 Poster: A snowHead
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Why don't resorts (generally) have these? Seems like a gap in the market for something a bit wilder/more natural without being very steep and very hard work.
Something that's not as steep and "scary" as a black, but offers more of a technical challenge than merely being steep.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The Kitzsteinhorn Glacier has several of these.
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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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Dig out your old piste maps and you'll probably find some itineraires marked with dotted lines. They might be red or black depending on their steepness. In St Anton they're still on the map but they can get very moguled and 'pisted' with traffic.
I think they've probably disappeared from modern maps due to liability issues.
It's usually a fairly easy job to find a local guide (as in book) that lists and describes them or even a guide (as in human) that knows them.
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Malgovert in Les Arcs is an unbashed red. And good fun it is too.
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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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Scotland.
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| Chamcham wrote: |
| Malgovert in Les Arcs is an unbashed red. And good fun it is too. |
So is Clair Blanc in LA... good fun too, but can be a rather intimidating entrance.
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Hintertux has ski routes marked as red dotted lines. They're marked on the information boards with open/closed lights so I'd call them unpisted runs rather than off piste. They're only marked with a single line of posts rather than boundary posts however, so it's kinda easy to stray off them.
Anyone know what their actual status is?
scotia, good answer 
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St Anton and surrounding area has loads of red ski routes. Sometimes they are pisted but very nice all the same
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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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agreed
got to glencoe after a dump and you havent a clue where anything is..
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andytb, Assuming they are thee same as the marked offpiste routes in many other Austrian resorts, they're avi protected, marked on the map, but not patrolled. You can get ski routes and 'extreme' ski routes, I guess you could compare this to red and black graded runs.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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was also a couple in courmayeur in jan
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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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James the Last, Ischgl has some good red itinerary's , also lech has some of the best I have skied
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| Quote: |
Sometimes they are pisted but very nice all the same
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None of the ones I tumbled down in March had been pisted (unless the piste basher was one man on a unicycle  )
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You know it makes sense.
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North America.
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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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Several itinerary routes on the Stubai Glacier about an hour out of Innsbruck.
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Poster: A snowHead
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andytb, As clarky999, says. One such run in Hintertux is the Schwarze Pfanne which ends in the village. Its not officially a piste but rather a ski route. It isn't patrolled, is marked on the map but is often closed due to avalanche danger.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Another vote for Glencoe.
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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's usually an unpisted red above Courchevel 1650 which is good fun.
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Or you could just come to the US. Here on the East Coast (not going to speak for out West as unfortunately haven't got there yet!), there's always plenty of single black diamond (and even some blue) trails designated as "natural" ie they are hardly ever pisted.
That being said I've skied on plenty (usually by accident  or unfounded bravado!) of unpisted reds in French resorts. Check the pisting report in the morning before you go out and then you'll be sure to find some natural stuff.
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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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neigehead, I'd agree, we are in Winter Park right now and there is plenty of this type of terrain, in fact "runs" consist of whole moutainsides,made safe but not prepared with loads of tree skiing, its really excellent ( our first trip stateside). Breckenridge last week was similar. 
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As noted, NA, or more specifically from personal experience, Canada.
Go to Panorama. You'll get sick of 'em, even I nearly did. There are dozens. Though not marked as "reds" ("red" designated runs don't exist) the steeper blues/shallower black diamonds are european "reds". You'll soon be searching out the groomers to give your legs a rest...............
Surprisingly, snowsports aren't confined just to the Alps  .
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Agreed loads of them over in Whistler when we were there. Mind most of the pisted runs had 30cms on top as it was snowing all day. Being a wimp and having very painful legs I was happy to do the odd green.
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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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Yuck. Unpisted. No thanks.
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BCjohnny, you beat me to it
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| queen bodecia wrote: |
| Yuck. Unpisted. No thanks. |
Truth. Unpisted = moguls = yuck.
If I'm on a piste I want piste if I'm off a piste I want pow/corn/fern etc. not bloody moguls.
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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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Some people love moguls though.
Not me, I hasten to add.
