Circa 1m above 2000m, even more higher up but accompanied by a lot of windQuote:
Originally Posted by Scooter65
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Circa 1m above 2000m, even more higher up but accompanied by a lot of windQuote:
Originally Posted by Scooter65
I'm sure this thread gets a lot of these and I aplogize in advance if I should put this somewhere else. Thanks in advance too if you choose to help me. I'll gladly delete in repost if we have a 'ask europeans questions about trips' thread (I can't seem to find htis)
I'm flying into Geneva with my wife who does NOT ski from Feb 1 - Feb 11. I'm trying to lock down a plan and basically came up with this but i'm second guessing Cham. My wife would need things to do during the day and she is perfectly content walking around aimlessly exploring any cultural attractions (does not care for shopping). I ski a lot of off piste in the US (I ski mainly Utah and some Jackson) but understand off piste is very different in Europe. I don't want to go through the hassel of hiring a guide and would stick to on piste or whatever is deemed safe solo skiing. My hold up on Cham is that in reading is that it's on piste is really not that great. I also understand the connection between Cham and Lauterbrunnen is 6 trains but it's only 4 hours lol.
Chamonix
Lauterbrunnen/Jungfrau
Lucerne (for fasnatch)
Anyway - is the skiing in Lauterbrunnen any good? Should I pivot to Verbier, Tignes, 3 Valles instead of Cham? Is fasnatch in Lucerene a good time or shit show?
Carnival is usually fun, but very traditional in Southern Germany and Switzerland. But I'm from cologne so im biased.
I would not go to cham for fun freeride skiing. 3 vallees is a lot better for casual powder fun next to the piste( stil war your kit and backpack!) But it is a Problem for your wife though because there is not much except luxury shopping in one of the towns (courchevel? Definitely not val thorens).
And I would stay in mürren not lauterbrunnen. Much nicer. And higher. Schilthorn is sick but not that much casual freeride. It gets wild pretty quickly.
Luzern is a nice City and loads to see ( and luxury shopping.... of course ;) ). Engelberg is half an hour train ride. But you knew that?
Murren/Schilthorn is fantastic I thought and the villages around there are cool. Wengen and Grindelwald are more upscale and the train looping around is stunning scenery. I stayed at the Regina in Wengen, a cool old hotel. The trains and cable car connections there are amazing. Lauterbrunnen is down in the valley between Wengen and Murren, don't stay down there. Wengen is central and again the connections are as cool as a lot of the skiing. Lots to see walking between the villages, cable cars and trains, amazing views. TR here: https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...-Eurospin-2022Quote:
Originally Posted by NBABUCKS1
I liked Luzern a lot too, neat town, close to Engelberg which is great skiing. You could link the Jungfrau with Luzern/Engleberg easily in 10 days.
Other option that is culturally cool is Val d'Annivers with Zinal/Grimentz at the top and St-Luc-Chandolin and Vercorin lower down with great skiing. No direct train access, one has to take a bus or taxi up from Sierre .
Another option is to base out of either Bourg St. Maurice providing access to Tignes/Val d'Isere, Les Arcs/La Plagne Paradiski, La Rosiere/La Thuile and St. Foy. There's lots of old villages around there to walk and see. Yet another is Briancon with access to the Milky Way (Montgenevre, Claviere, Sestriere, etc), Serre Chevalier and La Grave within an hour. You'll need a car for France.
lots and lots to research and explore, thanks for answering my questions buster and subtle - probably enough to figure it out from here but may pose another question or two. Sorry for the thread jack but thanks!
Verbier is great skiing too, but less to do for the non shopping non skier.
Consider landing in Geneve, stay at the Hotel Strasbourg if you need a travel break, it's right next to the main Geneve train station, Gare Cornavin. Then train it from Geneve through Interlaken up to Wengen. There's a bunch of train changes to get there. Stay at the Regina 100 meters from the Wengen train station: https://www.hotelregina.ch/?lang=en or at the Alpenblick just down the little road from the Murren train station : https://www.alpenblick-muerren.ch/
You ski, she walks, takes trains, trams, gondolas to see the sights.
