 Poster: A snowHead
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Hey - I am a low intermediate snowboarder, I did my first week in Jan this year and I am looking to get away again. Would the conditions in Chamonix be suitable for my level in mid April?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The runs in Chamonix (except the Le Tour/Vallorcine/Balme area) are quite steep and may not be the best place to spend your 2nd week of boarding. Also, Chamonix is not very high so may be suffering by mid April.
I love the place and can't wait to go back there but I think other resorts may be better for an improving boarder. Higher resorts such as 3 Valleys will be a safer choice for mid April.
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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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Tignes has some really nice blue runs and would be a pretty safe bet in Aprill
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Thanks for you advice.
The purpose of a second trip is to build my confidence, so I don't think Chamonix would be a good idea! Just been searching and I think maybe La Plagne UCPA might be a good idea as I will be going solo.
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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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Fly to Innsbruck and head to either Kuhtai (resort at 2000m and easy riding with no flat sections, or Stubai Valley and head to the glacier which is nice blues and reds. Cheaper than France too 
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bar shaker, Chamonix is not very high? That'll be some other Chamonix that starts at 2,000m or so and tops out at 3,842m? & not the one that closes (May 10) after all those "high" resorts?
And the steep runs are indeed quite steep. The not steep runs are not steep.
This whole Chamonix is really hard thing is a myth.
Ruth_garnham, what sort of runs are you liking at this stage?
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under a new name, is the town of Chamonix at 2000 m ?
I would not really recommend a boarder with one week of boarding experience go to Cham in mid April when there are other alternatives that may well be better suited.
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quite alot of the runs are easy in chamonix
wouldnt be alot of difference between there and stubai
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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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rayscoops, no, but almost all the skiing's above 2,000m
And, no I wasn't necessarily going to recommend Cham, just pointing remarking on bar shaker's post.
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| under a new name wrote: |
| bar shaker, Chamonix is not very high? That'll be some other Chamonix that starts at 2,000m or so and tops out at 3,842m? & not the one that closes (May 10) after all those "high" resorts? |
Well, you could go up the Aiguille du Midi as a second week boarder, but most of us would not dream of taking someone getting into the sport up there. So where else at Cham would you suggest? Balme is the perfect area for an improver but the Col du Balme is 2300. Flegere tops out at 2800 but that's a very serious red (for a new rider) and a black. Or how about Brevent? Ah, same again. So if your realistic top station is 2300m, how good is the snow likely to be in mid April?
| under a new name wrote: |
| And the steep runs are indeed quite steep. The not steep runs are not steep. |
Nor are they high
| under a new name wrote: |
| This whole Chamonix is really hard thing is a myth. |
As I said, I love Cham and can't wait to get back. But someone building confidence could have a really horrible time there. Cham is steep. Blues at Flegere are reds in most other resorts. Would you recommend our second week boarding OP does GM?
| under a new name wrote: |
| Ruth_garnham, what sort of runs are you liking at this stage? |
Its just a guess, but I'll bet Ruth is happiest on blues and the occasional easy red.
I love Cham. I was there 6 weeks ago. I was with my wife who is a good intermediate skier, returning from a lay off. She had 4 hours of intense 1 to 1 instruction on our first morning and felt that she 'survived' Chamonix. We only did the easier areas as I wanted her to enjoy it. I still had some of the most challenging rides of my life.
There are far, far better places to go to build your confidence and improve your skills, whilst having fun. Some of these places are also a lot higher and will have a better chance of good snow in mid April. When you have those skills, go to Cham and overdose on the beauty that the valley is and the challenges it offers.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Yes for me its blue runs at the moment. I found the first week very tough.
I went to Zell am See/Kaprun in Austria. I have this feeling that if I don't get back on a board this season, I won't have much confidence for next year.
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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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Just to throw one into the mix, Arinsal, Andorra in the Pyrenees is a nice cheap resort which has lots of decent blues and is currently experiencing some of the best snow conditions it has had in years (1m on lower slopes and 2m on higher slopes) - better than much of the Alps infact! I went there in 2007 with a number of complete beginners and early intermediates who all found it to be right up their street, even though conditions were crap then - 30cm max with patches of grass 
Not sure what conditions will be like come April, but best advice I could give is decide when you're going, decide what resorts you like the look of, check snow levels/forecasts for the week ahead then book a last minute deal. For Arinsal at the mo you can get some pretty cheap deals last minute and it's only mid season. With the snow they've got I would imagine they would extend their season and therefore hotels will be desperate to fill their rooms at some silly prices!
