 Poster: A snowHead
|
I am looking for ski resorts that have the best/most challenging pistes (steep icy), as I am not really interested in off-piste skiing as I am likely to be going on my own. For the 05/06 season and hopefully I should be able to go on several trips.
I want to go to Mayrhofen for the harikiri piste, hintertux glacier and the size of the sking area in Jan. Other places I am considering are Zermatt, Wengen, Espace Killy, and would consider US/Canadian resorts but don't know enough about resorts such as Jackson Hole, Whistler etc.
I guess there are loads more resorts that people on the board would recomend for a challenging ski trip.
I would also prefer not to go to the same country for the trips.
Thanks David
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
davidb, Aiguille Rouge in Les Arcs any time before Feb should be steep and icy enough and at 7kms length it should get your heart pumping. La Thuile in Dec & Jan, choose from pistas 2, 3 & 5 and their variants, steep, icy and tree lined, get it wrong and cuddle a conifer. Pista 2 has a 77 degree pitch which is steep enough for most.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Tue 23-08-05 21:03; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
davidb, Don't go to Zermatt for challenging pistes. I love the place but you have to really venture off-piste for more challenging stuff. There are a few good steep pistes there but Espace Killy is a much better bet for challenging piste skiing. Verbier has its moments so too does Flaine/Samoens but you can't really beat the Espace Killy if you are staying on piste.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
You could try 'The Wall of Death' between Avoriaz and Switzerland and / or the Swiss Wall at the top of Chavanette in Switzerland. Corbets @ Jackson Hole looks challenging to say the least.
| davidb wrote: |
| I am looking for ski resorts that have the best/most challenging pistes (steep icy), as I am not really interested in off-piste skiing as I am likely to be going on my own. |
Why not join an off-piste group? Just because you go on holiday alone doesn't mean you can't ski the steep and deep with a group. http://pistetopowder.com/
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
davidb, Don't go to Zermatt for challenging pistes. I love the place but you have to really venture off-piste for more challenging stuff. There are a few good steep pistes there but Espace Killy is a much better bet for challenging piste skiing. Verbier has its moments so too does Flaine/Samoens but you can't really beat the Espace Killy if you are staying on piste.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
DB, Which is 'The Wall of Death'? I know La Chavanette / Swiss Wall (from a respectful distance) but don't know that one.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
davidb, St Anton has some challenging pisted routes and itineraries. I would agree about Zermatt being a bit straight forward but there are a few challenging itinerary routes there as well. Espace Killy has plenty to challenge most skiers, whether on or off piste.
What's the aversion to off piste? To be honest there's not a deal of difference between a steep unpisted black and some of the more skied out off piste IMO.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Kramer, I don't have a real aversion to off piste skiing, but I am likely to go on these holidays alone. However as mentioned above I could join a group. Also my skis are not really suited for off piste I've got a pair of GS skis and a pair of funcarvers. Although they might be suitable, as I've haven't tried yet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
eEvans,
| Quote: |
DB, Which is 'The Wall of Death'? I know La Chavanette / Swiss Wall (from a respectful distance) but don't know that one
|
You know you really want to try Chavanette, and one day you will just get stuck in and ski it!!! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
davidb, you can cross Wengen off the list as well, hardly any runs of the type you are looking for, mainly red and blue pistes lots of nice cruising runs but very few steep and icy.
See I don't always reccomend Wengen 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
D G Orf, A first ? 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
FenlandSkier, 
|
|
|
|
|
|
brian
brian
Guest
|
davidb, Courchevel. Some great runs off Saulire, Suisses, Creux Noirs, Chanrossa etc.
Don't discount Zermatt. The itineraries (yellow runs on the piste map) are unpisted but are avalanche controlled, patrolled at end of day etc. The Stockhorn/Hohtalli itineraries down to Gant are 3000' of top quality, esp if it snows
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
eEvans, no not the first time
FenlandSkier, I think I can cope with the competition
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
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?
|
| David@traxvax wrote: |
| Pista 2 has a 77 degree pitch which is steep enough for most. |
77% surely?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
Arno, you're right 77 %, I think it equates to about 38 degrees.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Oh no, not the old "degree of steepness" debate. I got lost after the 2nd post last time
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
eEvans, The Wall is sometimes known as the "wall of death" and is indeed the Pas de Chavannette
davidb, It's very long, typically very bumpy and gets firmly closed when icy. I have seen someone fall at the top and not stop till the gradient evens out. By that point they were bouncing like a rag doll and leaving red stains. Not pleasant. It is, however, a blast when the snow's good.
If you happened to be in the PDS then the Col du Machon and the other Hauts Forts runs are quite fun. Also the couloirs into Les Crosets from Mossettes.
You would also find Riptide (I think that's it's name) in Mount Snow, VT, USA, entertaining. I don't think I've ever seen a steeper marked run. And bumpy and icy too. Sadly there's no other reason to visit Mount Snow (from a European perspective) unless you happen to be in Boston for other reasons.
