Tag Archive for: Chamonix

Evelyn Kanter

The Top Resorts in Europe – World Famous and Not

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Lots of snow and sunshine days, gorgeous views, varied terrain, modern lifts and multiple choices for dinner, nightlife and shopping.  All are the hallmarks of what makes a winter resort great anywhere in the world, including in Europe. These are the top-rated resorts in France, Italy, Switzerland elsewhere in Europe are based on a mix of all those things, plus transfer time from and back to the nearest airport.  Plus the low cost of weekly ski passes – as low as $50/day – adds to the appeal.

Research by the Europe-based air transfer company hoppa rates Chamonix, Courchevel and Tignes the top three, and includes lesser known Bansko, in Bulgaria, and Grandvalira, in Andorra, as up-and-coming super-affordable hidden gems less crowded than the larger and more famous destinations on the list.

So here are some factoids to help you decide where to go next –

Chamonix  – Nestled at the foot of Mont Blanc in the French Alps, Chamonix tops the ranking with an overall score of 9.94. Famous as the birthplace of modern alpine skiing and host of the first-ever Winter Olympics, it remains one of the world’s most iconic resorts.

Ski passes average $85/day for a weekly pass, annual snowfall reaches 470cm, and no other resort in the list offers as many restaurants or nightlife options.

Courchevel – Contributing to Courchevel’s high score is its average annual snowfall of 399cm, its high number of nightlife listings and restaurants and its high number of Google searches. Courchevel is a great place for a luxury stay. Along with stunning scenery and desirable hotels, and more than a dozen Michelin-starred restaurants in the area, including Le Sarkara, Le 1947 à Cheval Blanc, and Baumaniere 1850.

Ski passes also average $85/day for a weekly pass.

Tignes – This resort completes an all-French top three with a score of 8.29 out of 10. Contributing to its high score is its high snowfall of almost 700cm per year, an affordable ski pass of just around $50/day for a weekly pass, and its high number of nightlife listings.

Due to Tignes’ high average snowfall – around 669cm a season – it is considered a safe resort to book. That means you don’t have to worry about whether or not it will have snow.

Val Gardena (Dolomiti Superski) in Italy and Val d’Isere, also in France, are also on the top ten list – and both are destinations this season for the 70+ Ski Club.

Bansko ski passes are the least expensive on the list – around $50/day  – which is one third of the price of Zermatt in Switzerland, the most expensive ski resort in in Europe, and also on this top ten list. Bansko has a ten-mile cruiser known as the “Ski Road”.  Closest airport is Sophia.

Grandvalira is the largest ski resort the Pyrenees, with more than 150 miles of trails, 70 lifts and six base areas. Is part of the group that also includes Pal Arinsal and Ordino Arcalis. You can ski all three on one pass for around $75 for a weekly pass.

Other resorts on this top ten list include Grindelwald/Wengen/Murren in Switzerland’s Jungfrau Region and two more areas in France, both smaller and lesser known than their big sisters, La Plagne and Alpe d’Huez.

Surpisingly, no resorts in Austria or Germany made this list.

Not world-class Innsbruck, with its world-famous Hahmenkamm run, or even Gurgl, where I learned to ski after college in the 60s, trading English lessons for ski lessons, and site of the recent World Cup races in which Mikaela Shiffrin cemented her winning legacy as G.O.A.T.  Not Garmish-Partenkirchen in Germany’s highest mountain range, site of the1936 Winter Olympics, where some inns on the main street have been serving guests since the 1600s.  So it goes.

You can read the full research here: https://www.hoppa.com/en/discover/infographics/european-ski-index

What is your favorite ski resort in Europe? Where do you want to go next?

See you on the slopes.

Jon Weisberg

Short Swings!

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Would you pay an additional $49+ not to wait in the lift line? Express lines have been available for years for members of exclusive clubs and for skiers accompanied by instructors. Now it will be available for a fee on a day-by-day basis at Snowbird (UT), Killington (VT), Copper Mountain (CO) and Mount Bachelor (OR), all areas owned by Utah-based Powdr Corp.