Check out http://en.vallnord.com/index.asp for more info
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nigel b, good thing about Stubai is that you can take the gondolas to the top and the access blue run no. 1 and do some loops of it via Shaufeljuch Gondola, plus there are quite a few easy chair lifts accessing long blues with the slopes mainly above 2,300 meters. Mostly blues, then reds and one black.
http://www.stubaier-gletscher.com/en/stubai-live/geoeffnete-anlagen/
Alternatively head to L2A put some time in on the Glacier or at Cretins 2100 - both easy blue runs, but the glacier down to Cretes has some long flat narrow pistes which are not fun at all for a second week boarder.
Ideal location would Alpe d'Huez with easy massively wide blues and greens at resort level but not too sure about snow at that time of year at that level, the hgher pistes are more difficult.
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You know it makes sense.
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bar shaker, (et al) - I wasn't going to (gratuitously) recommend Chamonix.
Just pointing out that Chamonix is not generally considered "Low".
It does have a bizarre and I think undeserved reputation for being "difficult". IMO, the runs here of any given colour are no harder than many other runs elsewhere of the same colour.
As many SHs have agreed here and elsewhere.
Sure, it can get as gnarly as you want and the opportunity for getting gnarly is probably greater than many places but our guests are mostly mixed groups & they always/all seem to have a great time.
So "low" and "steep" seems like a rather odd description to me (yes, I am biased). It wouldn't matter except that there a lot of people who read here & take faith in what they read. Propagating the whole "Chamonix=steep to deth" meme is wrong.
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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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If youre going solo, Chamonix could be quite daunting. Not because of the skiing, but the fact its a largeish town, so you may well find yourself having to figure where to go, what bus to catch in the morning, then realizing when you get there youre based at the wrong end of the valley for your favourite resort. It will be much less hassle for you to be based in a resort where you are 5 mins from a lift that offers access to the whole resort. Ive been to Chamonix a couple times and its great, but I think you may get more out of it after youve progressed a bit. I think La Plagne would be a good option.
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Poster: A snowHead
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under a new name, I get what you are saying and it could be said that Cham isn't steep, but everywhere else is tame  I think, away from Balme, there is little to appeal to newly improving riders. That said, it is one of Europe's best playgrounds, once you have a few years under your belt. And lets face it, the real appeal of Cham is off the pistes.
For a second week of boarding, late in the season, I'd also recommend La Plagne/ Les Arc but my first choice would be Tignes.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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this could turn into a BZK kinda thread 
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Ruth_garnham wrote: |
Thanks for you advice.
The purpose of a second trip is to build my confidence, so I don't think Chamonix would be a good idea! Just been searching and I think maybe La Plagne UCPA might be a good idea as I will be going solo. |
Lots of blue runs here. Some flat bits but no more than any other resort I've been to to be honest and once you know where they are its straightforward enough to keep your speed up (except for the tunnel...)
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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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Does that tunnel in La Plagne always have a 1 foot deep puddle under the light bulb, halfway along it?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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why would you know that ????
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I have been to LP, believe me you wouldnt pi$$ in the tunnel, its by a nursery slope and is a busy thru route. Just wondered why anyone would actually stop on a nearly flat path to admire a puddle and the fixtures and fittings above.
Ruth_garnham, LP is a great choice, excellent choice of pistes & hardly any drags (we never used one in a week)
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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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DebbiDoesSnow, I think the light melts the snow a bit so there is always a puddle
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DebbiDoesSnow, 
rayscoops, Yep, that's what I thought. I came through the tunnel some years ago to find that my mate had skied into the puddle. It was so deep that it was well up his boots and he couldn't see to unclip his skis, so he could climb up out of the water.
I was laughing so much that I couldn't stand up. Once there were less tears rolling down our faces (this was a long time) a few of us pulled him out.
We then saw the water pouring out from his boots and the laughter started again.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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bar shaker, proves my point about not stopping in the tunnel. classic
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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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If its France you are heading for I would try 3 valleys or Tigne. Taught my daughter to board in Tigne in May one year. Great conditions in the morning slush in the afternoon. Most resorts lifts close on the 18th April so take that into account whenyou book.
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DebbiDoesSnow, They've changed the lights now. They are now low power sodium jobbies, as you would have seen. There used to be one powerful 150w (or more?) bulb in the middle, hence the puddle below it.
Last week I made it to the tunnel and all the way to the last uphill bit without stopping. It took me 3 goes and some insane speed to do it though.
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FAQ
- I'm not convinced the runs are steeper - but they are longer and can be more exposed so the perception of difficulty may be conditioned upwards. You're wrong on the real appeal though - the real, real appeal are the oceans of bumps to the sides of the pistes in the GMs. 
