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#1
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Verbier: On or Off-Piste?
There are some runs in Verbier marked as "itineraries" with a yellow
dotted line on the piste map (e.g. down to Tortin). I read somewhere that these are basically ungroomed black runs - unpatrolled, but made safe from avalanches (or as safe as any piste). Usually we wouldn't go off-piste without a guide, a transceiver etc but does that mean we can treat them as we would a black run? Does that also mean they would be closed if unsafe (like a piste) and/or have a warning if very rocky? Last time we were in Verbier we got the cable car down over Tortin, but we're better skiers now and would like to have a go at the bumps (not going until late March so 8 weeks for it to snow...). The piste map says not to take the red dotted lines (the High Mountain Tour) without a guide, so we won't. |
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#2
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On 16 Jan 2005 03:42:16 -0800, wrote:
There are some runs in Verbier marked as "itineraries" with a yellow dotted line on the piste map (e.g. down to Tortin). I read somewhere that these are basically ungroomed black runs - unpatrolled, but made safe from avalanches (or as safe as any piste). Usually we wouldn't go off-piste without a guide, a transceiver etc but does that mean we can treat them as we would a black run? Does that also mean they would be closed if unsafe (like a piste) and/or have a warning if very rocky? Last time we were in Verbier we got the cable car down over Tortin, but we're better skiers now and would like to have a go at the bumps (not going until late March so 8 weeks for it to snow...). The piste map says not to take the red dotted lines (the High Mountain Tour) without a guide, so we won't. I've been down them both without any gear / guide. I had the impression that it was fine to do so. There were plenty of people doing so. I think I remember it being closed after some snow implying that they were taking care of it but it was a few years ago so I don't remember that well. For Tortin at the top there is a path leading around to the right which people traverse around before deciding to go down. It's actually easier at the start and gets harder as you go along the path so just get stuck in. Of course we'd been told this but still didn't like the look of it at the start and went around until it go harder! I don't remember it being mogully, just lots of soft snow. -- Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/ |
#3
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Darren Atter wrote:
On 16 Jan 2005 03:42:16 -0800, wrote: There are some runs in Verbier marked as "itineraries" with a yellow dotted line on the piste map (e.g. down to Tortin). I read somewhere that these are basically ungroomed black runs - unpatrolled, but made safe from avalanches (or as safe as any piste). Usually we wouldn't go off-piste without a guide, a transceiver etc but does that mean we can treat them as we would a black run? Does that also mean they would be closed if unsafe (like a piste) and/or have a warning if very rocky? Last time we were in Verbier we got the cable car down over Tortin, but we're better skiers now and would like to have a go at the bumps (not going until late March so 8 weeks for it to snow...). The piste map says not to take the red dotted lines (the High Mountain Tour) without a guide, so we won't. I've been down them both without any gear / guide. I had the impression that it was fine to do so. There were plenty of people doing so. I think I remember it being closed after some snow implying that they were taking care of it but it was a few years ago so I don't remember that well. For Tortin at the top there is a path leading around to the right which people traverse around before deciding to go down. It's actually easier at the start and gets harder as you go along the path so just get stuck in. Of course we'd been told this but still didn't like the look of it at the start and went around until it go harder! I don't remember it being mogully, just lots of soft snow. When we was in Verbier last April the tortin run was one of the biggest and best mogul fields I had ever seen, very wide, even slope at the top with biggish regularly spaced soft moguls over the whole upper sections. We did it a couple times every day. You will know what it looks like from the cable car going up. Definately worth doing. There are dozens of people doing it at any one time. The length and steepness of it made it quite tiring. To go from top to bottom without stopping would be quite an achievement. The other 'big' itinerary is the Gentianes, which is less steep, but longer and with a greater range of terrain, making it, IMHO more serious. The run from the top of Mont Fort to Tortin is a fantastic excursion of about 1300m vertical, one of the best of its type. We even went down the Gentianes in fog one day, so navigation isn't much of a problem (remember we are still in big mountains and getting lost has serious consequences. We did not use a guide or any special off piste equipment. I do not know why they are not marked as a black pistes. My piste map has orange itineraries that are not marked and yellow ones that are. It does not contain the red routes you mentioned. The vallon D Arbi was closed for the whole week with an avalanche warning at the top and the Mont-Gele cable car was also closed most of the week, for, I suspect, similar reasons. There is fantastic skiing in Verbier, but be prepared to queue quite a long time for some of the cable cars, particulalrly if going over Easter. John |
#4
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John Elgy wrote:
