Ski Club 2.0 Home
Snow Reports
FAQFAQ

Mail for help.Help!!

Log in to snowHeads to make it MUCH better! Registration's totally free, of course, and makes snowHeads easier to use and to understand, gives better searching, filtering etc. as well as access to 'members only' forums, discounts and deals that U don't even know exist as a 'guest' user. (btw. 50,000+ snowHeads already know all this, making snowHeads the biggest, most active community of snow-heads in the UK, so you'll be in good company)..... When you register, you get our free weekly(-ish) snow report by email. It's rather good and not made up by tourist offices (or people that love the tourist office and want to marry it either)... We don't share your email address with anyone and we never send out any of those cheesy 'message from our partners' emails either. Anyway, snowHeads really is MUCH better when you're logged in - not least because you get to post your own messages complaining about things that annoy you like perhaps this banner which, incidentally, disappears when you log in :-)
Username:-
 Password:
Remember me:
👁 durr, I forgot...
Or: Register
(to be a proper snow-head, all official-like!)

Reading Piste Maps

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Google is not my friend today. I have been squinting at different piste maps for an hour now...

Can anyone please tell me how to tell on a piste map whether a lift is a button or drag lift?

I see little gondaliers and chair lift signs on some maps ,does that mean if they haven't got that on them then its a drag?

Thanks in advance...
snow conditions
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person

usually something like this
ski holidays
 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?
Thank you Colin B, I can't be squinting hard enough lol.

What if there is no little picture? Just a black arrow pointing up the valley?
ski holidays
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
The_Deviant, Is there not a key which tells you? Whcih piste map are you looking at?
latest report
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
holidayloverxx, Currently I have a Meribel-Mottaret one open.... http://www.mottaret.com/images/Maps/MapMeribel1.jpg
ski holidays
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
The_Deviant, I'm sure you are correct - if it doesn't give you a symbol you assume it's a drag.
snow report
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
That image is a bit over-compressed but the key at the bottom clearly says "Teleski" next to a black line - "Poma" to us Brits.
snow report
 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
The_Deviant, someone who knows Meribel might be along soon, but from what I can see the hanging gondolas are bubbles and the man hanging from the chair is a chair lift. there is nothing in the key that says what a drag lift looks like so maybe there aren't any that you woudl have to use although Merinet suggests a few free drags for beginners "In addition, there are several free lifts for beginners in the valley. In Meribel they are Loupiot, Cotes drag lift (at le Rond Point) Altiport drag and Fontany telecord. In Mottaret you will find the Doron and Sitelle drag lifts as well as the Telecorde and Chalets gondolas (also for pedestrians). NB not all of these are marked on the lift map."

TBH the quailty of the map is so poor on my screen I can barely read it
snow report
 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.
altis, Aah - I could barely read it so missed the teleski
snow conditions
 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
altis, As my sig says - I'm new, I don't actually know what a teleski is, or a Poma. I'm here to learn. I know them as drag, t bar, j bar or button lift.
snow conditions
 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
The_Deviant,

Go to the proper Meribel web site here:

http://ski-area.meribel.net/fileadmin/RM/Plan_des_pistes/plan_3vallees.pdf

and if you zoom in a lot you will see that the draglifts do not have a symbol, whereas chairs, gondolas, cable cars do.

There are not many long draglifts in the Meribel valley but if you look at the above you can see "Arpasson" which is and also "Roc du Tougne" which is a long, steep double draglift.

It is very easy to ski all around the 3 valleys without taking any drag lifts IMHO.


Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Tue 21-12-10 17:05; edited 1 time in total
ski holidays
 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.
holidayloverxx, Thanks very much. That's helpful. Very Happy
ski holidays
 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Trenmold, Brlliant thank you Smile I actually want draglifts as opposed to anything else.
latest report
 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Can't think of any T-bars in the 3 Vallee. A teleski is generic for any kind of drag lift. A Poma is a button lift which has a extend-able pole with a button on rather than a pulley with a rope and t-bar / button at the bottom.
latest report
 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Poma is actually a manufacturer that makes everything from drag lifts to chairlifts to gondolas
snow report
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
The_Deviant,
You want draglifts?
snow conditions
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Mike3000, Hence the name? Very Happy
ski holidays
 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?
The_Deviant, If you want drag lifts in the 3V (why?) then probably the top of the glacier in Val Thorens is the place for you. snowHead
latest report
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
Yeah, I'm afraid so Mike3000, There's 5 of us going - 3 skiers, 2 boarders and one of us is a vertigo sufferer. So a good mixture of runs and lifts is required. We have chosen France as two of the group are fluent and I like the food Very Happy So far I have taken advice of people here and ended up at Mottaret.

Thats why I'm squinting at piste maps trying to distinguish all the lift symbols. Not an easy task...
snow report
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
The_Deviant, can't think of any drags straight out of Mottaret, some a little higher up but I think you need a chair or gondola to access them
snow conditions
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
The_Deviant, Do you mean your friend is Acrophobic (irrational fear of heights)? Vertigo is a problem with dizzyness; Also not good for skiing but for different reasons.

...and back on theme...
3 valley's drag lifts are just a black line with no symbol on the maps from memory.
ski holidays
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Didn't know there were any pistes in Reading.....
snow conditions
 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
The_Deviant, If you want a draglift in the Meribel valley that serves some quiet, steep high quality skiing rather than a nursery slope area then the aforementioned Roc du Tougne are the lifts you want to head for. You will need a bubble or chairlift to get to the base of them though. Sad You can ski back down to the bottom of the lift on a choice of red or black, or go over the other side of the ridge towards St Martin and come back up another drag to the top again. The St Martin de Belleville side of this ridge offers some of the best piste skiing in the 3V if the snow is good and is generally quiet too.
latest report
 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.
Trenmold wrote:


It is very easy to ski all around the 3 valleys without taking any drag lifts IMHO.


I was there last week, and we managed it up until the point when the closed the Pralong chair lift (well they didn't open it up at the normal time on the morning for some reason it was open later in the day), and we ended up then having to use a drag. I can also confirm that the three valleys maps, the only lifts which don't have a symbol are the drag lifts.
latest report
 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
RobW, hahaha yeah ... I wondered if anyone would read it that way...

adithorp, You're correct, a fear of heights it is, not vertigo. Thanks.


Trenmold, Great, thanks for the thoughtful advice Smile - is the Bubble quite new? He does better on the newer, smoother ones, if they are old and rickety or sway about a lot, he gets panicky again.

NickyJ, Thanks for the confirmation, I hope you had a fab time Smile
latest report
 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
The_Deviant, Thanks, we had a great time, and my 4yr old loved it which was a relief.

My Mum is afraid of heights (and get vertigo) and still skis. I have known her to close her eyes a lot on chair lifts, and also grips the bar incredibly hard (my hubby discovered this when she ended up gripping part of his hand).
ski holidays
 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.
I know they've had quite a bit of snow in the last few days, but I'm not sure you'd need a piste map....... Toofy Grin
ski holidays
 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
The_Deviant, Most of the bubbles and chair lifts in the three valleys are fairly new but I can't guarantee they won't shake rattle and roll a bit especially on a windy day.
latest report
 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Colin B wrote:

usually something like this


Or like these...



ski holidays
 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
holidayloverxx wrote:
and the man hanging from the chair is a chair lift


Laughing wink
snow conditions
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
check your snowboarding friends are happy with the use of drag lifts - some drag lifts ( steep ones mainly, but sometimes very flat ones) can be tougher on snowboarders, and sometimes snowboarders are banned from very steep draglifts. you might need to find runs accessible by different kinds of lifts.
latest report
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Lou, you know what I mean wink
ski holidays



Terms and conditions  Privacy Policy