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Zermatt for the Sort-Of Beginner



 
 
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  #21  
Old August 8th 06, 05:59 PM posted to rec.skiing.resorts.europe
Ace
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Posts: 275
Default Zermatt for the Sort-Of Beginner

On Tue, 08 Aug 2006 17:27:30 GMT, "Richard & Barbara"
wrote:

How many times must I say this. A red run in Zermatt is suicide for a
beginner!!!!!


Rubbish. There may be one, or possibly two reds that can be almost
black depending on conditions, but I recall a friend of mine taking
her first lessons (two mornings) there last year, much of which took
place on a marked red run.

--
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.
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  #22  
Old August 8th 06, 06:36 PM posted to rec.skiing.resorts.europe
[email protected]
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Posts: 7
Default Zermatt for the Sort-Of Beginner

Sarah Eggleston wrote:
wrote:

Sounds like there's a different question lurking here... which is...
where's a good place for a late beginner and an intermediate to go
skiing in February that's between Zurich and Rome and easy to get to by
public transport from both...?

Does that sound right?


Yeah, that sounds about right.

This all started off after I learned to ski in february of this year
and wondered what I had been doing for the past 39 years of my life
(living in flatland country thats what!). I decided that I wanted to
ski the alps on my 40th birthday. In doing some research, Zermatt and
the Berner Oberland pretty much lept out at me. I didn't feel like I
was the St. Moritz type (or income level) and many of the others just
didnt seem like they had as much in terms of variety to offer.

In thinking about it I would probably say my priorites a
1) Good place for a late beginner and intermediate to ski.
2) Great view
3) Good access to day trips elsewhere if we want to go to them.
4) Decent restaurants and nightlife (although I tend to prefer a good
pub w/ a great beer selection to a dance club).
5) Accessible via public transit.

I am not as concerned about getting to rome quickly as we have a day to
play with somewhere in there and wouldnt mind spending the night in
bologna or further south to split our train trip up.

  #24  
Old August 8th 06, 11:05 PM posted to rec.skiing.resorts.europe
Cecilia in Rio
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Posts: 3
Default Zermatt for the Sort-Of Beginner

I agree. Reds are not "that bad" in Zermatt. Of course, depending on
ski conditions than can get icy and a little bit more dificult.
Anyway, the ski trip to Cervinia is a piece of cake. Any beginner
following an instructor or a good skier can go there for lunch and
return on the same day without ANY kind of trouble. Reds in the
Italian side are like easy greens in Colorado.

With a mix group I would go to the Jungfrau area. Wengen is a great
place to stay and from there there are endless choices of places and
runs. I would avoid Murren (altough the place is gorgeous, the runs
are more difficult than Wengen area and Grindelwald area as well).

Have fun

Cecilia



Ace wrote:
On Tue, 08 Aug 2006 17:27:30 GMT, "Richard & Barbara"
wrote:

How many times must I say this. A red run in Zermatt is suicide for a
beginner!!!!!


Rubbish. There may be one, or possibly two reds that can be almost
black depending on conditions, but I recall a friend of mine taking
her first lessons (two mornings) there last year, much of which took
place on a marked red run.

--
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.


  #25  
Old August 9th 06, 05:51 AM posted to rec.skiing.resorts.europe
Ace
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Posts: 275
Default Zermatt for the Sort-Of Beginner

On 8 Aug 2006 16:05:01 -0700, "Cecilia in Rio"
wrote:

I agree. Reds are not "that bad" in Zermatt. Of course, depending on
ski conditions than can get icy and a little bit more dificult.


Although I realise that it's not been pointed out, and may not be
obvious to our American cousins, that Swiss resorts only have three
grades of runs, green, red and black. The latter category includes
runs that would be double diamonds in the US, so clearly the red
grading may also overlap into the US single-diamond level.

Anyway, the ski trip to Cervinia is a piece of cake. Any beginner
following an instructor or a good skier can go there for lunch and
return on the same day without ANY kind of trouble.


Oh yes - it's very well linked and easily accessible.

Reds in the Italian side are like easy greens in Colorado.


But that's as much of a generalisation as the earlier one about
Zermatt reds being totally unsuited to beginners. Most of the Cervinia
reds are wide open cruisy runs, but there are some exceptions, and
even some of those that are can be tricky in icy conditions, in that
they're quite steep and south facing, so can degenerate in poor
weather.


--
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.
  #26  
Old August 9th 06, 08:26 AM posted to rec.skiing.resorts.europe
Alex Heney
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Posts: 80
Default Zermatt for the Sort-Of Beginner

On Wed, 09 Aug 2006 07:51:02 +0200, Ace wrote:

On 8 Aug 2006 16:05:01 -0700, "Cecilia in Rio"
wrote:

I agree. Reds are not "that bad" in Zermatt. Of course, depending on
ski conditions than can get icy and a little bit more dificult.


Although I realise that it's not been pointed out, and may not be
obvious to our American cousins, that Swiss resorts only have three
grades of runs, green, red and black. The latter category includes
runs that would be double diamonds in the US, so clearly the red
grading may also overlap into the US single-diamond level.


You mean *blue*, red and black, of course :-)

And yes (a s a very general rule), the blues cover everything from the
easiest green to fairly high up the blue scale in American grading,
with Red covering the top end of blue through most single diamond
runs, and black being the hardest single diamond upwards.


