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How many ski resorts can be skied in a single day?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
This is essentially a trivia question as it's a somewhat trivial pursuit! (little point in spending time on the road - or lengthy lift connections - just to say hello to Oberstrudl and its bunny slope) but five skiers in Utah the other day managed to ski 11 resorts in a day...which, for America, is no mean achievement.

This dash involved one cablecar ride (Snowbird, presumably), two gondolas, one six-seater chair, three quads, one triple, and four double chairs to make 12 runs at the 11 areas.They skied (it says here) 19,226 vertical feet, and covered 220 miles while driving between resorts. The amount of time needed to drive, ride the lifts, ski down, load and unload equipment, and drive to all 11 resorts was nine hours, 41 minutes.

Hopefully they enjoyed at least one beer at the end of all that!

In Europe I daresay it's possible to ski about 20 resorts in a day if you do some frenzied circuit in the Dolomites or Paradiski - Les Arcs, La Plagne and all their constituent resorts and satellite resorts. Come to think of it, how many resorts are there in Paradiski, in total?

Anyone like to work out a winning itinerary for there or the Sella Ronda (Dolomites)? Maybe the real thing could become a snowHeads challenge!
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I managed 29 different mountains in 2 days last year. That was over 70,000 feet of vertical, or 100 miles of slope.
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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?
david, you could ski 12 resorts in the Portes de Soliel in one day fairly easily. I know because I've done it.
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And if you're looking for the challenge, do the 12 in the PDS with checkpoints at Cheri Nord, the bottom of the Champery cable car and the run overlooking lake Geneva in Torgon...
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There are 12 resorts in the Tahoe area - but I'd hate to think what it would cost for lift tickets!
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Just don't go to Tignes or the day could be spent on finding a place to park.

The American resorts do not publish the piste length and the 220 miles appear to be just the driving distance.

Technically if one ski all the resorts in 3 Vallees then there are some 11 of them and no driving is needed.
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saikee, The longest run at Squaw Valley USA is the Mountain Run at 3.2 miles - it's published on the web site! snowHead
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After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
What's your definition of 'resort' here?

Any area with an individually named and geographically distinct town/village community associated with it?

A bounded ski area that has it's own ski pass? (so for example by that definition all of 'Meribel' would be just one resort. Ditto the various bits of Courchevel)

both of those criteria?
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david murdoch, you've obviousy done it as well.
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pollittcl,

La Thuile's No. 7 run San Bernado is 11km or 6.875 miles long. To me it is an attraction of La Rosiere/La Thuile.

My reference to N American resorts is that their description of the size of a resort is the skiable or patrolled area. In Europe we always specify the total length of the piste runs. Thus we can never compare the two. However if Whistler-Blackcomb is the biggest in N America then it is just comparable in size to Tignes/Val D'Isere I think.

The 19,226 vertical feet in David's post is less than 6km which can be surpassed by skiing down from Aiguille Rouge to Villaroger 3 times within Les Arcs. That run has a 2.026km or 6647 ft drop.

johnnyrotten,

The resort in my definition is an individual place that you can book for your ski holiday to stay there.

European resorts are so well linked that we don't normally separate them much.

In Paradiski I could count 17 to 18

Villaroger, Arc 1950, Arc 2000, Arc 1600, Arc 1800, Vallandry, Plan Peisey, Montchavin, Les Coches, Plagne Bellecote, Belle Plagne 2050, Plagne 1800, Plagne centre 1970, Plagne villages 2050, Aime La Plagne 2100, Plagne Soleil 2050, Plagne Montalbert 1350 and Champagny.

If Paradiski is just one resort then I wonder how many skiers can cover all of them in one day. The 11 resorts in 3 Vallees also represent a major challenge to most skiers I would have thought.
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Quote:

If Paradiski is just one resort then I wonder how many skiers can cover all of them in one day. The 11 resorts in 3 Vallees also represent a major challenge to most skiers I would have thought.


makes me wonder if im gonna get bored on my upcoming week in la Plagne with my Dad (and that wont even include going to Les Arcs!) Crying or Very sad
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tomski01,

I would have thought it would take a really good and fast skier to go round La Plagne in a day. I would be very contented to cover it in two days in a rush and need at least 3 days if I want to enjoy the runs. The section behind Roche De Mio to Champagny will take some doing as one have to get back too.

