 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I can't understand why ppl still design n build such ugly buildings that stick out like a sore thumb in such scenic places. I'd have thought that architects would have the imagination to design buildings that blend more naturally with the surrounding environment. e.g. Why couldn't 3/4rs of the building be underground or in the side of the hill?
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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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ALQ, as mountain buildings go, it will be better than many:
The reasons it isn't mainly underground are multiple:
1. The "ground" is rock, so that's a lot of blasting and rock clearance, which means a lot of traffic down the mountain road, which would probably have to be massively upgraded to take it
2. They have a limited window in which to build it
3. It has to make financial sense
It isn't small, and it isn't subtle, but at least it isn't a concrete car park with windows. The surface finishes at least make some attempt to keep it in the character of the area, but at the end of the day when you need to be able to feed 1500 people at a time and also store the technical equipment for most of the mountain, there are compromises which have to be made.
The videos so far are pretty typical of any commercial building site - lots of concrete, 95% of which will eventually be covered up. They look hideous as they are built, but at the end they are transformed into something much more attractive even if beautiful will forever be out of reach.
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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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ousekjarr, Well that looks better than the building site - although, I'd like to see the view from the valley side 
I understand your points, but I'm just disappointed we haven't really progressed since the end of the concrete stacks of the 70s, no? The pic above is pretty much a large chalet design.
Digging into rock is uneconomical n hard work, agreed; but couldn't they build it adjoining the mountain or cover up more of the building with something more natural... to blend into the scenery?
I'm not talking Thunderbirds Island, but perhaps more Teletubby village 
I guess size is the real problem; if places were much smaller, they could be made of locally-sourced materials, designed *into* the scenery to be less obtrusive and not spoil the scenery..
Having said that, for many, the alien spaceship at the top of the Shilthorn is attractive and now part of the scenery, I guess. 
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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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Blimey, it looks just like the... errrr.... old Tuxerfernerhaus.
ALQ, it wasn't pretty from the other side. I agree, let's hope they thought about that.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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The important thing is the beauty of the glaciers, which the finest Austrian brains won't be able to manufacture. They've been retreating since the Little Ice Age (1550s to 1850s).
It would be a bit ironic for that building to remain, and become a ghostly ruin, should the viability of the glacier melt away [end of environmental note]
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Comedy Goldsmith, When I first skied there in about 1980, the glacier ice used to end roughly at the door of the Tuxerfernerhaus. So it was a genuine 365 day a year ski area and the conditions underfoot were better for longer. Now, with their expertise in snow management (huge areas are kept covered up and used to bulldoze around) they still somehow keep the skiing to the door for all but maybe a month of the year, despite the fact the glacier must be around 2-300 metres further up the hill and, by the way, last summer it wasn't looking too beautiful. That building's busy time will still be during winter and spring when there's plenty of snow anyway. Did you try it in 1550?
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| Bode Swiller wrote: |
| Did you try it in 1550? |
No, I've never had sex in Courchevel.
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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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ALQ, this is just about the only place on the whole mountain where it is possible to build on a viable scale without sacrificing a run or a lift, or undertaking massive terraforming to provide a stable platform. We want to experience the mountain in the raw, untouched and pristine - but we also want a nice restaurant with a good view, some lockers, a changing room with showers, and so on...
Instead of one monolithic building, 5 smaller ones would indeed be better - but there's nowhere to put them without huge expense and environmental impact. After all, most of this face of the mountain is a moving glacier
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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But other buildings continue to grow and still look pretty good eg the ever expanding Schneekarhutte.
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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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You know it makes sense.
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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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FAQ
bash in Austria 