Anyway, the ski trip to Cervinia is a piece of cake. Any beginner
following an instructor or a good skier can go there for lunch and
return on the same day without ANY kind of trouble.


Oh yes - it's very well linked and easily accessible.

Reds in the Italian side are like easy greens in Colorado.


But that's as much of a generalisation as the earlier one about
Zermatt reds being totally unsuited to beginners. Most of the Cervinia
reds are wide open cruisy runs, but there are some exceptions, and
even some of those that are can be tricky in icy conditions, in that
they're quite steep and south facing, so can degenerate in poor
weather.


The problem of course, is that even with the generalisation about
equivalence of runs above, there is really no standardisation of
grading. Certainly not between resorts, and often not even within the
same resort.
--
Alex Heney, Global Villager
Don't look back, the lemmings are gaining on you.
To reply by email, my address is alexATheneyDOTplusDOTcom
  #27  
Old August 9th 06, 08:30 AM posted to rec.skiing.resorts.europe
Ace
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Posts: 275
Default Zermatt for the Sort-Of Beginner

On Wed, 09 Aug 2006 09:26:28 +0100, Alex Heney
wrote:

On Wed, 09 Aug 2006 07:51:02 +0200, Ace wrote:

On 8 Aug 2006 16:05:01 -0700, "Cecilia in Rio"
wrote:

I agree. Reds are not "that bad" in Zermatt. Of course, depending on
ski conditions than can get icy and a little bit more dificult.


Although I realise that it's not been pointed out, and may not be
obvious to our American cousins, that Swiss resorts only have three
grades of runs, green, red and black. The latter category includes
runs that would be double diamonds in the US, so clearly the red
grading may also overlap into the US single-diamond level.


You mean *blue*, red and black, of course :-)


Yes. Early morning brain fade.

And yes (a s a very general rule), the blues cover everything from the
easiest green to fairly high up the blue scale in American grading,
with Red covering the top end of blue through most single diamond
runs, and black being the hardest single diamond upwards.


Quite so. Much more concisely put.

The problem of course, is that even with the generalisation about
equivalence of runs above, there is really no standardisation of
grading. Certainly not between resorts, and often not even within the
same resort.


It's difficult to imagine how it could be otherwise, though. So much
of what one individual thinks of as hard will depend on the sort of
things they're used to skiing. If you learn on ice, for example,
you'll never be afraid of it, but may not be able to ski powder to
save your life. Conversly, US West coast skiers may find the fresh
snow easy but go to pieces on ice. So trying to impose a standard
grading system is going to fall at the furst hurdle, as it were.

--
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.
  #28  
Old August 9th 06, 10:14 AM posted to rec.skiing.resorts.europe
Adrian D. Shaw
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Posts: 32
Default Zermatt for the Sort-Of Beginner

Felly sgrifennodd Alex Heney :
You mean *blue*, red and black, of course :-)


Plus the yellow "Abfahrtsroute/Piste de Descente", which can be anything from
a gentle wide road to a narrow steep icy mogulled challenge.

Best ask before you try one of these, if you don't ski blacks.

Adrian
--
Adrian Shaw ais@
Adran Cyfrifiadureg, Prifysgol Cymru, aber.
Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Cymru ac.
http://users.aber.ac.uk/ais/weather/ uk
  #29  
Old August 9th 06, 01:22 PM posted to rec.skiing.resorts.europe
Mike Clark
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Posts: 58
Default Zermatt for the Sort-Of Beginner

In message om
wrote:

Sarah Eggleston wrote:
wrote:

Sounds like there's a different question lurking here... which is...
where's a good place for a late beginner and an intermediate to go
skiing in February that's between Zurich and Rome and easy to get to by
public transport from both...?

Does that sound right?


Yeah, that sounds about right.

This all started off after I learned to ski in february of this year
and wondered what I had been doing for the past 39 years of my life
(living in flatland country thats what!). I decided that I wanted to
ski the alps on my 40th birthday. In doing some research, Zermatt and
the Berner Oberland pretty much lept out at me. I didn't feel like I
was the St. Moritz type (or income level) and many of the others just
didnt seem like they had as much in terms of variety to offer.

In thinking about it I would probably say my priorites a
1) Good place for a late beginner and intermediate to ski.
2) Great view
3) Good access to day trips elsewhere if we want to go to them.
4) Decent restaurants and nightlife (although I tend to prefer a good
pub w/ a great beer selection to a dance club).
5) Accessible via public transit.

I am not as concerned about getting to rome quickly as we have a day to
play with somewhere in there and wouldnt mind spending the night in
bologna or further south to split our train trip up.


Have you considered Verbier? The main resort and several nearby village
ski areas offers a huge range of pistes that covers your ability range.

Mike
--
o/ \\ // |\ ,_ o Mike Clark
\__,\\ // __o | \ / /\, "A mountain climbing, cycling, skiing,
" || _`\,_ |__\ \ | immunology lecturer, antibody engineer and
` || (_)/ (_) | \corn computer user"
  #30  
Old August 9th 06, 05:03 PM posted to rec.skiing.resorts.europe
Eugene Miya
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Posts: 166
Default Zermatt for the Sort-Of Beginner

In article ,
Richard & Barbara wrote:
I'm an American and a long time Zermatt skier. And a Zermatt lover.
Sadly, my advice is, you're not ready.

wrote in message
oups.com...


You should actually be prepared to heed his advice.
He may be right. Optimism and positive thinking may not be enough
to get you beyond some of the easier slopes .

--
 




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