One can always upgrade the La Plagnes ski pass on any day to ski Les Arcs too.
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tomski01, You won't get bored in La Plagne for a week. The area is massive with a fair bit of variety and it's hard to cover it all in a week. The link the Les Arcs in my mind probably makes the are too big!
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
David@traxvax, depends on definition of resort! I haven't ever got over to Torgon (as invariably it's a powder day when we try and get sidetracked - literally). My max there is 10 and I haven't yet found it necessary to bus to Chapelle or Abondance just to score them off. Now if they ever put in the link between St Jean D'aulps and Cheri Nord, I may find myself adding an 11th.

So I offer you deep respect for notching them all up. Please tell me it wasn't in high season? Madeye-Smiley
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
David@traxvax, are all 12 covered by a general 'Portes' lift pass or are seperate passes required ?
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
meski, all covered on the Portes de Soliel ski pass.
David, it's well worth the trip to Torgon, there's some of the best skiing in the area in Barbessonne and Torgon is always quiet, no wasn't in high season but it ws an exceptional snow year, about the only one in 20 odd years of visiting Chatel.
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I wouldn't be breaking the record, even if I could. Seems a bit pointless to me!
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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?
It is feat to cover the whole of PDS in a day. On paper it has 650km of piste and beats the 3 Vallees' 600Km hand down.

It tells us the skiing and driving standard of David@traxvax.

The PDS area is fragmented and many links are only by bus. However you do jumping between the two countries.

Europe has a few resorts that you can ski two countries.

Wonder if anybody can complete the list

(1) La Rosiere/La Thuile (France with Italy)
(2) Porte Du Soleil (mainly Avoriaz/Les Crosets/Champery, Chatel/Torgon/Morgins) (France with Switzerland)
(3) Zermat/Cervinia (Switzerland with Italy)


Edited Addtions from suggestion received

(4) Ishgl/Samnaun (Austria with Switzerland)
(5) Chamonix/Courmayeour (France with Italy by Vallee Blanche)


Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Wed 9-02-05 21:38; edited 5 times in total
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You could add

Ishgl (Austria/Switzerland) and Chamonix(France/Switzerland) to the list
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
saikee, it's not a difficult thing to do, you don't have to ski every piste, only about 70-80 kms. No driving involved but we did catch a few buses.
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Courmayeur Italy/France ---- The Vallee Blanche from the Italian side.
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saikee, Courmayeur (Italy) and Chamonix (France) via the Vallée Blanche.
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In the 3 valleys you can do Val Thorens, Les Menuires and all the Courcheval levels in a day
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In the US it's not so much a challenge to ski between countries (or rather states), but simply to ski between resorts. I believe Stowe and Smugglers' Notch in Vermont are linked, and Snowbird/Alta in Utah, now. Not sure of others.
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David Goldsmith wrote:
In the US it's not so much a challenge to ski between countries (or rather states), but simply to ski between resorts. I believe Stowe and Smugglers' Notch in Vermont are linked, and Snowbird/Alta in Utah, now. Not sure of others.


David,

The first time I went to Stowe, 4 years ago, it was linked to Smugglers Notch and with my pass I had a voucher for a 'free' day there - which I did.

A year later we went again, on the back of a business trip, and the link had been cut and all association between the two ski areas had been removed. A Stowe ski patrol guy told me that there had been a commercial disagreement between the two companies that own the ski areas. As far as I am aware they have not been re-linked them.

The Stowe web site used to feature the 'European Style' linked resorts, it does not now.

Shame really as it did add quite a bit of scope to a trip to either ski area.

CP
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If the Americans can't link their resorts together because of the commercial conflicts then France will be able to dominate the world with the biggest linked resorts for many years to come.

Would the snowheads here have difficulty in accepting the 200 chairlifts and 600km piste 3 Vallees as the mother of all resorts?

The French/Swiss Portes Du Soleil (650km) and the Itaian Dolomites (1200km) are really only skiing areas which beat the French Tarentaise (1600km) by being able to offer one ski pass to cover the whole area.

Haven't done any of the Dolomites yet but the domain, spreading over a huge area, does not seem to be possible for a day's run by any skier, am I right or a Snowhead has gone round in a day the 12 sectors in this 50-resort, 400-lifts and 1200km area already?


Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Wed 9-02-05 12:49; edited 1 time in total
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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In fairness to the N.American resorts, one reason why so few of them are connected is that they are all bloody miles from each other. For example, the Breckenridge lift pass covers Ketstone and A.Basin and gives a day or two in Vail and Beaver Creek, but these resorts are miles and miles apart. Similarly, in Banff, a single pass covers Sunshine, Norquay and LL, which are never going to be connected.
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saikee, the Sportwelt Amade in Austria consists of 865km of pistes on one pass, so in theory it too beats the 3V, but of course like the PDS and Dolomites, it's nothing like fully linked. Even Paradiski looks to have a slightly dubious link between La Plagne & Les Arcs, they're really still 2 resorts rather than one fully linked area - there's still nothing to compare with the 3V.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
David Goldsmith wrote:
In the US it's not so much a challenge to ski between countries (or rather states), but simply to ski between resorts. I believe Stowe and Smugglers' Notch in Vermont are linked, and Snowbird/Alta in Utah, now. Not sure of others.


You can ski between Big Sky and Moonlight basin (in fact, if you don't watch the signs, you could do it without knowing). The problem then occurs when you get to a lift - while Moonlight Basin are a small, friendly resort, they do not accept Big Sky tickets, but I have managed to get a free ticket from a liftie in Moonlight when I took a wrong turn. Moonlight tickets are not valid in Big Sky, and they give no leeway on that.
It is, however, possible to ski two or three runs in Moonlight, but using a Big Sky lift.

AFAIK you could ski from Park City to Deer Valley - it's only about 50 metres of off piste between the two at the top of one of the peaks. The drawback is that once you are in Deer Valley, you would have to buy a lift ticket to get out again (you arrive in the back bowls, so you can't even ski down to base). Two years ago a half day ticket at Deer Valley was $67, so it's not something I'd recommend.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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OK, How about how many countries in one day?

A couple of years ago I did some research into doing five in one day. Sadly didn't have time and money to pull it off

Start at Vipateno in Italy on the Brenner Pass. (stay night before and be on first lift or get mgt to let you go up with lifties)
Up into Austria and do the one of the resorts to the west of the autobahn Shruns? name forgotten
Then on up into German and do Mittenwald big cablecar and its freeride itinery
Double back down into Austria and hang a right and do a long hall through the Arlberg (option to do the .at resort at St Anton
Swing south and nip into Lichtenstein and ski the lifts above Vaduz
Race back down into the valley and south into Switzerland and dive on the lift at Piztol

I put together some rules to make it a bit more of a challenge.
You need to ride to the topmost lift of the ski resort (stops riding the nursery poma up the side of the car park). This rule makes St Anton tricky as its long ride to the top

It would be expensive if the lift companies don't wave the ticket for some publicity
Someone suggested getting 4x4 car brands to sponsor the vehicle.
Trafficjams on Brenner and Arlberg routes are critical.

There was also a thread on Winterhighland about doing all Scottish ski areas in a day....
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 Poster: A snowHead
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It sounds a bit like the old scottish challenge, the McNab, where you had to stalk a deer, land a salmonand bag a brace of grouse all in one day. Apperently there is a Royal McNab where you have to bed the Lodge's housekeeper as well.
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David@traxvax,

Sex of the Lodge's housekeeper immaterial?

SussexSnow 5-counrty attempt seems to be a possibility. Getting whacked with 5 ski day pass isn't too bad if you don't do it every trip.
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David@traxvax, to be followed by a shotgun marriage, presumably (?)
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Well it is a Scots challenge and after a few drams kilts could perhaps be confused with skirts?
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Just wondering where the swiss bit is in Chamonix. Some people think Vallorcine is in Switzerland but it isn't. It's in France.

Portes u Soleil summary by saikee says mainly Avoriaz and Chatel but don't you need a swiss section like Champery (or Torgon - is that in?)

In the Milky way you can see Montgenevre (France) as well as Sauze d'Oulx and Sestriere (Italy)

The Ichgl entry needs Saumnan in Switzerland to be mentioned (actually isn't it some principailty or other? it's a duty free place at any rate)
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B00thy,

Thanks for the reminder. Updated Ichgl and PDS.

Not so sure if one can ski from France to Italy or vice versa in the Milky way. Can anyone confirm? From the map it doesn't look like the two countries are linked by piste.
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saikee, yes you can certainly go from France to Italy. I think I did it from Montgenevre to Claviere as a day out from Serre Che in mid nineties. But the col at the top is flat and it's quite a trudge before you can get going again. The border is undefined. No doubt a snowHead can fill in more details.
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