Darren Atter wrote: On 16 Jan 2005 03:42:16 -0800, wrote: There are some runs in Verbier marked as "itineraries" with a yellow dotted line on the piste map (e.g. down to Tortin). I read somewhere that these are basically ungroomed black runs - unpatrolled, but made safe from avalanches (or as safe as any piste). Usually we wouldn't go off-piste without a guide, a transceiver etc but does that mean we can treat them as we would a black run? Does that also mean they would be closed if unsafe (like a piste) and/or have a warning if very rocky? Last time we were in Verbier we got the cable car down over Tortin, but we're better skiers now and would like to have a go at the bumps (not going until late March so 8 weeks for it to snow...). The piste map says not to take the red dotted lines (the High Mountain Tour) without a guide, so we won't. I've been down them both without any gear / guide. I had the impression that it was fine to do so. There were plenty of people doing so. I think I remember it being closed after some snow implying that they were taking care of it but it was a few years ago so I don't remember that well. For Tortin at the top there is a path leading around to the right which people traverse around before deciding to go down. It's actually easier at the start and gets harder as you go along the path so just get stuck in. Of course we'd been told this but still didn't like the look of it at the start and went around until it go harder! I don't remember it being mogully, just lots of soft snow. When we was in Verbier last April the tortin run was one of the biggest and best mogul fields I had ever seen, very wide, even slope at the top with biggish regularly spaced soft moguls over the whole upper sections. We did it a couple times every day. You will know what it looks like from the cable car going up. Definately worth doing. There are dozens of people doing it at any one time. The length and steepness of it made it quite tiring. To go from top to bottom without stopping would be quite an achievement. The other 'big' itinerary is the Gentianes, which is less steep, but longer and with a greater range of terrain, making it, IMHO more serious. The run from the top of Mont Fort to Tortin is a fantastic excursion of about 1300m vertical, one of the best of its type. We even went down the Gentianes in fog one day, so navigation isn't much of a problem (remember we are still in big mountains and getting lost has serious consequences. We did not use a guide or any special off piste equipment. I do not know why they are not marked as a black pistes. My piste map has orange itineraries that are not marked and yellow ones that are. It does not contain the red routes you mentioned. The vallon D Arbi was closed for the whole week with an avalanche warning at the top and the Mont-Gele cable car was also closed most of the week, for, I suspect, similar reasons. There is fantastic skiing in Verbier, but be prepared to queue quite a long time for some of the cable cars, particulalrly if going over Easter. John OH! I forgot to mention there are some pictures on http://www.zen20587.zen.co.uk/Winter...2004/index.htm John |
#5
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John Elgy wrote: Darren Atter wrote: On 16 Jan 2005 03:42:16 -0800, wrote: There are some runs in Verbier marked as "itineraries" with a yellow dotted line on the piste map (e.g. down to Tortin). I read somewhere that these are basically ungroomed black runs - unpatrolled, but made safe from avalanches (or as safe as any piste). Usually we wouldn't go off-piste without a guide, a transceiver etc but does that mean we can treat them as we would a black run? Does that also mean they would be closed if unsafe (like a piste) and/or have a warning if very rocky? Last time we were in Verbier we got the cable car down over Tortin, but we're better skiers now and would like to have a go at the bumps (not going until late March so 8 weeks for it to snow...). The piste map says not to take the red dotted lines (the High Mountain Tour) without a guide, so we won't. I've been down them both without any gear / guide. I had the impression that it was fine to do so. There were plenty of people doing so. I think I remember it being closed after some snow implying that they were taking care of it but it was a few years ago so I don't remember that well. For Tortin at the top there is a path leading around to the right which people traverse around before deciding to go down. It's actually easier at the start and gets harder as you go along the path so just get stuck in. Of course we'd been told this but still didn't like the look of it at the start and went around until it go harder! I don't remember it being mogully, just lots of soft snow. When we was in Verbier last April the tortin run was one of the biggest and best mogul fields I had ever seen, very wide, even slope at the top with biggish regularly spaced soft moguls over the whole upper sections. We did it a couple times every day. You will know what it looks like from the cable car going up. Definately worth doing. There are dozens of people doing it at any one time. The length and steepness of it made it quite tiring. To go from top to bottom without stopping would be quite an achievement. The other 'big' itinerary is the Gentianes, which is less steep, but longer and with a greater range of terrain, making it, IMHO more serious. The run from the top of Mont Fort to Tortin is a fantastic excursion of about 1300m vertical, one of the best of its type. We even went down the Gentianes in fog one day, so navigation isn't much of a problem (remember we are still in big mountains and getting lost has serious consequences. We did not use a guide or any special off piste equipment. I do not know why they are not marked as a black pistes. My piste map has orange itineraries that are not marked and yellow ones that are. It does not contain the red routes you mentioned. My piste map is 4 years old, which may explain the difference. The vallon D Arbi was closed for the whole week with an avalanche warning at the top and the Mont-Gele cable car was also closed most of the week, for, I suspect, similar reasons. There is fantastic skiing in Verbier, but be prepared to queue quite a long time for some of the cable cars, particulalrly if going over Easter. John Thanks for the tips. |
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