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International (Europe/Japan/Southern Hemisphere) Why would you go skiing in the European Alps?

What are American skiers looking for in the Alps?

  • Alpine charm, atmosphere, history, views

    Votes: 49 84.5%
  • Food, wellness, the good life

    Votes: 31 53.4%
  • Supreme groomer skiing, great tours (on-piste)

    Votes: 19 32.8%
  • (In)famous runs (Tofana, Saslong, Gran Risa, Erta, Orange Killy, Streif)

    Votes: 9 15.5%
  • The amount of vertical and off-piste possibilities

    Votes: 21 36.2%
  • Alpine touring, hut-to-hut trips etc.

    Votes: 14 24.1%
  • Skiing as part of a broader Europe trip (including sightseeing, etc.)

    Votes: 19 32.8%
  • Other, see comment

    Votes: 4 6.9%

  • Total voters
    58

fatbob

Not responding
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6,288
IME, locals start off as being a little suspicious until you prove you are not an ugly American. Then it’s totally fine. But if you are having brief interactions, it can come across as rudeness because you haven’t had time to earn trust/respect/whatever it is. YMMV.
Proactively greeting a shop or service worker with a cheery " Bonjour!" or equivalent goes a long way along with basic requests in the language. They have more respect for people who try even if they then respond in fluent English IME (as they wish to avoid listening to more of my linguistic butchery).
 

crosscountry

Out on the slopes
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Didn’t work for “Should an Intermediate skier go West?” In which after 60pgs of info the guy goes to Steamboat and doesn’t see the point. Whiteface, NY was as good.
Then there was the Cham experience where “If I was at Squaw…” was the constant theme of how it’s better there.

There is wide variation in places, and you kind of need to know what you want or what’s important. Not all places are quaint or pretty. Cham is not, but the mountains can be spectacular. Les Deux Alpes for example, (the place where a drunken 29yr old Brit hurled himself out a gondola this year), is kind of the Killington of the Alps. Built in the forties. You can go down a gondola and get to some old town charm.
It's different for the Alps.

The big vertical, the spectacular scenery, and the food really hit you right on the face!

If you don't like it, it's fair to say you'll probably never like skiing in the Alps, period. And that's still worth the one trip to confirm what you don't like.
 

msutherland

Putting on skis
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Jan 20, 2021
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tennessee
I havent been to near as many places as most on here but Zermatt for me was my favorite trip ever. I live in Tennessee so nothing is easy for me to fly to . No matter where i go out west I'm having to do connector flights. We got our plane tickets to Zurich for about $900 which isnt more than flying to most places out west from my hometown. We stayed in a true ski in ski out place in Furi a few hundred yards above Zermatt for about $280 Usd per night. No need for a car (cars arent allowed anyway) we caught a train straight from the airport to Zermatt which I thoroughly enjoyed. It didn't take any longer than fooling with luggage, rental car and driving to an i-70 ski resort from Denver and was o much more enjoyable. Lift tickets and ski rentals were way cheaper than in the US. Our hotel was truly amazing with the most incredible spa system in the basement. Being able to stop slope side on a 8 mile run going into Italy to eat at a mom and pop 150 year old restaurant was amazing as well. The vastest, length of runs, views of the Matterhorn , etc were amazing. The cost of food was no more than what we pay at any larger western resort and wayyyyy better. So other than the length of travel and not quite as good of quality of snow there was nothing better anywhere Ive been in the Us or Canada.
 

SBrown

So much better than a pro
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I suspect that @SBrown is thinking that the skiers with the wrong attitude are the first ones who should go.

Or maybe that's just what I'm thinking.

Wake up and smell your parochialism. That sort of thing.

Anyway, on-hill coffee and pastry are enough for me to get on that plane.

Yes and no. The mind has to be at least a little bit open. The differences must be seen positively, not negatively. If food isn't a big deal to you, that part might be a waste. (Quelle horreur!) You can't be one of those people worrying that something is better somewhere else; don't check the snow report at home and think you are missing out on a foot of Champagne Powder™ when this is in front of you:
275300163_10226657098074484_9027458048744511992_n.jpg


Even on my previous trips, where I skied only three or four days each, I got a powder day every time in Europe. This one, it snowed 1 inch in 1 month. Not kidding. The weather was spectacular, we just rolled with it, ate outside every single day, and enjoyed everything else. I had two runs of corn one day, but otherwise breakable crust was the softest snow condition I encountered. I still loved it.*

I guess it comes down to being ok at traveling, and being interested in how the ski thing goes in a place where it is more ingrained in the collective psyche than it is North America. Does that make sense?

