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Zermatt 1/29-2/2

Zermatt

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Mar 13, 2016
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Connecticut
Resort or Ski Area
Zermstt
Date
Feb 1, 2021
Snow Conditions
  1. Powder
Trip is still on going, but here's a teaser video helicopter skiing yesterday.
 
Last edited:

speden

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Wow, I'm super jealous. :) Looks amazing. I've always wanted to go skiing in Europe someday. Shred those mountains!!
 

Zermatt

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Get me stoke!. I am curious how different it is with a good base.

Groomers are way softer and there is much less hard pack. Typical high traffic areas are hard packed already. Biggest difference is off piste. What was rocks and stumps last year is all filled in and skiable. So much more off piste to explore.

Here’s a good comparison from 2017 to 2018:
https://twitter.com/billozanne/status/958381163760013313
 

Zermatt

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F'ing awesome!
Do you mind me asking what something like that costs? (the guided helicopter skiing/trip part)
If you don't want to make it public, you can PM me instead.

If you wanted to google hard enough you could figure it out, so I’ll simplify it. Guide and helicopter flight was 390 Swiss Francs. We landed 200 meters below the top of the tallest peak in Switzerland and skied 9,000 vertical feet back to Zermatt. We were all good skiers so it only took 2.5 hours. On the groomed pistes above Zermatt I can ski 7500 vertical in 13 minutes. Tipping is not customary in Switzerland but I did buy the guide lunch.

This year they require everyone to wear an airbag system in addition to an avalanche beacon. So unless you live in Europe you have to rent the ABS since you can’t fly with one. That was an added 40CHF.
 

Jcb890

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If you wanted to google hard enough you could figure it out, so I’ll simplify it. Guide and helicopter flight was 390 Swiss Francs. We landed 200 meters below the top of the tallest peak in Switzerland and skied 9,000 vertical feet back to Zermatt. We were all good skiers so it only took 2.5 hours. On the groomed pistes above Zermatt I can ski 7500 vertical in 13 minutes. Tipping is not customary in Switzerland but I did buy the guide lunch.

This year they require everyone to wear an airbag system in addition to an avalanche beacon. So unless you live in Europe you have to rent the ABS since you can’t fly with one. That was an added 40CHF.
I'm sure I could have, but thank you (I knew about the ABS already).
7,500 vert in 13 minutes? Holy crap that's wild!
 

Zermatt

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Okay, maybe it was 17 minutes, and if the weather is good tomorrow maybe I will time it again.

Guide was laughing at the ABS on that trip. While the terrain is wild through icefalls, over crevasses and under hanging seracs none of it was really steep enough to slide. So it was frustrating that I brought my own gear, shovel, probe and beacon but still had to rent the ABS (that included all the other gear)
 

kingslug

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Okay, maybe it was 17 minutes, and if the weather is good tomorrow maybe I will time it again.

Guide was laughing at the ABS on that trip. While the terrain is wild through icefalls, over crevasses and under hanging seracs none of it was really steep enough to slide. So it was frustrating that I brought my own gear, shovel, probe and beacon but still had to rent the ABS (that included all the other gear)


well...we split into 2 groups with 2 guides. None of the runs were very steep but with 2 feet of powder it was pretty awesome. We went into a big restaurant in the middle of..somewhere when the other guide comes in all frantic. A huge avalanche almost landed on that groups head. The group came in all covered in snow. The guide heard it and told them to make a run for it. They got to safe ground and turned around. The blast hit them but only covered them in a frozen mist. Needless to say they were all totally freaked out and most took the next day off. We stood there and watched the helicopters and rescue patrol show up and scour the area but it turned out no one got caught. The avi was huge, scoured the whole face off. lesson of the day. Europe ain"t Kansas.
 

Zermatt

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well...we split into 2 groups with 2 guides. None of the runs were very steep but with 2 feet of powder it was pretty awesome. We went into a big restaurant in the middle of..somewhere when the other guide comes in all frantic. A huge avalanche almost landed on that groups head. The group came in all covered in snow. The guide heard it and told them to make a run for it. They got to safe ground and turned around. The blast hit them but only covered them in a frozen mist. Needless to say they were all totally freaked out and most took the next day off. We stood there and watched the helicopters and rescue patrol show up and scour the area but it turned out no one got caught. The avi was huge, scoured the whole face off. lesson of the day. Europe ain"t Kansas.

Where and when was this?
 

St. Jerry

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If you wanted to google hard enough you could figure it out, so I’ll simplify it. Guide and helicopter flight was 390 Swiss Francs. We landed 200 meters below the top of the tallest peak in Switzerland and skied 9,000 vertical feet back to Zermatt. We were all good skiers so it only took 2.5 hours. On the groomed pistes above Zermatt I can ski 7500 vertical in 13 minutes. Tipping is not customary in Switzerland but I did buy the guide lunch.

This year they require everyone to wear an airbag system in addition to an avalanche beacon. So unless you live in Europe you have to rent the ABS since you can’t fly with one. That was an added 40CHF.

This is on my personal bucket list. Zermatt has been on it since I was 12.
 

kingslug

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Several years ago. It dumped for a few days. I was wondering why all the locals where on the crappy groomers. We found great powder in the trees. Out in the open..well thats a gamble but I never felt exposed. Looking back, skiing under a huge face like that was probably not a good choice the guide made. I never even noticed we did it until the other group came in..eyes popping out of their head.
 

Zermatt

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It took a few months but full length edit is now up. Enjoy.

[video]https://vimeo.com/billozanne/monterosa[/video]
 

Jcb890

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It took a few months but full length edit is now up. Enjoy.

[video]https://vimeo.com/billozanne/monterosa[/video]
Awesome video, thank you for sharing. The views and "tour" you did from the summit down via the guide and helicopter looked awesome. Some tough parts, some easy stuff, great views.
 
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