European ski resorts ranking

[SerreChe 2]

An article from the cnn web:

 

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TRAVEL/DESTINATIONS/11/29/ski.europe.ap/index.html

[daver 0]

are you hanging out in the briancon side, serre che central, or the monetier side of serre chevalier?

[Simon 0]

Thanks for the link, SerreChe.

 

(it has probably been discussed in other threads, but there is also a "Australians pouring money into Japanese ski area" video on the same page)

[SerreChe 2]

Daver man, how do you know so much about the place?!! Been there I assume? Now I understand why La Grave is on your to do list.

I live on the briancon side. I like the Yret sector on the monetier side the best, I also like the cucumelle sector between Monetier and Villneuve.

 

Simon, I missed that, gonna check it out, cheers.

[daver 0]

yeah i went there many years ago. it was my introduction to skiing in the alps. i stayed in les bains. loved the place.

an old friend of mine used to ski at la grave and she told me that serre chevalier has a very different snow pack compared to the rest of the alps. she said that the area was much more affected by mediterranean storms and that many of these storms originate in north africa. as a result, the snow in serre chevalier has a slight golden/brownish tinge to it. is this true?

[damian 0]

He stayed in Lesbians

[SerreChe 2]

Cool, yes les bains is cool. Serre Chevalier is exactly at the border between the southern and northen alps. In the summer you do get sand from africa brought up with the storms and your car can end up looking like hell. In the winter it is a completely different weather pattern affecting the area and I have actually never ever noticed that golden tinge you mention. The Lautaret(/Galibier) mountain pass marks the boundary between the southern and nothern alps from a weather pattern standpoint (that is basically as far up as the mediteranean climate goes), with serre chevalier on the southern side of it and la grave on the northern side so in a sense they do have a different snow pack. When I used to go to school in Grenoble, I had to go through the Lautaret pass twice a week including in the winter and the place has a mico-climate of its own. Depending on where the storm is coming from, you could be driving on one side of the pass in blue sky, cross over to the other side and find yourself in a massive snowstorm dumping massive, with the full monthy: whiteout, snow drifts, etc...

 

Spud mate, that one went completly over my head. Meant for a different thread?

[daver 0]

 Quote:

Originally posted by db le pu:
He stayed in Lesbians

[snowbender 3]

 

The snow might not fall much as much as in Japan, but is it generally good over there?

[damian 0]

Yes it is. Very good terrain, big mountains, freedom to ride what ever you like.

 

I was in Austria on the weekend snowboarding on a glacier. December is looking dire.

[soubriquet 0]

Nothing's changed in the 30 years since I started skiing. Boiler plate, grass and rocks. Yurrup may have the terrain, Japan has the snow. It's snowing here, btw.

[quattro 1]

Snow there can be good if you hit it right. One of the best powder days i ever had was in the Arlberg.

 

The terrain more then makes up for it in the bad seasons.

[gerard 6]

I'd say go for the snow. Planning a ski vacation is a huge gamble. With a little research, you can be certain of the terrain, but snow is the wild card. If you're in Europe for a season, you can hit the right place at the right time but I wouldn't plan my 'one big ski trip of the year' there. The terrain is not worth the risk, especially when you can find good terrain in much snowier parts of the world.

[SerreChe 2]

 Quote:

Originally posted by db le pu:
He stayed in Lesbians

Darn I was slow on that one...

[damian 0]

Regarding European terrain, snow etc: in early and mid winter, I would rather tour backcountry in Japan (Honshu), no question. In late winter and spring I wouldn't waste a day in Japan. Europe rules with uncountable couloirs and faces with up to1200m vertical drop at 45-55 degrees, many rideable well into June.

 

In terms of resorts: (not my personal motivation) Japan has mostly crumby resorts with oppressive off-piste attitudes and atmosphere. I'd prefer Europe over doing short repetitive laps on Japanese groomers that resembled busy slow moving highways with snowboarders sitting in the middle and a bowl of curry rice at the end (only available between the hours of 12 and 2pm)