Shoes are better for getting to the Cab. Petit Mountet as well.
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