*the trip, not the snow
 

lone pine

Getting on the lift
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Dec 1, 2015
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Southport, NC
We were taken by the sheer beauty of the geologic formations, as well as the unique mid-mountain après ski entertainment. Val Gardena in the Dolomites in this case.
 

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Rod9301

Making fresh tracks
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Jan 11, 2016
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2,443
Yes and no. The mind has to be at least a little bit open. The differences must be seen positively, not negatively. If food isn't a big deal to you, that part might be a waste. (Quelle horreur!) You can't be one of those people worrying that something is better somewhere else; don't check the snow report at home and think you are missing out on a foot of Champagne Powder™ when this is in front of you:
275300163_10226657098074484_9027458048744511992_n.jpg


Even on my previous trips, where I skied only three or four days each, I got a powder day every time in Europe. This one, it snowed 1 inch in 1 month. Not kidding. The weather was spectacular, we just rolled with it, ate outside every single day, and enjoyed everything else. I had two runs of corn one day, but otherwise breakable crust was the softest snow condition I encountered. I still loved it.*

I guess it comes down to being ok at traveling, and being interested in how the ski thing goes in a place where it is more ingrained in the collective psyche than it is North America. Does that make sense?

*the trip, not the snow
No matter where you go, there is the risk of bad snow, wether Colorado, Tahoe, France, whatever.
 

James

Out There
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Dec 2, 2015
Posts
24,444
Shhhh. Mumm's the word.
Good one.
Made one run on Brévent, though it was very memorable.
E7874811-7646-4002-AF09-DD6018131B90.jpeg
Top of gondola and the bubbly atmosphere. Here the guide turned up the DINs on my group mates rentals. Then we went around the fence to the left.

2B98C787-B65D-4F4D-87D7-139659B30A6B.jpeg
View of Chamonix town and the Aigulle du Midi side of the valley. Mont Blanc is back there. Shows the dramatic rise of the mountains from the town.

449F923F-6814-47A5-BA9C-722F42B03C6F.jpeg
The couloir we rappelled into. The guide tying in shouted something in the wind. “Did he say rocks??” Yeah, something about going over 3 meters of rocks with the skis on.

92A66042-5391-4B58-B220-8D1BFA72A816.jpeg
I suppose at some point you might get used to seeing the town below. I tried not to look at it, it freaked me out.
The crazy German doc, first day of the season, on rental gear. :geek: I showed up at the tram for a guided group and the Tram was closed due to wind. Three of us ended up hiring the guide who gave us harnesses, and we waited about an hour. On the hike out from the Vallée Blanche, her friend got a cramp. He asks her “what should I do?” The guide wants to know why he’s asking her. “Because she’s a doctor!” To which she scoffs indignantly, “I’m a surgeon!

Having your own guide is a huge difference. After we got back in town from the bus, we piled in his car and drove the short way up to Brévent.

After this day, I went to the guide office and asked if they had something a little less…uh without ropes? “How about Italy?” Sold! Next day we drove through the tunnel to Courmayeur.
 
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SBrown

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No matter where you go, there is the risk of bad snow, wether Colorado, Tahoe, France, whatever.
Of course, but if you have traveled halfway across the world to go skiing, it can feel different than if you are just a state away.
 

Tony S

I have a confusion to make ...
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Team Gathermeister
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After this day, I went to the guide office and asked if they had something a little less…uh without ropes? “How about Italy?”
LOL
 

crosscountry

Out on the slopes
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all over the place
Of course, but if you have traveled halfway across the world to go skiing, it can feel different than if you are just a state away.
No it doesn't. Both feel disappointing.

If you're only a state away, you probably go home. Bu if you're half a world away, you stay to enjoy it, without ski boots.
 

Ken_R

Living the Dream
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Denver, CO
I am curious as to why American skiers would travel all the way to Europe, skiing-wise. You can select multiple options.

I wouldnt. Im lazy. I just throw my gear in the car drive 90min and ski for a few hours and go back home to eat and sleep in my own bed.

But a lot of folks go for sure!
 

Ken_R

Living the Dream
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For me it is the vast terrain, history & culture. I am not much of a foodie but it is certainly an added bonus!
I would definitely go for the food and wine. Most of the food in and around the ski hills here is bad and expensive. There are a few gems here and there though. Still. Nothing compares to Europe in that regard.

I would just travel with my boots, ski clothes and casual clothes. I would keep it simple and leave my skis at home though.
 

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