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Same sentiments. A few moguls on an a ridge line to access good snow, through a little couloir along the way or along a forest traverse etc on the way out are fine and dandy as they all add variety and are not the main course. Moguls in bottleneck pisted areas are good for slowing people down too but to actively go seeking out long marked pistes for the sake of skiing man made bumps is weird.  Happily, there's usually some soft crud or sometimes even untouched snow near to or just out of sight of those long mogulled runs that's a whole lot more interesting than the drudgery of endless bumps.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
| the drudgery of endless bumps. |
You'd love the Face at Heavenly! 
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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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| mugen wrote: |
agreed
got to glencoe after a dump and you havent a clue where anything is.. |
Good job you went for a dump first
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Poster: A snowHead
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andytb, Tux ski routes are marked off piste runs. Not patrolled but safe for avalanches (provided you stay within 15 metres of the markers). Not far from these you can find terrain that is steep enough to avalanche and some serious terrain traps for good measure. The runs are all crevasse safe due to being below the glacier line, however there are some rock and terrain features that could be tricky.
Great terrain for free riding after a snow fall, interesting terrain features for run riding, few steeper pitches to be found but with careful consideration.
PSG
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Dot. wrote: |
| Another vote for Glencoe. |
...and another. Only skied there once and it was wall to wall sunshine, no wind, -5 following very recent snowfall. Perfect
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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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gilleski, thanks for the definitive answer on that one 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
| the drudgery of endless bumps. |
Some people wonder why skier spend considerable expense to be out in the drudgery of cold mountain when there's warmth and couch at home. The same answer will be given as why some skier go out of their way to seek out endless bumps: FUN!
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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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Sounds like something by Rebecca Black.
Tomorrow is Saturday, and Sunday comes after...wards, I don’t want these bumps to end, FUN, FUN, FUN, FUN. Yesterday was BUMPDAY, today will be BUMPDAY, the next day will be be BUMPDAY, is this really FUN, FUN, FUN, FUN, FUN, FUN. Which one is the left bump, which one is the right bump, they all look the same to me ... BUMP, BUMP, BUMP, BUMP, BUMP. Oh it feels like groundhog day, been here before ... BUMP, BUMP, BUMP, BUMP. This looks the same as yesterday, gotta make my mind up, which way shall I go ... BUMP, BUMP, BUMP, BUMP, BUMP.
As I said, there's nothing wrong with a few bumps on the way through interesting terrain and when they help to slow down traffic in bottlenecks but perhaps my experience with wild feeling skiing here in Scotland makes me prefer natural snow, rocky terrain and poor visibility than to ski with the rest of the ants through run after run of man made BUMP, BUMP, BUMP, BUMP, BUMP in the sunshine. I'm sure I'm not the only one.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| moffatross wrote: |
Sounds like something by Rebecca Black.
Tomorrow is Saturday, and Sunday comes after...wards, I don’t want these pisted runs to end, FUN, FUN, FUN, FUN. Yesterday was PISTEDAY, today will be PISTEDAY, the next day will be be PISTEDAY, is this really FUN, FUN, FUN, FUN, FUN, FUN. Which one is the left piste, which one is the right piste, they all look the same to me ... PISTE, PISTE, PISTE, PISTE, PISTE. Oh it feels like groundhog day, been here before ... PISTE, PISTE, PISTE, PISTE. This looks the same as yesterday, gotta make my mind up, which way shall I go ... PISTE, PISTE, PISTE, PISTE, PISTE.
As I said, there's nothing wrong with a few bumps on the way through interesting terrain and when they help to slow down traffic in bottlenecks but perhaps my experience with wild feeling skiing here in Scotland makes me prefer natural snow, rocky terrain and poor visibility than to ski with the rest of the ants through run after run of man made PISTE, PISTE, PISTE, PISTE, PISTE in the sunshine. I'm sure I'm not the only one. |
fix it for ya
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The Col De Ves chair in Tignes gives access to a huuge unpisted area. Helpfully there is a pisted track running through it.. Lots of options os steepness, length, aspect, bumpiness etc...
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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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FAQ
Anybody that is will know that we're not too hot on grooming (or marked pistes for that matter). 