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 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

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.

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?


I'm an intermediate and I'm still happy to ski in a resort with mixed
grooming. My favourite snow type is well-bashed hard piste with a couple
of centimetres of fresh powder on top - until I learn how to handle the
real stuff, of course!

Not sure if it's still the case, my experience (from nearly a decade
ago) was that Megeve in France was the most heavily groomed and
manicured resort I've been to. I hear that Italians prefer not to ski on
moguls so more recently in the Milky Way, we found most pistes flat and
smooth (including the blacks), so you might want to try the other side
of the mountain in Cervinia.

IME in recent years of reduced snowfall most resorts are doing more
pisting than they used to if only to push what snow there is on to the
pistes and maximise exploitation of the natural and artificial stuff -
perhaps this is why the group were chuffed to hear of an exception to
this trend.

-Sarah

"Sarah Eggleston" wrote in message
...

IME in recent years of reduced snowfall most resorts are doing more
pisting than they used to if only to push what snow there is on to the
pistes and maximise exploitation of the natural and artificial stuff -
perhaps this is why the group were chuffed to hear of an exception to
this trend.



Very true, also resorts are saving money - no-one is making much out of
skiing.
--
Simon Brown
www.hb9drv.ch