 Poster: A snowHead
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I shall be skiing (for the first time) off piste for a week in Andermatt next season, mostly with a guide but a few days not. I have been looking at a piste map ( http://www.bergfex.com/gemsstock/panorama/ ): could anyone tell me where the best off piste is relative to the lifts. There doesn't seem to be anything on this previously on snowheads (that I could find).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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There is no off piste in Andermatt....
Only a rusty cable car and a germanic army town full of soldiers 
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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 can go pretty much any direction you like off the Gemstock
the less out of the way places (ie you can do them sans guide without needing to worry too much about navigation) are on the front side of the mountain. there are basically a couple of pistes but huge tracts of off piste to the sides
but the snow is crusty mank so i wouldn't bother if i were you 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Sorry, it is too late to put me off, you will just have to share it. If you don't want me to publicise it further you will have to tell me all 
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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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snowball, Gemstock frontside is ok..as you will see where you are heading.... but the place needs good snow cover as it is pretty rocky
Personally, I wouldn't bother with this too much...I'd make a point of hooking up with other guys...and that should be easy-ish as it has that cool ski-bum vibe in the village, and sking the outer flanks of Hospental on one side and I forget the name of the other. Also, I would be prepared to hop over to Disentis and explore there...
Get your introductions in early and hook up with others would be my plan
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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and from here
http://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts/Andermatt/pistemap
take the skiers left route down the point maked St Anna Gletscher and dive over the side...altho not the type of place you want to get stranded in alone as there isn't much traffic for all those tracks..
Getting out at the bottom needs very good route finding through the shrubs.. and you have to stay away from the protected area.. but then just head back to the road to Andermatt..or the pub/hotel and call a cab whilst you have a beer. You might be able to bum a ride with the others that will congregate there..
Also, there is a place called Winterhorn which is supposed to be good as you should be able to drop over the sides to the vally ...but we went in very bad vis so I can't vouch for this... The lifts were so slow in bad weather so hopefully that isn't the case all the time...
If it were me.. I wouldn't be too worried about being in Andermatt for 2 days on my own.. I am sure you could hook up with some bodies..
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the backside of Winterhorn looks awesome if a little avalanche prone
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Thanks.
| JT wrote: |
| .I'd make a point of hooking up with other guys...and that should be easy-ish as it has that cool ski-bum vibe in the village |
Where do the ski bums hang out?
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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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snowball, varies from season to season...but the main drag is a 10 minute walk from top to bottom and the in-bar for the season should be easy to spot..
plus it is a very friendly place... everyone says hullo if you carrrying skis...
Like most ski places, only the really hard-core ( teens, ) party late late so I wouldn't bother with them, but assuming that your down-days are not at the beginning of your week, then I would just go with the flow and get talking to people at the cable car..ask them where the best snow is... just to strike up a conversation..
Lots of Scandis..and they will be wary that you can ski etc, but that is normal.. I am pretty sure you can find someone..
Last time I went the most popular bar was a glitzy looking bar at the top of the village just past the big bend... I wish I remembered the names of these places...
when are you there..?
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^^^ there were 2 or 3 bars around there where the skiers seem to hang out. all near the Birdos shop which is well worth a look (not just for the naked lady top sheets of the Puder Luders  )
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Arno, yep..very cool shop...but never open..guess they know where to ski... 
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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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| JT wrote: |
when are you there..? |
19-27 March. I'll have a day and a half at the start and a day at the end plus the 6 day holiday with the group. (Returning on a late evening flight).
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snowball, hmmm, I may try to join you for the first weekend.
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You know it makes sense.
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snowball,
assume the half day is the first day..so you can just bomb arund on the front face on your own for that.
In the evening I would see who is around in the hotel bars. I have always seen organised little groups planning things and there appears to be lone skiers in the cable car all the time.
I would get chatting to to as many as you come across... and see how that pans out..
It was always a very friendly place when I was there...but I was always fixed up for Ski buddies and sometimes..in a town like this, I wish I wasn't...IYKWIM..
I would love to see further afield than I got and look at Furka and Disentis tho..
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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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JT, Yes, that sounds about what I was thinking
horizon, well the sunday I will be with the SCGB ski holiday group (their first Gold standard holiday for many years) and I'll be flying a bit blind on the first Saturday (and late friday) unless I find an obliging bum. Always very happy to ski with you though! 