Years ago, friends at Snowbird with “black passes,” went to the head of the line on the Tram and other lifts as a benefit of membership in the resort’s pricey Seven Summits Club.

In the late 60s I skied Chamonix with an American photographer living there. Organized lift lines were nonexistent. He pushed his way to the front of the pack and slipped some francs to the lift attendant. It was uncomfortable to me, but perfectly normal to him.

Now that privilege will be accessible to anyone with spare change. Dedicated fast access lanes are being established at the most popular lifts at each of the participating resorts (Snowbird’s Tram, not included). Starting Nov 1, skiers can purchase the Fast Tracks add-on in advance or on-mountain. Fast Tracks — quantity to be capped daily –will be available to all skiers holding day passes, season passes or Ikon Passes.

Is this new level of premium pricing a natural evolution of how lift tickets are valued? I think so. A few years back, areas assigned different values to lift tickets based on how far in advance they were purchased, day of the week, holidays., etc. Some areas discount passes based on military service, student status and age. Remember when 60 year olds got free skiing? In the US, the age threshold has been steadily increasing. Now, generally, you need to be 75 or 80 to get a deal, if any exists.

Most resorts and the bundled pass offerings discount for early purchases. Their purveyors get to invest that capital any number of ways.

Who will make the add-on Fast Tracks purchase? Anyone with a cushy account planning a trip to the mountains. They paid for the flight, the lodge, lift tickets, etc. Why spend time on the hill waiting in line? That’s the market…and those to whom the added cost means nothing.

So much about skiing, like life in general, has changed, and those changes may grate on those who have been enjoying it for decades. If this works for Powdr Corp, it’s just a matter of time before paying the additional fee to get to the head of the line will be commonplace.

The Season Is Underway…

…at least in Finland where Levi and Ruka have opened with the benefit of recycling last season’s snow. The procedure, know as “snow farming” stores snow from the previous season in protective structures and redistributes it on trails once temps have dropped enough to keep it from melting. Here in the US, Copper Mountain (CO) fired up its guns last week to prepare for US Ski Team training staring October 22 and its general opening on November 22. And, as of this writing, resorts around the West have been dumped on. Alta has about 18.” Wolf Creek opens Saturday; Arapahoe Basin on Sunday. Winter is here!

Welcome Ski Idaho!

Ski Idaho, which promotes the state’s 17 ski areas, is our newest advertiser. The best known of the resorts is Sun Valley. Less frequented but with substantial vertical and snow are Grand Targhee (actually in Wyoming but a participant in the Ski Idaho initiative), Schweitzer, Tamarack, and Pebble Creek. Many private jets are parked at the airport in Hailey, the gateway to Sun Valley. Not so at the other areas. Any senior skier wanting to expand the list of areas skied or planning a reasonably priced family ski holiday is well-advised to look into Idaho. Its official nickname is “the gem state.” Precious minerals and stones aside, it is one gem of a place to explore and ski!

Snowboarder To Be Featured on $1 Coin

Source: US Treasury

Vermont will be represented in a series of new $1 coins issued by the U.S. Mint.The coin will feature an image of a snowboarder. The “American Innovation” series of $1 coins started in 2018 and will eventually include a coin for each state, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories. Vermont’s coin, to be released in 2022, shows a snowboarder holding the edge of her board while doing a trick.

Full Tilt to be Retired

Source: Full Tilt Boots

The 3-piece  boot, particularly popular with many SeniorsSkiing.com readers, will be retired after this season. It is made and distributed under the K2 umbrella.

Man Completes London Marathon in Ski Boots

Credit: Guinness World Records

Paul Bennett ran the London Marathon in ski boots, as a fund-raiser supporting injured military personnel. His time: 5 hour, 30 minutes, 20 seconds. He was 7 seconds faster than the last ski boot marathon runner.

On this side of the pond, last week, 87 untramarathoners in Utah ran into a blizzard that dumped 12″ – 18″ on portions of the high-elevation, 5o mile course. Officials called off the race, and there were no injuries; a far different outcome from last May’s mountain race in China when 21 runners died from exposure.

