Euro mags: little areas that rock

AH · 10-13-2005, 03:27 AM

Hey Euro mags, I'm looking for suggestions on little areas that rock in Europe (so no verbier, la grave, cham, etc

) to do an item on in our magazine.

Anyone have a nice backyard?

**subtle plague** · 10-13-2005, 04:43 AM

Ask your fellow countrymen from snowboard shops and some outdoormag(s?) that were on an acr teryx sponsored week at the krippenstein last march how it was

after thinking about it: don't ask them

then there are the usual supects: alagna, zinal, but ive never been there. well expect for zinal, but when the official measuring said: 60cm snow at 2800m we got back in the car and left

another one on the "i heard sth." side is bovec in slovenia.

**ulty_guy** · 10-13-2005, 04:56 AM

zinal is ok, but all the best stuff is def o.b., so bring a partner. lower elevation also means that it doesn't hold snow as well as it's neighbors.

anyone ever been to vals in southern suisse? or other areas in the graubuenden?

**Bzzzt** · 10-13-2005, 05:03 AM

You have a PM

(edit to avoid more grumpyness: Sainte-Foy Tarentaise )

**Arno** · 10-13-2005, 05:11 AM

How little is little?

Les Contamines isn't in the mainstream and I always enjoy it there. Great touring from it too.

Arolla in Switzerland is tiny - 4 drag lifts but has a surprising amount of fun skiing and great touring too. I've had some of my best powder days there.

I'd like to visit Les Sept Laux near Grenoble - been getting some write ups recently as a "new unknown freeride area" or words to that effect

**subtle plague** · 10-13-2005, 05:16 AM

yeah bzztt PM him so they can PRINT it in a MAG secretly

keep it all secret bro.
edit: and while you keep it secret. change the directory where your pics are saved because St. Foy won't be as secret anymore.

dit2. this pic is not st. foy it is the super secret krippenstein. damn. i should have PMed...

**TeleAl** · 10-13-2005, 05:48 AM

I stand by my word on these:
Glacier3000 Les Diablerets (if you've never heard of it, find any TR posted by Ripzalot or myself)
Super St. Bernard (there is no resort, it is a parking lot with a lift)
Champex-le-Lac (2 old chairlifts)

I'm told these are worth a look:
Zinal
St. Luc

All of them have their days, and knowing the terrain, the lift system, the aspect, the elevation, the historical snowfall that season/storm, etc. etc. etc. determine when these places are good to ski.

I offer Cell Block A (my spare room) if you need a place to sleep.
I'll show you around if you provide wheels.
The French speaking Swiss Alpes are my backyard.

Edit = there are more.

**Bzzzt** · 10-13-2005, 06:13 AM

Originally Posted by subtle plague

yeah bzztt PM him so they can PRINT it in a MAG secretly

keep it all secret bro.
edit: and while you keep it secret. change the directory where your pics are saved because St. Foy won't be as secret anymore.

dit2. this pic is not st. foy it is the super secret krippenstein. damn. i should have PMed...

OK, I didn't mean to ruin your day/week/etc, but now I'm kind of happy I did.

Flaine has some nice terrain (if you hike a little), and is only 1,5 hours from Chamonix.

AH · 10-13-2005, 06:24 AM

Ok,

how small is small? very small. Let's say Zinal (done an item in this years mag, the place is sick, nobody should go there

), Ste Foy (item 2 years ago) and the likes are already too well known

thx for all the input though, keep it coming, surely some interesting stuff between the lines

.

**ulty_guy** · 10-13-2005, 06:25 AM

i'll second flaine. total gaper spot that never gets tracked out.

**jonski** · 10-13-2005, 07:05 AM

La Mongie/Bareges and Pic du Midi in the Pyrenees. Pic is like La Grave - a tram up, and you have to be accompanied by a guide or ESF to be allowed skis on (apparently....)

Apologies for the links, but the pics are JONGishly large. Still, you can see roughly how quiet it is, and some of the terrain. Remeber this is in the resort, which is much tamer.

Also check Skipass.com if your French is up to speed as there are some comments on it over there....

http://www.mountainbug.com/Web%20Gal...rmalet_jpg.jpg

http://www.mountainbug.com/Web%20Gal...rmalet_jpg.jpg

**INDY GS** · 10-13-2005, 07:59 AM

I skied Vogel in slovenia last year that place rocks, single chairs and all. The place reminded me of abasin.

