French Alps

Changleen · 09-07-2005, 09:16 PM

Anyone else have much time in Europe? This post is really just to get the first ever post in this forum (Bwahahaha) but yeah, Euro skiing rules. I recommend all you Monkies try to get to ski Europe, especially the French end at least a couple of times in your life. Remember this phrase: 3 Valleys.

Pegboy · 09-11-2005, 12:08 AM

I've skied/raced in Itlay, France, Switzerland, and Austria and it is a totaly different experience than N America.
Kinda funny story: Once my team was training in Austria on a glacier in the summer and we were doing loops on a surface lift, (T bar) which are predominant over there, and we see a guy with his head burried in the snow like an osterich. After a few rounds we realize that the guy is looking down a hole/cravasse.
Finally ski patrol show up and we see them throw a rope down the hole. On the next lift ride up we see the pull a snowboarder out, after which they dust him off and ski away. The funny thing is that the hole was completely "in bounds" and right next to the lift. They didn't rope off the area or even mark it with bamboo!, Nothing! They just skied off!
That would never happen in N America, they would have closed off that whole side of the mountain and sent out a team of investigators before re-opening to make sure there was no liability...Not in Europe, you are on your own and responsible for your own safety. I wish it was like that here.

EatSkiSleep · 09-11-2005, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pegboy

I've skied/raced in Itlay, France, Switzerland, and Austria and it is a totaly different experience than N America.
Kinda funny story: Once my team was training in Austria on a glacier in the summer and we were doing loops on a surface lift, (T bar) which are predominant over there, and we see a guy with his head burried in the snow like an osterich. After a few rounds we realize that the guy is looking down a hole/cravasse.
Finally ski patrol show up and we see them throw a rope down the hole. On the next lift ride up we see the pull a snowboarder out, after which they dust him off and ski away. The funny thing is that the hole was completely "in bounds" and right next to the lift. They didn't rope off the area or even mark it with bamboo!, Nothing! They just skied off!
That would never happen in N America, they would have closed off that whole side of the mountain and sent out a team of investigators before re-opening to make sure there was no liability...Not in Europe, you are on your own and responsible for your own safety. I wish it was like that here.

Wow... Have any more cool stories like that from over there...or anywhere for that matter?

SkaredShtles · 10-17-2007, 03:33 PM

MMmm... Chamonix...

riverside73 · 10-17-2007, 03:38 PM

I skied all over Europe when I was in the Army stationed in Germany. I remember LOTS of T-bars. And there were really no "lift lines." They were more like "lift mobs." You had to be somewhat aggressive to keep you place, or you risked getting your skis trounced right over the top of by Euro Skiers that really seemed to want to ride the T-bar up worse than you!