Piste grading in Flaine relative to other resorts

A snowHead

I'm preparing for my trip to Dolomiti in a couple of weeks time and planning not to take lessons this time (after a week of full day lessons I had in Flaine last month I decided to just roam the mountain slowly and practice this time - and my wallet is practically empty after Christmas/New Year).

So the plan is going to study the resort's piste map and stick to blue and red pistes... and this is where the question coming from. I start suspecting that I can handle red runs by myself is an illusion due to the week I spent in Flaine last month (and it was Christmas week and the resort were not fully opened).

Now thinking back, Flaine was my second week skiing and my first week was spent entirely in Courchevel 1850 so there is not much comparison I can do.
Flaine seemed to be a lot easier (even on the day I arrived and before any lessons) - greens were so flat that I was exhausted, blues were flat and wide and the reds (that were opened) were wide.
Comparing with my week at Courchevel which felt like - greens were mildly scary to scary, blues were very scary and red were very very steep and scary at the end of the week. I have only been on to one red with my lesson group (no way I go on to a red without an instructor that week and too bad that the condition on the following day was so bad that the group stayed on blues) and I actually fell twice on the run that my instructor claimed to be "the easiest red in Courchevel"

As much as I like to think I felt Flaine is easy (to go down safely) because I were a better skier but now I get a sneaking suspicion it's more to do with its grading being easier than Courchevel's.

So I'm getting curious.. for those who skied both resorts - are there really such a big difference in level of difficulty? Are Flaine's pistes grading easier than average Italian resorts (thinking about my holiday plan)?

A snowHead

cppoon, I've skied both, but not extensively. I wouldn't say there was a big difference - but there IS a big difference between the same run in different snow and visibility conditions. I ski in the same area just about the whole season, and am an experienced skier, but there are some runs I just know will be difficult on some days, and I don't bother (being lazy, and old).

The other thing, of course, is that as you improve (and you'll be improving fast at the moment) you can re-visit a run you struggled with, after a few more days experience, and find it a breeze.

And the final thing - everything, but everything, is much easier with an instructor - I would happily follow an instructor down stuff I wouldn't tackle on my own, knowing that he or she will be picking the line, and the speed, that I can cope with.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

cppoon, "Are Flaine's pistes grading easier than average Italian resorts"

I would say not, I have only skied aosta valley. la thuile, pila and cervinia and others etc in italy and i would say it is the other way around.

As pam w, said it really depends on conditions, but flaine is very similar to 3 valleys, infact groomed stuff in 3 valleys seems easier as the grooming is so good

You have just got better at skiing!

You need to Login to know who's really who.

to add, speak to someone who knows the resort your going to (transfer driver, hotel staff, waiters, ski hire shop) and ask them which are the harder blues/easier reds.

Then start on the easy blues, progress onto the harder ones then work your way through the reds (easier to harder).... don't be blinded by "got to ski reds" my favourite run is a green and I usually do this at least once a day!!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I've skied a fair few places in france/austria and I'd say yes, Flaine's red runs do seem easier, because in the main they are very wide? The blues had some tricky bits at times (for a blue!) but the reds seemed on the easy side to us (mixed group of 2,3,5 weekers and a couple of folks who've been skiing 'forever').

Not skied anywhere in Italy though so I'd agree with marcellus - ask someone (or look for resort reviews on here) and don't focus on colours. I've been places only the blacks hold any challenge and places I've found moguls on greens and nearly been reduced to tears on a blue (top to bottom narrow ice sheet Crying or Very sad

) - it varies by resort, by conditions and your mood the day!

aj xx

You'll need to Register first of course.

I think I'm a rather nervous beginner and need to work from easy to more difficult to build up the courage. So what marcellus has said is exactly what I want to do. However, I couldn't seem to find much information about the resort (Trevalli in Dolomiti Superski) on the forum or in other places online so it's something that I have to ask the locals after I get there. Right now, what I wanted to do is more a case of taking a look at the piste map and see how they rate themselves.

The Flaine grading question just creeped up again when I was looking at the Trevalli piste map.

I originally had that question because there was no lesson on my 1st day in Flaine and I just went to ski by myself. I started on the greens (the original plan was to stick with green for the whole day) and got really tired by poling through flats. That why I decided to not repeat the greens and head to the top of the mountain to try their easy blues. The flat on top exhausted me so I did that twice then decided to come down via a red on the third time (so I ended up picking my runs because I wanted to avoid flats rather than sticking with the original plan). I was perplexed for the whole day by the fact that the few runs I went to were not scary at all(in terms of conditions, the week I was in Courchevel was lovely apart from the last day and everything I was on were nicely groomed ).

I totally agree with pam w about the improvement as a 2nd week skier (getting better every day) and following an instructor (wish I have a higher budget for this week)

Then now I wonder what I have done between the two holidays (as I now think I must have improved somewhat) apart from coming on to this forum. snowHead

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

pam w, LOL you are absolutely right to question about my fitness level. Yes, while I´m in good health I´m not a ¨fit¨ person and my fitness level is the only thing to be blamed for my problems with flats. My skating (and gliding across) is not too bad tbh but I go out of breath quite quickly. Pretty sure my favourite type of runs would be the untaxing ones that goes gently downhill with no flats.

I was on my own the last time and that was part of the reason I have both morning and afternoon lessons (the other reason was that I found myself enjoyed the time in my lessons more than the ¨free time¨ with other friends in my first week)

For my next trip, we are staying in Falcade. There is not much information in English beyond the official marketing material and statistics online and I find it unnerving (I would love to see reviews written by real people).

This trip is going to be interesting as all of us are beginners - one friend who has never ski and will book lessons in the mornings while the other one has only skied in snow dome before and decided not to take any lesson. I´m a bit uneasy about that to be honest but I´m not in the position to make any comment as I am not going to take lessons this time either (want more money Sad

).

Help!!

Piste grading in Flaine relative to other resorts

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