Switzerland: The Land of Cool Ski Lifts

[kingslug]

We found good powder right next to the groomers and in the woods. We stayed away from anything that even looked like avi danger. I got a level one avi certificate several years ago so I have an idea what to avoid. The fun began when we split into 2 groups and hired 2 guides to hit the good stuff. Our group had no problem, the other group almost got nailed. The guide heard the avi and they all made a run for it to higher ground. When they turned around the blast hit them a little. We where waiting for them in one of the lodges. They came in all freaked out, the guide especially. We could see the avi from the window, dogs helis all converging on it..insane scene, it was a big one.

 

[Vaughn]

I only skied in Switzerland once, at Verbier. A lot of the lifts had magic carpets to get you onto the chairs. I also noticed more than a few boards took their boards complete off.

 

[Glenn]

That's wild. Impressive number of lifts. Thanks for sharing.

Stratton has a Poma near the bump run. I think they run it on practice and race days. I rode it years ago. It's not open to the general skiing public anymore.

 

[Hawk]

Trailboss, looks like a very nice trip. That is and will be on the list for me. We just got back from St Anton Austria. It was very similar to Switzerland with the government building all the lifts for the areas. St Anton had 87 lifts across 3 valleys and 12 little towns. Lift tickets were $42 euro a day so basically $45 and $5 more for insurance. These countries understand that the ski industry is key for the economy and build a great lift infrastructure to connect all the towns. The towns and the government share the profits. Like the Swiss the engineering is crazy. Most of the lifts in Austria are Doppelmayr/Garaventa group with Siemens controls. The galzigbahn lift with its elevator like connection to the main cable and the flexenbahn with a mountaintop station that connects 3 different gondolas stand out for me.

As for the off piste, for the most part you can go anywhere with in reason. They do not mark things very well so good common sense is needed. But we did ski with a guide for 2 days and he really showed us where to go. Most importantly he showed us where not to go. Really it is not all that bad and I assure you, you would venture out and ski most anything unless there are glaciers. That is totally different. You need a guide.

 

[from_the_NEK]

The Alps look like lift porn heaven Great photos!

Looks like you had pretty decent weather too.

 

[Scruffy]

awesome pictures and great post, thanks.

i have never quite understood skiing in europe. how does it work with respect to things like "resorts" (as it seems more like many interconnected lift systems which take you to various towns sometimes in different countries, and not what we think of as a resort in north american skiing), and things like in bounds v out of bounds/on piste v off piste (with respect to access and avalanche control, and marking dangerous cliffs and such).

it seems like a giant clusterfuck and that skiing powder or steeps comes with a very high risk of avalanche. but ive never been and dont really know anything

Your observations are not too far off with respect to lifts that serve areas and not resorts. The Alps are vast and you can ski anywhere you want, even to another country. That's been customary since the begining of snow travel in the Alps.

You are on your own and if you have the skills can pretty much go anywhere; however, you can not expect to be rescued, and if you are it will cost you-better get insurance for that.

The best way for anyone not intimately familiar with skiing an area, and without the ski mountaineering skills needed to go seriously off
piste, is to hire a certified guide.

Now, can you go a little off-piste, in site of piste, yes, but depends on if you're on a glacier or not. I was in Chamonix in Jan. and our guide pointed to a spot just a little off piste and stated that one of his buddies was still buried in a crevasse just over there. Well, where he was pointing to looked like any open ungroomed bowl area in any of our more western terrain, but he knew that a glacier runs under that seemingly docile looking slope, and he knew where the hidden crevasses where.

We had great powder runs from the top of Grand Monte because we had a guide and he not only knew where the stashes were, but how to keep us safe.

 

[thetrailboss]

For those that wish to see the impressive trail map....with Cervinia as well:

http://www.zermatt.ch/en/Lifts-pistes/Panoramakarten-Facts/Piste-map-Winter-panorama

 

[BenedictGomez]

How much does a certified guide cost for the day?

 

[rtjcbrown]

Which ski resort in the US do you think offers the greatest variety of types of ski lifts? I don't know the answer, but my first guess would be Squaw Valley, since that was an obsession for Cushing when he owned it.