**Tippster** · 10-13-2005, 08:14 AM

The Christlum in Achenkirch, AT.

It actually kinda sucks, terrainwise, but hey -- it's where I learned to ski! 850m of Gemuetlichkeit, Baybay!

**cheesehead** · 10-13-2005, 08:20 AM

Snowworld, Zoetermeer!

Just kiddin' Dentist.........

**edg** · 10-13-2005, 09:04 AM

Les Saisies (if you know where to look

)

edg

AH · 10-13-2005, 09:14 AM

Originally Posted by cheesehead

Snowworld, Zoetermeer!

Just kiddin' Dentist.........

Wanneer staat dat biertje nou koud?

**verbier61** · 10-13-2005, 10:10 AM

I definitely second TeleAl for St Bernard (it's a magnetic place with a lot of history.... romans built a temple to Jove there some 2500 years ago

).

Andermatt

For Italy, there are four skiable valleys around monte rosa (ayas/champoluc, gressoney, alagna and macugnaga) that are certainly much smaller than cham / verb / etc but have a similarly majestic terrain.

**TeleAl** · 10-13-2005, 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by verbier61

I definitely second TeleAl for St Bernard

SUPER St. Bernard.

Have you ever done the last run into Italy (15km), bowl of pasta with wine,
and then hop the bus back to the parking lot?

**schindlerpiste** · 10-13-2005, 10:24 AM

Warth, AU (the other side of Lech). No one skis Warth, as it is very difficult to get to. Some of the finest back country on the continent

Photo taken from a website

**Big Tim** · 10-13-2005, 10:39 AM

Originally Posted by TeleAl

SUPER St. Bernard.

Have you ever done the last run into Italy (15km), bowl of pasta with wine,
and then hop the bus back to the parking lot?

I've done that a few times. Never really hit great snow, but always a good time.

BT

**subtle plague** · 10-13-2005, 11:17 AM

Originally Posted by Tippster

The Christlum in Achenkirch, AT.

It actually kinda sucks, terrainwise, but hey -- it's where I learned to ski! 850m of Gemuetlichkeit, Baybay!

haha when ?
i learned to ski there as well.

i've been there for 10 years with my parents. the ski route on the upper shoulder and the ungroomed powder bowl below the upper chair rocked (when you were like 8

)
actually the touring must be nice there.(according to some german mag)
and new years eve night sledding was the shit !

edit: hey bzzt i thought it was bit useless telling everybody how cool you were having deep pow and not telling where it is, especially since the photos tel everyone where it is and you were writing a PM to someone who wants to publish it

and who deserves to know about the gems if not the maggots ?

**Tippster** · 10-13-2005, 12:08 PM

Originally Posted by subtle plague

haha when ?
i learned to ski there as well.

i've been there for 10 years with my parents. the ski route on the upper shoulder and the ungroomed powder bowl below the upper chair rocked (when you were like 8

)
actually the touring must be nice there.(according to some german mag)
and new years eve night sledding was the shit !

Winter of '73-'74 and yes, I was 7y.o. I grew up in Muenchen (Solln... Ludwigshoehe) We used to go there every other weekend, also to St. Anton, Ischgl, or Lech/Zuers for longer trips. I moved to the States when I was 11, and have only been back to ski Achenkirch twice. From the trail map it looks like they built some more lifts -- there were only 2 when I was there (that I remember!)

**verbier61** · 10-13-2005, 01:48 PM

Originally Posted by TeleAl

SUPER St. Bernard.

Have you ever done the last run into Italy (15km), bowl of pasta with wine,
and then hop the bus back to the parking lot?

yeah many times. two suggestions:
1) there is an elusive sort of secret and

small restaurant on the italian side, just in the first almost ghost village you find at the end of the road. It also has a limited number of gorgeous small rooms for sleeping. We should definitely meet there sometimes.
2) should you hear of a big storm from the south (ie lot of pow in italy but nothing seriuos in swiss alps), go to creavacol, the minuscle lift station few km south of the tunnel. The first two days of powder there are