New Aspen Logo

Old Aspen logo. Source: Aspen

New Aspen logo. Source: Aspen

 

 

The original aspen leaf design was introduced in 1946. Now, 75 years later, it has a cleaner, new look. The design’s last iteration was an aspen leaf with ski tracks forming the stem. The new version is an outline of an aspen leaf. More on how the resort will be celebrating its 75th in future issues.

 

Big Expansion for Sunday River

Sunday River to expand into Western Reserve. Source: Sunday River

Sunday River (ME) announced a major expansion that will get underway in 2022. This, as reported in The Storm Skiing Journal website. The terrain expansion will eventually double the size of the resort. Click here for resort’s explanation.

30% Discount on Ski Books

Use code SENIORSSKI when placing online orders for any of the 27 ski titles published by Arcadia Publishing. The offer is valid through November 7.

Air Access to Mammoth Mountain Increases

United Airlines is starting flights from L.A., San Francisco and Denver to Eastern Sierra Regional Airport in Bishop (CA), about 49 miles from Mammoth Mountain. Another service, Advanced Airlines, which bills itself as providing “public charter flights,” will provide flights to Mammoth Yosemite Airport from three Southern California airports (Burbank, Carlsbad and Hawthorne). It’s 12 miles from the resort.

This Ski Film Was Made 101 Years Ago!

Arnold Fanck, a German documentary filmmaker and pioneer of the mountain film genre, is credited with creating one of the first ski films. “The Wonder of Skis” (Das Wunder des Schneeschuhs) was issued in 1920…101 years ago! It shows skiers in a variety of alpine beauty spots, executing surprisingly beautiful turns. Length of this segment: 30 minutes. Click on image to screen.

 

Jon Weisberg

Short Swings!

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Boris and Ivan have been skiing across the frozen steppe for many days. After too long on the front, they’re finally going home. Boris spent hours telling his colleague what he intends to do when, finally, he arrives home: hug his family, down a hearty meal, paint the dacha, tend the garden. 

“Ivan, what is your plan?,” he asks. 

“My wife will come to the door with vodka.” 

“And then?”

“We’ll embrace and make passionate love.”

“And then?”

“I’ll remove these damn skis.” 

That’s one of the few decent ski jokes I know, and, apologies, if I’ve used it before in this space.

Unfortunately, we removed our skis too early this season. And there are legitimate questions as to whether there will be a next season.

That thought, stated indirectly, appears to be on many minds. It’s why Ikon Pass is being sold with a safety net. Purchasers can decide by late November whether they want to use it for 2020-21 or 2021-22. They’ve discounted the price to encourage early sales. And Epic Pass just announced baked-in insurance coverage. Their parent companies need cash to service debt, proceed with planned projects and maintain whatever is left of their payrolls.

Some areas, pursuing similar early purchase tactics, are spinning their messages to get patrons to help them keep the lifts spinning. Their appeal: Your early buy will help keep us afloat. I don’t mind that, as long as it’s not coming from an area that joined one of the big pass programs and eliminated its own senior pass discount. There are several of them.

It’s interesting to see how the resorts are responding to COVID. My prediction is that singles will be riding doubles, triples will be occupied by two’s, etc. Areas relying on gondolas and trams will limit their occupancy and require facemasks. Lines will be longer. See below for Chamonix’s sensible response. 

I expect day lodges will have fewer seats and surfaces will be aggressively sanitized. Maybe restrooms will have full-time attendants whose job will be keeping everything clean. Resort HR departments advertise for “Lifties.” Why not “Resties?”

Expect hand sanitizer stations to be as ubiquitous as tissue dispensers.

Of course there will be rogue skiers and boarders defying the rules and placing themselves and others at risk…just like they do when playing human pinball racing down the hill. The likelihood of their getting reprimanded for sneezing in line is about as likely as their getting stopped for reckless skiing.

