 Poster: A snowHead
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I am posting this on behalf of a friend on another site, he might get some help from the experts !!!!!!
Snowboarder free zones
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Does anyone know of any decent ski resorts in Europe that either have no snowboarders or at least have areas of the mountain that are snowboarder free? I know that many resorts have areas where you are asked to ski slowly "ski tranquille" in France. I know Alta in Utah is a snowboarder free mountain, but it is a bit far away.
I should explain my reason for asking before any snowboarders get insulted. My father, who just turned 82 yesterday, still skis. But he is very worried about getting hit again by snowboarders. He has been hit twice in the last few years. Two years ago in Meribel, on a green slope in the Altiport area, he was stationery on the side of a piste and a young boarder hit him at speed and my dad had to get 19 stitches in his leg. He was back skiing 3 days later, but only with 3 of his children forming a barrier above him to fend off anyone coming close. ( I actually had to tackle another out of control boarder who was out of control and on collision course)
The previous year he was hit by another snowboarder in La Plagne and he had a nasty fall and cut his face.
I should point out that he was previously hit by an out of control 'skier' while he was again stationery, but my dad was only 65 at the time and managed to come off the better of the two, the other skier had to be taken off the moutain on a sledge.
My dad seems determined to keep skiing as long as he is still able to stand/walk, which could be for many more years yet, and my mother too (though she is a bit younger)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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saintstephen, none as fas as I'm aware in Europe. I don;t the problem is snowboarders per se, more people sking / riding wihtout proper control and attention. Maybe your pal should try a smaller resort at a less busy time? BTW Deer Valley is close to Alta and is also ski-only.
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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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Meribel for an 80 year old  I would suggest going to a quiet local resort (probably not in France and one without loads of bad skiing/boarding Brits) with empty pistes would be the solution
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To echo reayscoops Meribel and La Plange are probaly the two heaviest trafficked resorts I've ever been in - the run down to the lifts at Bellcote having been decribed by a freind as "Helms Deep" (the Lord of the Rings giant ruck in front of a huge immovable wall).
Somewhere smaller that isn't a series of linked resorts with people flying in and across from all directions is probbaly your best bet.
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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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saintstephen, Good on him for still skiing. I hope i'm still skiing at 82. You may want to try Austria. I have never been but the people i know who have say it is much quieter than France.
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Thu 11-02-10 16:53; edited 1 time in total
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| ph wrote: |
| saintstephen, Good on him for still skiing. I hope i'm still skiing at 82. You may want to try Austria. I have never been but the people i know who say it is much quieter than France. |
I found Austria over New Year a lot quieter than France at the same time. Although skiing back down the one run to the village at the end of the day was interesting!
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Quietest resorts I've been to have been in Norway - but by no way boarder free and they don't necassarily suit everyone (they're small by comparison to most other country's resorts)
I reckon, as others have said, is to choose a quiet resort in a quiet period. I would have thought the first few weeks of Jan or after Easter during April would be the least crowded (?)
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Wow - I hope I am still skiing at 80. You can't guarantee no boarders, but as others have said go for smaller resorts in less popular countries out of peak weeks. Also ski Monday-Friday rather than weekends. We have found Geilo in Norway and some of the smaller Italian resorts all but empty out of weekends. Also try a DIY holiday to a resort where there are no big tour operators.
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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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Why look for a snowboarder free resort? Surely you should be looking for a quiet resort. I have had close calls with bad skiers and boarders alike, it's not what they're riding but how they're riding. We take our 8yo and 4yo out with us and tend to keep an eye out for people who are riding\skiing beyond their ability and keep out of the way. I don't think a bad snowboarder is inherently more dangerous than a bad skier.
As an aside, when I went to the Snowdome for the Big Bang show I saw 3 accidents involving skiers hitting boarders (including someone flying in to olympic snowboarder Dan Wakeham), I didn't see one boarder hit a skier (although it was freestyle boarding so I guess the quality of rider was a bit higher than average)
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Pick a small resort with lots of drag lifts.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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nbt, I agree that idiots are idiots, but it must be said that, certainly anecdotaly so, the proportion of snowboard accident/incidents is far higher than the proportion of snowboarders to skiers. I'm sure someone whizzy with stats can confirm/rebut this assumption.
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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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Not going to suggest that this is the case but sometimes potential victims can often do a lot to help themselves in choosing where to stop, awareness of terrain and snow conditions. Green and blue runs at the bottom of the mountain along with any home run are the most dangerous places to be IMO.
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You know it makes sense.
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Got an 88 year old patient who skis still - does a bit of off-the-side-of-the-piste too.
One suggestion is to go to somewhere which is expensive, classy and not too hip/trendy - so as to reduce the young skier/snowboarder demographic. Megeve? Davos or Klosters?
And I agree - as a skier - I have more problems with skiers than boarders.
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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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Yoda, looks like one of your/BernardC's touring groups from the EOSB 
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Poster: A snowHead
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I think small or expensive resorts in Switzerland are "relatively" snowboard free. First they do a lot of drag lifts. Secondly the price tend to discourage the youngsters away.
I am 61 myself and prefer resorts with the least number of visitors. I go to France as the last resort. Meribel and La Plagne have the highest density of piste users in my experience. Many Austria, Swiss and Italian resorts are a lot quieter. Also one get less chance of being hit on a steep slope than a beginner slope. Thus I would rather avoid the green and blue runs and ski in the red and black runs because the piste users there are seldom a threat to me.
Another important consideration is to avoid the peak season period.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Bad snowboarders are great.
I let four of them simultaneously attack a Couloir today just before I skied it.
It was better than rolling a cornice to test stability 
Agree with other posts spanners are spanners wheather they are on skis or boards pick your resort and you'll be fine.
Fair play to your auld fella, I hope I'm still skiing at his age.
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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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From what I saw in January, the gentleman might enjoy Muerren. The only risk is that he will be tutted at for being such a young tearaway.
Seriously, I went on a train from Gruetschalp to Muerren and I think I may have been the only one who paid for a ski pass.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Sideshow_Bob, when our lovely companions see that post you're a dead man 
(and of course I shall make sure that they do)
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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He can ski, but he can't hide from Bernie's Angels 
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My tip would be to make as early a start possible, try and make the first lift up the mountain and as high as possible. This should give you about two hours of less crowded piste.
The weekend sunday 17 January my two children and I got to the Platea Rosa above Zermatt about 9 in the morning and skied down that great red run 7, to Cervinia.
We were the only people on it.
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Go to places boarders hate: moguls, flats, drag lifts, etc.
| Lizzard wrote: |
| Pick a small resort with lots of drag lifts. |
Or places with lots of flat traverse!
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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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abc,
Hidden Valley in Dolomites come to mind. The last blue section is made for walking. Can't remember seeing a snowboard during my two visits to this valley in my last trip. Checked the photos and video clips and couldn't find one either.
In fact come to think of it snowboards are rare signs in Italian Dolomites and that is the wife's view too.
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abc, I do not particularly think an 82 year old fellow will like flats, moguls or drag lifts imho
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Fair play to your Dad!
I would suggest just stick to smaller resorts, not the big French ski-factories and go during off-peak weeks. I normally go to Austria or Italy in mid-March, pistes not busy, no lift queues and more importantly, I've never witnessed any sort of collision.
Pick the right spot and hopefully your Dad will still be skiing well into his 90s! 
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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 you really want to go to France still though, I would advise Les Gets as a possibility. From Morzine up to Avoriaz and beyond, it can be quite busy, but Les Gets and the surrounding area can be pretty quiet.
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