By the way, there is a strong chance that a woman I know from previous ski club holidays will be there the first Saturday too. And perhaps someone else will sign up to go a day early who knows the place.
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Poster: A snowHead
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If you really insist on going to Andermatt to ski crusty mank....
Then you can actually buy a 'freeride' specific map (in german) from the local shops - which has off piste & touring routes marked.
Though the plain old 1:50 000 map would also do.
Most of the off piste starts from the top of Gemstock cable car and involves a traverse or short hike into adjacent bowls.
Its not a big ski area - so it will become obvious pretty quickly.
Only skied there for 2 days - 1 touring and 1 using the lifts. It was fun
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Haggis_Trap wrote: |
Then you can actually buy a 'freeride' specific map (in german) from the local shops - which has off piste & touring routes marked.
Though the plain old 1:50 000 map would also do.
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Freeride map! Ah, useful, thank you.
Not the usual 1:25.000?
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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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There is no reason to try hiding the most popular off-piste skiing spots in Andermatt. It is just too much advertised anyway. However, I didn't find it too overcrowded (at least off-season and compared to Verbier or Chamonix).
There is a new freeride map available for the Andermatt region (based upon the high-quality Swiss map). You can order this map at www.freeride-map.com. Almost everything is to be found on this map. The map is bilingual (German/English).
One of the most popular off-piste routes besides Felsental would be the Guspis (needs about 30 minutes hiking): from the Gemsstock ski down the backside, hike up to Gafallenlücke. From there some really nice slopes go down the valley (called Guspis) to the (closed) Gotthard street which lead to the village of Hospental (ski bus / taxi back to Andermatt).
P.S.: The operator of the Gemsstock ski area is in dire need of money. So trying to hide the ski potential of the Gemsstock would probably be detrimental. A closed ski area would be no good (at least to those who prefer lift-assisted freeriding).
Edit: The scale of the freeride map is 1 : 25.000
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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RandyAlp, we're only kidding
anyway, i thought there was some mega-development in the pipeline at Andermatt. Is that not going ahead?
And... those freeride maps look very cool. thanks for posting the link. i might be about to buy a few of those...
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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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Yup - The freeride maps look pretty good...
Though I might not approve if I was a local!
Wasnt aware they had a www site.
They are basically slightly more expensive versions of the normal maps with some lines drawn on them.
Though you could probably work out the same infomation from a normal swiss-topo.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Arno, I thought all that dev-stuff got shelved... as with a lot of places... Anniviers as well..
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JT, no bad thing, although the development looked like it wouldn't attract the freeride crowd...
i think I saw that Wildhorn was for sale
edit: I mean Winterhorn
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Sat 19-09-09 12:06; edited 1 time in total
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Arno,
From a selfish POV, a lot of dev will totally alter some places .. I am glad our valley doesn't want it by and large and will probably only strech to replacing the long surface lifts. Even that is a step too far for me... and don't even mention a lift upto Chamois...
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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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As far as I know the Sawaris development in Andermatt is going on. The building process has started during the summer, I guess. There are many discusssions now about what to do with the ski resorts around Andermatt (I am not sure if Sawaris got or will get shares of the Gemsstock operator).
My hope would be that the typical chalet owner / renter in the Sawaris resorts would just stick to the groomers (preferably at the Nätschen/Oberalp pass area). As far as I know it is planned to link Nätschen and Oberalp pass with some modern detachable chair lifts.
The future of Winterhorn in Hospental seems still to be very unclear. Would be a pity if this small resort would be closed forever (and it has good lift-assisted freeride potential as well).
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Thanks for all that, folks, I'll get the map and it may be about time I got more skins (my old ones are a bit smaller than my current skis).
Yes, I read on the internet about some Arab buying the old army barracks to make a big new development. Has that been shelved because of money problems or local opposition? Or is that the Sawaris developement?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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If you are prepared to tour a bit, the possibilities in Andermatt are endless
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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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I don't mind skinning a bit but I'm not a tourer. An hour is fine. Anything over an hour and there would have to be a very big pay-off.
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@snowball: yes, Sawiris (= big tourism/real estate investor from Egypt) is the investor you have read about.
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