I haven’t missed a season since 1954 and don’t intend to miss out on 2020-21. But if things get too complicated on the hill, I might throw in my ski towel, grab my beach towel and head South.

Chamonix Fights COVID With Thermal Scans

Skiers at the French resort are now required to enter a thermal scanning device (similar to an airport security gate) to check their temperatures, use sanitizing material on their hands, and wear masks while waiting in line and riding lifts. Social distancing will be implemented in lines and on enclosed lifts. If found effective, this protocol may become the industry standard.

COVID Concerns = Season Pass Changes

IKON and others offer generous early purchase discounts for next season.

Epic now includes full and/or prorated insurance in event of job loss, stay-at-home orders, job transfers, etc. as well as resort closures due to COVID and other diseases, natural disasters, war, and terrorism.

Mountain Collective provides “incentive credits” encouraging existing pass holders to re-up for 2020-21. 

Alta will issue discounts to existing pass holders based on last season’s use. For a round-up of Utah area offerings, see Harriet Wallis’ story elsewhere in this issue.

Aspen will credit existing pass holders for its truncated season and “…have a refund policy that makes committing to the 2020-21 season risk-free.”

Indy Pass, arguably the best skiing value in North America, offers two days at each of 52 resorts for $199, including its Get America Skiing Promise providing up to 80% credit for the following season, no questions asked. Passes go on sale September 1. Pass holders at participating resorts can purchase the Indy for $129.

COVID Shutters Las Lenas 

Argentina’s premier resort, Las Lenas, announced that because of COVID, it will not open for the 2020 season.

Masterfit Establishes COVID-19 Webstore

SeniorsSkiing.com advertiser, Masterfit Enterprises,  has added protective face masks to its offerings during the pandemic. The insole and bootfit training company is selling facemasks to businesses and consumers at its Masterfit COVID19 webstore.   SeniorsSkiing.com readers get a 10% discount on their first 100 surgical mask purchase using coupon code FOMCOVID1910 at checkout. Here is a link to a story about how Masterfit landed in the PPE business. 

Val Gardena Repurposes Snowguns to Disinfect Streets

Handled by the Italian resort’s volunteer fire fighters, the snowguns are being used to spread disinfectant with hopes of reducing spread of COVID.

Higher Elevation Populations May Be Less Susceptible to COVID

A paper in the June issue Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology concludes that, among other factors, “…the virulence of SARS-CoV-2 is reduced at high-altitude due to the physiological acclimatization of its inhabitants, and due to particular environmental characteristics.” The study looked at prevalence of COVID in high elevation populations in Tibet, Bolivia and Ecuador.

Two Dimensional Ski Films

Have you noticed how the many GoPro ski films on the Net have a flattened sameness to them? I enjoy watching ski films, despite their similarities to pornography (Same motions. Different locations. Repeat.). But helmet-mounted cameras generally record ski tops against a white surface, making even the steepest terrain look pretty flat. I just watched a GoPro video of someone skiing the Alguille du Midi in Chamonix. I’ve seen it, and it’s heart-stopping steep. His GoPro footage documents the run, but does little to convey the challenge. Give me those long, across-the-valley Warren Miller and John Jay telephoto shots or the ones from the chopper floating above. Go Pro is great for a lot of things. Showing steeps is not one of them.

High School to Use Local Chairlift for Graduation Ceremony

Graduating Kennett High School (Conway, NH) seniors will ride a Cranmore Mountain chairlift to receive their diplomas. Nice way to maintain social distancing in this small New England ski town.

Send A Photo Wearing Vintage Skiwear

Skiers from 1900. Source: The Guardian

Okay, you’ve cleaned the house, organized the family pictures, Zoom-cocktailed with family and friends. Here’s a suggestion for something different: Send us a selfie of you/spouse/friend wearing  vintage clothing and we’ll publish the most interesting ones in June. Make it a sweater, jacket, hat, pants, whatever. For inspiration, check out this gallery of ski fashion dating from 1900 to the early ‘70s. It was published by the British daily The Guardian. Send your pictures to info@seniorsskiing.com and include your name and where you live.

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