 

[jimk]

I've ridden aerial lifts in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria, all uniformly high quality. Last time I skied in Austria was 2003 and they already had RFID lift tickets then. At that time they still had a sprinkling of surface lifts among the high-tech rides, but usually for a good reason such as short connections over a saddle or other odd terrain feature, or wind avoidance in exposed areas, or on a glacier. We had guides for several days during that Austrian trip, but they never took us off-piste. I occasionally dipped into the "off-piste" within 100 yrds of groomers, but the guides didn't go with me even though they skied much better than me. I think it must be a liability thing. Europe obviously produces some fantastic skiers/boarders, but IMHO the average casual skier has far less ambitions than US recreational skiers. They treat a ski vacation like we treat a beach vacation. A little bit of exercise, but mostly laying around, eating, and partying. Sorry if I sound like an ugly American.

 

[jimk]

Which ski resort in the US do you think offers the greatest variety of types of ski lifts? I don't know the answer, but my first guess would be Squaw Valley, since that was an obsession for Cushing when he owned it.

Not US, but Mont Sainte Anne has bubble chairs, gondi, t-bars, and regular chairs. Hmmm, just got back from Whistler. They have all that there too, and the peak to peak gondi/tram.

Actually, you ought to start a separate thread. Interesting topic. Squaw is a contender. I've been to about 80 or 90 places in NA and would have to think about this...

 

[yeggous]

A guide is roughly $350 for the day at the current exchange rate which is highly favorable to the USD.

I was just in the Alps last week too. The lift infrastructure is absolutely amazing. Everything is modern and self service surface lifts are also extensive. A visit will completely reshape your expectations for the size and quality of a trail and lift system.

I have some GoPro footage I can post eventually when I have time to go through it all.

Lift tickets are much cheaper there, on the order of half the price of the western USA -- about $55/day. A 7-day pass is about $300 in Chamonix for example.




Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone mobile app

 

[kingslug]

One of the coolest things you can do is go to the top, which can be 7000 plus vertical in places, then ski back into town. It can take several hours and is much more of an adventure than most places you can ski here for sure. We tried to get over to Italy but 80 mph winds blocked that, so we skied back down, through the streets and back onto the train. Amazing. Skiing around 150 year old houses half buried into the mountain is very cool.

 

[djd66]

I just spent 10 days in Verbier Switzerland - the place was awesome. It blew me away how many lifts there were and just the shear size of the place! Some of the highlights - my 12yo daughter and I went paragliding from the top of the mtn all the way to the valley floor (skis on of course) The other thing we did was called sledging. For $10 - they give you a sled at the top of the mountain and you sled down a 10K long trail Skiers and sledders shared the trail for part of the way. Out of 4 people sledding - 2 of us got hurt (minor) What blew me away - we never signed anything for either of these activities.

We loved all the great lunch spots scattered through the mountain. Tons of people enjoying a bottle of wine and smoking ciggarettes everywhere. I will definitely be back

 

[jimk]

You guys making the trips to Europe are holding out on us with the eye candy

 

[Jcb890]

This thread just makes me jealous... damn guys, awesome trips and photos.

 

[yeggous]

This thread just makes me jealous... damn guys, awesome trips and photos.

I'm always looking for people to put together a group trip. You get better rates, and more people to ski with. My wife always wants to quit early so I welcome other people to go out with.

Are others interested in organizing a group trip to Europe next year? Prices continue to look favorable for such a trip.

 

[Jcb890]

I'm always looking for people to put together a group trip. You get better rates, and more people to ski with. My wife always wants to quit early so I welcome other people to go out with.

Are others interested in organizing a group trip to Europe next year? Prices continue to look favorable for such a trip.

I would be very interested in hearing details. Too early to commit right now, but I'd love to at least look at it.
Are there places in Europe which are for 2-plankers only?

 

[yeggous]

I would be very interested in hearing details. Too early to commit right now, but I'd love to at least look at it.
Are there places in Europe which are for 2-plankers only?

I have no idea about banning snowboarders, but the balance of people on the slopes is heavily tipped in the favor of skiers. We had a real pain with our snowboarding buddy. Surface lifts, traverses, and run-outs are brutal with him -- and if you want to go off-piste or between towns all three are a reality.

 

[thetrailboss]

Which ski resort in the US do you think offers the greatest variety of types of ski lifts? I don't know the answer, but my first guess would be Squaw Valley, since that was an obsession for Cushing when he owned it.

Yep. Other candidates would be Mount Snow of yesteryear and Boyne which has a reputation of being the testing grounds for new lifts.