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Wed 24-08-05 8:58; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Frosty the Snowman, old threads never die, they just come back under a different heading.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
davidb, To get back to the start of the thread. - You can make ANY piste challenging. Just get some 3-pin bindings, narrow straight skis, and leather boots......
Seriously - if you're on your own, you could try (assuming you haven't already) learning new ways of sliding.. perhaps on tray, or telemark.
Just a thought 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
eEvans,
I don't know the area that well, only skied there over a weekend and we were guided around. Maybe this helps.
http://skisnowboardeurope.com/avoriazetmorzine/layout.html
"The Wall of Death between Avoriaz and Switzerland. Appropriately named for it’s difficulty, negotiating this descent can be exciting. It can be skied by an intermediate when the snow cover is good, because there are broad segments for traverses and turns, and fearful skiers can take the chair lift down. The Swiss Wall at the top of Chavanette in Switzerland is another difficult decent. Be sure your knees are up to it, though, because this run is one of the longest mogul fields in the area."
Tried the wall of death at the end of the afternoon. The snow cover wasn't good, the moguls were icy and the troughs were really deep and sharp V's. It was a challenge and it won - ended up going down backwards on my back. I'd only got a few weeks experience on the snow at the time but for some reason the French ski instructor thought we would be able to do it. Plan to go back one day and get down the wall while still remaining vertical.
davidb,
No need to use your GS skis, you can always rent powder skis in the resort.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
davidb, how challenging is challenging for you? There are certainly some blacks at Courchevel, Verbier and Zermatt which will be enough for most 1-wk-a-year holiday skiers but the toughest resort I've been to is Snowbird, and there will be lots of other US resorts which offer significantly tougher marked avalanche-controlled skiing than ANY marked avalanche-controlled stuff in Europe.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
Plake, I normally go skiing once a week on plastic throughout the year to work on my technique. So hopefully I've maintained a decent standard of skiing ability, but it still takes me a few hours on snow to get comfortable skiing more than 100m at a time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
davidb, yes Plake has raised a good question. If it's taking you "a few hours on snow to get comfortable skiing more than 100m at a time" then I think most Alpine resorts will provide some good testing piste opportunities. You mentioned Zermatt at the beginning of the thread and I said go elsewhere if it's really demanding piste skiing that you are after. As others have said, and as I did originally, Zermatt has got some demanding stuff but it does not dominate. Given what you are saying about your level, then I would thoroughly recommend it for an all-round holiday experience (the town, the mountain restaurants, the skiing, the night-life) that is very, very satisfying. It will offer you lots that other resorts can't match and there will be more than enough interesting piste to test your technique.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you were to add rocks, heather, peat, streams, strong winds and fencing to your list of what makes a challenging run, then I could add Cairngorm, Glenshee, Glencoe, Nevis Range and Raise (Lake District) to any list. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
Peter S, you've left out the rain.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
DB, The guys writing your link clearly haven't skied there. "The Wall (of Death)"=The Swiss Wall=Pas de Chavanette.
So quite how one run can also be "another difficult decent (sic)" eludes me. Unless you get more points for skiing runs with multiple names??
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
davidb,
In your situation I would go for a resort with a likelihood of decent advanced ski classes as generally it is more fun to ski in a group and safer if you are going on slopes which stretch your ability. In theory most resorts offer such lessons in practice I find that many do not.
I would look at resorts such as St. Anton, Verbier and Val d'Isere all of which will have reasonably advanced ski classes. As stated above many American resorts have double black diamond runs which are steeper than any European piste, you may not always be happy tackling them on your own though.
With the greatest respect to La Thuile I would not recommend it for someone seeking steep tricky black runs, the steep pitches from my memory are fairly short and the pistes generally unchallenging. ( The off piste is excellent though).
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Grand Couloir at Courchevel is certainly very steep for a piste and I agree about the itineraries at Zermatt and St Anton.
But I think I might go for Les Arcs. It is very under-rated for steep runs: there are lots of stiff blacks, particularly on the Aiguille Rouge (the famous 2,100m-vertical black is a must but not one of the steepest).
(I just looked at that last sentence and I could have phrased it better).
I don't really agree about Val d'Isere/Tignes, though. A huge area and lots of good off-piste but I always felt they had too few steep runs. Sure they have a couple but Les Arcs, which is a fraction of the size has more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
Somewhere like whistler has what I regard as a serious range of pistes. It also has the advantage (or used to) of free guiding.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
I'll be trying Whistler in February so I'm looking forward to finding out about that. The big thing there is that big areas of what over here would be called off-piste are secured against avalanche and (I think) patrolled to some extent (?)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
David Murdoch,
That means I skied... er fell down two difficult runs then for the hurt of one.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
snowball, sort of. Their closest european equivalent is an itinerary run.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
davidb, Add Chamonix, to your list of possibles. Plenty of steep patrolled, pisted and unpisted runs. Grand Montets can be gloriously icy at times! (I await being shot down on this post by ise+JT) 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowbunny, "gloriously icy" - surely an oxymoron?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Well in Feb 2004, I came across a group of climbers with crampons on practiscing ICE AXE ARRESTS on the Coire Cas Gunbarrel! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
