Zermatt Grooming Problem
 

We are Americans who have been skiing annually in Zermatt for more than 20
years. We love the Village and the skiing. We have many friends who visit
annually as we do, and many friends who live in the Village. The
improvements to the lift system are absolutely great. BUT, there is a big
problem, and everyone who knows the area is talking about it. Grooming of
the pistes has clearly been reduced. Wide trails have become narrower.
Pistes that should be open, remained closed after a big snowfall. Moguls
were not smoothed over on blue pistes. All of this is hurting Zermatt.
Experts aside, a reputation for poor grooming will keep visitors away.
Everyone assumes that the lack of grooming is a money saving measure taken
after the merger of three competing transport systems. Before the merger,
grooming was extensive so as to keep skiers from moving to a competing area.

Over this past Christmas, Zermatt had great snow, but the Village was not
full of visitors. Unless they improve the grooming, that trend will
continue.


Richard and Barbara

On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 12:05:56 GMT, "Richard and Barbara"
wrote:

Experts aside, a reputation for poor grooming will keep visitors away.

Sounds great.

--
Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
Ski Club of Great Britain - http://www.skiclub.co.uk
All opinions expressed are personal and in no way represent those of the Ski Club.

On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 12:05:56 GMT, "Richard and Barbara"
allegedly wrote:

Over this past Christmas, Zermatt had great snow, but the Village was
not full of visitors. Unless they improve the grooming, that trend
will continue.

That's next year's xmas sorted for me then!

- Dave.

--
The only powder to get high on, falls from the sky.
http://www.vpas.org/ - Snowboarding the worlds pow pow -
Securing your e-mail

In article ,
says...
We are Americans who have been skiing annually in Zermatt for more than 20
years. We love the Village and the skiing. We have many friends who visit
annually as we do, and many friends who live in the Village. The
improvements to the lift system are absolutely great. BUT, there is a big
problem, and everyone who knows the area is talking about it. Grooming of
the pistes has clearly been reduced. Wide trails have become narrower.
Pistes that should be open, remained closed after a big snowfall. Moguls
were not smoothed over on blue pistes. All of this is hurting Zermatt.
Experts aside, a reputation for poor grooming will keep visitors away.
Everyone assumes that the lack of grooming is a money saving measure taken
after the merger of three competing transport systems. Before the merger,
grooming was extensive so as to keep skiers from moving to a competing area.

Over this past Christmas, Zermatt had great snow, but the Village was not
full of visitors. Unless they improve the grooming, that trend will

Thanks for the heads-up. Been looking for somewhere to escape to this
Christmas.

--
Hywel http://kibo.org.uk/
I do not eat quiche.

Richard and Barbara wrote:
The improvements to the lift system are absolutely great.
BUT, there is a big problem, and everyone who knows the area
is talking about it. Grooming of the pistes has clearly been reduced.
Wide trails have become narrower. Pistes that should be open,
remained closed after a big snowfall. Moguls were not smoothed over
on blue pistes. All of this is hurting Zermatt. Experts aside,
a reputation for poor grooming will keep visitors away. Everyone
assumes that the lack of grooming is a money saving measure taken
after the merger of three competing transport systems. Before the
merger, grooming was extensive so as to keep skiers from moving to a
competing area.

Over this past Christmas, Zermatt had great snow, but the
Village was not full of visitors. Unless they improve the grooming,
that trend will continue.

We are planning to go to Saas Fee this March, but with improved lifts
and reduced crowds Zermatt may deserve another look.

Smathers

We humbly apologize. How stupid of us to have forgotten that only off piste
skiers subscribe to this News Group. Where do we find the 95% who prefer
groomed pistes?

Richard and Barbara

In message , Richard and
Barbara writes
We are Americans who have been skiing annually in Zermatt for more than 20
years. We love the Village and the skiing. We have many friends who visit
annually as we do, and many friends who live in the Village. The
improvements to the lift system are absolutely great. BUT, there is a big
problem, and everyone who knows the area is talking about it. Grooming of
the pistes has clearly been reduced. Wide trails have become narrower.
Pistes that should be open, remained closed after a big snowfall. Moguls
were not smoothed over on blue pistes. All of this is hurting Zermatt.
Experts aside, a reputation for poor grooming will keep visitors away.
Everyone assumes that the lack of grooming is a money saving measure taken
after the merger of three competing transport systems. Before the merger,
grooming was extensive so as to keep skiers from moving to a competing area.


Zermatt has a policy of official moguls on blue pistes for the punters
to practice on. They devote part of the width of some very wide pistes
to them. They're very nice regular bumps, obviously looked after by the
ski schools.
These are marked with official picture signs, equally unhelpful to
speakers of every language.

The Zermatt safety service has a problem with crashes involving skiers
doing about Mach 2, and is basically in favour of bumps to slow the
punters down.
(The solid-ice bumps at the bottleneck in the piste nearest the
Matterhorn didn't slow me down, they paralysed me completely. If it
wasn't for peer pressure I'd still be standing there.)

--
Sue ]:(:)

In message , Richard and
Barbara writes
We humbly apologize. How stupid of us to have forgotten that only off piste
skiers subscribe to this News Group. Where do we find the 95% who prefer
groomed pistes?


You wouldn't say that if you could see me off piste! Or if you could
see the racers racing.

Most on-piste skiers aren't particularly interested in skiing as a
sport, they just go once a year with the usual people to the usual
place, enjoy the scenery and the food, get away from the British winter
twilight.
They go on summer holidays too, but they don't take newsgroups for
sunbathing or clubbing, though probably these exist.

--
Sue ];(:)

Token low-intermediate skier

Zermatt has no such policy. The only official mogul runs are called buckel
pistes. They are clearly marked on the map. And they are never on blue
pistes. I am not sure where your information is coming from, but it is not
accurate.

Richard

Richard and Barbara wrote:

We humbly apologize. How stupid of us to have forgotten that only off piste
skiers subscribe to this News Group. Where do we find the 95% who prefer
groomed pistes?

Come on, can't you take a little joke?

Anyway, if you've been skiing for 20 years have you never even
considered off-piste skiing? And where do you get 95% from? Get some fat
skis and enjoy the snow, groomed or otherwise.