Super St Bernard - 1 million euros or mort...

[Scottish_Skier]

The resort of Super St Bernard in Valais (Switzerland) is seriously threatned with closure. This has already been mentioned in Snow For The Euros a couple of times. But it probably deserves its own space.

I have only skied there a total of 7 or 8 days. But its a really cool spot - one rustic tele-cabin, stacks of rugged off-piste, chilled atmosphere & very cheap ski pass. Hop described it as a minature cross between La Grave and Mt Baker, and I think he might be right....

I wrote an article for the natives www site about SSB in 2008. Its the kind of resort where you often only cross your own tracks (no wonder they didnt make money though!)

http://www.natives.co.uk/do/ecco.py/...istitemid=5877

There is full information about the current problems here (in French).

http://www.lesuper.ch/demain.php?lang=fr

To cut a long story short... basically they need to raise a million CHF by September 15th to keep the place open and replace / upgrade the very ancient infastructure (which seems to have been recently declared unsafe). If they dont get the money soon then it seems to be game over

There are rumours that Verbier will step in and buy it.... But who knows ? Have spent some good times there - and personally would be very sad to see it go. I dont have a spare million. So guess that all I can do is post some SUPER ST BERNARD stoke and keep my fingers crossed for them.

The SUPER rad piste map. One gondola and two off piste bowls.


The SUPER old school gondola


Some SUPER fun terrain


The SUPER quirky tunnel to the 2nd Bowl


The SUPER 10km off piste run into Italy


Another shot of the SUPER off-piste run from CH to Italy


Hop and a SUPER anti-tele turn

[Hugh Conway]

Good thing everyone worked to keep the place Super Secret by always referring to it obliquely!

[hop]

The place is awesome. I hope it stays intact. Between SSB and Crevacol you have just about everything you would need from Euro Little Areas That Rock.

[hutash]

It looks awfully crowded in the pictures, I can't image why they can't make enough to stay open.

Looks like a cool place.

[enlosandes]

What's the lift served vertical? Being on the pass, it's gets copious snow, correct?

Seems like a hidden gem, that just needs some love and attention.

[jojoski3]

The place wasn't so secret but unpredictable weather (wind , fog etc ..) a road longer than other places and different factors explain the lack of skiers .
The million CHF (not euros) is just a part of the future needs but this lack is a problem :
2008/2009 a "good" season : 25 000 journées skieurs , small price each ...
( "day skiers " ? don't know how to say it in english)


Some crowded days exists (WE with powder and sun) , when slopes and small couloirs under the ridge are tracked in one morning, but a traverse and you could find this in the afternoon of such a "crowded" day


GSB 2010 04 05 Bonne journée ! par Jloth, sur Flickr
Of course I was happy some other day to see we were 2 to share offpistes with 20/30 people including children (families ) on the slopes, but were sad for the nice people of the SSB to see the desert..

[Scottish_Skier]

Well I changed the thread to title to say its "only" 1 million swiss francs.

Vertical descent is 900m (from 1900m to 2800m). The place is a real hidden gem - great terrain and lots of snow due to location on the border between CH and IT. But as mentioned above it has problems (semi-remote location, frequent high winds, not your typical punter resort).

The article in French lists an ideal 10 year plan - which interestingly includes extending the lifts to glaciers above SSB and linking it with Crevacol. There is huge potential - but also serious competition from other ski resorts in Valais / Aosta. Unless Tele-Verbier buys it then I would guess it might be end of the line...

[Ripzalot]

as i mentioned in the snow for euros thread - it wouldnt even bother me now if the lift closed. it would be an awesome skin only spot.

its super fickle, usually windripped and full of sharks, and there are a lot of other choices (verbier and all of PdSB) before you get there. the best powder days i've been there on were 10-20cms only.







the one time i was there for knee deep blower, it was FREAKING MOBBED OUT by extremos invading from verbier. the line was out the door around to the restaurant. i think we got 3 runs in that day. it was tracked out before we got up for the first run.







but imagine all those people getting sorted out by having it skin only. you dont even need to make the full run to the station, just get to the top and then do short laps off the front bowl, and finish it with a big lap in the back bowl.

[Ripzalot]

GSB 2010 04 05 Bonne journée ! par Jloth, sur Flickr

wow! these are awesome shots! can you post?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/3835995...n/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/3835995...n/photostream/

[Hicks]

it wouldnt even bother me now if the lift closed. it would be an awesome skin only spot.

My opinion exactly.

Why extend the agony and throw good money after bad one? There are plenty of other lift served hidden gems - if SSB really has been one - to hit on. Sometimes it's good to see some areas being turned back over to nature again.

[Ripzalot]

The SUPER rad piste map. One gondola and two off piste bowls.

btw, was there ever really a chair on the upper right side up towards the col?

[hutash]

Stability looks like a bit of an issue.