After 4 days there, train to Luzern, stay in the old town, it's super cool to walk around, a number of art museums and the old bridge across the river.
Then up to Engelberg, it's expensive, but there's a few thing to do walking around, going upvalley to Furenalp as well as riding the trams at Brunni and up to the top of the Titlis.
Looks like Monday Tuesday again snow for the west!
If you’re flying into Geneva take your wife to Lausanne or Montreux which is easy on the train. If you like Jackson, ski a couple of days in Verbier (the famous itineraries are perfect for good skiers who don’t want to venture off piste). Get back on the train and spend a day at the spa at Bains de Saillon. Then carry on to Zermatt for the Matterhorn experience. Stay at the Cœur des Alpes if you can. Go across to Italy for lunch - she can join you via the new cable car. On your way back take the train to Chamonix and spend a couple of days there - it’s a mythical place. Then get a transfer back to Geneva for your flight out. 3 countries, Matterhorn and Mont Blanc views, 3 of the best resorts in the world, 3 nice cities, 3 spas, happy skier, happy wife 🥳Quote:
Originally Posted by NBABUCKS1
Rain ☔️Quote:
Originally Posted by twat
Rain is the 21st centuries snow!Quote:
Originally Posted by bobinch
It seems so below 2000m. Maybe up to 2500m on Mon/Tues/Weds. but Saturday should be good - Verbier opening lifts this weekend. And looks like cooling down again for next weekend. Locals skiing the Attelas couloirs 2nd week of Nov is outrageous. Never seen a start like it. Fingers crossed it continues!Quote:
Originally Posted by beer30
The higher elevations are indeed looking to get plastered. Let’s get the season started in style up high, it’ll come along down low soon enough.
Season opener in Val Ferret. Attachment 475800Attachment 475801
Hey there. Looking for some local intel. Thinking of engelberg for Christmas week. I know in the alps that Christmas conditions can be variable. I also know most of the alps get crushed with people that week. Trying to get some local intel on how Christmas is historically in engelberg and if it is mob scene? Spent 2 weeks in verb pre pandemic for Christmas and while it was busy it is big enough to manage crowds DECENTLY.
thanks!!
No direct experience, but I have a hard time not seeing it slammed. Have you looked at hotels yet? That (availability and price) will give you a steer to how crowded it will be.Quote:
Originally Posted by powderfanatic
Xmas week ain't so bad new years week a different story
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Talking about 26-1st of Jan. I know it’s a madhouse most places. Just trying to assess how bad it could be. Thinking engelberg, Wengen or klosters. Trying to keep it close enough to Zurich airport.
I’ve seen Verbier that timeframe. Just looking for comparisons. Conditions historically and crowd factor. Gracias
It's pretty bad. Though not necessarily powderwise because normal Skiers Block the top tram.Quote:
Originally Posted by powderfanatic
Just be there at 8 on a powder day. It usually spreads out up on top. The first few titlis Laps may be annoying though because that's the bottle neck. Apparently it never really snowed in the holidays because I can't remember a christmas holiday ski day there in the last 15 years but I've skied easter and such.
Engelberg over Christmas is probably great its a locals mountain people will just go for 1-2 days not entire weeks. I'd just make sure to not miss Christmas day its not laid out well at all though for any crowds having to get off a gondola to wait for a short 2 car tram and none of the chairs that side of the mountain are worth riding.
Is Diavolezza fair game after these storms to go off piste?
It looks like they really restrict access to the public for the race teams though.
Opening weekend didn’t suck!
http://youtu.be/gtc2SC5-btc
Xmas to New Years is my least favorite time of the season with the crowds in Klosters. It’s doable, but not necessarily pleasant. Will still be good relative to some US crowds I’ve seen. But getting a spot to sleep now might be tough…Quote:
Originally Posted by powderfanatic
Sunday snow down to 1100 meters, Monday rain up to 2400 meters. The roller coaster ride of being a skier in the Alps continues into another season…..
Fuck global warming. The very old guys say, they were skiing the gravel chutes in December back in the days.
It has definitely caused us to lose 3 to 6 weeks of the season as compared to twenty years ago.