[jojoski3]

http://www.remontees-mecaniques.net/...php/t6884.html
they say here it was only used in summer
but this doesn't explain the piste along the chair on the old map .

off topic
Thanks for quote of the pics of adventures of my son legoskicrew (i'm their old coach and the "snow worker" of the "huge" area my son leads the action) but with my broken English it's difficult and long for me to post here (easier to read this forum )
and my wife says i spent enough time on the net (on skipass.com forum or else)

a lot of pics are on my Jloth flickr page
"story" for the 2005/2009 period are on my skipass blog (in french )

the beginning was ("fair education guide" of snow loving when you don't live in the mountains and want to escape from soccer/football activities)
http://www.skipass.com/blogs/jojoski...education.html

http://www.skipass.com/blogs/jojoski...09.html#c50008
http://www.skipass.com/blogs/jojoski...ntre-le-r.html


Warning! now my young son comes with me even for some daytrips, ready to lead the legoskiers and legosnowboarders invasion of G3000 , ( go there in early season and end ) a nasty mob who grows every year and tracks every part of all mountains
Grands montets were their last victim in may, G3000 are next !


And worst of all , we STEAL SNOW in Jura or Alps every time we go , to bring it back to the our "legopeak"

( French Vallorbe customs were a bit "surprised" to discover in my car BIG bags of white powder (from SSB) a warm day of april last year )

[TeleAl]

First let me say to all you, "It's ok if it closes," STFU!
Ripz, remind me to punch you, hard.
Hicks, I owe you a kick in the nuts for that.

More resorts are always better.
You wanna skin it, skin it. Ever look across the road? Plenty there. Ever skin it? No.

Next, one MAJOR reason the place sees so few skiers is because it has no lodging.
Remind anyone of anyplace else?

On weather, a valid point. SSB can be all of the best Europe and big bowl skiing has to offer.
It can also be that big with East Coast ice and crap conditions. In short, pick your day right.


All hail SSB!

[cramp]

I would definitely miss this old and somewhat weird telecabine. And of course the restaurant at the bottom .

Of course, there are still tons of ohter hidden gems throughout the Alps but somehow I have the feeling that their number gets smaller and smaller over the years ...

And a 'resort' with just one telecabine with almost 1000m vertical, a huge backside run at the end of a high alpine valley is actually quite rare nowadays, even in the Alps.

Of course, there are tons of touring possiblities just around the corner. Nevertheless it would be a serious loss for the freeride community. What is especially weird is that all these little freeride gems seem to struggle while freeride is booming and booming (and everybody and their sisters are crowded in only some 'places like Verbier, Engelberg and you name it ....).

[cramp]

I forgot to add a couple of pics ...

[powdherb]

It's so sick up there. I was just up there today driving through. Can imagine it with snow.

I dont think they'll have a problem getting the cash.

[TeleAl]

Another couple of notes:

SSB is a space.

Caesar passed through the space before that telecabine was built,
by only a few years from the looks of the lift. I am guessing he was a bro.

Napolean used this route too, leaving the town (Bourg St Pierre) without paying his bill.
Some 30'000 troops bedded down and ate there. BSP has since forgiven the bill.
I guess Ticino was just payment.

The drive is spectacular, I did it this Spring.

That lift has given me reason to shout a couple of times.
Our cabine enters top lift house, successfully unhooks from fast line,
misses slow line, here comes next box, brace for impact. POW!
That's happened twice to me.

The apple pie at the restaurant is the best anywhere.

I am guessing the million is to keep it out of the red, not to replace the aging lift.
I am guessing the town doesn't want to fork the cash over, as the town gets nothing in return.
Other towns fund their lifts and offer reduced tix to locals.
I am guessing we will hear this story again.
We've also heard, it's for sale for 1 CHF, with the condition that the buyer replaces the lift.

Let's hope it stays open.

All hail the Super St. Bernard!

[Hicks]

Hicks, I owe you a kick in the nuts for that.

Repeating my stand means you owe me two, right?

Subtract those from the at least 5 I owe you and do the math what that still means.

Fuck the freeride community, all hail to the AT folks.

[Ripzalot]

Stability looks like a bit of an issue.

yeah, i didnt mention here but in snow for the euros i said i wouldnt mind the lift missing but a little avy control would be nice. suffers from windrip quite easily as it's the top of the col between switz and italy. it's normal name is "super self arrest".

its not going anywhere. i'd be stoked to explore it on skins. it doesnt need a shiny new high speed lift. it needs a low cost option to attract touring and slow the flow down. how about a long brutal drag lift? or maybe just a 10chf surcharge to cover the avy control and dig out the tunnel? the idea of verbier buying it makes me a little nauseous. it would completely ruin its character.

[jojoski3]

Pics/story//techs of the gondola

http://www.remontees-mecaniques.net/...pic=10727&st=0

[Scottish_Skier]

^ worrying comments on that French forum that SSB isnt the only Pays St Bernard ski area in trouble. Seems that Vicheres also has financial issues. And Les Marecottes may be in the shit when their canton subsidy expires too.

http://www.vicheres.com/system/files...eTvl091012.pdf

[Ripzalot]

here's a helpful hint for all the old failing ski resorts:
develop mountain bike trails and run lifts in the off-season.

[Hicks]

here's a helpful hint for all the old failing ski resorts:
develop mountain bike trails and run lifts in the off-season.

Now Al really owes YOU a fierce kick in the nuts......

[Ripzalot]

Now Al really owes YOU a fierce kick in the nuts......

if i picked apart the stupid in his post i'd really be in for it.